Looking for Hostaway alternatives that offer clarity and simplicity for your growing property management business?
Discover solutions that provide straightforward pricing, user-friendly interfaces, and the hands-on experience you crave. Let’s explore some of the best vacation rental software options of 2024.
Who is Hostaway best for?
Like other vacation rental software, Hostaway helps property owners and hosts automate processes and scale their businesses without the need for additional staff.
However, it’s important to note that this tool may not be the perfect fit for everyone. While its advanced capabilities are appealing, some users have expressed concerns about its ease of use and relatively complex, high pricing, especially for smaller vacation rental managers.
It also may not be ideal for those with vacation sites built on WordPress; customer feedback suggests that the WordPress plugin could benefit from further enhancements.
Hostaway pricing
Hostaway takes a personalized approach to pricing, offering custom pricing based on your needs and booking volume.
While that might initially sound thoughtful, the lack of published pricing means busy vacation rental business owners like yourself have to take time out of their full schedules to book a demo and evaluate the cost-effectiveness of Hostaway’s services compared to other vacation rental software.
How much is Hostaway on average per month, though?
The average price of a subscription with Hostaway starts at $50 per property per month, making it one of the most expensive on the market. Other users have mentioned they were quoted $500 to get started and then at least $250/month after that.
Hostaway plans
Hostaway’s website emphasizes how each module and service is designed to scale with you as you acquire more properties. They tout the ability to build custom solutions tailored to your specific needs.
While this approach might seem intriguing, offering flexibility and growth potential, it can also lead to some confusion.
As a vacation rental business owner, time is of the essence, and deciphering complex pricing structures may not be at the top of your to-do list. It’s comforting to know upfront what you’re signing up for, especially regarding cost.
While Hostaway’s customizable plans could benefit some, the lack of clear, upfront pricing could be a stumbling block for others who prefer straightforward, predictable costs.
Hostaway trial
The Finland-based company keeps more than its pricing hidden. They also don’t allow vacation rental owners or property managers to test the software for free without booking a demo.
Currently, product demos are free, and during those demos, you have a conversation with a product expert who demonstrates how Hostaway can help your property management business grow.
Sounds beneficial, right? Maybe. However, if you prefer to get hands-on experience with software before deciding, this approach isn’t likely ideal for you.
As a top Hostaway alternative, Lodgify offers three unique ways to test drive its software:
- Free 7-day trial
- Product demo with a specialized sales consultant
- Demo account
With a demo account, you get access to an account pre-filled with data (bookings, properties, etc.) so you can actually see what the backend looks like for a working vacation rental business. Hostaway doesn’t provide the same opportunity.
So, if you like to try before you buy, you might find Lodgify’s approach more appealing.
Why do customers switch from Hostaway?
Compared to other vacation rental software on trusted review sites like G2 and Capterra, Hostaway alternatives consistently rank higher for usability, ease of administration, customer support, and more.
A common complaint among verified reviewers is that the software is full of bugs, with one user complaining that the domain booking engine was broken for weeks on end and another saying that the features marketed aren’t actually what you get once you pay the subscription fee.
Even more alarming was one review from a verified Hostaway user who claimed that it took forever to reach support and that when they did, they were “forced to write a five-star review for the support while they are watching my computer screen remotely.”
Top 5 Hostaway alternatives
Regardless of which Hostaway alternative you choose based on the important criteria mentioned above, it’s important to compare your options.
We’ve done the heavy lifting for you and have compiled information about the top five alternatives, highlighting their features, pricing, and more.
By examining these choices closely, you can find a solution that aligns perfectly with your vacation rental property management needs.
1. Lodgify
Lodgify is an all-in-one vacation rental software that empowers property owners and managers to seamlessly manage and grow their businesses.
As one of the best Hostaway alternatives, it offers a user-friendly website builder, comprehensive channel management, and robust automation capabilities. It’s also one of the most affordable alternatives, especially considering the value included with all plans.
Lodgify key features
- All-in-one property management solution: Lodgify is an all-in-one solution offering transparent pricing and plans. You don’t have to connect costly add-ons just to enjoy the basic benefits of the software.
- Channel manager: Integrate and auto-sync your listings from platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and Google Vacation Rentals with your property management software to ensure real-time updates across all channels and prevent double bookings while also enabling rate automation, margin markups, and personalized quotes.
- Automation tools: Minimize your workload, streamline your processes, and reduce repetitive tasks by automating everything from emails and tasks to guest communication. A unified inbox consolidates messages into one central hub, for example, while you can streamline communication with a cutting-edge AI Assistant messaging tool.
- Website builder & free domain: Lodgify’s professional, mobile-responsive vacation rental website templates also come with a free, customizable domain and an integrated booking engine for direct reservations and credit card payments.
- Booking widget: Already have a website on WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, or another CMS? Connect Lodgify’s booking widget to allow your guests to book properties directly on your existing site.
- Free onboarding: Unlike Hostaway, which charges $500 for onboarding, Lodgify offers free, customized onboarding and ongoing support. An onboarding specialist will help you integrate your listings and guide you through all the features.
- 24/7 multilingual support: Count on 24/7 support in five different languages via email, phone, or chat if you ever have questions or issues.
- Property management modules: Coordinate and automate property management-specific tasks like cleaning and task management while also accessing advanced analytics and reporting tools.
- User management & permissions: From check-in agents to cleaning staff, you can assign a role to each team member and set what they can see or do on the platform.
- Mobile app: The Lodgify mobile app empowers you to oversee bookings, schedules, employee tasks, and guest communications from any location. The user-friendly dashboard provides a simple overview of upcoming reservations and guest details and facilitates direct communication with guests via WhatsApp or your integrated inbox.
Lodgify pricing
Lodgify two-year plans start at $15 per month for one property with a 1.9% booking fee, making it one of the most affordable Hostaway alternatives currently on the market.
There is no booking fee for Professional and Ultimate plans, which are popular among property managers due to their advanced features like property management modules and advanced owner management. They start at $43 and $55 per month, respectively, for those subscribing for two years.
Lodgify pricing scales as you grow depending on the number of rentals you have. You can try Lodgify for free for 7 days.
2. Smoobu
Smoobu is a property management software focusing mainly on the European market. It’s one of the most expensive Hostaway alternatives for those looking for advanced features (the basic plans are much more limited in features) and may not match up to the functionality offered by some competitors.
Smoobu key features
- Channel manager: Synchronize reservations across linked booking platforms, including Airbnb and Booking.com. The platform also accommodates direct bookings.
- Reservations: Smoobu’s reservation dashboard offers a centralized calendar with comprehensive booking details, guest information, and special requests.
- Direct bookings: The website builder integrates with various tools and online payments. Like Lodgify, you can also integrate the booking engine or calendar into your third-party website.
- Centralized inbox: Similar to other Hostaway alternatives, Smoobu integrates with popular vacation rental sites like Booking.com and Airbnb, including their messaging APIs, for a unified inbox.
- Integrations: Like Lodgify and Hostaway, Smoobu offers various integrations, including Chekin, Charge Automation, and RemoteLock.
Smoobu pricing
Smoobu’s most basic plan is free but doesn’t come with a channel manager or other premium functionalities.
The cheapest paid plan, when paid annually, is $28.16 per month for one property.
For advanced features, including the ability to customize your booking system and set up your domain (which you most definitely need to manage your vacation rental business successfully), you’ll pay $193.24/month for one property. That’s quite a big difference in pricing compared to other Hostaway alternatives like Lodigfy, which offers a comparable plan at just $55/month.
3. Guesty
Guesty is another property management platform tailored for short-term and vacation rentals. The Israeli-based company offers solutions for operational management and multi-channel online reservations in a similar way to other Hostaway alternatives.
However, it’s missing popular features other Hostaway alternatives like Lodgify offer, such as a free domain and bookable website and other marketplace apps (you have to pay for the Guesty Pro subscription, or else your integrations are limited).
Most notably, Guesty lacks onboarding support for its most basic plan and charges paying premium customers for onboarding sessions, which is something that should be included in your vacation rental software.
Guesty key features
- Unified channel management: Access a dashboard to manage reservations, pricing adjustments, and date-specific rules. Note that the dashboard view is quite standard and requires manual setup, though, which can be especially frustrating for property managers managing dozens of properties.
- Centralized communication: Like Lodgify and Smoobu, you can use the software for guest communication across all channels, including email.
- Multi-unit grouping: If you pay for the more (very) expensive plans, you can group similar listings to optimize occupancy.
- Direct booking: Sync your vacation rental website with Guesty’s booking platform or use their website builder for a dedicated site. Note that their vacation rental website builder is only available for Pro and Enterprise plans — at an additional cost.
- Revenue management: The PMS is built with features to help maximize revenue, including dynamic rate adjustments and promotions. However, smart pricing tools are becoming a standard feature in the industry, with Lodgify, for example, offering something similar in the form of Dynamic Pricing.
- Integrations: Like other Hostaway alternatives, Guesty offers a variety of integrations, including major OTAs, payment gateways, and more. However, like Hostaway, the full marketplace is only available on more expensive plans.
Guesty pricing
Guesty’s Lite plan is $27 per month for US hosts with one to three listings.
Pricing for Pro and Enterprise plans isn’t public, but current and previous customers have commented that Guesty not only requires a one-time onboarding fee but also charges between 2% and 5% on all bookings.
4. Hospitable
Hospitable is a platform primarily tailored for independent landlords and smaller agencies managing short-term rentals.
Its features are more simplified compared to larger Hostaway competitors like Lodgify, and its one-size-fits-all pricing may not appeal to single-property owners seeking a cost-effective option.
Hospitable key features
- Intelligent messaging: AI tools are becoming standard in the vacation rental property management software industry, but Hospitable does allow you to use AI to automate responses to common inquiries.
- Operational management: Like Lodgify, if you’re working with a larger team, you can define roles and property access permissions and set automatic task assignment rules.
- Unified inbox: Hospitable’s unified inbox is similar to other Hostaway alternatives and allows you to sync messages across various OTAs. It’s unclear if you’re able to sync it to receive messages from your direct booking website, however.
- Multichannel management: Similar to nearly every other Hostaway alternative, Hospitable allows you to sync with major platforms like Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, and others.
- Direct booking: Build your own website or add Hospitable’s widget to yours. Note that unlike Hostaway alternatives like Lodgify or Smoobu, premium payment integrations aren’t currently available on Hospitable for hosts outside of the U.S., Australia, or the U.K.
Hospitable pricing
Hospitable starts at $40 a month (excluding sales tax, or VAT, as it’s known in Europe) for property managers with one or two properties, increasing in cost as more properties are added.
5. SiteMinder
SiteMinder offers an all-in-one platform for efficient hotel management, meaning it may not be the best solution for vacation rentals as it’s heavily focused on hotels.
However, it includes a channel manager, website builder, business intelligence tools, competitor analysis, and a robust booking engine. The software integrates with 230 hotel property management systems for efficient room pricing and reservations management.
SiteMinder key features
- Channel manager: Similar to Hostaway alternatives, you can optimize your distribution across various distribution channels, ensuring instant updates and accurate inventory management.
- Synchronized updates and automation: Use channel connectors and partner integrations to avoid double bookings at your hotel. Manage your listings from one portal and see changes implemented everywhere.
- Intuitive interface: Through its intuitive interface and automated workflows, SiteMinder’s hotel-focused features help you focus less on administrative chores and more on business expansion.
- Direct bookings: Integrate with your existing website or utilize SiteMinder’s hotel website design features to facilitate a direct and user-friendly booking experience.
SiteMinder pricing
Because SiteMinder is more focused on serving customers in the hotel sector of the hospitality industry, its pricing is a bit higher than other Hostaway alternatives.
The most basic plan costs €75/month and doesn’t include premium features like a hotel website builder, booking engine, or direct booking plug-in apps.
Choosing the right Hostaway alternative
Exploring alternatives to Hostaway requires careful consideration of your business needs. The size of your team, portfolio, growth stage, and future plans all play a significant role in determining the features you require.
To run a successful vacation rental business, you’ll (at the very least) need a sturdy booking engine, channel management features, automation capabilities, and comprehensive reporting tools. Also, look for a robust API and extensive integrations with OTAs and common tools.
Among this list of Hostaway alternatives, Lodgify stands out as a leading option, providing an all-encompassing solution tailored to meet these essential needs and more.
Don’t just take our word for it, though. Try Lodgify for yourself with a 7-day free trial, or register for a personalized product demo.