The reality of managing a vacation rental today is that success often comes down to having the right tools in place. But with so many property management software (PMS) options on the market, choosing is anything but easy.
Both Hostaway and Guesty are popular options, with comprehensive suites of tools designed to simplify your vacation rental operations. So, which is best for you? Let’s take a look at Hostaway vs. Guesty to help you make the right decision.
Who is it for?
Hostaway
Hostaway rejects customers who manage only one property, and its software is more expensive and complex than many other options on the market. As such, it’s an ideal solution for more experienced property managers who need a sophisticated solution—but not for those who want more lightweight software or are looking for a hands-off, do-it-yourself platform.
Guesty
Unlike Hostaway, which focuses on larger property managers, Guesty tries to offer something for everyone, with three different plans ideal for users with between one and 200+ properties.
However, the features included in Guesty’s Lite plan (ideal for 1-3 listings) vary drastically from those included in its more complex Pro and Enterprise plans. So, be sure to check that the plan for your number of listings also has the features you need.
Alternative: Lodgify
Another option those looking at Hostaway and Guesty often consider, Lodgify caters to a broad range of vacation rental businesses. Whether you own a single vacation rental property or manage a portfolio of up to 30+ rentals, Lodgify’s intuitive and user-friendly features empowers hosts to effortlessly manage all their operations from one convenient app.
How much does it cost?
Hostaway
Hostaway doesn’t charge set prices, instead customizing plans to each customer’s specific needs. This lack of transparency makes it difficult to determine whether Hostaway fits within your budget. What we do know is that the average Hostaway subscription starts at $50 per property per month, making it one of the most expensive options on the market.
Guesty
When comparing Hostaway vs. Guesty, it’s clear that Guesty is the more affordable option. While prices vary by region, the Guesty Lite plan (ideal for 1-3 properties) starts at $16/month for annual plans in the U.S. Users with more than three properties have to request a quote for either the Pro or Enterprise plan, since Guesty offers no further public information regarding pricing.
Alternative: Lodgify
Like Guesty, Lodgify’s most affordable plan starts at $16/month for an annual plan. However, this plan (the Starter plan) is more affordable than Guesty’s when billed monthly: just $20/month as opposed to Guesty’s $23/month. Those looking to save money can also take advantage of Lodgify’s two-year subscription and get the Starter plan at just $15/month.
What’s more, Lodgify’s Starter plan isn’t limited to those with one to three properties, so it may well be a more affordable Guesty alternative for those with four or more rentals.
Lodgify also offers Professional and Ultimate plans, starting at $40 and $59/month, respectively, for annual plans. Lodgify is 100% transparent about its prices, and you can check exactly how much your plan will cost based on plan and subscription type, number of properties, and currency on the Lodgify Pricing page.
What are the main differences between Guesty vs. Hostaway?
Onboarding
Hostaway
Hostaway’s onboarding process takes an average of three to five weeks and costs $500, as confirmed by their customer support team.
Guesty
Onboarding is not included in Guesty’s Lite plan. However, both the Pro and Enterprise plan come with guided onboarding, and the Enterprise plan offers additional “enterprise-ready onboarding.”
Alternative: Lodgify
Every Lodgify customer receives free, personalized onboarding. An expert from Lodgify will evaluate your unique requirements and work with you to set up your account, import your listings, and explain the available features.
Want to see Lodgify at work? Start a free seven-day trial today!
Website builder
Hostaway
Hostaway offers a simple website builder that’s sufficient for most hosts’ needs, enabling you to accept direct bookings for your properties.
However, it offers fewer customization options and templates than some competitors, such as Lodgify. Additionally, Hostaway does not provide custom domain names, meaning you’ll need to register and purchase a name through an external provider if you want a unique domain.
Guesty
All Guesty plans provide access to its booking engine. The Pro and Enterprise plans (but not Lite) also have access to a booking website as well as a Booking Engine API.
The basic website has minimal opportunities for customization. Users can choose to pay $15 per month for connecting their own custom domain or $25 to purchase a new custom domain. It costs an additional $49 monthly to host advanced websites plus 0.5% of direct gross booking volume.
Alternative: Lodgify
Lodgify’s website builder is well-known for its user-friendly interface and options for customization. Users can create their own bookable website in less than five minutes (no technical experience required). Lodgify websites come with a unique domain name (www.yourwebsite.com), templates and widgets for customization, and built-in SEO optimization, resulting in an average of 40% of bookings being made directly by customers.
Lodgify also offers a booking widget for users who already have an existing website. Simply embed the widget to start accepting direct bookings.
Channel manager
Hostaway
Hostaway offers a two-way API calendar sync for the top booking platforms, so the calendars for these will sync automatically. However, the Hostaway calendar is considered the “master calendar” for Airbnb, so you must make changes to availability and rates via the Hostaway platform.
Listings, however, cannot be synched automatically via Hostaway. If you make changes to your listing via Hostaway, you will need to manually push them to your channels. On top of that, listings can only be imported from Airbnb, no other channels. (However, you can export listings from Hostaway to other channels.)
Guesty
Guesty Lite users can only connect to Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo. You must upgrade to Guesty’s Pro or Enterprise plan for access to unlimited channel distribution.
Alternative: Lodgify
Lodgify has established a two-way API connection with major platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and Expedia, enabling seamless real-time synchronization of calendars, rates, bookings, and property data. This connection and our commitment to continually strengthening our relationships with these top OTAs have earned us the following preferred partner awards:
Users who want to connect with alternative or local channels can do so easily via iCal integration.
Unified inbox
Hostaway
Hostaway offers message API integrations with all major channels as well as support for email, text message, and WhatsApp.
Guesty
Guesty’s unified inbox is a messaging tool that centralizes guest communication, including inquiries, emails, and SMS. While it’s also possible to message through WhatsApp, it requires API users to have a business account.
User messages from the Guesty inbox via WhatsApp and SMS are sent to the guest’s phone number from Guesty’s business account phone number. These messages can be viewed only on the guest’s phone—not in the relevant booking channel’s inbox.
Alternative: Lodgify
Lodgify’s unified inbox streamlines guest communication by allowing users to easily manage inquiries and messages across all channels from one centralized platform. It seamlessly integrates with Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, and other top platforms as well as your own direct booking website.
Create saved replies and use Lodgify’s automated responses to streamline communication with guests and staff. You can even message guests through WhatsApp!
Want to see Lodgify at work? Start a free seven-day trial today!
Google Vacation Rentals integration
Hostaway
Hostaway does integrate with Google Vacation Rentals. However, since Hostaway only offers custom plans and doesn’t share pricing for specific features on its website, it’s unclear whether users must pay more for this feature.
Guesty
Guesty integrates with Google Vacation Rentals, but the integration isn’t available to Lite users. What’s more, those who do not have a Guesty Advanced Website must pay $4 USD per listing to take advantage of it.
Alternative: Lodgify
Lodgify offers free integration with Google Vacation Rentals via its Professional and Ultimate plans. Traffic coming from Google Vacation Rentals is sent directly to the host’s website (not a Lodgify page).
Mobile app
Hostaway
Hostaway’s mobile app is rated 3.4 stars on Google Play and 4.2 stars in the App Store.
Average rating: 3.8 stars
Guesty
Guesty’s mobile app is rated 2.5 stars on Google Play and 3.4 stars on the App Store.
Average rating: 2.95 stars
Alternative: Lodgify
Lodgify’s mobile app is rated 4.8 stars on Google Play and 3.6 stars in the App Store. In addition to Lodgify’s mobile app, users on the Ultimate plan can download the Lodgify PM app to connect with cleaners, check-in agents, and rental managers. Plus, guests can download the Lodgify Guest app to easily access host resources, such as guidebooks, Wi-Fi passwords, check-in details, and so on.
Average rating: 4.2 stars
Customer support
Hostaway
Hostaway’s support team is available 24/7 Monday-Sunday. While they provide phone numbers for the U.S., U.K., Australia, Finland, and Spain, calls are only in English.
Those who aren’t customers yet can use the support website or submit a request.
Guesty
When comparing customer support for Guesty vs. Hostaway, it’s clear that Hostaway comes out on top. Guesty customers can contact the Help Center 24/7 via email and automated live chat only, as there is no sales line for inquiries. Pro and Enterprise users can access “urgent phone support,” but it’s unclear what the parameters of that support are.
Alternative: Lodgify
Lodgify is known for its industry-leading customer support. All subscribers and trial users are entitled to free 24/7 customer support via phone, chat, and email, with fast response times. The Contact page provides telephone numbers for Sales support in the U.S. & Canada, the U.K., Australia, Spain, and Italy.
Want to see Lodgify at work? Start a free seven-day trial today!
Can I try them before I buy?
Hostaway
Hostaway does not offer a free trial, claiming that it takes between two to eight hours to set up a user account. However, users may request a demo call or pay for a trial.
Guesty
While you can get a free 14-day trial of Guesty Lite, there is no free trial available for Guesty’s Pro or Enterprise plans. Instead, users have to request a demo.
Alternative: Lodgify
Lodgify offers a free seven-day trial, which can be extended upon request. You can also explore Lodgify via a:
- Personalized demo call with a product expert who’ll guide you through all the features and advise you on the best subscription for your needs
- Preconfigured demo account, which enables you to immediately start testing the product without inputting any details about your rentals
Guesty vs. Hostaway ratings
The numbers speak for themselves. See how Guesty vs. Lodgify vs. Hostaway compare by checking out their ratings on Trustpilot below:
- Hostaway rating: 447 reviews | 4.7 stars
- Guesty rating: 548 reviews | 4.3 stars
- Lodgify rating: 1,163 reviews | 4.7 stars
Hostaway vs. Guesty vs. Lodgify: Which should I use?
Hostaway, Guesty, and Lodgify all offer powerful features to simplify vacation rental operations, but which is best comes down to your specific needs.
For example, while both Hostaway and Guesty offer complex solutions for larger property managers, Hostaway rejects single property owners, and the features on Guesty’s Lite plan (intended for 1-3 listings) are extremely limited. Moreover, Guesty has the lowest reviews of the three options, both for its mobile app as well as on software review sites. And Hostaway, while boasting ratings comparable to Lodgify, does so at the cost of being one of the most expensive options on the market.
When comparing Guesty vs. Lodgify vs. Hostaway, Lodgify stands out with its user-friendly website builder, integration options, next-level features, and overall value for money. Lodgify’s scalability makes it an ideal fit for everyone from single property managers to those handling a portfolio of 30+ rentals.
Whichever of these PMS options seems like the best fit for you, we always recommend trying before you buy to make an informed decision. To try Lodgify, you can start a free seven-day trial here.