Having the right vacation rental software can make the difference between success and falling behind. Both Lodgify and Hostaway offer a comprehensive suite of tools designed to simplify the management of your properties. But how do they stack up against each other?
Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just dipping your toes into the vacation rental industry, our in-depth Hostaway vs. Lodgify comparison will equip you with the knowledge you need to make the right decision.
Who is it for?
Lodgify
Whether you own a single vacation property or manage a portfolio of 30+ rentals, Lodgify is designed to cater to all types of vacation rental businesses. With its intuitive and user-friendly features, Lodgify empowers hosts to effortlessly manage their operations, all from one convenient app.
Hostaway
Hostaway is designed for property managers with multiple properties, rejecting customers who only manage one property. It’s a more expensive and complex software solution than others on the market, so it’s not for those who want more lightweight software or looking for a hands-off, do-it-yourself platform.
How much does it cost?
Lodgify
Lodgify offers three cost-effective pricing plans, with the lowest one starting at an affordable $16 per month. This includes all the essential features needed to effectively and efficiently run your business, such as a channel manager, a bookable website, a reservation and payment system, and a property management system.
Lodgify’s Professional plan stands out as the most popular choice, providing access to more advanced features and starting at a modest $40 per month.
The Ultimate plan is tailored toward businesses requiring even more advanced features, such as reporting, cleaning, and task management tools. This plan starts at just $59 per month.
Lodgify’s subscription plans can be charged in U.S. Dollars (USD), Euros (EUR), or British Pounds (GBP).
Hostaway
Hostaway doesn’t provide any transparency regarding its pricing. The average cost is built upon request and depends on different variables, such as location and number of units. Scaled pricing is also possible for those with many properties (although they don’t specify how many).
Hostaway vs. Lodgify: What are the main differences?
Website builder
Lodgify
Lodgify’s website builder tool is well-known in the industry for its user-friendly interface and customizable templates. With just a few clicks, users can create their own bookable website under their desired domain (www.yourwebsite.com) in less than five minutes without requiring any technical expertise.
What sets Lodgify apart is that its websites are optimized for SEO, resulting in an average of 40% of bookings being made directly by customers. Additionally, the website builder enables you to personalize your website, add widgets, and create as many pages as you want—including pages with local attractions or content that will help you rank even higher in search results.
For users who already have a website created using WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, or any other content management system (CMS), Lodgify offers seamless integration. By embedding the Lodgify booking widget, guests can now book properties directly on their website, even if it was previously not equipped for bookings.
Hostaway
Hostaway provides a simple website builder that allows you to accept direct bookings for your listings. Although it is sufficient for most needs, Hostaway’s website builder is more basic and offers fewer templates and customization options than Lodgify.
Furthermore, Hostaway does not provide its users with their desired domain name. Users wishing to use a specific domain name will need to register and purchase it separately through an external provider.
Onboarding
Lodgify
Every customer receives a free, personalized onboarding experience. An expert from Lodgify carefully evaluates the unique requirements of each user’s business and collaborates with them to establish their account, integrate their listings, and provide comprehensive guidance on utilizing all the available features. Although thorough, it’s a quick and simple process.
Hostaway
Hostaway offers users a personalized but lengthy onboarding process for a fee of €250 for monthly plans and €100 for annual plans, as confirmed by their customer support. Currently, it takes between three to five weeks for users to complete the onboarding process, which is comprehensive due to the complexity of the software. You can expect an unlimited number of calls throughout this process.
Channel manager
Lodgify
With the channel manager, users have the ability to connect with and synchronize listings across all OTAs. Lodgify has established a two-way API connection with major platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and Expedia, earning us the preferred partner awards pictured below. This integration enables seamless synchronization of calendars, rates, bookings, and property data in real-time.
Moreover, Lodgify offers the flexibility to connect users with any alternative or local channels through iCal integration.
Hostaway
Hostaway offers a two-way API calendar sync for the top booking platforms, meaning that calendars for these will be synced automatically. However, the Hostaway calendar is considered the source of truth for Airbnb, so changes in availability and rates must be done via the Hostaway platform.
Listings, on the other hand, cannot be synched automatically via Hostaway. If there are changes to your listing, they need to be manually pushed to your channels. On top of that, listings can only be imported from Airbnb, no other channels. (Although you can export listings from Hostaway to other channels.)
Property management
Lodgify
Lodgify’s property management system comes with an array of top tools and features that meet the needs of all business sizes. With Lodgify, users can easily manage bookings and communicate with staff and guests across various platforms from one centralized dashboard.
Subscribers to the Ultimate plan (ranging from $73/month for a monthly subscription to $55/month for a two-year subscription) can also take advantage of more advanced features. For example, the task assignment feature allows property managers to assign cleaning and maintenance tasks automatically, while the analytics and reporting tools provide users with invaluable insights into finances, website traffic, and other business performance metrics.
Furthermore, users can integrate their PMS with numerous tools through Lodgify’s marketplace, from dynamic pricing solutions and vacation rental insurance to guest turnover automation and unauthorized party prevention tools.
Hostaway
Hostaway also offers a comprehensive list of tools and features. However, these have been tailored toward property managers with more than one property.
Setting your rental rates
Lodgify
Lodgify’s rental payment system is versatile, accommodating a wide range of currencies and rates, making it convenient for users. It offers various pricing options to suit different needs, including per night, per week, per month, per weekday, per person, and seasonal pricing.
Hostaway
Hostaway only provides automatic currency exchange on Vrbo, meaning that when you set day rates on channels such as Airbnb or Booking.com, the numerical values (e.g., 50, 70, 100, etc.) you input will remain the same across all other channels, regardless of their respective currencies. Therefore, if you set a price of 100 CAD, for example, it will display as 100 CAD on Airbnb and 100£ on Booking.com, without any currency conversion taking place.
However, users can set channel-based rules for currency, so at least the rates displayed are converted in each OTA.
Vacation rental courses
Lodgify
Lodgify provides free vacation rental courses to help and educate users on everything they need to know to start and grow a successful vacation rental business. Users who sign up for the Lodgify Academy can learn how to attract more direct bookings, use social media as a marketing tool, take high-quality photos for their property listing, and more.
Hostaway
Hostaway provides educational webinars, but no courses.
Can I try it before I buy?
Lodgify
Property managers have the opportunity to explore Lodgify at no cost with a 7-day trial, which can be extended upon request. They can also gain insights into Lodgify’s functionality by scheduling a personalized demo call with a knowledgeable product expert. During the demo, the expert will provide a comprehensive overview of all the features and recommend the most suitable subscription plan.
For immediate testing without the need to input rental or user data, Lodgify offers access to a preconfigured test demo account.
Hostaway
There is no free trial option for Hostaway, as they say it takes between 2-8 hours to set up a user account. Instead, users may pay for a trial or request a demo call or demo account. Keep in mind that Hostaway’s demo accounts are very limited and do not offer you the option to explore all the features, as you would in a free trial.
What do customers say about Lodgify?
When it comes to vacation rental owners and property managers, making informed decisions is crucial for the success of their business. Users can explore and compare Lodgify online, along with assessing the opinions of Lodgify customers. See what they have to say on the following platforms:
- Trustpilot: 1,656 reviews | 4.7/5 stars
- Capterra: 1,081 reviews | 4.5/5 stars
- GetApp: 1,000 reviews | 4.5/5 stars
Lodgify vs. Hostaway: Which should I choose?
In conclusion, both Lodgify and Hostaway offer powerful features to simplify vacation rental management. Lodgify stands out with its user-friendly website builder and focuses on direct bookings, while Hostaway’s channel management and automation capabilities are of interest to larger vacation rental businesses.
Your choice ultimately depends on your specific needs, preferences, and business objectives. However, if you’re planning to offer rates in different currencies, or want to try your software with a free trial before you buy it, Hostaway should not be your go-to choice, as they currently don’t offer these features. Lodgify would serve your needs far more efficiently.
We recommend exploring free trials, demo versions, and customer reviews to make an informed decision that aligns with your goals. Remember to consider value for money, integration options, customer support, and scalability factors to ensure your chosen solution can accommodate your growing vacation rental business.