Are you looking to streamline your short-term rental business and reclaim precious hours in your day? With the multitude of options available, it can be overwhelming to choose the right platform for managing your listings.
In this post, we’ll be analyzing two prominent competitors, Hostaway and Guesty. Let’s delve into a detailed Hostaway vs Guesty comparison, evaluating their features, pricing, and customer support efficiency. To ensure that you have overturned every stone before signing up, we’ll also provide you with worthy alternatives.
Hostaway vs Guesty: An Overview
Hostaway is an end-to-end solution with a wide array of features and a commitment to consistent software enhancements. Among its numerous useful functionalities, you can find muti-calendar management, reservations management, a unified inbox, website builder, and accounting tools.
Guesty is an all-in-one property management software that has made waves in this industry with its robust feature set and user-friendly interface. This software can equip you with a variety of tools, including channel manager, automation, centralized calendar, revenue management, and accounting. Want to know more about Guesty? Refer to our comprehensive review.
Pricing
| Hostaway | Guesty |
| ✅ Custom pricing | ✅ Custom pricing |
| Get a quote | Get a quote |
| ❌ No Free Trial | ❌ No Free Trial |
| Demo available | Demo available |
Winner: Tie
Both Hostaway and Guesty prioritize the uniqueness of each customer’s needs, which is reflected in their custom pricing models. To discover the cost tailored to your specific requirements, you’ll need to request a quote.
Additionally, both platforms have a setup fee, with Guesty including 6-week onboarding support as part of this fee.
If you wish to familiarize yourself further with the platforms, you can request a demo for both Guesty and Hostaway.
In case you own just 1-3 properties, you may want to explore Guesty for Hosts, which offers a fixed pricing structure along with a free trial option. Our Guesty vs Guesty for Hosts comparison can reveal more about their differences and similarities.
Features
| Hostaway | Guesty |
| ✅ Multi Calendar | ✅ Multi Calendar |
| Manage all bookings from a single calendar | Manage all bookings from a single calendar |
| ✅ Unified Inbox | ✅ Unified Inbox |
| Read and reply to all messages from a central inbox (booking sites, SMS, email, WhatsApp) | Read and reply to all messages from a central inbox (booking sites, SMS, email, WhatsApp) |
| ✅ Channel Manager | ✅ Channel Manager |
| Sync bookings and property information across multiple channels – Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, Google Vacation Rentals, Expedia, and more | Synch bookings and property information across multiple channels – Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Agoda, and more |
| ✅ Booking Website Builder | ✅ Booking Website Builder |
| Create a direct booking website or connect your existing site | Create a direct booking website or connect your existing site |
| ✅ Owner Portal | ✅ Owner Portal |
| Ensure that owners stay up to date by curating owner statements and reports | Ensure that owners stay up to date by curating owner statements and reports |
| ✅ Accounting Features | ✅ Accounting Features |
| Keep track of income, expenses, and payments, and integrate directly with Quickbooks | Keep track of income, expenses, and payments, and integrate directly with Quickbooks |
| ✅ Automation Tools | ✅ Automation Tools |
| Automate messages, reviews, tasks, and more | Automate messages, reviews, tasks, and more |
| ✅ Task Management | ✅ Task Management |
| Create and assign tasks for your team with ease | Create and assign tasks for your team with ease |
| ❌ Revenue Management | ✅Revenue Management |
| Supports dynamic pricing and integrates with popular revenue management platforms like Beyond and PriceLabs | Streamlines revenue management with a built-in feature that eliminates the need for a separate dynamic pricing tool |
| ✅ Open API | ✅ Open API |
| Integrate any software or build custom integrations | Integrate any software or build custom integrations |
Winner: Tie
While both platforms excel in their own right, Hostaway takes the lead with its CRM and lead management tools, a convenient guest portal that acts as an information hub for guests, and reservation management that allows you to send special offers and upsell services with ease.
On the other hand, Guesty stands out with its revenue management tool, multi-unit feature that lets you group similar listings, and 24/7 guest communication which can ensure that your guests always have access to support.
Additionally, Guesty has a more intuitive design that ensures a seamless navigation experience, so it can be an ideal choice for individuals seeking a platform that is user-friendly and robust.
Customer Support
| Hostaway | Guesty |
| 4.7 Custom Support rating on Capterra – Email and phone | 4.3 Custom Support rating on Capterra – Email, phone, and live chat |
Winner: Hostaway
Hostaway surpasses Guesty in terms of customer service as it boasts a higher rating. Users have consistently praised Hostaway’s support team for being responsive and very helpful. While Guesty also received commendations from its users, there have been occasional complaints about longer response times.
Conclusion – Hostaway or Guesty?
To sum it up, both Hostaway and Guesty bring a host of features to the table, serving as a one-stop-shop solution for hosts.
While Guesty distinguishes itself with built-in revenue tools, multi-unit functionality, and an incredibly intuitive dashboard, Hostaway stands out with its lead management feature, guest portal, and special offer management.
The decision between the two platforms hinges upon your specific priorities and preferences as a vacation rental manager.
If you manage a substantial number of units, Guesty’s distinct functionalities may prove advantageous. On the other hand, Hostaway can be a great tool if you’re managing fewer properties, and it will also easily accommodate the growth and expansion of your business.
Alternatives to Hostaway and Guesty
At the top of our list of the best vacation rental management software is Uplisting. This software can be a suitable alternative to Hostaway and Guesty as it provides a feature-rich solution to owners and managers while also delivering excellent customer support.
Compare vacation rental software options with our spreadsheet.
View spreadsheetIf you’re embarking on your journey as a rental management entrepreneur and are in search of a cost-effective platform, we recommend checking out Lodgify, OwnerRez, Hosthub, and Smoobu.
Find out how Guesty compares to other popular platforms for short-term rental management in our Guesty alternatives post.
