With the right vacation rental management software, tedious manual tasks and overwhelming administrative burdens can become a thing of the past. You can revolutionize your operations, save time, and propel your property rental business to new heights.
Today we’ll break down the differences between two popular tools for managing short-term rentals, Hostfully vs Guesty. Let’s find out which of the two can align with your needs better.
Hostfully vs Guesty: An Overview
Hostfully is a cloud-based software that aims to help short-term rental owners and property managers automate their operations. From team collaboration and channel management to payment processing and upselling, this tool can streamline virtually every aspect of your business.
Guesty is among the most well-known platforms for property management, equipped with an outstanding variety of tools. Key features include an intuitive dashboard, integrated revenue management, a centralized calendar, mobile management app, and accounting functionality. For a full review of this cutting-edge vacation rental management software, head to our Guesty review.
Pricing
 |  |
| ✅ Plans start at $109/mo | ✅ Custom pricing |
| Calculate your cost | Get a quote |
| ❌ No free trial | ❌ No Free Trial |
| Demo available | Demo available |
Winner: Tie
Hostfully’s pricing structure follows three tiers, with each tier granting access to additional features. The price starts at $109/month for up to 4 listings, but you’ll enjoy a 10% discount if you opt for an annual subscription. On top of that, there’s a one-time implementation fee of $600, which can be slashed to $300 with yearly payment. To snag a $100 discount, use the code EGNTNJ494.
Guesty offers a unique pricing model, meaning that you need to reach out to their team and ask for a quote. They also have a setup fee, which includes 6 weeks of onboarding support to get you off the ground.
If you’re only handling a small number of properties (up to 3), you might want to consider Guesty for Hosts. They’ve got a straightforward pricing structure, plus they let you try out the platform with a free trial. You can find all the deets about these two platforms in our Guesty vs Guesty for Hosts comparison.
Neither Hostfully nor Guesty has a free trial, but you can request a demo for both to get a better understanding of the software.
Both of these platforms are on the pricier side of the spectrum, and they come with a setup fee, so considering the similarities, there’s no clear winner. However, we would give a slight advantage to Hostfully due to their transparent pricing model.
Features
| |
| ✅ Multi Calendar | ✅ Multi Calendar |
| Centralize management of all your bookings into a single calendar | Centralize management of all your bookings into a single calendar |
| ✅ Unified Inbox | ✅ Unified Inbox |
| Manage all messages from a single inbox (booking sites, email, SMS, WhatsApp) | Manage all messages from a single inbox (booking sites, email, SMS, WhatsApp) |
| ✅ Channel Manager | ✅ Channel Manager |
| Sync bookings and property rental information across multiple channels, like Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Trip Advisor, Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy, Google Vacation Rentals, ApartmentLove, and more | Sync bookings and property rental information across multiple channels, like Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and Expedia |
| ✅ Booking Website Builder | ✅ Booking Website Builder |
| Build a booking website for direct bookings and payments | Build a booking website for direct bookings and payments |
| ✅ Owner Portal | ✅ Owner Portal |
| Generate owner statements and reports | Generate owner statements and reports |
| ✅ Accounting Features | ✅ Accounting Features |
| Keep track of income and payments, and connect directly with apps like Quickbooks and Clearing | Keep track of income and payments, and connect directly with Quickbooks |
| ✅ Automation Tools | ✅ Automation Tools |
| Automate notifications, reminders, reviews, messages, and more, and eliminate repetitive tasks | Automate notifications, reminders, reviews, messages, and more, and eliminate repetitive tasks |
| ✅ Task Management | ✅ Task Management |
| Manage and organize your team’s workload and assign tasks | Manage and organize your team’s workload and assign tasks |
| ❌ Revenue Management | ✅Revenue Management |
| Integrates with different pricing tools as an alternative solution | Eliminates the need for a dynamic pricing tool |
| ✅ Open API | ✅ Open API |
| Build custom integrations | Build custom integrations |
Winner: Tie
The comprehensive set of tools that these platforms provide makes them suitable for property businesses of all sizes. Hostfully and Guesty take on everything from automation to accounting, thus minimizing the expenses of signing up for additional tools.
One of the features that stands out for both software solutions is their insightful analytics which reveals detailed information about property performance that you can utilize to enhance your business strategy.
There are some differences, including Guesty’s multi-unit management functionality that allows you to group properties and Hostfully’s customer data management that gives you access to tracking and retargeting current and past guests. Guesty also offers a nifty 24/7 guest communication service which ensures round-the-clock availability for your guests’ inquiries.
Even though Hostfully doesn’t supply a built-in revenue management feature like Guesty, it compensates for this deficiency with integrations with PriceLabs, Beyond, and other popular apps.
There’s no big difference when it comes to features that Hostfully and Guesty offer, and the long list of integrations offsets the few limitations. However, the advantage slightly leans in Guesty’s favor, as its built-in features offer a more comprehensive solution.
Customer Support
| |
| 4.4 Custom Support rating on Capterra – Email and live chat | 4.3 Custom Support rating on Capterra – Email, phone, and live chat |
Winner: Tie
There’s no notable difference in customer service reviews for Hostfully and Guesty. The reviewers are mainly satisfied with the support they receive, with several negative experiences lowering the rating. Guesty does have more reviews on Capterra compared to Hostfully.
Conclusion – Hostfully or Guesty?
The choice between Hostfully and Guesty boils down to your priorities. In general, both platforms serve as reliable property management software, and their pricing makes them more exclusive compared to other affordable rental platforms.
If you prioritize a straightforward pricing structure, Hostfully emerges as the top pick. On the other hand, if you seek a more comprehensive solution with loads of built-in features, Guesty proves to be the superior choice.
Alternatives to Hostfully and Guesty
Do you want to check out more platforms with the same robust set of features as Hostfully and Guesty? Then we suggest that you look into Uplisting, our top selection when it comes to comprehensiveness and customer service. Other software that we would also recommend is Smoobu, Lodgify, HostHub, and Hospitable.
Compare vacation rental software options with our spreadsheet.
View spreadsheetIf Hostfully and Guesty exceed your budget, our list of the best vacation rental software unravels suitable and cost-effective alternatives. We’ve delved deeper into the software comparison in our Hostfully and Guesty alternatives post.
