Lodgify vs. Hostaway – Side-by-Side Comparison of Vacation Rental Software

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Read our review on the best Vacation Rental Management Software.

Lodgify and Hostaway are two well-reviewed and popular vacation rental management software platforms, each with their own unique benefits and shortcomings. To help you choose between these two software options, we’ve created this overview and comparison of Lodgify vs Hostaway.

You’ll find reviews of their pricing, features, and customer support, as well as a few other alternatives to both Lodgify and Hostaway you might also want to consider.

Compare vacation rental software options with our spreadsheet.

View spreadsheet

Lodgify vs. Hostaway: An Overview

Lodgify is one of the most popular vacation rental management platforms, known primarily for their easy-to-use direct booking website builder and channel manager. With Lodgify, you can easily create a direct booking website and sync all your booking calendars in one place. Lodgify is a relatively comprehensive vacation rental software platform with an affordable price.

Hostaway is a more advanced and versatile solution for short-term rental business owners. They seamlessly integrate with the major booking channels, have a ton of features, and have a marketplace of over 100 app integrations. They provide personalized onboarding and support, and custom implementation and pricing, which makes them a better fit for larger property management companies.

Pricing

Lodgify logoHostaway logo - vacation rental channel manager
✅ Plans start at $32/mo – Also have $0/mo plan with 3.9% booking feePlans start at $100/mo – Option for fixed rate or % of bookings
Calculate your Lodgify costRequest pricing
Free Trial Free Trial
7 daysRequest a demo

Winner: Lodgify (but depends on your business size)

Lodgify is one of the least expensive vacation rental software platforms on the market. If you’re a host or property manager with fewer than 5 properties, a Lodgify subscription will almost certainly be the cheaper option compared to Hostaway.

With Lodgify, you can even get started with a $0/mo plan and pay 3.9% of bookings. But keep in mind this is for bookings on all channels, not just direct bookings—so it might not actually be that cheap, depending on how many bookings you’re getting on channels like Airbnb and Vrbo.

Hostaway, on the other hand, has a custom pricing model based on the size and specific needs of your vacation rental business. Once you provide these details to them, you’ll get a custom price quote that will be in line with the services and tools you need for your business. 

Hostaway tends to be a more cost-effective option if you’re a larger property management company, since you’ll get a custom setup and pricing.

Features

Lodgify logoHostaway logo - vacation rental channel manager
✅ Multi Calendar✅ Multi Calendar
View and manage the details of all bookings from one calendarView and manage the details of all bookings from one calendar
✅ Unified Inbox✅ Unified Inbox
Read and reply to messages from different channels using a unified inboxRead and reply to messages from different channels using a unified inbox
✅ Channel Manager✅ Channel Manager
Sync all your listings across multiple channels – Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, ExpediaSync all your listings across multiple channels – Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Expedia, Agoda, Trip.com, + more
✅ Booking Website Builder✅ Booking Website Builder
Create a booking website that gathers guest information and payments directlyCreate a booking website that gathers guest information and payments directly
✅ Owner Portal✅ Owner Portal
Allow your property owners to view monthly bookings and other dataAllow your property owners to view monthly bookings and other data
Expense Tracking Expense Tracking
Keep track of expenses for individual properties and ownersKeep track of expenses for individual properties and owners
✅ AutomationsAutomations
Automate check-in procedures and guest messages Automate check-in procedures and guest messages 
✅ Task ManagementTask Management
Manage cleanings and turnovers, and assign other tasks to team membersManage cleanings and turnovers, and assign other tasks to team members

Winner: Hostaway

Lodgify’s best feature is its user-friendly website builder. For hosts looking for an easy way to create a direct booking website that accepts reservations and online payments, Lodgify is a good option. You can also easily sync your direct bookings with Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Expedia, (and other channels via iCal), if you set up those channels via the Lodgify channel manager.

Compared to Lodgify, Hostaway offers many more integrations via their marketplace—so you can connect with all the tools and software you need to run your business. Hostaway also has a slightly more user-friendly UI, and they’re adding and more advanced features at a rapid pace.

Customer Support

Lodgify logoHostaway logo - vacation rental channel manager
Email, Chat and Call Support ✅Email, Chat and Call Support ✅
Customer Support Rating – 4.3Customer Support Rating – 4.7

Winner: Hostaway

While most Lodgify users are perfectly satisfied with the customer support, there are also plenty of complaints. Lodgify is also most popular among hosts with 1 – 5 properties, which means their support staff will often have more limited industry knowledge compared to Hostaway support.

Because Hostaway starts with a demo and custom implementation, their support team is better equipped to offer support and can give you more meaningful solutions to your problems. Hostaway provides you with a tailor-made solution for your vacation rentals business from the start, so their support team is more prepared and accustomed to coming up with unique and complex solutions.

Conclusion: Lodgify or Hostaway?

If you’re a vacation rental host or property manager with ~10 or fewer properties, Lodgify is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to get set up with a website, accept online credit card payments for bookings, and manage all your reservations in one place. Lodgify offers great value for the price.

Visit Lodgify.com to get started with a 7-day free trial.

If you’re running a larger property management company, Hostaway will probably be a better fit than Lodgify. Instead of a free trial, you’ll need to request a demo and discuss your specific business needs. You’ll also get a custom implementation, personalized onboarding and support, and custom pricing.

Visit Hostaway.com to request a demo.

Alternatives to Lodgify and Hostaway

If you’re looking for more vacation rental software options to compare, check out our Vacation Rental Comparison spreadsheet for a more in-depth comparison of several different platforms. You can also read our review of the best vacation rental management software platforms, as well as our list of Lodgify alternatives.

We often recommend Uplisting and OwnerRez for both small and large vacation rental businesses. They’re both solid platforms with advanced features and excellent customer support.