Guesty vs OwnerRez:
Which Is Best for Holiday Property Managers?
Selecting the right property management system shouldn’t be a matter of guesswork. As your portfolio expands, the differences between platforms become more apparent — from gaps in automation and limited reporting to increased manual tasks and rising costs, particularly with tools that can’t scale with your business.
Guesty and OwnerRez are popular options, but their core audiences and feature priorities differ.
This guide examines how each platform performs in day-to-day operations, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses, and identifying which provides the most reliable foundation for long-term efficiency and control.
What Is Holiday Rental Management Software?
Holiday rental management software centralises the essential functions of running short-term rentals or property management businesses, including bookings, guest communication, payments, channel distribution, operations, and reporting.
The top platforms do more than just manage reservations—they streamline entire workflows, maintain precise synchronisation, remove repetitive tasks, and provide a dependable infrastructure that enables growth without adding to your workload.
How to Choose Holiday Rental Software for Your Business
Automation vs Website Focus
Start by determining whether a platform is primarily a website builder or an operational engine. Some systems focus on creating websites with limited PMS functionality, while others are built around automation and workflow reliability. Many property managers prefer solutions that combine strong operational automation with robust website capabilities, so they don’t have to manage two separate systems.
Pricing Model and Real Cost of Scale
Consider more than just the monthly subscription. Booking fees, add-on bundles, and enterprise-style charges can quickly add up if the platform doesn’t meaningfully reduce manual work. The key question is whether the system actually saves time or silently creates new tasks.
Feature Depth and Operational Capability
As your portfolio grows, your software needs to keep pace. A strong platform offers reliable OTA syncing, automated payments, structured housekeeping workflows, accurate reporting, owner transparency, and rate automation that adapts to demand – all without constant oversight. Without these features, operational stability can become fragile.
Long-Term Growth and Scalability
Choose software that continues to perform as your inventory expands or as you manage multiple locations. The right system supports growth without forcing a complete overhaul of your tools or processes.
Guesty vs OwnerRez: Head-to-Head Comparison
Choose OwnerRez if:
You run a small rental business and want direct integrations with major booking channels, along with the ability to manage direct bookings without paying commissions. However, the platform has a learning curve, so setting it up and mastering all its features may take some time.
Choose Guesty if:
You’re looking for a powerful, scalable solution tailored to your business size. Guesty Lite is ideal for hosts managing up to three listings who need essential automation, while the full Guesty platform is designed for professional property management companies that require advanced tools to manage larger and more complex portfolios efficiently.
Guesty is an enterprise-grade PMS built to centralise operations, featuring a unified inbox, automated workflows, and a powerful channel manager that connects to major OTAs. It also includes payment processing, task management, owner reporting, and guest communication tools, helping property managers scale efficiently.
OwnerRez, on the other hand, is ideal for established vacation rental managers who value customisation, financial control, and avoiding per-booking commissions.
Features
Free plan
All-in-one platform
Direct booking website
Automation & reliability
OTA integrations (Airbnb etc.)
Scalability
(limited for large portfolios)
Reporting
See Why Smart Property Managers Choose Zeevou Over Guesty and OwnerRez
Guesty: All-in-One Property Management Platform
Guesty positions itself as an all-in-one vacation rental software solution and is also one of the most well-known solutions in the space.
But it is not for everyone – it focuses on professional property managers with large portfolios and comprehensive enterprise-grade features and multi-unit management and some user reviews have concerns with high pricing and lack of cost transparency.
Their main features are:
- Direct-booking website builder: customisable templates, integrated booking engine, custom domains, and SEO tools.
- Channel manager: synchronises listings, rates, availability, and reservations across Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Expedia, and more.
- PMS operations: unified inbox, multi-calendar, mobile app, payment collection (via GuestyPay), owner statements, guest CRM, and accounting features (including Guesty Trust Accounting).
- Automation and AI: automated guest messaging, task management, owner communications, review management, and Guesty PriceOptimiser for dynamic pricing.
- Additional solutions: damage protection (Guesty Shield), revenue management, guest screening, API integrations, and financing options (Guesty Capital).
Pros:
- Comprehensive, enterprise-level feature set, such as built-in trust accounting, payments, and owner management tools.
- Strong automation suite and integrations help streamline operations for complex portfolios.
- Higher pricing compared to many competitors.
- Occasional support delays and learning curve cited in reviews.
Guesty Setup
Guesty does not offer a free trial for its Pro or Enterprise plans.
Most reviews praise the onboarding process and customer support, though some users find the AI-based assistance to be frustrating.
Guesty Pricing Tiers
Guesty offers three main plans designed for different portfolio sizes, each with its own pricing structure. Their costs vary based on the number of listings and the level of features you need.
- The Lite plan costs £12–£20/month per listing for 1–3 properties, with occasional limited-time discounts.
- Pro (4–199 listings) and Enterprise (200+ listings) plans have custom pricing that requires direct consultation.
- Additional fees may include 3–5% per reservation, cancellation charges, and separate costs for premium add-ons.
Reviews
G2
4.4
Capterra
4.2
Trustpilot
4.5
G2
5
Capterra
4.9
Trustpilot
4.7
Reviews
Review Platforms
G2
Capterra
Trustpilot
OwnerRez: Full API Integration and Automation
OwnerRez is a highly flexible PMS for hosts and professional managers who want full control and automation without per-booking fees. It combines API-level channel management with Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and Google, hosted or embedded direct-booking websites, advanced triggers and messaging, digital contracts, owner portals, unlimited users, and integrations (dynamic pricing, smart locks, QuickBooks) in one platform.
Their main features are:
- Hosted or embedded direct-booking websites
- Full API integrations with major channels (Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo)
- Advanced rules and mapping for rates and availability
- Detailed financial and tax reporting
- Custom owner statements and payout management
- Advanced messaging automations
Pros:
- Offers strong automation and reliable performance.
- Extensive integrations for custom workflows.
- Supports direct bookings with no commission fees.
- Designed for scalable operations.
- Backed by solid customer support.
- Steep learning curve.
- Messaging tools can be fragmented.
- Costs increase as additional features are added.
OwnerRez Setup
OwnerRez provides a 14-day free trial with full access to all features, along with a detailed Setup Checklist.
New users receive a free 1-hour Jumpstart Call with an onboarding specialist, and paid ProConnect and ProTransfer services are available for faster setup and data migration.
OwnerRez Pricing Tiers
Ownerez offers a unit-based pricing model starts at £30.6/month per property
- Everything included—no contracts or booking fees.
- The per-property fee decreases as your portfolio grows, and the account structure means a single monthly invoice covers unlimited users.
- A 14-day free trial.
Where Do Guesty and OwnerRez Fall Short?
OwnerRez is a powerful platform but can feel complex, depends heavily on third-party tools for operations, and becomes less efficient as teams expand or require more built-in automation, making it less ideal for multi-property managers.
Guesty offers comprehensive, enterprise-level features but can be overwhelming for mid-sized operators and expensive due to commission-based pricing and additional fees.
Zeevou provides a balanced alternative with transparent tiered pricing (Spark, Glow, Blaze, Dazzle), a free plan, and no booking commissions, offering a practical middle ground between simplicity and advanced functionality.
Zeevou: Setup and Pricing Overview
Zeevou makes it easy to get started with a free plan and a structured, portfolio-friendly pricing model. You can sign up instantly, explore the system, and upgrade only when you’re ready.
- Spark (Free): Core PMS features, a direct-booking website, automated workflows, guest messaging, and basic payments.
- Glow (~£14/unit): Adds a channel manager, unified inbox, mobile app, and more integrations.
- Blaze (~£26/unit): Includes dynamic pricing, automated owner reporting, housekeeping & maintenance workflows.
- Dazzle (~£42/unit): Adds AI-powered 24/7 guest messaging and advanced automation tools.
All paid plans offer up to 80% savings on annual subscriptions, include a 30-day money-back guarantee, and support custom pricing or bulk discounts for larger portfolios. (Some plans apply a 10% fee on Google Vacation Rentals.)
Zeevou’s onboarding is designed to support you at every stage – from live Q&A and 24/7 chat support to a dedicated Customer Success Manager on higher-tier plans to help with workflow setup, channel connections, and system optimisation.
Which Platform Matches Your Business Model?
The right choice depends on your portfolio size, budget, team expertise, and growth plans.
Enterprise-level operators:
Platforms like Guesty are ideal for large, established property managers who need advanced automation, deep integrations, and multi-unit management at scale.
Small hosts or early-stage operators:
OwnerRez suits smaller rental businesses that need direct OTA integrations, commission-free direct booking, and robust operational control, though it has a steeper learning curve.
Growing or mid-sized businesses:
If you manage 10–200 properties, Zeevou offers a more scalable and cost-effective solution, designed to help you grow efficiently without the complexity or high costs of enterprise tools.
Zeevou Sells "Financial Independence", Not Just " Automation”.
Guesty vs OwnerRez: Final Verdict
OwnerRez is a powerful and flexible PMS ideal for smaller hosts or early-stage rental businesses that need OTA integrations, commission-free direct bookings, and operational control.
Guesty is better suited for rapidly scaling operators or those managing larger, professional portfolios. With 24/7 guest communication, extensive automation, trust accounting, and a wide integration ecosystem, Guesty delivers enterprise-level capabilities—but it comes with higher costs and a more complex setup.
For rapidly growing businesses seeking a more affordable, all-in-one solution, Zeevou is a strong option. It provides automation, direct booking tools, and transparent pricing without the steep learning curve or high costs of enterprise systems.
The information presented in this comparison is based on publicly available data and our independent analysis as of July 2025. Features, pricing, and capabilities may change without notice.
