Guesty vs Hostfully:
Which Is Best for Holiday Property Managers?
Choosing a property management system shouldn’t feel like a guessing game. As your portfolio grows, the differences between platforms quickly become clear – gaps in automation, restricted reporting, more manual work, and rising costs from tools that don’t scale with you.
This guide breaks down how Hostfully and Guesty perform in everyday operations, highlighting their strengths, their limitations, and which one provides the most reliable foundation for long-term efficiency and control.
What Is Holiday Rental Management Software?
Holiday rental management software centralises the core functions of running short-term rentals and property management businesses: bookings, guest communication, payments, channel distribution, operations, and reporting.
The best platforms do more than store reservations. They automate workflows end-to-end, maintain accurate syncing, remove repetitive tasks, and provide a reliable infrastructure to support growth without expanding your workload.
How to Choose Vacation Rental Software for Your Business?
Automation vs Website Focus
The first distinction to make is whether a platform is designed primarily as a website builder or as an operational engine. Some systems focus on website creation with only light PMS functionality added on, while others are built around automation and workflow reliability. Many property managers prefer platforms that offer both robust website capabilities and strong operational automation so they do not have to manage two separate systems.
Pricing Model and Real Cost of Scale
Pricing should be considered beyond just the monthly subscription. Booking fees, add-on bundles, and enterprise-style charges can accumulate quickly if the platform doesn’t sufficiently reduce manual work. The real question is whether the system genuinely saves you time or quietly creates new tasks.
Feature Depth and Operational Capability
As your portfolio grows, you need technology that can keep up. A robust platform offers reliable OTA synchronization, automated payments, structured housekeeping workflows, accurate reporting, owner transparency, and rate automation that adjusts to demand without constant oversight. Without these elements, operational stability can quickly become fragile.
Long-Term Growth and Scalability
Your software should continue to perform effectively as your inventory grows or as you manage multiple locations. The right system supports this expansion without requiring a complete overhaul of your tools or processes.
Guesty vs Hostfully: Head-to-Head Comparison
Choose Hostfully if:
You want a medium-sized, growth-friendly PMS that balances automation, flexibility, and ease of use. The Starter plan is suitable for hosts managing 1-4 listings who want essential tools like messaging automation and direct-booking support, while the Pro and Enterprise plans are designed for growing property managers seeking centralised calendars and streamlined workflows without the complexity of enterprise-level platforms.
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 require essential automation, while the full Guesty platform is designed for professional property management companies seeking advanced tools to manage larger and more complex portfolios efficiently.
Guesty is an enterprise-level PMS designed to centralise operations with a unified inbox, automated workflows, and a robust channel manager connecting to major OTAs. It also offers payment processing, task management, owner reporting, and guest communication tools, enabling property managers to scale efficiently.
Hostfully provides small- to mid-sized property managers with the automation, direct-booking tools, and channel management they need – delivering essential functionality without the complexity of enterprise-level systems.
Features
Free plan
All-in-one platform
Direct booking website
Automation & reliability
OTA integrations (Airbnb etc.)
Scalability
Reporting
See Why Smart Property Managers Choose Zeevou Over Hostfully and Guesty
Guesty: All-in-One Property Management Platform
Guesty positions itself as an all-in-one vacation rental software solution and are also one of the most well-known solutions in the space.
But they’re not for everyone – they focus 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 that 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: built-in trust accounting, payments, and owner management tools.
- Strong automation suite and integrations help streamline operations for complex portfolios.
Cons:
- Higher pricing compared to many competitors; often considered premium.
- 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
4.4
Capterra
4.4
Trustpilot
4.7
Reviews
Review Platforms
G2
Capterra
Trustpilot
Hostfully: Mid-Sized, Growth-Friendly PMS
Hostfully offers a property management platform designed for growing property managers who need automation, streamlined operations, and strong guest experience tools without enterprise-level complexity.
It’s well-suited for mid-size portfolios, providing messaging automation, digital guidebooks, and direct-booking support, but may be less ideal for very large property management companies seeking advanced analytics, full-scale revenue management, or highly customised workflows.
Their main features are:
- Customisable direct-booking website with integrated booking engine, custom domains, and SEO tools.
- Channel manager synchronising listings, rates, availability, and reservations across Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and 50+ other channels.
- Unified inbox, central calendar, mobile app, payment collection via Stripe or PayPal, owner portal, reporting features, and guest CRM.
- Automated guest messaging, digital guidebooks, pre-arrival forms, rental agreements, and task management.
- Broad third-party integrations, multi-property management, and operational efficiency tools.
Pros:
- User-friendly, intuitive, and easy to navigate on both desktop and mobile app
- Clean layout and well-designed interface for managing information and sharing details with guests
Cons:
- Reporting features need significant improvement
- Channel connections, especially with Booking.com, can be unreliable and hard to configure
Hostfully Setup
Hostfully does not offer a free plan for its full Property Management Platform, though users can request a free demo to explore its features before committing. The onboarding process is guided, with new users assigned an Onboarding Specialist and access to live 1:1 calls, on-demand tutorials, and checklist.
Additional resources include 24/7 in-product chat, email support, and a user community to ensure a smooth transition and efficient management from day one.
Hostfully Pricing Tiers
Hostfully offers three pricing tiers based on the size of your property portfolio with ~10% discount for annual billing.
- Starter Plan: 1–4 listings
- Pro Plan: up to 5-199 listings
- Enterprise Plan: 200+ listings
- One-time setup / implementation fee: £315 (waived if you pay annually)
Where Does Hostfully and Guesty Fall Short?
Hostfully offers strong automation and guest-experience tools, but some users find its reporting, channel connections (especially Booking.com), and payment workflows less robust compared to enterprise-grade systems. Meanwhile, Guesty delivers powerful, full-scale features but is often considered overwhelming for mid-sized operators and costly due to commission-based pricing and add-on 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 power.
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 Is Right for Your Business?
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.
Mid-sized, automation-focused teams:
Hostfully suits managers who want a flexible, user-friendly PMS with solid automation, direct-booking tools, and strong guest-experience features.
Growing or mid-sized businesses:
If you manage 5–200 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 Hostfully: Final Verdict
Guesty excels with its comprehensive feature set, user-friendly dashboard, and robust integrations, making it ideal for large or enterprise-level operations that require advanced functionality and dedicated account management.
Hostfully, on the other hand, is better suited to mid-sized or growing teams that want strong automation, digital guidebooks, and direct-booking support without the complexity of enterprise platforms. It offers a flexible, growth-friendly PMS but may lack the operational depth required by very large portfolios.
If your business is smaller or rapidly growing and you’re looking for a more affordable, all-in-one alternative, Zeevou is worth considering. It delivers automation, direct-booking tools, and transparent pricing – without the steep learning curve or high enterprise costs.
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.
