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Top Picks, Reviews & Buyer’s Guide
Choosing the right vacation rental software can feel like a huge decision, especially with so many options out there. Whether you’re just starting out or managing a growing portfolio of properties, the right vacation rental management software can make your life a whole lot easier. It’s designed to help you automate your bookings, communicate with guests, and even boost your revenue.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the best options for 2025 to help you find the software that fits your needs, from Zeevou to other top picks.
What Is Vacation Rental Software?
Vacation rental management software centralises the core functions of running short-term rental operations: bookings, guest communication, payments, channel distribution, operational workflows, and reporting.
Top-tier platforms do more than store reservations. They automate workflows end-to-end, maintain accurate OTA syncing, remove repetitive tasks, and provide a reliable infrastructure to allow growth without adding to your workload.
What to Look for in Vacation Rental Software
Before we dive into the details of each platform, let’s talk about what to look for in vacation rental PMS. These features are essential for making your property management smooth and efficient:
- Channel Management: This lets you sync your availability and bookings across all major platforms (like Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo), which means no more double bookings.
- Guest Communication Automation: Imagine having all your messages automated, from booking confirmations to check-out reminders. No more copying and pasting the same messages every day.
- Direct Booking Engine & Website Builder: Building your own website with a built-in booking system means no third-party fees. You get to keep more of your earnings while still bringing in bookings.
- Operations and Workflow Management: Stay on top of housekeeping, maintenance, and guest requests without the chaos. Having everything in one place helps keep things organised.
- Revenue Management & Pricing Strategies: The best software helps you set prices that change dynamically based on demand. This means you’ll always get the most out of your bookings.
- Integrations: You’ll want software that easily connects with other tools you use, whether it’s for accounting, smart locks, or payment processing.
- Affordability and Ease of Use: Finding software that’s both powerful and easy to use is key. The last thing you want is to waste time learning a complicated system when you could be focused on your guests.
As your business grows, you’ll want a platform that scales with you. Make sure the software you choose can handle your needs as you expand.
Best Vacation Rental Software in 2025
Let’s take a look at six top platforms for 2025. We’ll talk about what each one offers, the pros and cons, and which type of business they’re best suited for.
1. Zeevou
Zeevou helps hospitality managers automate operations, boost direct bookings, and improve profits from one central system. It streamlines everything from guest vetting and check-ins to payments, housekeeping, maintenance, and reporting. With excellent ratings on Capterra (4.9) and Trustpilot (4.2), Zeevou is praised for strong automation and outstanding support.
Pros
- Deep automation across guest comms, payments, operations
- Free direct booking website + powerful channel manager
- Excellent onboarding and owner reporting
- Unlimited team members, no hidden fees
- Secure 3-D Secure payments and deposit handling
Cons
- Feature-heavy (may take time to learn)
- Some mobile features still rolling out
- Requires initial setup to maximise benefits
Pricing: Free Spark plan available. Glow starts at £24/unit/month and Blaze at £38/unit/month. Discounts available for annual and high-volume plans.
2. Hospitable
Hospitable is a simple, automation-focused PMS ideal for smaller hosts who want hands-off messaging and clean operations. Rated 4.8 on Capterra and 4.1 on Trustpilot, it’s loved for ease of use, smart messaging in 29 languages, Autohost guest vetting, and strong OTA syncing. It also supports smart locks, direct booking sites, automated cleaning, Zapier workflows, and mobile management.
Pros
- Super easy to use with great support
- Strong AI messaging + Autohost vetting
- Direct booking features with tax tools
- Smart lock integrations
- Solid OTA messaging + unified inbox
Cons
- Fewer OTA connections than bigger PMSs
- No built-in CRM or trust accounting
- Direct booking features cost extra
- No phone support
- Better for small/medium hosts
Pricing: Starts at £30/month for two listings. Direct Basic (£6/property) and Direct Premium (£4/property + per-booking fees).
3. Hostaway
Hostaway is a robust all-in-one platform built for hosts and managers who want strong automation and top-tier OTA connectivity. Rated 4.7 on Capterra and 4.8 on Trustpilot, Hostaway centralises bookings, messaging, payments, cleaning, reporting, and owner access — with a solid mobile app for teams.
Pros
- Highly rated customer support
- Powerful OTA sync (Airbnb-focused)
- Automated “Native Messaging” across channels
- Great task + team management tools
- Cleaning and smart-lock integrations
- Strong reporting and scalability
- Open API for custom setups
Cons
- Setup fee required
- Basic direct booking tools
- No built-in CRM or trust accounting
- Some features rely on integrations
- Can feel complex for smaller hosts
Pricing: Custom pricing. Typically starts around £25.75 ($35)/listing, decreasing for larger portfolios. £367.80 ($500) setup fee applies.
4. Guesty
Guesty is a scalable PMS for hosts and professional managers needing advanced automation and enterprise-level tools. Rated 4.6 on Capterra and 4.5 on Trustpilot, Guesty offers powerful OTA connections, automated check-ins, guest verification, cleaning/maintenance automation, strong reporting, a mobile app, and optional 24/7 guest communication handled by Guesty’s team.
Pros
- Highly scalable — great for large portfolios
- 60+ OTA integrations
- Advanced automation (cleaning, payments, guest verification)
- Free website builder with coupons/analytics
- Built-in CRM + hotel-style multi-unit management
- 24/7 guest communication service
- Strong reporting + scheduled delivery
- Supports QuickBooks, Xero & Sage Intacct
Cons
- Commission-based pricing
- Onboarding fee and 5-week setup
- No built-in trust accounting
- Expensive for small hosts
- Limited payment-splitting options
Pricing: Custom and commission-based. Guesty Lite has a 14-day free trial. Direct booking sites carry a 3% fee.
5. Hostfully
Hostfully is a flexible PMS for growing hosts and mid-sized managers who want automation, strong OTA connections, and standout digital guidebooks. Rated 4.3 on Capterra and Trustpilot, it offers automated booking workflows, payment tools, upsells, cleaning/maintenance portals, a built-in CRM, owner dashboards, QuickBooks integration, and deep reporting.
Pros
- Best-in-class digital guidebooks
- Strong automation for booking, payments, tasks
- Direct API integrations with major OTAs
- Free direct booking website
- Built-in CRM with pipeline management
- Flexible payments + automated deposits
- 120+ integrations + Zapier
- Reliable owner portal
Cons
- No free trial
- Starter plan lacks some features
- Setup fee on monthly plans
- No automated monthly billing
- Some tools rely on third-party integrations
Pricing: Starter begins at £86/month (up to 4 properties), Pro at £157/month, Premium from £205/month. Setup fee waived on annual plans.
6. Lodgify
Lodgify is a clean, user-friendly PMS ideal for small and mid-sized hosts who want easy automation and strong direct booking tools. Rated 4.5 on Capterra and 4.8 on Trustpilot, Lodgify offers quote and confirmation automation, guest pre-check-in forms, CheKin integration, a powerful website builder, OTA syncing with Airbnb/Booking/Vrbo, payment tools, a guest app, owner portal, and dynamic pricing options.
Pros
- Excellent direct-booking website builder
- Strong Airbnb integration (Preferred Partner)
- Automated messaging + digital guest app
- Clean mobile app for teams
- Integrates with Stripe, Braintree, Payyo
Cons
- 1.9% Starter booking fee + channel commissions
- Limited CRM tools
- Full task management only on Ultimate plan
- No 3-D Secure payments
- Fewer integrations than larger PMSs
Pricing: Starting at £15/month (Starter), £42 (Professional), £57 (Ultimate), plus up to 25% off on annual/two-year plans.
| Platform | Best For | Strengths | Weaknesses | Pricing |
| Zeevou | medium hosts who want to scale | Strong channel management, direct bookings, automation | Occasional bugs, mobile app could improve | Flexible, per-property pricing |
| Hostaway | Large-scale operations | Extensive features, advanced integrations, reporting | Expensive, complex to use | Commission-based pricing (2%-5%) |
| Guesty | Mid-sized managers, balancing features | Good value, user-friendly, guest experience tools | Limited integrations, add-ons required | From £99/month for 1-4 listings |
| Hostfully | Small to medium hosts | Simple interface, direct booking website builder | Limited scalability, lacks advanced features | From £12/month |
| Lodgify | Small to medium hosts | Simple interface, direct booking website builder | Limited scalability, lacks advanced features | From £12/month |
| Hospitable | Small to mid-sized hosts | Excellent automation, user-friendly | Limited customisation, fewer advanced features | From $15/month per listing |
How to Choose the Right Rental Management Software for Your Business
Choosing the right rental management software is crucial for your business’s efficiency. Start by assessing your specific needs and business size. Understanding these helps narrow down options.
Next, focus on essential features. Ensure that the software offers robust channel management and integrates well with popular booking platforms. These are vital for reaching a wider market.
Consider user-friendliness and scalability as key factors. A simple interface ensures smooth operation, while scalability supports business growth. Also, evaluate the provider’s customer support quality.
Here’s a quick checklist for guidance:
- Business size and type assessment
- Integration capabilities
- User-friendly interface
- Scalable features
- Reliable customer support
This approach ensures you select software tailored to your business needs, enhancing overall operations.
Ready to Choose Your Vacation Rental Software?
We hope this guide helps you find the right vacation rental PMS for 2025. With the right tools in place, you can streamline your operations, attract more bookings, and build a successful rental business.
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