If you’re currently using Hostfully, you’re not alone in taking a fresh look at your PMS right now. Following Hostfully’s recent change in ownership, some property managers are taking a closer look at how their setup performs, from automated email variables and smart-lock or home automation integrations to how partnerships may evolve over time.
Hostfully does a lot right with:
- A central calendar and channel manager
- Automated messaging and digital guidebooks
- Partnerships with major OTAs like Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo
For small to mid-sized operators, it’s a solid baseline.
But if you want to grow your vacation rental business and boost your revenue, you need to think about potential profit leaks such as:
- OTA dependency
You’re still paying 15–20% to OTAs, and your “direct booking strategy” is basically a hope, not a system. - operational chaos
Spreadsheets, WhatsApp groups and late-night calls because something slipped through the cracks. - hidden revenue left on the table
No systematic upsells, weak dynamic pricing, guests you never see again, and referrals you’re not monetising.
This guide walks through seven serious Hostfully alternatives to help you make a better decision.
Table of Contents
Detailed Alternative Reviews
1. Zeevou – The Top Hostfully Alternative for Profit-Focused Operators
Best for:
Property managers with 5-200+ units who are done handing 15-20% to OTAs, juggling manual operations, and leaving revenue on the table, and who want a powerful SEO-friendly direct bookings platform, full automation, and new revenue streams in one system.
Where Hostfully gives you a mix of tools, Zeevou behaves like an operating system for your business:
Property Management Software That Helps You Grow Your Net Profit
Escape OTA dependency, automate operations, and unlock hidden revenue.
Zeevou tackles the three main pain points Hostfully users usually feel most.

A. Reduce OTA Commissions – Move Towards 75% Direct Bookings
With Hostfully, you’re still fundamentally OTA-first. Zeevou flips that by making direct bookings the default and OTAs the feeder channels.
- Commission-free bookings: SEO-friendly direct booking websites per brand/group, powered by Zeevou’s booking engine, 3-D Secure payments and mobile-optimised UX – built-in blogging and templates help you grow organic traffic without extra dev work.
- Own the guest, not the OTA: Still list on 200+ channels, but automatically capture guest details into Zeevou and nurture them via a dedicated CRM for corporate and repeat guests.
- Turn one-off guests into loyal direct bookers: Automated upsell/extension prompts, branded invoices, loyalty codes and referral vouchers bring guests back to your own site instead of back to Airbnb or Booking.com.
Real-world outcome: property managers using Zeevou’s direct booking stack have grown direct bookings from single digits to over 40% within about a year, and in flagship cases (such as FabAccommodation) have reported up to 75% direct bookings via their website and corporate partners.

B. Save Labour Cost and Eliminate Human Errors
Hostfully removes some manual work. Zeevou goes further and targets every avoidable human touchpoint, so your team stops firefighting.
- Guest comms on autopilot: Automated pre-arrival, check-in, in-stay, check-out and review messages across all channels, plus online verification, digital agreements, deposits and smart-lock access – all managed via a central, AI-assisted inbox.
- No more “missed cleans”: Housekeeping and maintenance tasks auto-generate from bookings and flow through dedicated mobile apps with real-time status updates.
- Finance without spreadsheets: True accrual owner accounting, automatically generated monthly owner statements and profit reports, and direct sync with Xero/QuickBooks.
Result: teams routinely run 100+ units with the same headcount they used for 50–60, and those 11 pm “something slipped” calls largely disappear.
C. Optimise Pricing and Unlock New Revenue Streams
Hostfully integrates with dynamic pricing. Zeevou is built to maximise revenue per guest and open entirely new income lines.
- Smarter revenue management: Real-time dashboards for occupancy, ADR, RevPAR and profit by property/owner/channel, plus central control of dynamic pricing and channel mark-ups.
- More value from each stay: Structured upsells (early check-in, late check-out, parking, pets, experiences) across both OTAs and direct bookings.
- New revenue streams: Charge owners commission on direct bookings you generate, and use Zeevou Network to earn 5–7% commission on referral stays when you’re fully booked – without taking on new leases.
This is revenue and profit that simply doesn’t exist in a Hostfully-style setup.
D. Everything Connects Automatically
Hostfully is a solid PMS. Zeevou is a connected operating system:
Bookings → Operations → Finance → Guest Communications
All on a single platform, no double entry.
- PMS, channel manager, website builder, task management, reporting, online check-in, mobile apps and guest portal all live under one roof.
- Integrations with 200+ OTAs, smart locks, payment gateways, dynamic pricing tools and accounting systems keep everything in sync.
Instead of Hostfully + website tool + accounting add-ons + custom automations, you consolidate the stack around one source of truth.
2. Hostaway – Heavyweight Channel Manager for Property Management
Best for:
Fast-growing operators who want OTA reach, dynamic pricing and automation and are willing to handle complexity.
Hostaway is known for:
- Its channel management and deep OTA connections
- Embedded dynamic pricing that claims 20%+ revenue lift per listing
- Automation of guest and team messaging at scale
Pros
- Excellent channel manager & distribution
Designed to keep calendars, content and rates in sync across Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo and more, with fewer sync issues than lighter tools. - Built-in dynamic pricing
Hostaway’s own dynamic pricing can auto-adjust rates daily based on demand and occupancy, aiming to increase revenue per listing. - Automation-heavy workflows
Once configured, much of your guest messaging and certain internal tasks can be handled automatically.
Cons vs Hostfully
- Higher and less transparent pricing
Pricing is quote-based, usually per listing with setup fees. Cheaper than some enterprise tools, but typically more expensive than Hostfully’s published tiers. - Steeper learning curve
It’s powerful, but not light. Moving from Hostfully means investing time in rethinking workflows. - Still needs external tools
For direct booking websites, advanced reporting or cross-selling revenue, you’ll still lean on other tools – areas where Zeevou is more opinionated and integrated.
3. Guesty: Enterprise PMS With the Enterprise Price Tag
Best for:
Large, multi-country portfolios with strong budgets and in-house tech/process teams.
Guesty offers:
- Different packages to different groups of property managers.
Pros
- Deep feature set & integration marketplace
Big-portfolio functionality, multiple workflows, and integrations across dynamic pricing, operations and marketing tools. - Enterprise comfort (if you like that world)
Advanced reporting, enterprise-grade security, and more formal SLAs on higher tiers.
Cons vs Hostfully
- Complex pricing, often tied to revenue
Guesty Lite starts around $9/month + 1% per reservation. Pro/Enterprise are quote-based and often involve a percentage of Gross Booking Value plus per-listing fees. - Longer sales and onboarding cycles
Expect more process: procurement, implementation projects, and multi-month rollouts. - Less obsessed with direct bookings & new revenue streams
Guesty will support direct bookings, but Zeevou’s entire architecture, from free website builder to cross-selling network, is explicitly tuned to slashing OTA commissions and adding new revenue lines, not just managing them.
4. Lodgify – Website-First PMS for Smaller Portfolios
Best for:
Hosts and small PMs who primarily want a direct booking website plus basic PMS and channel management.
Lodgify is most famous for its website builder, with PMS and channel manager underneath.
Pros
- User-friendly website builder
Templates and easy to start direct booking website builder.
- Flexible price/fee mix
- Starter: low monthly fee but 1.9% booking fee
- Professional / Ultimate: higher monthly fee, 0% booking fee
- Starter: low monthly fee but 1.9% booking fee
- Good stepping-stone for owners growing from 1–10 units
Cons vs Hostfully
- Booking fee drag on margins
For any serious volume, that 1.9% fee on Starter quietly eats profit. - Less depth for complex operations
Lodgify is weaker on owner accounting, advanced reporting, and larger team workflows than a PMS-first platform like Zeevou or Hostaway. - Limited long-term scalability
As you push beyond 40 units, you’ll often outgrow Lodgify’s operational tooling – meaning a second migration down the line.
5. OwnerRez: Power & Accounting for the Tech-Comfortable
Best for:
Operators who want very granular configurability, strong accounting and owner tools, and aren’t scared of complexity.
OwnerRez is respected in STR circles for its per-property pricing and powerful PM modules once configured.
Pros
- Serious accounting capabilities
Trust accounting, detailed owner statements and paid QuickBooks integration give finance teams more confidence than many mid-market PMSs. - Highly configurable
Rate rules, triggers, surcharges, and workflows can all be tuned in detail.
Cons vs Hostfully
- Setup overhead
OwnerRez can be intimidating. Many users pay for ProConnect onboarding (from $500+) to get configured, which takes weeks. - Paid modules everywhere
PM tools, QuickBooks, websites; many are optional extras, so TCO rises as you turn features on. - Less opinionated for teams
OwnerRez is ideal for technically comfortable owners; Zeevou is more opinionated around how a multi-team business should run, which often speeds adoption at 20–200 units.
6. Smoobu: Lightweight, Budget-Friendly
Best for:
Cost-sensitive hosts with a small number of units who want all the basics which doesn’t feel intimidating.
Smoobu offers an integrated channel manager, booking tools and guest communication.
Pros
- Low entry cost
Entry pricing is relatively cheap compared with Hostfully and others, especially at low unit counts. - All core basics in one place
Channel management, booking management and simple communication tools.
Cons vs Hostfully
- Dynamic pricing is an extra €12.99 per property per month
For genuine revenue optimisation across a portfolio, that becomes significant. - Weak task & team management at scale
Reviews highlight limitations around deeper workflows and team coordination. - Not built for 50–200+ units
If you’re already on Hostfully with dozens of units, moving to Smoobu is a step sideways, not forwards. Zeevou is a more logical upgrade path.
7. Hospitable: Automation-First Messaging With a Growing PMS Layer
Best for:
Hosts whose primary pain is guest messaging and who want clever AI replies plus light PMS features.
Hospitable started as a messaging and automation layer and has grown into a more complete PMS with channel management and direct booking tools.
Pros
- Excellent AI-driven messaging
Automates a large proportion of guest communication, saving ~25 hours/month on smaller portfolios. - Integrated direct booking features
Direct booking pages and premium tools for hosts wanting to escape some OTA fees.
Cons vs Hostfully
- PMS functionality is thinner
It’s still more “automation layer” than full operational OS; owner and financial tooling are behind Hostfully, let alone Zeevou. - Property caps by plan
As you grow, step-ups in cost can feel abrupt.
Not optimised for multi-department teams
Great for lean teams focused on comms; less compelling if you need tight integration across revenue, ops, finance and owners – the space where Zeevou deliberately plays.
Section D: Final Recommendation & Conclusion
Best Hostfully Alternative by Use Case
If you’re currently on Hostfully and feeling the strain, here’s the quick map:
- Best All-Round Hostfully Alternative for 5–200+ Units:
Zeevou – if your goals are more direct bookings, less manual labour and higher net profit, Zeevou gives you direct booking websites, channel manager, PMS, task management, accounting integrations and referral network in one place. - Best for Channel Management & Aggressive OTA Strategy:
Hostaway – choose this if you’re still OTA-heavy and want powerful distribution and dynamic pricing, and you’re comfortable with quote-based pricing and complexity. - Best for Very Large, Corporate-Style Enterprises:
Guesty – great when you’re playing at serious scale with internal tech ops and want enterprise-grade integrations and governance. - Best for Small Portfolios Prioritising a Website:
Lodgify – works well under ~30 units when you need a simple direct booking site and light PMS, and you’re okay with booking fees (or higher fixed fees to remove them). - Best for Tech-Savvy Owners Who Love Configurability & Accounting Detail:
OwnerRez – powerful and flexible if you’re happy with a more complex setup and modular pricing. - Best Budget Option for 1–20 Units:
Smoobu – fine when cost is the main driver and your operations are simple. - Best for Hosts Obsessed with Guest Messaging Automation:
Hospitable – ideal if your biggest headache is replying to guests rather than closing your books.
Why Zeevou Stands Out for Serious Operators Leaving Hostfully
If you strip away the marketing, the question isn’t “which PMS has the longest feature list?”
It’s:
“Which platform actually helps me double my net profit without increasing my chaos?”
Compared to Hostfully and the rest of the field, Zeevou is unusually clear about that:
- Direct booking engine + website builder + SEO + CRM – to escape OTA tax and build your own demand engine.
- PMS + channel manager + task management + mobile apps + guest portal – to run operations without constant fires.
- Owner accounting + reporting + accounting integrations – to upgrade your financial discipline and owner trust.
Zeevou Network referral engine – to earn 5–7% commission on guests you previously turned away, without taking on new leases.

