Guesty vs iGMS:
Which Is Best for Holiday Property Managers?
Choosing a property management system shouldn’t be a guessing game. As your portfolio grows, the differences between platforms become more apparent — from limited automation and basic reporting to increased manual tasks and rising costs from systems that can’t scale with your business.
Guesty and iGMS each serve their purpose. But, many property managers eventually hit the same challenges: rising fees, rigid structures, and limited control over branding and direct bookings. This is often the point where they begin looking for a more scalable, cost-efficient, and automation-driven alternative.
This guide explores how each platform handles daily operations, highlighting their advantages and drawbacks, and determining which one offers the most dependable foundation for long-term efficiency and operational control.
What Is Holiday Rental Management Software?
Holiday rental management software centralises the core functions required to operate short-term rentals and property management businesses, including bookings, guest communication, payments, channel distribution, operations, and reporting.
Top-performing platforms go beyond simply managing reservations. They streamline entire workflows, ensure precise synchronisation, remove repetitive tasks, and offer a dependable operational framework that enables growth without adding extra 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 limited PMS functionality layered on, while others are built around automation and workflow reliability. Many property managers prefer platforms that deliver both robust website capabilities and strong operational automation, eliminating the need to manage two separate systems.
Pricing Model and Real Cost of Scale
Pricing should be evaluated beyond the monthly subscription alone. Booking fees, add-on bundles, and enterprise-style charges can escalate quickly if the platform does not meaningfully reduce manual work. The real question is whether the system genuinely saves you time or subtly introduces new tasks.
Feature Depth and Operational Capability
As your portfolio expands, you need technology capable of scaling with it. A robust platform provides reliable OTA synchronisation, automated payments, structured housekeeping workflows, accurate reporting, owner transparency, and rate automation that adjusts to demand without constant oversight. Without these components, operational stability can quickly become vulnerable.
Long-Term Growth and Scalability
Your software should continue to perform efficiently as your inventory expands or as you oversee multiple locations. The right system accommodates growth without necessitating a complete overhaul of your tools or processes.
Guesty vs Hostfully: Head-to-Head Comparison
Choose iGMS if:
You run a small short-term rental business and want direct integrations with major booking platforms, while valuing automation and affordability over enterprise-level tools.
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-grade PMS built to centralise operations, featuring a unified inbox, automated workflows, and a powerful channel manager that connects to major OTAs. It also provides payment processing, task management, owner reporting, and guest communication tools, helping property managers scale their operations efficiently.
iGMS, on the other hand, is tailored for small short-term rental businesses seeking essential tools to simplify daily operations. It’s ideal for hosts who need basic automation—handling routine tasks, managing reservations, and enhancing guest communication—without requiring complex features or extensive customisation.
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 iGMS
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 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.
- 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
4.6
Capterra
4.6
Trustpilot
4.5
Reviews
Review Platforms
G2
Capterra
Trustpilot
iGMS: Easy Automation for Small to Mid-Scale Hosts
iGMS presents itself as an easy-to-use, plug-and-play tool designed for hosts with small to mid-sized portfolios (around 3–10 listings). Its main advantages are solid multi-channel automation for Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com – especially automated guest messaging and organising team tasks – all managed through a clean and straightforward dashboard.
Their main features are:
- Supports direct bookings, though with more limited functionality than other platforms
- Prioritises operational tools over website customisation
- Offers a unified calendar for Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo
- Multi-channel integration designed for high-volume Airbnb hosting
- Automated guest messaging with customisable templates
- Team task scheduling and coordinated operations
Pros:
- Reliable and responsive customer support.
- Intuitive and user-friendly platform.
- Quick and easy setup without frustration.
Cons:
- Channel synchronisation issues especially with Booking.com.
- The direct booking website is not fully functional.
- Reporting capabilities are basic.
iGMS Setup
iGMS provides a 14-day free trial. New users can connect listings, set up automated messaging templates, payments, and team tasks in a 30–60 minute onboarding session, including free direct-booking website setup.
For additional help, an optional £150 Expert Onboarding package provides personalised support.
iGMS Pricing Tiers
iGMS offers three pricing plans with both monthly and annual subscription options. Pricing depends on the number of properties managed, with higher-tier plans offering more advanced features.
- Basic per-property model starts from £14/month.
- PRO plan is currently £14/unit/month (discounted for new users).
- PRO+ plan costs £16/unit/month and includes advanced features
- Growing managers can upgrade to PRO+ for expanded functionality at £16/unit.
Where Does Hostfully and Guesty Fall Short?
Guesty offers robust, enterprise-level features but can feel overwhelming for mid-sized operators and is often expensive due to commission-based pricing and additional fees.
iGMS is better suited for small to mid-sized rental portfolios, though it has limitations. It only provides real-time syncing with Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com, and its daily cleaning automation and reporting capabilities are basic.
Hosts seeking the benefits of both often turn to integrated platforms like Zeevou, which combine powerful automation with transparent pricing, real-time multi-channel connectivity, and a strong direct-booking ecosystem.
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.
Small-scale, automation-friendly hosts:
iGMS is ideal for hosts with a handful of properties who need straightforward multi-channel management, basic automation, and easy-to-use guest communication and team-task tools.
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 iGMS: Final Verdict
Guesty stands out for its comprehensive features, intuitive dashboard, and extensive integrations, making it well-suited for large or enterprise-level operations that need advanced functionality and dedicated account support.
iGMS is a better fit for small rental businesses seeking a lightweight, easy-to-use solution that handles the essentials. It’s ideal when simplicity, affordability, and basic automation are more important than advanced features, complex financial workflows, or large-scale operations.
For rapidly growing businesses seeking a cost-effective, all-in-one platform, Zeevou is a strong option. It provides automation, direct booking tools, and transparent pricing without the steep learning curve or high costs associated with 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.
