Hostaway vs Guesty: Which Is Best for Vacation Property Managers?

Choosing a property management system should not feel like a guessing game. As your portfolio grows, the differences between platforms become increasingly clear – gaps in automation, limited reporting capabilities, additional manual work, and rising costs from tools that fail to scale with your business.

Hostaway and Guesty are both well-known options, particularly for hosts who begin on Airbnb and gradually expand their property count. However, many managers eventually need a solution that offers stronger automation, a more robust direct-booking infrastructure, and pricing that remains transparent as they scale.

This guide examines how each platform performs in day-to-day operations, outlining their strengths, 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 required to operate short-term rentals and property management businesses, including bookings, guest communication, payments, channel distribution, operations, and reporting.

The best platforms do far more than store reservations. They automate end-to-end workflows, maintain accurate synchronisation, eliminate repetitive tasks, and provide a reliable operational infrastructure that supports business growth without increasing 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 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.

Hostaway vs Guesty: Head-to-Head Comparison

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.

Choose Hostaway if:

You manage a medium-to-large rental business and want to automate operations efficiently. It offers robust management features and seamless integration with major OTAs like Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo, making it a strong option for scaling your portfolio. However, some channels may require manual setup, and not all features sync fully, which can limit market reach without occasional oversight.

Hostaway is designed for medium-to-large rental businesses, offering robust automation, OTA integrations, centralised management, and advanced operational features – ideal for scaling large 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.

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 Hostaway and Guesty

Hostaway: Comprehensive Property Management & Channel Management Platform

Hostaway is a full-featured property management system that helps hosts and managers automate operations, sync listings across OTAs, manage bookings, and build direct-booking websites. Its all-in-one approach suits growing portfolios, though it may be more than needed for single-property hosts.

Their main features are:

Direct‑booking website builder: Hostaway lets you create a direct‑booking website, with integrated booking engine and no coding required.
Channel manager: synchronises calendars, rates and reservations across major OTAs.
PMS tools: unified inbox for guest communication, multi‑calendar and reservations manager, payment processing, mobile app, task/cleaning workflows.
Automation & AI: automated guest messaging, review automation, automated tasks (cleaning/maintenance), automated payments, reports and analytics.
Smart‑locks add‑on: Hostaway offers a “Smartlocks” feature through its operations tools so you can manage access codes and lock control centrally.

Pros:

Easy to launch a direct‑booking website and booking engine without coding. (Website builder + direct booking)
Comprehensive onboarding and support for those managing multiple properties — many users consider the support and unified setup helpful when scaling.
Solid calendar/listing synchronisation and channel‑manager reliability to avoid double bookings across OTAs.

Cons:

A full‑feature PMS and channel manager can be more complex — perhaps more than needed for hosts with just one property or small portfolios.
Pricing and onboarding costs may be less transparent — the official pricing page notes that rates depend on number of listings and business size; add‑ons (e.g. smart locks, dynamic pricing) may come extra.
As a more comprehensive, professional‑grade tool, there is a learning curve compared to simpler, more minimalistic platforms.

Hostaway Setup

Hostaway does not offer a free trial.
Onboarding typically begins with a demo or an initial call to configure the account and set up listings.
The billing cycle (subscription) normally starts on the day of the first onboarding call.

Hostaway Pricing Tiers

Hostaway uses customised pricing: cost depends on number of listings/properties and features — there’s no fixed “one‑size‑fits‑all” plan.

Typical per‑listing fees range between £9 and £44 depending on portfolio size.
On average, many customers report paying roughly £31 per listing.
The base price includes core platform features: PMS, channel manager, guest communications, direct‑booking website builder, analytics/reporting.
Optional add‑ons (e.g. smart locks, dynamic pricing, additional services) may incur separate charges.

Reviews

4.7

Capterra

4.8

Trustpilot

4.5

4.4

Capterra

4.2

Trustpilot

4.5

Reviews

Review Platforms

Capterra

Trustpilot

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:

Cons:

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.

The Trade-Off Dilemma

Hostaway is strong in building visually appealing direct‑booking websites and managing multiple booking channels, but its automation features — while present — are often regarded as more basic compared to its channel/website and core PMS strength. 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.

Those who want both strengths often turn to integrated platforms like Zeevou, which combine advanced automation with strong direct‑booking 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.

Medium-to-large rental business: Hostaway suits hosts who want a strong direct-booking website and multi-channel management. Its robust booking engine and channel integrations make operations smoother, though some users report that automation features, like guest messaging and workflow tasks, feel secondary.

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.

Growing or mid-sized businesses:

For portfolios of roughly 10–200 properties, Zeevou provides a scalable and cost-effective solution, designed to support growth efficiently without the complexity or higher costs often associated with enterprise-grade platforms.

Zeevou Sells "Financial Independence", Not Just " Automation”.

Hostaway vs Guesty: Final Verdict

Hostaway is best suited for hosts and property managers who want to combine direct bookings with multi-channel management in a single platform. Its robust website builder and broad channel integrations make it ideal for those looking to grow their brand beyond OTAs, while maintaining control over bookings and operations.

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.

For rapidly growing businesses seeking a more scalable, cost-effective, all-in-one solution, Zeevou is a strong alternative. It combines automation, direct booking tools, and transparent pricing—without the steep learning curve or high costs often associated with enterprise-level platforms.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Hostaway a good investment?

Guesty is ideal for larger or fast-growing property managers who need powerful automation, strong OTA integrations, owner reporting, and enterprise-level tools. It offers a robust all-in-one system, but it comes with higher costs, added fees, and a steeper learning curve. For small portfolios, the complexity and pricing may outweigh the value, but for professional operators, it can be a strong investment.

Is Guesty worth it?

Is Guesty good for large portfolios?

Guesty can support large portfolios — the platform architecture and enterprise‑grade plans are designed to handle a high volume of properties. However, scaling a large operation with Guesty comes with trade‑offs: costs tend to increase (especially due to add‑ons and custom pricing), complexity rises (configuration, bulk edits, integrations), and some users report synchronisation or responsiveness issues when managing many listings. Therefore, Guesty may be suitable for large portfolios — but only if you are prepared to invest in premium features, carefully manage settings, and possibly accept occasional instability.

Does Hostaway automate guest communication?

Yes — Hostaway offers automation for guest messaging, including booking confirmations, check-in instructions, and key communications. However, its workflow automation is not as advanced as platforms like Guesty or Zeevou.

Can I use Guesty for direct bookings?

Yes — Guesty can be used for direct bookings, via its integrated booking engine and website builder or via embedding into an existing site. Its direct‑booking tools support listing management, real‑time availability/price sync, and payment processing. However, successfully using Guesty for direct bookings requires correct setup (engine, payment processor, booking rules), and additional features (custom domain, payment collection workflow) may need configuration.

What makes Zeevou different from Hostaway and Guesty?

Zeevou stands out by combining strong automation, a robust direct-booking engine, and full operational tools in one unified platform. While Hostaway focuses on website building and multi-channel management, and Guesty excels in guest messaging and automation, Zeevou offers an end-to-end system that includes channel management, dynamic pricing, housekeeping and maintenance workflows, owner reporting, and even AI guest messaging on higher tiers. This makes it a more comprehensive, scale-ready option for property managers who want everything integrated without relying on multiple add-ons or external tools.

Does Zeevou offer a free plan or trial?

Yes — Zeevou provides a free plan called Spark, giving access to core PMS functions, a direct-booking website, basic automation, guest messaging, and payment processing. As your portfolio expands or you require more advanced tools — such as full channel management, dynamic pricing, automated owner reporting, and AI-powered guest messaging — you can move up to paid plans like Glow, Blaze, or Dazzle. All plans feature transparent pricing with no hidden fees or commissions, ensuring predictable costs as you grow.