Hostaway vs Hostfully:
Which Is Best for Vacation Property Managers?
Choosing a property management system should not feel like a guessing game. As your portfolio expands, the differences between platforms become increasingly evident – gaps in automation, limited reporting capabilities, additional manual work, and rising costs from tools that fail to scale with your business.
Hostaway and Hostfully are established options, but they serve different scales. Hostaway is strong for larger portfolios thanks to its advanced automation and enterprise-grade channel management, while Hostfully is more suited to smaller operators who value simplicity and digital guidebooks. As hosts grow, many find they need deeper automation, stronger reporting, and a more scalable system than entry-level tools can provide.
This guide outlines how each platform performs in day-to-day operations, detailing 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 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.
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 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.
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 Hostaay and Hostfully
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.
- 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
G2
4.7
Capterra
4.8
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.
- 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)
The Trade-Off Dilemma
Hostaway excels at building visually appealing direct-booking websites and managing multiple booking channels, but its automation features—such as messaging workflows and task management—can feel secondary.
Hostfully provides strong automation and guest-experience tools, though some users report that its reporting capabilities, channel connections (particularly with Booking.com), and payment workflows are less robust than those of enterprise-grade systems.
Property managers seeking both strengths often turn to integrated platforms like Zeevou, which combines 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.
Small- to medium-sized businesses: 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.
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 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”.
Hostaway vs Hostfully: Final Verdict
Hostaway is better suited for hosts and property managers who want to combine direct bookings with channel management in one platform. Its robust website builder and multi-platform integration make it ideal for those ready to grow their brand beyond OTAs.
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.
However, if your business is rapidly growing and you’re looking for a more affordable, all-in-one alternative, Zeevou is worth considering. It offers 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.
