Boom vs Guesty (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Guesty grades higher than Boom: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Guesty grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Boom
AI-based PMS for rentals, with a flat per-listing plan for small hosts
Guesty
Property management software for short-term rental hosts and managers
Which one is for you
Pick Boom if
- Fits if you are an independent host with up to 19 listings and want AI replies
- Works for managers who expect to move to AI-PMS at 20 listings
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you have many listings, since $30 each adds up quickly
- Skip it if you want a channel manager on the cheap plan, as that comes with AI-PMS
- Watch out: at 20 listings you must move to a product with no published price
- Watch out: the pricing page states no cancellation or minimum-term policy
Pick Guesty if
- Fits if you run 1 to 3 listings now and expect to grow into a management company
- Works for teams answering Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com guests from one inbox
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you add extras: LocksManager, damage protection and analytics cost more, and so do GuestyPay and trust accounting on Pro
- Tight if you want more than Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com on Lite, as the 60+ other channels need Pro
- Not for you if you want a published price past 3 listings, because Pro and Enterprise are quote only
- Watch out: the $20 yearly price is marked as a limited-time offer, and the $9 plan adds 1% of every booking
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as there's only a 14-day trial of Lite
How we grade them
| 2.2GPABoomFair | 2.4GPAGuestyFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$30 a listing a month, at the dearer end of the category's $15.99 to $30 range. The 20-plus product has no published price. | CThe 1% plan is $9 a listing a month plus 1% of each booking, so about $29 for a listing taking $2,000. The flat price is $20 billed yearly, under this category's $25.52 middle, or $29 monthly, above it. From 4 listings it's Pro, and that's quote only. |
| Free plan and trial | CThe first month is free with no card, then $30 a listing. There is no free plan. | CA 14-day trial of Guesty Lite with no card needed. There's no free plan, so after two weeks you're paying. |
| Features | CAI replies, cleaning automation and a booking site on Host. The channel manager, trust accounting and owner reporting come only with AI-PMS at 20 listings. | BChannel sync, a multi-calendar, one inbox with drafted AI replies, cleaning tasks after checkout, a booking site and an open API, with owner statements and revenue management on Pro. That covers the whole job, spread across a quoted plan and paid add-ons. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. Setup starts by connecting an Airbnb account and following a checklist. | CGuesty rates 4.2 on the US App Store from 566 ratings, which puts it at C on our ease ladder. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo mentioned. No phone app is listed. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, an open API with webhooks, and 60+ channels on Pro, Expedia and Google Vacation Rentals among them. There's no desktop app, and Lite reaches only three channels. |
| Best for | an AI-assisted rental PMS for up to 19 listings | short-term rental managers growing past a few listings |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Boom and Guesty. How we grade
Price against what you get
Boom starts at $30 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Guesty starts at $9 a month and scores 2.7.
Guesty scores higher and starts $21 a month lower. Of the other vacation rental tools on the chart, 8 score higher than Boom for less, and none scores higher than Guesty for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Boom also covers workflow automation, AI agents and trust accounting.
- Guesty also covers tasks and shared inbox.
At a glance
| Boom | Guesty | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $30 per listing / month (Boom Host) | $9 per listing / month, plus 1% per reservation (LiteOptimizer) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | First month free on Boom Host, no credit card required | 14-day free trial of Guesty Lite, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Boom | Guesty, Inc. |
| Price read from | boomnow.com | guesty.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Boom
- The flat $30 price applies only to Boom Host; the 20+ listing product has no published price.
- The listing count, not team size, decides which product you buy, and a move to AI-PMS is needed at 20 listings.
- Boom Host's feature list on the pricing page is short and does not mention a channel manager; that comes with AI-PMS.
- The site gives a first-month-free offer but does not state a cancellation or minimum-term policy on the pricing page.
Guesty
- Only Guesty Lite has published prices; Pro and Enterprise are quoted by number of listings.
- Lite is for 1 to 3 listings and syncs with Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com only; the 60+ other channels need Pro.
- Many tools are paid add-ons: PriceOptimizer, LocksManager, damage protection, advanced analytics and, on Pro, GuestyPay and trust accounting.
- The pay-as-you-grow Lite plan adds 1% of each reservation to the per-listing fee.
Key features
Boom
- AI guest replies
- Boom Host answers guest messages with AI and automates cleaning tasks, with the calendar and inbox in one place.
- BAM, the AI agent
- BAM, which Boom calls its Business Agentic Manager, works across property data and workflows in both products.
- Direct booking website
- Every Boom Host listing gets its own booking website, and AI-PMS includes direct bookings alongside the channel manager.
- Trust accounting and owner reporting
- Listed as part of Boom AI-PMS for managers with 20 or more listings.
- Airbnb-first setup
- Boom Host starts by connecting an Airbnb account and following a setup checklist; Booking.com and Vrbo are also mentioned on the site.
Guesty
- Channel manager
- Syncs rates, availability and reservations with Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com in real time on every plan; Pro reaches 60+ channels, including Expedia and Google Vacation Rentals.
- Unified inbox and ReplyAI
- Guest messages from every channel land in one inbox beside the reservation details, and ReplyAI drafts a reply for each one to review and send.
- Multi-calendar
- One calendar shows bookings from all channels, color-coded by source, with cleaning schedules; reservations can be created and moved from it.
- Automated tasks and messages
- Creates cleaning and maintenance tasks after each checkout and sends guests scheduled messages from booking confirmation to checkout.
- Direct booking website
- A booking site built from templates, with rates and availability synced to the channels; Guesty takes no percentage fee on direct bookings.
- Owners portal and open API
- Pro adds an owners portal with customizable owner statements. The open API has webhooks and allows up to 15 calls per second.
Plans
Boom
Boom Host$30
per listing / month, for 1-19 listings
Calendar, reservations, guest inbox, AI guest replies, cleaning automation and a direct booking website. The first month is free.
Boom AI-PMSCustom
For 20 or more listings. Quoted per portfolio. Adds channel manager, direct bookings, trust accounting, owner reporting and team features.
Guesty
LiteOptimizer$9
per listing / month and up, plus 1% per reservation
Guesty Lite on a pay-as-you-grow basis, with the PriceOptimizer pricing tool included. For hosts with 1 to 3 listings.
Lite$20
per listing / month and up, billed annually ($29 billed monthly)
Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com sync, multi-calendar, unified inbox and a booking website. The annual price is marked as a limited-time offer.
ProCustom
For 4 to 199 listings: 60+ channels, owners portal and statements, revenue management and 24/7 support. Priced by number of listings.
EnterpriseCustom
For 200+ listings: custom reporting and analytics, tailored onboarding and enterprise-grade security.
Ways to pay less
Boom
No public discounts listed.
Guesty
- Annual discount
Save up to 50% with annual billing on Lite
The Guesty Lite page marks annual billing as a limited-time offer saving up to 50% (crossed out from 30%): from $20 rather than $29 per listing a month.
- Other savings
Guesty Ultimate bundle: 40% off premium add-ons
The pricing page offers a quoted bundle of premium features, including PriceOptimizer, LocksManager, advanced analytics and premium channels, at a stated 40% saving.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Boom or Guesty?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Guesty is cheaper to start with: $9 a month, against $30 a month for Boom. Boom starts at $30 per listing / month (Boom Host), and Guesty starts at $9 per listing / month, plus 1% per reservation (LiteOptimizer).
Which has a free plan, Boom or Guesty?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Boom nor Guesty has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do Boom and Guesty run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Guesty lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.