Escapia vs Hostaway (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Escapia and Hostaway share a 2.0 GPA, neither has a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on which platforms you need.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick Escapia if
- Fits if you manage 25 or more properties
- Works for companies that take most bookings through Vrbo
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to see prices, as you must call or fill in a form
- Not for you if you have a single property, as it is designed for 25 or more
- Not for you if you want to try before paying, since no trial is listed
- Watch out: no mobile app is listed on the pages we read
Pick Hostaway if
- Fits if you manage several listings and answer guests over SMS and WhatsApp as well as Airbnb
- Works for managers who send owners a statement every month
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to see a price first, as every price is a quote based on your listing count
- Not for you if you'd rather try it alone, since sign-up goes through a demo and no free trial is on record
- Watch out: the quote form is built for 2 or more listings and sends single-listing hosts to a separate page
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAEscapiaFair | 2.0GPAHostawayFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price is published. The page says a flat monthly fee based on property count, quoted by phone or form, so it sits in the middle by default. | CNo price is published. The pricing page asks how many listings you have and returns a quote, so the price only comes from Hostaway's sales team, and we can't set it against this category's $25.52 middle. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing free and no trial is listed; you start with a call or a form. | FNothing free on record. Sign-up goes through a demo or quote request, and the site shows no free plan and no trial. |
| Features | BChannel manager, reservations grid, quotes and e-signed agreements, Market Rates, inbox and reports. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job. | BChannel sync over direct connections, one inbox for channel, email, SMS and WhatsApp messages, AI replies, dynamic pricing, owner statements and an owner portal, a booking site and an open API. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core work. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. A quote, onboarding and a full PMS to set up. | CHostaway rates 4.3 on the US App Store from 447 ratings, which puts it at C on our ease ladder. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with 75+ channel and business partners and Vrbo direct. No mobile app is listed. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, an open API and 300+ marketplace integrations, QuickBooks among them. There's no desktop app. |
| Best for | a PMS for large Vrbo-heavy managers | property managers answering guests on many channels |
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: Escapia and Hostaway. How we grade
Where they differ
- Escapia also covers quotes and estimates.
- Hostaway also covers shared inbox and whatsApp messaging.
In commonWebReportsChannel manager
At a glance
| Escapia | Hostaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | Not published | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Escapia | Hostaway |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Escapia
- No prices are published; the pricing page says to call or submit a form for a quote.
- The pricing page says the fee is a flat monthly amount based on the number of properties managed, with no percentage booking fees.
- The vendor says it is designed for portfolios of 25 or more properties, so it is not aimed at a single owner.
- Every plan is said to include free onboarding, unlimited support hours, unlimited users and unlimited eSignatures.
Hostaway
- Hostaway publishes no prices: the pricing page asks for your listing count and returns a quote.
- Sign-up goes through a demo or quote request; the site shows no self-serve plan or free trial.
- The quote form is built around managers with 2 or more listings and sends single-listing hosts to a separate page.
Key features
Escapia
- Built-in channel manager
- Lists on Vrbo and other sites through 30+ direct connections, with 75+ channel and business partners in total, for one flat fee or none.
- Reservations grid
- A calendar grid that color-codes each booking by source, payment status and stay type, with a summary on hover.
- Quotes and rental agreements
- Select up to five units, adjust pricing and send one quote email with all the options. Rental agreements can be created and signed electronically.
- Market Rates
- Pricing insights drawn from live Vrbo marketplace data, shown to help managers set rates for their units.
- Unified inbox and reports
- Guest messages in one inbox, scheduling and task management, and a set of pre-built reports.
Hostaway
- Channel manager and multi-calendar
- Syncs listings, rates and availability with Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Google and Expedia over direct API connections, with regional channels through the marketplace.
- Unified inbox
- Messages from Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com sit in one inbox with email, SMS and WhatsApp, alongside templates and automated messages.
- AI Replies and AI CoHost
- AI Replies drafts answers to common guest questions and can send them automatically. AI CoHost, new, reads live account data and suggests next steps.
- Dynamic pricing
- Adjusts nightly rates for season and events across channels, alongside coupons, promotions and upsells.
- Owner statements and reporting
- Financial and occupancy reports, owner statement templates with automated delivery, an owner portal and a QuickBooks connection.
- Direct booking site and open API
- A website builder with a booking engine and widgets for existing sites, an open API, and 300+ marketplace integrations.
Plans
Escapia
Pricing could not be confirmed. See escapia.com.
Hostaway
Pricing could not be confirmed. See hostaway.com.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Escapia or Hostaway?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Escapia has no price we could confirm, and Hostaway has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Escapia or Hostaway?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Escapia nor Hostaway has a free plan.
Which platforms do Escapia and Hostaway run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Hostaway 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.