Guesty vs Hostaway (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 2026, Guesty grades higher than Hostaway: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 by ToolGPA
Guesty grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Guesty
Property management software for short-term rental hosts and managers
Which one is for you
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
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
| 2.4GPAGuestyFair | 2.0GPAHostawayFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | 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 | CA 14-day trial of Guesty Lite with no card needed. There's no free plan, so after two weeks you're paying. | 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 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. | 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 | CGuesty rates 4.2 on the US App Store from 566 ratings, which puts it at C on our ease ladder. | 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, 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. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, an open API and 300+ marketplace integrations, QuickBooks among them. There's no desktop app. |
| Best for | short-term rental managers growing past a few listings | 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: Guesty and Hostaway. How we grade
Where they differ
- Guesty also covers tasks.
- Hostaway also covers whatsApp messaging.
At a glance
| Guesty | Hostaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $9 per listing / month, plus 1% per reservation (LiteOptimizer) | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of Guesty Lite, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Guesty, Inc. | Hostaway |
| Price read from | guesty.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
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
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.
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
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.
Hostaway
Pricing could not be confirmed. See hostaway.com.
Ways to pay less
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.
Hostaway
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Guesty or Hostaway?
As of Oct 24, 2026, Guesty starts at $9 per listing / month, plus 1% per reservation (LiteOptimizer), and Hostaway has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Guesty or Hostaway?
As of Oct 24, 2026, neither Guesty nor Hostaway has a free plan. Guesty has a free trial.
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.