Guesty vs Hostfully (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 2026, Guesty grades higher than Hostfully: 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
Hostfully
Vacation rental property management software and digital guidebooks
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 Hostfully if
- Fits if you manage a growing set of short-term or mid-term rentals
- Works for hosts who want guest guidebooks and property software from one company
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to see a price first, as the pricing page leads to a sales demo
- Not for you if you want to try before you pay, since no trial of the software is on record
- Pricey if you take direct bookings: 0.85% a booking on Basic, or 1.8% with a $10 monthly minimum on Premium
- Watch out: accounting, connected devices and Screen & Protect damage cover are add-ons, and AI Assist is still coming soon
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAGuestyFair | 2.0GPAHostfullyFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 for the property software. The pricing page leads to a sales demo, so the price is only given on a sales call. Direct booking sites charge per booking on top: 0.85%, or 1.8% with a $10 monthly minimum. |
| 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. | FNo free plan and no trial on record for the property software. Only the first digital guidebook is free, and that's a side product, not the software. |
| 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 with 60+ channels, a central calendar, one inbox with AI replies, booking sites, guidebooks, owner and task management, reporting and an open API. That covers the whole job, with accounting and devices as add-ons and AI Assist still marked coming soon. |
| Ease of use | CGuesty rates 4.2 on the US App Store from 566 ratings, which puts it at C on our ease ladder. | CNo app-store rating on record. You start through a demo and connect channels, owners and tasks, so there's a learning curve. |
| 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 150+ partner integrations, with PayPal and Stripe payments. There's no desktop app. |
| Best for | short-term rental managers growing past a few listings | managers who want guest guidebooks with their software |
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 Hostfully. How we grade
Where they differ
At a glance
| Guesty | Hostfully | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Hostfully |
| 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.
Hostfully
- Hostfully publishes no prices for its property management software; the pricing page leads to a sales demo.
- Direct booking sites charge per booking: 0.85% on Basic, or 1.8% with a $10 monthly minimum on Premium.
- Accounting, smart devices and Screen & Protect damage cover are add-ons, and AI Assist is listed as coming soon.
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.
Hostfully
- Channel manager and central calendar
- Syncs listings with Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com and 60+ channels, and shows every reservation in one calendar.
- Unified inbox and InboxAI
- Guest messages from all channels in one inbox tied to the listing data, with co-hosting support and InboxAI for replies.
- Direct booking sites
- A Basic site at a 0.85% booking fee, or a Premium site at 1.8% of each reservation with a $10 monthly minimum.
- Digital guidebooks
- Guidebooks with property information and paid extras for guests; the first guidebook is free with no credit card.
- Owners, tasks and reporting
- Owner management, task management, user permissions, pre-arrival forms and reporting and analytics within the PMS.
- Open API and integrations
- An open API and 150+ partner integrations, plus payment processing with PayPal, Stripe and Vacation Rent Payment.
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.
Hostfully
Pricing could not be confirmed. See hostfully.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.
Hostfully
- Other savings
Fall savings: up to 30% off until October 31
A banner on Hostfully's site offers up to 30% off everything for customers who book a demo by October 31, 2026.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Guesty or Hostfully?
As of Oct 24, 2026, Guesty starts at $9 per listing / month, plus 1% per reservation (LiteOptimizer), and Hostfully has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Guesty or Hostfully?
As of Oct 24, 2026, neither Guesty nor Hostfully 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.