Guesty vs Rentals United (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Guesty grades higher than Rentals United: 2.4 against 1.6 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 value for money, the free plan and features. They get the same grade on 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
Rentals United
Channel manager that connects your own PMS to 90+ booking sites
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 Rentals United if
- Fits if you manage 10 or more listings and need one place that feeds every booking site
- Works for companies that already have a property system and just need it connected to more channels
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you have one or two homes, because $330 a month is built for 10 to 50 listings
- Not for you if you want a booking system too, as it expects you to bring your own
- Watch out: Scale and Enterprise are quote-only and the add-ons carry no published price
- Tight if you want to try before paying, since no trial is listed
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAGuestyFair | 1.6GPARentals UnitedWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | DPro starts at $330 a month, which is more than six times the $51 where the category's dearest tenth begins, and it is built for 10 to 50 listings. |
| 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 are on record. |
| 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. | CSyncs rates, calendars and inventory to 90+ channels, with a shared inbox and reports. But it's a distribution layer, not a full booking system, and the direct-booking site and screening are paid add-ons. |
| 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 store rating on record. You connect your property system or build against its API before anything flows, and the vendor wants you to keep that system. |
| 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 only, with 60+ system partners, an API and links to Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo and Google. |
| Best for | short-term rental managers growing past a few listings | connecting a property system to 90+ booking sites |
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 Rentals United. How we grade
Price against what you get
Guesty starts at $9 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Rentals United starts at $330 a month and scores 2.3.
Guesty scores higher and starts $321 a month lower. Of the other vacation rental tools on the chart, none scores higher than Guesty for less, and 11 score higher than Rentals United 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
- Guesty also covers tasks and shared inbox.
At a glance
| Guesty | Rentals United | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $9 per listing / month, plus 1% per reservation (LiteOptimizer) | $330 per month and up (Pro, 10-50 listings) |
| 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. | Rentals United |
| Price read from | guesty.com | rentalsunited.com |
| Checked | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 12, 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.
Rentals United
- Pro starts at $330 a month and is aimed at 10-50 listings, so it is a poor fit for a single property.
- Scale and Enterprise have no published price; both are quoted by the sales team.
- It is a distribution layer, not a full PMS; the vendor expects you to keep your own PMS.
- Screen & Protect, the Website Builder, Elevate and Google Redirects are add-ons whose prices are not shown on the pricing 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.
Rentals United
- Channel distribution
- Keeps rates, availability and inventory in sync with more than 90 channels, including OTAs, metasearch engines and wholesalers.
- Three ways to connect
- Connect through one of 60+ PMS partners, build on a REST and XML API, or resell it under your own brand as a white-label channel manager.
- Multi-calendar and unified inbox
- One calendar for properties and bookings across channels, and one inbox with automated message templates.
- Analytics
- Property reports and market comparisons, plus AI-generated optimization reports for a portfolio.
- Add-ons
- Screen & Protect, a Website Builder for direct bookings, Elevate for data insights and Google Redirects are listed as extras beyond the channel manager.
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.
Rentals United
Pro$330
per month and up, for 10-50 listings
Syncs with Airbnb, Booking.com, Google Travel and 90+ channels, with guest communication, multi-calendar, unified inbox and analytics. Free onboarding is a limited offer.
ScaleCustom
For 50-200 listings. Priced by quote, with a commission or a fixed fee available. Adds dedicated support, a dedicated onboarder and a key account manager.
EnterpriseCustom
For 200+ listings. Priced by quote. Adds a direct API connection to Rentals United, technical support and a strategic account manager.
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.
Rentals United
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Guesty or Rentals United?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Guesty is cheaper to start with: $9 a month, against $330 a month for Rentals United. Guesty starts at $9 per listing / month, plus 1% per reservation (LiteOptimizer), and Rentals United starts at $330 per month and up (Pro, 10-50 listings).
Which has a free plan, Guesty or Rentals United?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Guesty nor Rentals United has a free plan. Guesty has a free trial.
Which platforms do Guesty and Rentals United 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.