Hostaway vs iGMS (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 2026, we pick iGMS: it is second in our ranking of vacation rental tools, and it grades higher too, 2.6 against 2.0.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 by ToolGPA
iGMS grades higher on the free plan and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
iGMS
Short-term rental software with a pay-per-booked-night plan
Free trial · from $20/mo
Which one is for you
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
Pick iGMS if
- Fits if your rentals sit empty some months and you'd rather pay per booked night
- Works for Airbnb hosts adding Vrbo and Booking.com who want one inbox
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you want owner statements or dynamic pricing, which need PRO+ at $56 a property a month billed yearly
- Watch out: dynamic pricing works only in the US, Canada, Australia, Mexico, the UK and Spain
- Watch out: a listing on several sites counts as separate properties unless you group them
- Tight if you pay yearly with under 10 properties: it's charged up front, and leaving early bills you the monthly price
- Not for you if you want a free plan, as the Free Plan pilot the site mentions isn't on the pricing page
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAHostawayFair | 2.6GPAiGMSGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CFLEX is $1 a booked night with a $20 minimum per property a month, between this category's cheaper quarter ($15.99) and middle ($25.52); a listing booked 25 nights pays $25. Owner statements need PRO+ at $56 a property billed yearly. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing free on record. Sign-up goes through a demo or quote request, and the site shows no free plan and no trial. | CA 14-day trial with no card needed. There's no free plan: the site mentions a Free Plan pilot, but the pricing page doesn't offer it. |
| Features | 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. | BChannel sync with Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Expedia and TripAdvisor, one inbox with AI replies, cleaning and team access, direct bookings, an owner portal, owner statements and dynamic pricing. The whole job is there, spread across three plans. |
| Ease of use | CHostaway rates 4.3 on the US App Store from 447 ratings, which puts it at C on our ease ladder. | BiGMS rates 4.7 on the US App Store from 613 ratings, which puts it at B on our ease ladder. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, an open API and 300+ marketplace integrations, QuickBooks among them. There's no desktop app. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Expedia, Google Vacation Rentals and pricing tools like PriceLabs connected. No desktop app, and no API is on record. |
| Best for | property managers answering guests on many channels | hosts who'd rather pay per booked night |
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: Hostaway and iGMS. How we grade
Where they differ
- Hostaway also covers whatsApp messaging.
- iGMS also covers tasks.
In commonWebiOSAndroidAI featuresShared inboxReportsChannel manager
At a glance
| Hostaway | iGMS | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | Not published | $20 per property / month minimum, at $1 per booked night (FLEX) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Hostaway | AirGMS Technologies Inc. |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | igms.com |
| Checked | Oct 24, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
iGMS
- After the first property, iGMS charges only for properties booked at least once that month; listings on several sites count separately unless grouped.
- Annual plans under 10 properties are charged up front, and cancelling early switches you to monthly prices for the months used.
- Dynamic pricing on PRO+ is offered only in the US, Canada, Australia, Mexico, the UK and Spain.
- The site mentions a Free Plan pilot at $0 a month with a 4% fee on direct payments, but the pricing page does not offer it.
Key features
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.
iGMS
- Channel manager and multi-calendar
- Syncs Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Expedia, TripAdvisor and a direct website, with iCal for other channels and channel markups.
- Unified inbox and AI replies
- Guest messages from every channel in one inbox, with AI-suggested replies, message templates and automated messages.
- Cleaning and team management
- Cleaning and task management with access for cleaners and co-hosts, plus a notification center and mobile app.
- Direct bookings
- A direct booking engine on every plan, with payments through Stripe; PRO adds a bookable website and brand management.
- Owner portal and reports
- Reservations and monthly revenue reports and a metrics dashboard; PRO adds an owner portal and PRO+ adds owner statements and cash flow reports.
- Pricing tools
- PRO+ includes revenue management and dynamic pricing in the US, Canada, Australia, Mexico, the UK and Spain; PriceLabs, Wheelhouse, Beyond and DPGO connect too.
Plans
Hostaway
Pricing could not be confirmed. See hostaway.com.
iGMS
FLEX$20
per property / month minimum, at $1 per booked night
Pay $1 for each booked night, at least $20 per property a month. Channel management, automation, unified inbox, AI-driven replies and direct bookings.
PRO$38
per property / month, billed annually ($48 billed monthly)
Adds a bookable website, brand management and an owner portal. The rate per property falls with portfolio size: $150 a month at 10 properties, billed annually.
PRO+$56
per property / month, billed annually ($69 billed monthly)
Adds message auto-translation, revenue management, dynamic pricing in six countries, an AI agent, owner statements and expenses. $201 a month at 10 properties.
Ways to pay less
Hostaway
No public discounts listed.
iGMS
- Annual discount
About 20% off with annual billing
iGMS's pricing page shows PRO at $38 a property a month billed annually against $48 monthly, and PRO+ at $56 against $69, for one property.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Hostaway or iGMS?
As of Oct 24, 2026, Hostaway has no price we could confirm, and iGMS starts at $20 per property / month minimum, at $1 per booked night (FLEX).
Which has a free plan, Hostaway or iGMS?
As of Oct 24, 2026, neither Hostaway nor iGMS has a free plan. iGMS 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.