Hostaway vs OwnerRez (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 2026, OwnerRez grades higher than Hostaway: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 by ToolGPA
OwnerRez 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.
OwnerRez
Vacation rental software priced per property, channel manager included
Free trial · from $40/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 OwnerRez if
- Fits if you take direct bookings and want guests to sign a rental agreement online
- Works for teams of any size, since staff logins are unlimited at no charge
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you need the extras: property management from $10, a website from $15, QuickBooks from $10 and Rezzy AI $9 a property
- Watch out: SMS is $15 a month per number, with 500 outgoing segments included and 1.5 cents each after that
- Skip it if you want an app from the App Store or Google Play, as it's a web app installed from the browser
- Tight if you have just one property, as $40 a month sits at the dear end of this category
- Watch out: billing is monthly by credit card only, and there's no free plan after the 14-day trial
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAHostawayFair | 2.4GPAOwnerRezFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | C$40 a month for one property, right at this category's dearer quarter ($40), where the middle is $25.52. It falls per property as you grow, $88 at 5 and $127 at 10, but owner statements from $10, a website from $15 and Rezzy at $9 a property are extra. |
| 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 in which everything, premium features included, is free. There's no free plan, and the listing doesn't say whether a card is needed to start. |
| 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, quotes, bookings, payments, signed rental agreements, one inbox for email, SMS and channel messages, and portals for owners and cleaners, with owner statements and websites as paid extras. That covers the whole job. |
| Ease of use | CHostaway rates 4.3 on the US App Store from 447 ratings, which puts it at C on our ease ladder. | CNo app-store rating on record, since there's no store app. You connect channels and set up agreements and triggers in the browser, which takes some learning. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, an open API and 300+ marketplace integrations, QuickBooks among them. There's no desktop app. | BA web app you can install from the browser, with QuickBooks, WordPress, an API and an MCP link for Claude and ChatGPT. There's no App Store or Google Play app and no desktop app. |
| Best for | property managers answering guests on many channels | owners who take direct bookings with signed agreements |
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 OwnerRez. How we grade
Where they differ
- Hostaway also covers whatsApp messaging.
In commonWebPublic APIAI featuresShared inboxReportsChannel manager
At a glance
| Hostaway | OwnerRez | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | Not published | $40 per month for 1 property, billed monthly |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial; all activity, premium features included, is free during it |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Hostaway | OwnerRez, Inc. |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | ownerrez.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.
OwnerRez
- Premium features cost extra each month: property management from $10, a hosted website from $15, QuickBooks from $10, Rezzy AI $9 per property.
- SMS costs $15 a month per phone number, with 500 outgoing segments included and 1.5 cents per segment after that.
- There is no App Store or Google Play app: OwnerRez is a progressive web app that you install from the browser.
- Billing is monthly by credit card only; there are no contracts, setup fees or booking fees.
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.
OwnerRez
- Channel manager
- Direct API connections to Vrbo, Airbnb, Booking.com and Google Vacation Rentals, included free on every account.
- Rental agreements and signatures
- Customizable rental agreements that guests sign online, with a signed PDF generated for each booking, at no extra charge.
- Team access and portals
- Unlimited staff logins, plus a portal site where owners and cleaners see what concerns them.
- Property management
- A premium feature that calculates commission, records expenses and produces owner statements, from $10 a month for the first property.
- Websites
- Hosted websites on your own domain, or a WordPress plugin and listing API for existing sites; both are premium features.
- Rezzy AI and MCP
- Rezzy AI answers guest messages and helps with daily tasks for $9 per property a month. A free MCP connection lets Claude or ChatGPT query your account.
Plans
Hostaway
Pricing could not be confirmed. See hostaway.com.
OwnerRez
OwnerRez$40
per month for 1 property, billed monthly
Everything except premium features, with unlimited bookings and users. Price rises per property: $88 a month at 5 properties, $127 at 10.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Hostaway or OwnerRez?
As of Oct 24, 2026, Hostaway has no price we could confirm, and OwnerRez starts at $40 per month for 1 property, billed monthly.
Which has a free plan, Hostaway or OwnerRez?
As of Oct 24, 2026, neither Hostaway nor OwnerRez has a free plan. OwnerRez has a free trial.
Which platforms do Hostaway and OwnerRez run on?
As of Oct 24, 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.