Hostaway vs Wheelhouse (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Wheelhouse grades higher than Hostaway: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 24, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Hostaway grades higher on features. Wheelhouse grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Wheelhouse
Dynamic pricing and market data for short and mid-term rentals
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 Wheelhouse if
- Fits if you have several listings and want prices to move with demand
- Works for managers who already run Airbnb and a booking system and want pricing on top
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a booking system, because it only sets prices
- Pricey if you have many listings, at $19.99 each a month, and 50+ are quote only
- Watch out: the 1% option takes a share of revenue, with a $2.99 monthly minimum
- Watch out: Dynamic Sets is a separate $12.99 per set a month
- Tight if you hate cards, since one is needed once a listing goes paid
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAHostawayFair | 2.2GPAWheelhouseFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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$19.99 per listing a month, or 1% of revenue with a $2.99 minimum. That sits between the category's middle and its dearer quarter, and it multiplies by every listing. |
| 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. | CEvery listing can be linked free, with no card, to read the market report and test settings. That's a look at the tool, not live pricing. |
| 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. | CRule-based and data-driven pricing, groups of listings, a portfolio view and daily price sync. A focused tool that does its one job fully, but pricing is the only job, and groups are a separate $12.99 plan. |
| 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 store rating on record. You link accounts and tune settings before it does anything useful. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, an open API and 300+ marketplace integrations, QuickBooks among them. There's no desktop app. | BWeb only, with links to Airbnb, Guesty, Hostaway, Hostfully and others, and APIs. |
| Best for | property managers answering guests on many channels | setting nightly rental prices |
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 Wheelhouse. How we grade
Where they differ
- Hostaway also covers shared inbox, channel manager and whatsApp messaging.
- Wheelhouse also covers calendar and dashboards.
At a glance
| Hostaway | Wheelhouse | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | Not published | $19.99 per listing / month (or 1% of revenue, $2.99 minimum) |
| Free plan | None | Free tier for every listing: link listings, read the market report and test pricing settings without a card. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Hostaway | Wheelhouse |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | usewheelhouse.com |
| Checked | Oct 24, 2026 | Nov 12, 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.
Wheelhouse
- Paid pricing applies per listing; 50+ listings are quoted by contacting the vendor.
- Pro Flex takes a share of revenue, with a $2.99 monthly minimum, instead of a flat fee.
- Dynamic Sets is a separate $12.99 per set per month plan.
- A card is required once any listing moves to a paid tier.
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.
Wheelhouse
- Three pricing strategies
- Mixes rule-based and data-driven approaches, with 15+ settings to control how the engine treats a day, event or season.
- Dynamic Sets
- Groups from 1 to 1,000+ listings, across one or several markets, used for benchmarking, owner acquisition and merchandising.
- Portfolio view and history
- Shows strategies and calendars across a portfolio, with 15 months of listing history and 6 months of forward-looking performance.
- Daily price syncing
- Prices sync daily to connected accounts, with 18 months of forward pricing and unlimited custom fixed rates for key dates.
- Alerts, notes and version history
- Notifications for chosen events, notes on dates or ranges for teammates, and a way to revert changes to a strategy.
- APIs
- The platform is built so teams can build their own tools on its APIs. The homepage also lists MCP and Skills.
Plans
Hostaway
Pricing could not be confirmed. See hostaway.com.
Wheelhouse
Free$0
Link listings, explore the market report and try settings. No card needed; every listing starts here.
Pro Flex1%
of revenue per listing, $2.99 minimum monthly fee
Billed at time of reservation, excluding taxes and fees; cancellations are refunded. Discounts at 50+ listings by contact.
Pro Flat$19.99
per listing / month
Flat fee per listing. $16.99 (15% off) at 10 to 49 listings; 50+ listings by contact.
Dynamic Sets$12.99
per set / month
Navigator map with 18 filter categories to build Sets that feed pricing strategy.
EnterpriseCustom
For portfolios of 50+ listings, with onboarding and a revenue success team.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Hostaway or Wheelhouse?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Hostaway has no price we could confirm, and Wheelhouse starts at $19.99 per listing / month (or 1% of revenue, $2.99 minimum).
Which has a free plan, Hostaway or Wheelhouse?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Wheelhouse has a free plan. Hostaway does not.
Which platforms do Hostaway and Wheelhouse run on?
As of Nov 12, 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.