Hostex vs Hosty (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hostex grades higher than Hosty: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Hostex grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Hostex
Low-cost channel manager and PMS for short-term rentals
Hosty
Airbnb-focused management software with a channel manager and app
Which one is for you
Pick Hostex if
- Fits if you manage a few rentals and want the lowest channel manager price
- Works for hosts who sync Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo in one calendar
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you have more than 2 properties, as Basic stops there
- Watch out: Vrbo, owner statements and open API access start on Pro
- Watch out: only yearly prices were readable, and the monthly-billed prices are not listed here
- Watch out: every rental unit counts as a property, and cutting the count waits for the term to end
- Skip it if you want self-serve checkout on top tier, as Premium shows Contact us
Pick Hosty if
- Fits if you manage listings across several Airbnb accounts
- Works for hosts who hand out cleaning tasks to a team
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you add listings, since you pay per active listing
- Skip it if you mostly use other channels, as it's built around Airbnb
- Tight if you want to cancel online, because you email the vendor
- Watch out: the tier table uses icons, so check which plan has dynamic pricing and payments before buying
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAHostexGood | 2.4GPAHostyFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | ABasic is $4.9 a property a month on the yearly view, under 60% of the category's $10 cheaper-quarter line. Pro is $7 and Premium $10.5. | B$10 per active listing a month on Basic, which sits at the top of the cheaper quarter of rental tools ($10). Pro is $20. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 15-day free trial with no card needed. There is no free plan. | CA 14-day trial, and the listing doesn't say whether it needs a card. No free plan. |
| Features | CChannel sync, a unified inbox, automated messages, a direct booking site, tasks and owner reports. Vrbo, owner statements and API access are on Pro, not Basic. | CInbox, calendar, automation, tasks and a channel manager. Built mainly around Airbnb. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and channels and properties have to be connected first. | CNo store rating on record. You connect each Airbnb account and set up messages and tasks. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, but it links to Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia, PriceLabs, Turno and Stripe. | BWeb, iOS and Android, with Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, TripAdvisor, Expedia and Stripe. No desktop app. |
| Best for | small hosts on a tight budget | managing several Airbnb accounts in one dashboard |
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: Hostex and Hosty. How we grade
Price against what you get
Hostex starts at $4.90 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Hosty starts at $10 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Hostex starts $5.10 a month lower. Of the other vacation rental tools on the chart, 2 score higher than Hostex for less, and 3 score higher than Hosty 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
- Hostex also covers tasks.
- Hosty also covers calendar, workflow automation and reports.
At a glance
| Hostex | Hosty | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $4.9 per property / month, shown on the yearly view | $10 per active listing / month |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 15-day free trial, no card needed | Free trial, 14 days according to the homepage |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Hostex | Hosty |
| Price read from | hostex.io | hostyapp.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Hostex
- The pricing page shows a Monthly and a Yearly (save 33%) toggle; only the yearly figures were readable, so monthly-billed prices are not listed here.
- Basic is limited to up to 2 properties; Vrbo integration, owner statements and open API access start on Pro.
- The Premium plan shows a Contact us button rather than a self-serve checkout.
- The pricing page says each rental unit counts as a property, and reducing the property count has to wait until the contract term ends.
Hosty
- Built mainly around Airbnb; other platforms connect through the channel manager.
- The price is per active, listed listing, so it rises with each listing you add.
- Cancelling is done by emailing the vendor and takes effect on the next billing date.
- The pricing page marks tier features with icons that are not readable as text, so check which tier includes the tools you need.
Key features
Hostex
- Channel sync and price calendar
- Updates bookings, rates and availability across connected channels from one calendar, with bulk edits by date, property or platform.
- Unified inbox and HostGPT
- Messages from every booking channel in one inbox, with an AI assistant that learns from a knowledge base and hands questions to staff when it cannot answer.
- Automated messages and reviews
- Triggered and canned messages, automated translation, and review sending and replying for guest reviews from booking channels.
- Direct booking site builder
- Builds a branded booking website with a custom domain and embeddable booking widgets. The pricing page says there is no booking fee.
- Tasks and team accounts
- Assigns cleaning tasks for each reservation, notifies cleaners of changes, and gives team members sub-accounts with set permissions.
- Owner reports and financial tracking
- Records income and expenses, and generates monthly reports to deliver to property owners.
Hosty
- Multiple Airbnb accounts
- Connect and manage listings from several Airbnb accounts in one dashboard without logging in and out of each.
- Central inbox
- Read and reply to guest messages from every connected Airbnb account in one inbox, also from the mobile app.
- Multi-calendar and bookings
- See all listings on one calendar, edit prices and availability, and accept or decline requests and reservations.
- Automation
- Auto-message, auto-review and auto-task features send guest messages and reviews and create cleaning or maintenance tasks.
- Channel manager
- Syncs calendars with other platforms such as Vrbo, Booking.com and TripAdvisor to reduce double bookings.
- Team and task management
- Add team members with permissions and assign tasks such as cleaning, from the web app or the mobile app.
Plans
Hostex
Basic$4.9
per property / month, yearly view (monthly figure not read)
For individual hosts, up to 2 properties. Unified inbox, HostGPT AI replies, automated messages and tasks, booking site builder, team accounts and reporting.
Pro$7
per property / month, yearly view (monthly figure not read)
For professional managers. Adds Vrbo integration, guest guide, multi-unit management, Google Vacation Rentals distribution, owner statements and open API access.
Premium$10.5
per property / month, yearly view (monthly figure not read)
For enterprises, sold through contact. Adds dedicated high-performance sync, priority support and onboarding, and custom integrations on request.
Hosty
Basic$10
per active listing / month
Entry tier; the pricing page marks which of its tools each tier includes, and the unit is an active, listed Airbnb listing.
Advance$15
per active listing / month
Middle tier with more tools from the page's feature table; billed per active listing every 30 days.
Pro$20
per active listing / month
Top tier; the feature table also lists payments, a website builder and dynamic pricing among the tools.
Ways to pay less
Hostex
- Annual discount
Save 33% with yearly billing
The pricing page offers a yearly billing option marked as saving 33% against monthly payments.
Hosty
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Hostex or Hosty?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hostex is cheaper to start with: $4.90 a month, against $10 a month for Hosty. Hostex starts at $4.9 per property / month, shown on the yearly view, and Hosty starts at $10 per active listing / month.
Which has a free plan, Hostex or Hosty?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Hostex nor Hosty has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
Which platforms do Hostex and Hosty run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Hosty 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.