The Hostaway Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Hostaway in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Hostaway
The Insider’s Guide
Vacation rental PMS and channel manager for property managers
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among vacation rental tools, read from Hostaway’s own pages.
Made by Hostaway · checked Oct 24, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Hostaway’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Hostaway’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 24, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.0
GPA, above 0 of the 10 other vacation rental tools we grade
Hostaway is a property management system and channel manager for vacation rental managers. It lists properties on Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Google and Expedia from one dashboard, gathers guest messages from those channels plus email, SMS and WhatsApp into one inbox, and adds dynamic pricing, owner statements and a direct booking site. Prices are quoted by portfolio size.
To get you started, here are 7 things to know about Hostaway, taken from its own pages and our grades.
There's no self-serve plan or free trial on its site, and hosts with a single listing are sent to a separate page.
- 1
Best for property managers answering guests on many channels
It publishes no prices: you give your listing count and get a quote.
- 2
It runs on 3 platforms
Web, iOS and Android.
- 3
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.
- 4
Unified inbox
Messages from Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com sit in one inbox with email, SMS and WhatsApp, alongside templates and automated messages.
- 5
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.
- 6
A 2.0 GPA, above 0 of 10
That is against the other vacation rental tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 7
Keep it
To replace Hostaway you would be making two-way connections to Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Hostaway at a glance
- Pricing
- Paid
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Hostaway
- Category
- Vacation Rental Software
- Our grade
- 2.0 GPA, fair
- Store rating
- 4.3 on the App Store, 447 ratings
The report card
Best for property managers answering guests on many channels
Hostaway lists your properties on Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Google and Expedia and gathers those messages with email, SMS and WhatsApp in one inbox. It publishes no prices: you give your listing count and get a quote. There's no self-serve plan or free trial on its site, and hosts with a single listing are sent to a separate page.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | No 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. |
| Free plan and trial | F | Nothing free on record. Sign-up goes through a demo or quote request, and the site shows no free plan and no trial. |
| Features | B | Channel 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. |
| Ease of use | C | Hostaway rates 4.3 on the US App Store from 447 ratings, which puts it at C on our ease ladder. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, iPhone and Android, an open API and 300+ marketplace integrations, QuickBooks among them. There's no desktop app. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Hostaway is for
- 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
Who it is not for
- 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
Good to know
Good for
- Property managers running a few to a few hundred short-term rental listings
- Teams that answer guests over OTA messages, SMS and WhatsApp in one place
- Managers who send owner statements and run an owner portal
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Hostaway's current pricing could not be confirmed from its own site.
Sign-up goes through a demo or quote request, and the site shows no free plan and no trial.
We could not confirm Hostaway’s current prices from its own site, so this guide lists no plans. hostaway.com has them.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
3
Places it runs: Web, iOS and Android
Vacation rental PMS and channel manager for property managers. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, AI features, shared inbox, reports, channel manager, whatsApp messaging.
Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core work.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- Airbnb
- Vrbo
- Booking.com
- Expedia
- Google Vacation Rentals
- QuickBooks
Hostaway is made by Hostaway.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
0/10
Other vacation rental tools it is graded above
Hostaway's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 0 of the 10 other vacation rental tools we grade, and level with 1.
It stands best on features (B, above 2 of 10) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 11 vacation rental tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Hostaway’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 1 of 10
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 10
- BFeaturesAbove 2 of 10
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 10
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 10
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Hostaway you would be making two-way connections to Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 9 of the 10 other vacation rental tools grade higher.
What you could make
- Reports: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Two-way connections to Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo.
- One mailbox that several people work at once.
- The WhatsApp Business API, which Meta opens only through approved partners.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It plugs into other products, Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- Hooks into the device itself: widgets.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Hostaway’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Guesty, Hostfully, OwnerRez, Uplisting and Lodgify
The 5 tools Hostaway is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.4GPA
Guesty
Free trial · from $9/mo
Property management software for short-term rental hosts and managers.
- Hostaway also covers whatsApp messaging.
- Guesty also covers tasks.
- 2.0GPA
Hostfully
Paid
Vacation rental property management software and digital guidebooks.
- Hostaway also covers whatsApp messaging.
- Hostfully also covers tasks.
- 2.4GPA
OwnerRez
Free trial · from $40/mo
Vacation rental software priced per property, channel manager included.
- Only Hostaway lists iOS and Android apps.
- Hostaway also covers whatsApp messaging.
- 2.2GPA
Uplisting
Free plan · from $51/mo
Short-term rental channel manager with flat or pay-per-booking plans.
- Uplisting has a free plan. Hostaway does not.
- Hostaway also covers reports and whatsApp messaging.
- Uplisting also covers tasks.
- 2.2GPA
Lodgify
Free trial
Vacation rental software with a direct booking website builder.
- Hostaway also covers reports and whatsApp messaging.
- Lodgify also covers tasks.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
12
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Hostaway free?
No. Hostaway is a paid product.
What platforms does Hostaway work on?
Hostaway is available on Web, iOS and Android.
How is Hostaway rated?
Hostaway's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.3 out of 5 from 447 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 24, 2026.
Does Hostaway have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 24, 2026. Hostaway is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Hostaway have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 24, 2026. Hostaway is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Hostaway open source?
Hostaway is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 24, 2026.
Does Hostaway have an API?
Yes. Hostaway offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Hostaway integrate with?
Hostaway's listing names Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Expedia, Google Vacation Rentals, QuickBooks and WhatsApp.
Who makes Hostaway?
Hostaway is made by a company of the same name.
What are the alternatives to Hostaway?
The closest alternatives to Hostaway in our directory are Guesty, Hostfully, OwnerRez, Uplisting and Lodgify.
How does Hostaway compare with other vacation rental tools?
Hostaway's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 0 of the 10 other vacation rental tools we grade, and level with 1.
Could I make my own version of Hostaway?
To replace Hostaway you would be making two-way connections to Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Hostaway’s own pages on Oct 24, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 24, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Hostaway's own pages on 24 October 2026. Its pricing page shows no price. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Hostaway. Prices change, so check hostaway.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Hostaway, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/hostaway
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Hostaway: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 24, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/hostaway
Know someone choosing between vacation rental tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/hostaway/guide
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See our other guides
The best-graded vacation rental tools after Hostaway, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Vacation Rental Software Insider's GuideEvery one of the 11 vacation rental tools we grade, compared
- Hospitable Insider's GuideGuest messaging, channel sync and operations for short-term rentals2.6 GPA
- iGMS Insider's GuideShort-term rental software with a pay-per-booked-night plan2.6 GPA
- Tokeet Insider's GuideVacation rental PMS priced per rental, now sold as AdvanceCM2.6 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Hostaway’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Hostaway is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Hostaway. Prices and plans change: check hostaway.com before you buy.