The Hostex Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Hostex 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.
Hostex
The Insider’s Guide
Low-cost channel manager and PMS for short-term rentals
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among vacation rental tools, read from Hostex’s own pages.
Made by Hostex · checked Nov 13, 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 Hostex’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Hostex’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 13, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.6
GPA, above 47 of the 53 other vacation rental tools we grade
Hostex is vacation rental software that syncs calendars and rates across Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia and other channels from one dashboard. It adds a unified guest inbox with an AI reply assistant, automated messages, cleaning tasks and a direct booking site builder. Plans are priced per property, with a 15-day free trial.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Hostex, taken from its own pages and our grades.
No store rating on record, and channels and properties have to be connected first.
- 1
Best for small hosts on a tight budget
Hostex is a channel manager and property system for short-term rentals, priced from $4.9 a property a month on the yearly view.
- 2
Paid plans start at $4.90 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $4.9 per property / month, shown on the yearly view.
- 3
You can try it first
15-day free trial, no card needed
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
Channel sync and price calendar
Updates bookings, rates and availability across connected channels from one calendar, with bulk edits by date, property or platform.
- 6
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.
- 7
Automated messages and reviews
Triggered and canned messages, automated translation, and review sending and replying for guest reviews from booking channels.
- 8
A 2.6 GPA, above 47 of 53
That is against the other vacation rental tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Hostex 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.
Hostex at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial, from $4.9 per property / month, shown on the yearly view
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 15-day free trial, no card needed
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Hostex, since 2018
- Category
- Vacation Rental Software
- Our grade
- 2.6 GPA, good
The report card
Best for small hosts on a tight budget
Hostex is a channel manager and property system for short-term rentals, priced from $4.9 a property a month on the yearly view. Basic stops at 2 properties, and Vrbo, owner statements and the API wait on Pro.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A | Basic 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. |
| Free plan and trial | C | A 15-day free trial with no card needed. There is no free plan. |
| Features | C | Channel 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. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating on record, and channels and properties have to be connected first. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web only, but it links to Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia, PriceLabs, Turno and Stripe. |
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 Hostex is for
- 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
Who it is not for
- 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
Good to know
Good for
- Individual hosts with one or two listings who want a low per-property price
- Small managers who want a direct booking site included in the plan
- Hosts who want an AI reply assistant that escalates to staff
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$4.90
A month to start
Hostex is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $4.9 per property / month, shown on the yearly view.
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.
Trying it first
15-day free trial, no card needed
Read from hostex.io on Nov 13, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
Save 33% with yearly billing
The pricing page offers a yearly billing option marked as saving 33% against monthly payments.
Stated on hostex.io
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Low-cost channel manager and PMS for short-term rentals. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, AI features, tasks, shared inbox, channel manager.
Channel sync, a unified inbox, automated messages, a direct booking site, tasks and owner reports.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Airbnb
- Booking.com
- Vrbo
- Expedia
- PriceLabs
- Turno
- Stripe
- PayPal
Hostex is made by Hostex, and has been around since 2018.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
47/53
Other vacation rental tools it is graded above
Hostex's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 47 of the 53 other vacation rental tools we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on value for money (A, above 53 of 53) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $4.90 a month, against a middle price of $19.99 for the category: 4 of the 35 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 2 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 54 vacation rental tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Hostex’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 53 of 53
- CFree plan and trialAbove 24 of 53
- CFeaturesAbove 1 of 53
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 53
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 4 of 53
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 36 vacation rental tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Hostex is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
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 Hostex 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.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.6 is higher than 47 of the 53 other vacation rental tools we grade. It costs $58.80 a year.
What you could make
- Tasks: 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.
- It plugs into other products, Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo among them, and has an API.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- Hooks into the device itself: widgets.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: roles and permissions.
What this rests on. Hostex’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
Hospitable, Hosthub, Smoobu, Hostaway and Hostfully
The 5 tools Hostex is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.6GPA
Hospitable
Free plan · from $25.52/mo
Guest messaging, channel sync and operations for short-term rentals.
- Hospitable has a free plan. Hostex does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Hospitable lists iOS and Android apps.
- 2.4GPA
Hosthub
Free trial · from $21.6/mo
Channel manager and PMS for vacation rentals, priced per rental.
- Hostex also covers tasks.
- 2.2GPA
Smoobu
Free trial · from €29/mo
Vacation rental channel manager and booking system, priced by unit.
- Only Smoobu lists iOS and Android apps.
- Hostex also covers tasks and shared inbox.
- Smoobu also covers invoicing and reports.
- 2.0GPA
Hostaway
Paid
Vacation rental PMS and channel manager for property managers.
- Only Hostaway lists iOS and Android apps.
- Hostex also covers tasks.
- Hostaway also covers reports and whatsApp messaging.
- 2.0GPA
Hostfully
Paid
Vacation rental property management software and digital guidebooks.
- Only Hostfully lists iOS and Android apps.
- Hostfully also covers reports.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
14
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 Hostex free?
No, Hostex is a paid product, but you can try it first. 15-day free trial, no card needed.
How much does Hostex cost?
Hostex lists 3 plans. Basic: $4.9 per property / month, yearly view (monthly figure not read).
What platforms does Hostex work on?
Hostex is available on Web.
Does Hostex offer any discounts?
Hostex publicly lists the following: Save 33% with yearly billing.
Does Hostex have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Hostex is listed for Web.
Does Hostex have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Hostex is listed for Web.
Is Hostex open source?
Hostex is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Does Hostex have an API?
Yes. Hostex offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Hostex integrate with?
Hostex's listing names Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia, PriceLabs, Turno, Stripe and PayPal.
Who makes Hostex?
Hostex is made by a company of the same name. It dates from 2018.
What are the alternatives to Hostex?
The closest alternatives to Hostex in our directory are Hospitable, Hosthub, Smoobu, Hostaway and Hostfully.
How does Hostex compare with other vacation rental tools?
Hostex's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 47 of the 53 other vacation rental tools we grade, and level with 5.
Is Hostex good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Hostex A for value for money. Its paid plans start at $4.90 a month, against a middle price of $19.99 for the category: 4 of the 35 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Hostex?
To replace Hostex 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 Hostex’s own pages on Nov 13, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 13, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Hostex's own pages on 13 November 2026. 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 Hostex. Prices change, so check hostex.io before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
7,721
Tools graded, in 95 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.
7,721
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Hostex, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/hostex
- 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, "Hostex: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 13, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/hostex
Know someone choosing between vacation rental tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/hostex/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded vacation rental tools after Hostex, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Vacation Rental Software Insider's GuideEvery one of the 54 vacation rental tools we grade, compared
- CiiRUS Insider's GuideVacation rental PMS with trust accounting for professional managers2.8 GPA
- 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
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Hostex’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. Hostex is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Hostex. Prices and plans change: check hostex.io before you buy.