HOSTAWAY VS GUESTY
Property managers who switched to Hostaway increased their active listings by 44% on average in their first year compared to just 25% for Guesty users.
Avg. Listing Growth (12 Months)
*based on internal Hostaway customer data, 2024
Hostaway is rated 4.8/5 across 5,500+ reviews. Guesty has fewer reviews at a lower overall score.



44%


"The more I used Guesty, the more I realized that, although they have an impressive set of features, they lack in so many different areas."Abbey Moore
Owner at Indigo Property Services
Manages 18 properties in the Mount Washington Valley with Hostaway
Hostaway has long since closed the feature gap with Guesty, while remaining more affordable, better reviewed, and with superior support.
| Compare features | Guesty | |
|---|---|---|
| All-in-one software with full suite of features | ||
| Pricing | One monthly rateIncludes all core PMS features | Commission + fixedAdditional monthly costsGuesty charges additional monthly fees for access to the direct booking site builder, accounting, analytics, Google Vacation Rentals and Marriott. |
| Onboarding | $500Includes all modules | $1,500Additional cost for some modulesGuesty has additional onboarding costs for Guesty Communication Services and Accounting add-ons. |
| Contract options | Save with annual planOr stay flexible with month-to-month | 13-month contractNo plan flexibility |
| Support | Award-winning support24/7 phone support and dedicated rep | Slow response timesChat and email-based |
| Third-party reviewsCapterra, Software Advice, GetApp | 4.8/51,460+ reviews | 4.4/5420+ reviews |
| Airbnb (Preferred Plus Partner) | ||
| Vrbo (Elite Partner) | ||
| Booking.com (Premier Partner) | ||
| Google Vacation Rentals | ||
| Hopper | ||
| Marriott | ||
| Expedia | ||
| OTA connection quality | Direct API connection, real-time sync | Direct API connection, real-time sync |
| Partner marketplace | 200+ integrations | 200+ integrations |
| Single, scalable software | Guesty Lite: 1-3 listingsGuesty Pro: 4+ listings |
| Guesty | ||
|---|---|---|
4.8 / 51,460+ reviews | 4.4 / 5420+ reviews | |
4.8 / 51,477+ reviews | 4.2 / 5935+ reviews | |
4.7 / 5338+ reviews | 4.6 / 560+ reviews |
We analyzed independent ratings from Capterra, SourceForge, and G2 — and Hostaway outperformed Guesty on every platform. Better scores. Happier customers. Proven results.
Get startedWHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
Over the past five years, Guesty has acquired platforms like MyVR, YourPorter, Rentals United, and more — growing through mergers rather than building from the ground up. While that might expand their feature list, it also creates a fragmented system that leads to slower bug fixes, disconnected experiences, and support teams that struggle to keep up.
Hostaway took a different path. We've earned the trust of thousands of property managers by building everything in-house, listening to our users, and innovating based on their needs — not investor agendas. That focus on simplicity, reliability, and scalability means you get a platform that works the way you need it to from day one, with fast support and features that actually make your business run smoother.
There is 0 functionality and it is not user friendly. Everything has to be done on a desktop. Good luck updating your listings. The customer service never had an actual answer when you message in. Not only is Guesty overpriced but their glitches caused us to lose many reservations and have a lot of issues with guests.
Hostaway offers the same features as Guesty (along with superior support), with only 20% of their team size. This efficiency is passed on to our customers as cost savings, while staying agile and responsive to market changes.
Since Hostaway's attention is undivided and we've built everything ourselves, Hostaway is: more reliable, releases improvements faster, and is generally first to market with cutting-edge features, like: • Google Vacation Rental Integration • AI-powered guest replies & listing descriptions • Vrbo & Expedia Messaging in your Inbox
I tried Guesty for Hosts with 2 accounts for almost 2 months. This software doesn't work properly. The calendar goes blank, has a lot of problems and does not work properly. When you send them messages, they answer you after 5-6 hours. They don't have a phone number for contact support.

The majority of bad reviews of Guesty reference slow, unknowledgeable support team. This is driven by the hasty acquisitions and a bloated team size - majority-based in one European time zone. When urgent issues aren't dealt with quickly, you risk losing out on reservations, cutting into your bottom line.
Hostaway, on the other hand, has an award-winning, responsibly trained, highly-rated support staff to address your needs whenever, wherever you are. This includes: • A dedicated Customer Success Manager for all customers • A 97%+ customer satisfaction rating • 24/7 phone support • Distribution across 40+ countries
I am extremely dissatisfied with the level of customer support at Guesty. Response times are significantly delayed, often taking days to address issues, which is further complicated by the use of automated bots that prematurely close out tickets. Additionally, accessing my data has become nearly impossible, as it feels like it's being held hostage. The API performance is also disappointing, with frequent outages that lead to major synchronization issues.
Guesty turns property management into a constant drain on your wallet. Between their convoluted commission/fixed pricing, costly onboarding, and extra costs for add-ons, Guesty is not only more expensive up front, it continues to bleed their customers at every opportunity. Guesty then continues to charge additional 'hidden' fees on top, like a cancellation fee, and a history of rounding up %'s to the nearest dollar and suddenly increasing their commission percentage.
Hostaway offers month-to-month contracts – we work hard to earn your business every month. We have a more affordable, transparent monthly fee where all core PMS features are included, and only charge extra for the add-ons you might not need – no hidden fees.
Guesty has been the worst decision I have made since I opened my business. Guesty overcharges and under delivers. I liked the layout of Guesty, but that was it. No phone number for customer service, due to the time change any questions would take half a day to get a response.
Some sources claim Hostaway's channel manager does not have real-time sync. This is incorrect. We have the best available, direct API integrations with every OTA we partner with and are measured on it to uphold our top-tier partnership statuses.
Some sources also claim that Hostaway has fewer support agents, meaning it might take longer to receive a response. This is also incorrect. Hostaway is the only PMS to offer 24/7 phone support, with a 97% Customer Satisfaction rating.

Time is money, and automating every aspect of your business helps you grow, without increasing headcount.
minutes saved per reservation
more revenue per listing with Dynamic Pricing
guest and staff messaging automated with AI

As the largest PMS in the world, we have the best proprietary data and expertise to optimize your operations.
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Hostaway and Guesty are both property management software solutions. They each have robust features that help vacation rental businesses streamline operations. Examples of shared powerful features are task management, dynamic pricing, channel manager, booking engine, direct booking websites, and other tools. Though this might not have always been the case, the feature gap between Guesty vs Hostaway is virtually non-existent.
Property managers choose Hostaway property management software because it is supported by 24/7 customer support, while Guesty's support is concentrated in specific, mostly European time zones. Additionally, Hostaway's onboarding is $1000 cheaper than Guesty's and covers all modules featured in Hostaway's property management software (like dynamic pricing and automated task management).
Guesty mandates 13-month contracts with no plan flexibility. Hostaway on the other hand offers flexible month-to-month plans to support vacation rental managers and owners (although many choose the annual plan to take advantage of the cost savings).
Hostaway and Guesty both offer enterprise grade tools and user friendly interfaces that are suitable for a broad range of short-term rental property managers. Boasting many of the same features, the choice for property managers often comes down to comparing customer support, pricing models, and how Guesty builds their platform (through acquisitions rather than building in-house).
Both Guesty and Hostaway offer customer onboarding to help in the initial learning curve of using their platforms. The big Guesty vs Hostaway difference is in the cost of onboarding and accessibility to support. Hostaway offers 24/7 email, live chat and phone support, while Guesty offers only email support. Additionally, Guesty's onboarding costs $1500 USD while Hostaway charges $500.