Hostaway vs Guesty: How to Choose the Right Property Management System

Start with how your business runs

Before comparing feature lists, write down: how many listings you manage now and in 12 months, which channels you use, whether you manage for owners, how your cleaning and maintenance teams work, and which tools you already rely on (pricing, locks, guidebooks, accounting). The right PMS is the one that fits that picture with the fewest workarounds. My general guide on how to choose a PMS covers this in more depth.

Multi-property management

Both platforms are built for managing multiple listings from one account, with a multi-calendar view of reservations across channels. Guesty’s features directory also lists multi-unit management and solutions by business size, from small hosts to property management companies. In demos, ask each to show your busiest real week across all your properties.

Channel management

Both offer a channel manager to distribute listings to major OTAs and keep availability and rates in sync. What matters is how each connection behaves for your channels: which listing details sync, how quickly changes push through, and how errors are surfaced. Test the specific channels you depend on.

Guest communication

Both provide a unified inbox that brings guest messages from different channels into one place, and both now highlight AI-assisted replies. Hostaway’s features page also lists SMS and WhatsApp messaging. Check how conversations are assigned to team members and how much reservation context appears beside each message.

Automation and operational workflows

Both offer automated messaging and task management for cleaning and maintenance. Compare how flexible the triggers are, how tasks reach your team (app, email, text), and how completion is tracked. If you run a field team, ask to see the mobile experience your cleaners would actually use.

Reporting and owner management

Hostaway lists advanced reporting among its features; Guesty lists reporting and analytics plus owner management and trust accounting. If you manage for owners, owner statements and portals deserve serious testing: they shape how your owners experience your business every month.

Revenue management integrations

Both platforms promote their own revenue tools (Hostaway lists dynamic pricing and AI revenue management; Guesty lists Guesty PriceOptimizer) and both connect to third-party pricing tools through integrations. If you use PriceLabs or plan to, confirm how prices, minimum stays and restrictions sync, and test that a change in the pricing tool reaches every channel. See how to audit your PriceLabs setup for what to check once it’s connected.

Direct booking capabilities

Hostaway lists a direct booking engine; Guesty lists Guesty Websites and direct reservations. Compare design flexibility, payment processing, deposits, your own domain and how well the site works on mobile. A booking site is only one part of a direct booking strategy.

Pricing and scalability

At the time of writing, Guesty’s pricing page presents plan options publicly, while Hostaway’s pricing page asks how many listings you manage before showing pricing. Either way, compare the total cost for your portfolio: base subscription, per-listing fees, payment processing, add-ons, onboarding and any minimum terms. Ask how pricing changes as you add listings.

Questions to ask in both demos

• Can you show our real channels syncing a rate change and a minimum-stay change?
• How do owner statements look for a property with a mid-month owner block?
• How do cleaners receive and complete tasks on mobile?
• Which integrations do we need, and are any extra-cost add-ons?
• What does migration involve, and who does what?
• What support is available at weekends and in our time zone?

Explore Further

Independent resources chosen for usefulness. No affiliate or sponsored links.

• ExploreHostaway featuresHostawayHostaway’s own list of features, from channel manager and unified inbox to reporting and its booking engine.Open resource (opens in a new tab)
• ExploreGuesty featuresGuestyGuesty’s feature directory covering channel management, automation, reporting, owners management and websites.Open resource (opens in a new tab)
• ExploreGuesty pricingGuestyGuesty’s current plan options. Check what is included at each level for your portfolio size.Open resource (opens in a new tab)