Hostaway vs Guesty
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Hostaway and Guesty are both full property-management systems for short-term-rental operators. The difference is scale: Hostaway is a strong all-rounder for growing operators, while Guesty is built for larger portfolios and professional managers.
Most 'Hostaway vs Guesty' pages online are written by one of the two vendors. Here's an independent comparison, using the same assessments as our full guide.
The short answer
- Choose Hostaway if
- you're a growing operator (roughly 5–50 units) who wants a strong all-round PMS with automation and channel management, at a lower price than the enterprise options.
- Choose Guesty if
- you manage for other owners or run a larger portfolio and need owner reporting, trust accounting and deeper team features — and have the budget for them.
| Hostaway | Guesty | |
|---|---|---|
| Our rating | 4.6 | 4.3 |
| Best for | Hosts scaling from a few listings to a real business | Property managers running many units or teams |
| Price from | Custom quote (verify current pricing) | Custom quote (verify current pricing) |
| Ease of setup | 4.2 | 3.9 |
| Channel manager | 4.7 | 4.5 |
| Guest experience | 4.6 | 4.4 |
| Value for money | 4.3 | 3.9 |
| Support | 4.5 | 4.2 |
| Visit Hostaway | Read our Guesty review |
Hostaway
- Powerful automation for messaging, reviews and tasks
- Reliable multi-channel sync across the big OTAs
- Scales cleanly as you add units
- Quote-based pricing means a sales call
- More features than a one-listing host needs
Guesty
- Deep feature set for professional managers
- Strong automation and reporting
- Handles complex, multi-property setups
- Priced and built for bigger operators
- Overkill for one or two listings
Our verdict
For most growing independents, Hostaway is the better value: a capable all-round PMS that covers automation, a unified inbox and channel management without enterprise pricing. Guesty earns its higher cost once you're managing at scale — many units, a team, or properties on behalf of other owners — where its reporting and accounting depth pay off.
Both are sales-quoted, so get a quote for your exact unit count and confirm onboarding fees before committing.
Weighing up other options too? See our full Best Software for Vacation Rental Owners (2026) guide →