Hostaway vs Host Tools

Buildium

Innago

DoorLoop

Buildium is a comprehensive property management software that helps property managers streamline their day-to-day operations. With features like property accounting, online leasing, resident portals, and maintenance management, Buildium provides a centralized platform to control tasks, offer top-notch experiences, and uncover new revenue opportunities.

Innago is a cloud and mobile-based rental property management software that helps manage daily operations of rentals such as maintenance, leasing, financial tracking and reporting, and more.

DoorLoop is redefining property management software as the AI-native operating platform for innovative property management teams. 

Owner

The customer service team, and specifically [sensitive content hidden] has provided timely and supportive guidance as I continue to build in my own independence on the platform.

Office Manager

Amazing customer service - the guidance was very communicative and thorough; all of my questions were answered and everything was demonstrated to me in great detail so that I fully understand how to use the platform to its full potential.

Trusted by 20,000+ property managers worldwide, Hostaway is the industry leading, AI-powered vacation rental management platform. 

Grow your business, automate guest communication, sync listings across channels like Airbnb, and boost direct bookings from one unified platform.

Access Controls/Permissions

Accounting

Activity Dashboard

Activity Tracking

Alerts/Notifications

Appointment Management

Availability Indicator

Availability Management

Billing & Invoicing

Billing Rate Management

Booking Management

Booking Notes

Built-in Accounting

Calendar Management

Calendar Sync

Campaign Management

Catering Management

Channel Analytics

Channel Management

Collaboration Tools

Commission Management

Communication Management

Contact Management

Content Management

Credit Card Processing

Customer Database

Customer History

Customer Support

Customizable Branding

Customizable Fields

Customizable Reports

Customizable Templates

Dashboard

Data Import/Export

Data Synchronization

Discount Management

Document Management

Drag & Drop

Dynamic Pricing

Electronic Payments

Electronic Signature

Email Management

Email Templates

Employee Management

Event Calendar

Expense Tracking

Extended Stay

Financial Management

For Hospitality Industry

For Vacation Rentals

Front Desk Management

GDS/OTA Integration

Guest Check-in/Check-out

Guest Communications

Guest Experience Management

Guest Tracking

Housekeeping Management

Inbox Management

Incentive Management

Inventory Control

Inventory Management

Inventory Tracking

Invoice Management

Lead Management

Listing Management

Loyalty Program

Maintenance Management

Maintenance Scheduling

Marketing Automation

Marketing Management

Mobile Access

Mobile App

Multi-Channel Campaigns

Multi-Channel Distribution

Multi-Channel Management

Multi-Channel Marketing

Multi-Channel Sync

Multi-Currency

Multi-Language

Multi-Location

Multi-Property

Occupancy Management

Online Booking

Online Payments

Opportunity Management

Order Management

Owner Portal

Owner Statements

Partner Management

Partner Portal

Payment Processing

Performance Metrics

Pipeline Management

Point of Sale (POS)

Price/Margin Management

Promotions Management

Property Database

Property Management

The Hostaway integrations most frequently cited by reviewers are: PriceLabs (a revenue management product rated 4.8 out of 5 for its integration with Hostaway), Stripe (a payment processing product, 4.7), and Vrbo (a vacation rental product, 4.2).

Integrations

By industry, Hostaway reviewers are most commonly professionals in hospitality (45%). The most frequent use case for Hostaway cited by reviewers is vacation rental (50% of reviewers).

Hostaway

Web-based

Android

Windows

Linux

iPad

iPhone

Guesty Lite

Hostfully

Hospitable.com

Guesty

OwnerRez

Lodgify

iGMS

Cloudbeds

Uplisting

Hostify

CiiRUS

Avantio

Zeevou

Streamline

Hosthub

Smoobu

Escapia

Amenitiz

Beds24

Challenging payment processes

The new payment changes were hard to follow for me....even having the Help Centre notes did not give me the day to day instructions.

Property Manager

The app does not have the function to be able to send payment directly from the Software to homeowners.

52% of reviewers feel negative about Hostaway’s payment integration. Users say the integration with payment processors like Stripe is problematic, resulting in manual adjustments, difficulties with installment payments, and lack of support for alternative processors like PayPal. They report confusion around payment setup, limited automation for payouts, and issues with processing guest payments or owner disbursements. Some reviewers mention that financial workflows are not intuitive, and troubleshooting payment-related problems can be time-consuming.

Complex account handling issues

66% of reviewers feel negative about Hostaway’s account management. Users report difficulties with syncing and integration, especially with platforms like Airbnb and VRBO, leading to double bookings, lost reservations, and financial losses. They find cancellation and billing processes unclear, with delays in account termination and unexpected charges. Reviewers also mention slow or unresponsive customer service during critical account issues, challenges with managing multiple accounts, and lack of flexibility in data management or pausing listings.

Limited and slow phone support

Managing Member

Hostaway advertises having a 24hr helpline, but the two times I tried calling, I was on hold for over 40min before I gave up and hung up.

Owner Vacation Rentals

So far every time I did this I received an email from someone with an article and some videos telling me how to fix the issue instead of a real live call or person when I actually needed it.  

43% of reviewers feel negative about Hostaway’s phone support. Users indicate long wait times, difficulty reaching a live agent, and frequent reliance on email or scheduled callbacks instead of immediate assistance. They express frustration with unreturned calls, lack of a reliable helpline, and challenges in resolving urgent issues quickly. Some reviewers mention that time zone differences and limited phone support hours make it harder to get timely help, especially during emergencies.

Messaging and notification frustrations

lots of errors when trying to integrate with other systems, cleaning task system is not very organized and efficient, no notifications section in apps, new messages do not always appear on top, causing messages to get missed,...

The communication I received from my first onboarding specialist was not efficient and my messages were left without responses for days at a time.

47% of reviewers feel negative about Hostaway’s messaging features. Users report delays and lags in message syncing, especially with channels like VRBO and Booking.com, causing missed or duplicated communications. They find the inbox interface less user-friendly compared to competitors, with difficulties in managing notifications, message translations, and message organization. Reviewers also mention limitations in the mobile app, such as lack of features and slow loading, making it harder to stay on top of guest communications.

High and opaque pricing structure

manager

Added fees for dynamic pricing and smart lock integration adds up.  Would be cause to cancel.

IT Director

Initial up-front integration cost is a bit high.

40% of reviewers feel negative about Hostaway’s pricing. Users report that the platform is more expensive than alternatives, with added fees for onboarding, dynamic pricing, and integrations. They find the pricing structure confusing, with hidden costs, unclear billing, and minimum listing requirements that don’t suit smaller operators. Reviewers also mention challenges with refunds, overcharges, and lack of transparency around fees, making it difficult to predict total costs and assess value for money.

Efficient rental operations

What I like most about Hostaway is how organized and efficient the platform is for managing multiple short-term rentals.

President

Hostaway has most of the features for vacational rental property management, including Auto messages, Accounting, Channel integration Airbnb, VRBO, Google vacational rental, Direct booking website.

93% of reviewers feel positive about Hostaway’s vacation rental management capabilities. Users indicate the platform simplifies managing multiple short-term rentals by centralizing operations, automating tasks, and integrating with major channels like Airbnb and VRBO. They appreciate features such as auto-messaging, accounting, and direct booking options, which save time and reduce manual work. Reviewers say Hostaway’s all-in-one approach makes it easier to scale their businesses, keep operations organized, and maintain professionalism, whether managing a few or many properties.

Prompt and thorough responses

Very well until now as in case of problem or question you get an answer very quickly and that's very important for us.

90% of reviewers feel positive about Hostaway’s ability to answer questions. Users report receiving quick, clear, and detailed responses to their inquiries, often within a day. They appreciate having access to knowledgeable staff who provide practical solutions and thorough explanations. Reviewers mention that support is available through various channels, and questions are addressed efficiently, helping them fully utilize the platform’s features. Many value the patience and attentiveness shown by staff when handling multiple or complex questions.

Continuous product enhancements

Property Management Manager

With monthly Webinars & updates to new products, We are happy to grow along side Hostaway.

Operations Manager

They are continuing to lead the market, grow their team, and improve their platform.

94% of reviewers feel positive about Hostaway’s improvements and updates. Reviewers appreciate the platform’s ongoing enhancements, frequent feature rollouts, and responsiveness to user feedback. They say regular updates help their businesses scale, streamline operations, and adapt to changing needs. Users find the company receptive to suggestions and value the timely implementation of new tools. Many note that Hostaway’s commitment to development gives them confidence in long-term growth and stability. Some reviewers highlight that the platform’s scalability and adaptability are crucial for managing expanding property portfolios efficiently.

Supportive onboarding experience

Ernesto made the onboarding process simple for me, which was my biggest reservation of switching PMS tools with having more than 30 active properties.

General Manager

Hostaway provided us with an outstanding onboarding experience! Since the beginning our specialist took care of us with a professional and friendly approach, we felt we have the right partner, who understands perfectly our needs and concerns.

91% of reviewers feel positive about Hostaway’s onboarding process. Users report that dedicated onboarding specialists provide step-by-step guidance, personalized support, and in-depth training tailored to their business needs. They appreciate the structured sessions, clear explanations, and patient assistance, which help them quickly become confident with the platform. Reviewers mention that having a consistent point of contact during onboarding makes the transition smoother and less overwhelming, especially when migrating multiple properties or integrating with various booking channels.

Responsive customer assistance

Co-Founder & Owner

Each and every time we've needed questions answered, which has not been very often, we were able to promptly get the information from a knowledgeable and friendly Hostaway team member.

91% of reviewers feel positive about Hostaway’s customer support. Reviewers indicate that support staff are knowledgeable, responsive, and helpful in resolving issues or answering questions. They value the availability of one-on-one meetings, timely responses to support tickets, and ongoing assistance for technical or operational concerns. Users say the support team’s professionalism and willingness to address feedback contribute to a positive experience, helping them optimize their use of the platform and maintain smooth business operations.

The automation tools save me a ton of time with guest messaging, scheduling, and payments, and the reporting makes it easy to track revenue and performance.

She took the time to walk us through the entire setup process for our property listings and made sure everything was connected properly across all major booking platforms, including Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com.

It helps prevent double bookings, keeps calendars updated automatically, and simplifies the entire management process.

Customer support has been responsive and helpful when we’ve needed assistance, and the platform continues to evolve with new features that support professional property managers — not just individual hosts.

Partner

Unlike many other platforms that provide instant access, Hostaway requires you to move through several stages: an initial call with a sales representative, signing the paperwork, and then scheduling onboarding sessions. Because each step involves booking time with different teams, the full process took about two weeks.

Virtual Assistant – Guest Services Agent

The platform is user-friendly and offers a wide range of features that help streamline our property management tasks — from automated messaging and channel management to calendar syncing and reporting.

This feature effectively eliminates the anxiety of double-bookings and ensures maximum visibility across all sales channels, which is absolutely critical for scaling a property management business.

The platform's ability to reliably sync calendars, listings, and pricing across major Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) like Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com, all from one centralized dashboard, is a massive time-saver.

Director

Secondly, I would like to continue offering 3.30pm as a check in time which bests suits our cleaning schedule and customer expectation, but they only give options for 3pm or 4pm.

From syncing channels to configuring fees and customizing the booking engine, [sensitive content hidden] made sure I understood not just how to do things, but why they mattered. While the platform itself has a learning curve and setup can be time-consuming, having a dedicated onboarding specialist like [sensitive content hidden] made it feel manageable and even empowering.

There were some integration issues with our current online booking platform that created some discrepancies which was troubling, although their tech support was quick in responding to the issue.

Tourist manager

Customer support, Booking, User interface, Easy, messaging via inbox, automations, templates, payment links

Hostaway vs Host Tools Comparison (2026)

Hostaway

Host Tools

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives