Guesty Lite vs Host Tools

Hostaway

Lodgify

Guesty

Trusted by 20,000+ property managers worldwide, Hostaway is the industry leading, AI-powered vacation rental management platform designed for professional short-term rental operators.

Lodgify simplifies the process of managing a vacation rental by enabling anyone to create a bookable website, sync your listings data across channels, and manage tasks in one place. 

Guesty is a property management software designed for vacation rental and Airbnb hosts that centralizes operations across multiple booking platforms. The system features a unified inbox for guest communications, multi-calendar functionality to prevent double bookings, and channel management tools that sync listings across over sixty booking sites. Guesty offers solutions tailored to different business sizes, from individual hosts to enterprise-level property managers with hundreds of listings.

Owner 

Difficult to reach customer service, usually there is a 48 hour delay in response because you can only reach someone via email.

Occasionally, customer support response times are slower during peak periods, which can be frustrating.

Sales Manager

Everything works perfectly well and if something doesnt, the customer support are there to help.

General Manager

We've had some technical glitches and customer service sometimes is on the slow side with today's work enviroment of too much work and not enough employees, but Guesty has done a great job overall of managing our platforms and I would highly recommend it.

Guesty Lite is the leading all-in-one platform for vacation rental hosts with up to three properties. It centralizes bookings, guest messaging, and operations, with seamless OTA sync and optional add-ons. Hosts switching to Guesty Lite see an average 9% revenue growth in just 12 months. 

Accounting

Activity Dashboard

Alerts/Notifications

Availability Management

Billing & Invoicing

Booking Management

Calendar Management

Calendar Sync

Channel Analytics

Channel Management

Commission Management

Contact Management

Content Management

Credit Card Processing

Customer Database

Customer Support

Customizable Branding

Customizable Reports

Customizable Templates

Data Import/Export

Data Synchronization

Dynamic Pricing

Electronic Payments

Email Management

Email Templates

For Vacation Rentals

Front Desk Management

Guest Check-in/Check-out

Guest Communications

Guest Experience Management

Housekeeping Management

Inbox Management

Inventory Control

Invoice Management

Lead Management

Mobile Access

Multi-Channel Campaigns

Multi-Channel Distribution

Multi-Channel Management

Multi-Channel Marketing

Multi-Currency

Multi-Property

Online Booking

Order Management

Owner Statements

Partner Management

Partner Portal

Payment Processing

Performance Metrics

Promotions Management

Property Management

Rate Management

Ratings/Reviews

Real-Time Analytics

Real-Time Data

Real-Time Notifications

Real-Time Updates

Reminders

Reporting/Analytics

Reporting & Statistics

Reservations Management

Revenue Management

Room Booking

Search/Filter

Single Property

SMS Messaging

Task Management

Template Management

Third-Party Integrations

Website Integration

Website Management

Workflow Management

Work Order Management

The Guesty Lite integrations most frequently cited by reviewers are: PriceLabs (a revenue management product rated 4.8 out of 5 for its integration with Guesty Lite) and Stripe (a payment processing product, 4.5).

Integrations

By industry, Guesty Lite reviewers are most commonly professionals in real estate (43%). The most frequent use case for Guesty Lite cited by reviewers is vacation rental management (88% of reviewers).

Proprietary

Guesty Lite

Web-based

iPad

iPhone

Android

Hostfully

Hospitable.com

OwnerRez

iGMS

Tokeet

Beds24

Uplisting

Host Tools

eviivo

Little Hotelier

Lodgix

Smoobu

Wheelhouse

Bookerville

Lite

Enterprise

Persistent software glitches

Investor

Significant bugs, including major ones that mess up pricing when used with industry standard smart pricing tools, break availability windows when toggling between options, and mandate force-quitting the iOS mobile app on every relaunch are persistent and unresolved months after being reported. While I still love the idea of mobile-first channel manager with the features and flexibility that Guesty for Hosts offers, the growing list of major bugs that cause me hours of troubleshooting and self-solving are growing old and I am beginning to start looking/testing other channel management tools that work more consistently and reliably, without costing an arm and a leg.

71% of reviewers feel negative about Bugs and Issues. Some users report frequent and unresolved bugs that disrupt core functions like pricing, availability, and platform connections. Reviewers indicate that glitches often require restarting the app or troubleshooting, which can be time-consuming and frustrating. They mention that issues with templates, uploading photos, and linking accounts add to operational headaches. Many users feel that the prevalence of bugs undermines reliability and leads them to consider alternative solutions, especially when problems remain unaddressed for extended periods.

Slow and limited support

Owner

You can only get customer service through email which is quite slow (expect a day or to for a reply) - Would be better if they had a live chat feature.

In this time, there has not been an opportunity or offer to have even a phone conversation with customer support - everything has been through email which for this issue, it would have been helpful.   When I stated that I was going to disconnect all connected platforms, only then did I get offered an 'opportunity' to speak with a customer success representative.  

46% of reviewers feel negative about Customer Support. Reviewers indicate that reaching support is difficult, with most communication limited to slow email exchanges and no live chat or phone options. Some users say responses are generic and do not resolve issues promptly, often requiring multiple follow-ups. They mention that support can take days or even weeks to address problems, and onboarding assistance is lacking. Users feel that the lack of immediate or personalized help is a significant drawback, especially when facing urgent technical issues.

Comprehensive task automation

The automation features are great, and its integrations with Airbnb allow for updates directly from Guesty.

97% of reviewers feel positive about Automation. Users think the automation features simplify property management by handling tasks like messaging, scheduling, and updating reservations across platforms. They find it easy to set up templates and automate almost every aspect of their short-term rental business, which reduces stress and enables scaling. Reviewers appreciate the integrations with booking platforms and the ability to automate small and large tasks alike. Some users say automation makes their business more hands-off, freeing up time and streamlining daily operations.

Streamlined guest messaging

I love being able to manage multiple listings from this software - the fact that I can send automated messages to potential guests, confirmed guests and my cleaning crew/team is amazing.

Business owner 

This app does everything for you, auto messages on every step of the guest process. If you click all of the right buttons, and fill in all of the right information, you can truly automate (and personalize!)

100% of reviewers feel positive about Guest Communication. Reviewers appreciate being able to automate and personalize messages for guests at every stage, reducing manual effort and minimizing missed communications. They find the unified inbox and centralized interface helpful for managing multiple listings and platforms, which improves response times and guest satisfaction. Users say automated messaging also benefits their cleaning teams and service staff, ensuring everyone stays informed. Some reviewers mention that features like scheduled lock codes and customizable templates help anticipate guest needs and deliver a more professional, seamless experience.

Significant time savings

President

Guesty will end up saving me a great deal of time by automating many tasks.

100% of reviewers feel positive about Time Saving. Reviewers indicate that automating routine tasks such as guest messaging, scheduling, and updating listings saves them many hours each week. They say the platform reduces the need for manual responses and repetitive work, allowing them to focus on other aspects of their business. Users appreciate that managing multiple properties and channels becomes much more efficient, and some mention that the time saved leads to better organization and less stress. They find that automation is key to optimizing their operations and improving productivity.

Consultant

I mainly use it to centralize bookings, manage cleaners/cleaning times, automate guest messages, and streamline the check-in/check-out process.

Seems subscription cost for smaller hosts is more pricey as compared to their  enterprise solution?

However, I was managing my 40 properties through another PMS, and everything was working perfectly with Airbnb, proving this excuse was not valid. Despite knowing they had failed to deliver on their promises, Guesty charged me $1,000 for an onboarding that never happened.

Throughout this period, I’ve tested several PMS solutions, including Hostaway, Lodgify, and Stays. While none are perfect, Guesty stands out for all the wrong reasons.

Guesty saves a lot of time and headache when it comes to managing multiple listings and messaging guests.

host

i like how i can sync multiple calendars from different platforms to one location and how i can automate messages and save time on the daily tasks.

Additionally, the comprehensive reporting and analytics provide valuable insights for optimizing operations.

Guesty is affordable for individual hosts and provides all the automation that you would hope for, my cleaners were all familiar with it and prefer it's notifications to co-hosting, and it allowed me to share my space on multiple channels as well as independently listed.  

Support issues: When testing a property integration with Airbnb, they falsely claimed that Airbnb was down.

One aspect I liked least about Guesty For Hosts is its pricing, which can be expensive for smaller operations.

Price optimizer could be built out more to include orphan gaps and other specifics. But I am sure they are looking at it.

The seamless integrations with major booking platforms save time and reduce errors.

Worse, they billed my card $450 for three months, without authorization, while still failing to provide the promised services.

Additionally, the platform's extensive features can be overwhelming, resulting in a steep learning curve for new users.

It messed up my listings 3x and said I had way more beds (like 16 or 18 per property, when it only has 3-4, and said it only had 1 bathroom instead of 2-3).

Often when editing current reservations or updating blocked out dates, it takes a few hops, skips, and jumps to get the task accomplished.

That it integrates well with my calendars, my smart lock, guest communication across platforms, etc.

Also, the income report is nice for reviewing metrics across multiple platforms i.e. Airbnb & VRBO

The ability to use multiple booking platforms in one centralized app is the best feature.

Owner/Agent

I love Guesty for streamlining processes, emails, calendars and door codes so I don't have to think as much!  

Over all, Guesty has been a super big help with managing my properties.

Guesty for Host, gives me more time to focus on providing exceptional hospitality and less time on administrative tasks.

Property Manager

Customer service is slow to answer, and there are just way too many glitches with calendars and double bookings.

I was having trouble integrating more due to limited features like the [sensitive content hidden] statements and the UX is very dated.

Realtor

I really enjoy the platform and how multiple websites, messaging and calendars can be integrated into one.

Host / Landlord

It has tied together my listings on the three main partner websites for easy channel management.

Ever since the Guesty acquisition customer support has gone off the rails: support inquiries are generally responses with canned/generic responses, new features are nonexistent, and longstanding bugs in the software (like the one that can't unblock availability in your calendar if/when you change the availability window) will cost hosts who use the product real dollars.

Co-Host

Guesty has been a fabulous integration tool, to sync our listing calendars, integrate with our pricing management system, and even link with our guest guide!

Additionally, the mobile-first UX of the product makes managing on smartphone (almost) as easy as managing on desktop, with most/all features available on the go, even if things like messaging templates are largely unusable given tiny text entry fields and dated web-frame based UI.

User friendly and one stop resource to manage your listing.

Host

Once integrated, Guesty attempted to deploy my AirBnb listing to the Vrbo platform but botched the job as it modified the Vrbo listing to have 13 bedrooms opposed to the 2 bedrooms my AirBnb displays (AirBnb has a feature to assign pictures to each room, and somehow the 13 rooms in my house each were listed as bedrooms on Vrbo).Another issue I continue to see is that Vrbo reservation lag to update in Guesty's database (and one time not populating in the database at all). If Instant Booking is enabled and you're in a popular area, you will observe scheduling conflicts.

Automated messaging includes several features beyond the industry standard dynamic tags from customer reservations like if/then messaging criteria that can be used to create advanced guest upsells based on whether or not there are guests checking in before/after others, whether a guest has completed the integrated check-in form, and how many other reservation variables such as min/max guests, min/max stays, and days to check-in.

Customer inquiries are automated responses, so if it's not a straightforward question it can be challenging to get your answer.

Manager

I'd like to see the ability to create the calendar, search and payment widgets from the website menu to copy and add to your own website instead of having to embed the whole site into ours.

It simplifies property management, reduces stress, and enhances the overall guest experience.

Short Term Rental Host

It is shared just with a link and I can setup automated notifications that get sent to them when there are bookings and/or cancellations.

As a new host, having sample templates for automated messaging was a big help.

sometimes the app can malfunction which causes me to need to shut it down and restart

Partner

Also, Guesty is one of the very few companies offering a complete solution that includes guest communications

All works smoothly, website builder and integration with several platforms

Property Investor

You can link AirBNB and booking.com so when one gets booked it communicates and blocks the room on the other site straight away.

The application provides us with a one-stop management portal.

Then you can spend countless hours going in loops with AI that cannot answer a specific question.  

Guesty Lite vs Host Tools Comparison (2026)

Guesty Lite

Host Tools

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives