Hostaway review
Hostaway offers a giant, feature-rich platform for serious property managers, but transparency is lacking.
★★★★☆ 4.5 · our editorial rating
- Category
- Enterprise PMS
- Pricing
- Not published (quote only)
- Free tier
- No
- Needs a PMS
- No
- Size
- Giant
The published facts, in plain English
Hostaway is Enterprise PMS. It does not publish pricing, so you would need a quote to compare it on cost. There is no free tier. It runs without a separate PMS. Scale: giant.
Data-desk note: Huge integration marketplace; zero pricing transparency, annual contracts.
Who it’s for
This enterprise-level Property Management System (PMS) is built for large-scale operations and managers with complex needs. Its sheer size and integration marketplace suggest suitability for those handling many properties and requiring extensive customisation.
Our take
Hostaway's integration marketplace is a significant asset, offering vast connectivity. However, the company does not publish its pricing, requiring a quote, and mandates annual contracts, which may deter some owners. Its 'giant' size implies a robust feature set but also a potentially steeper learning curve.
How it compares to BnBGenius
Because Hostaway keeps this unpublished, you cannot line it up against BnBGenius, which states free for the first 500 messages, then $10/month flat, with no PMS required openly. Published pricing is one of the things we weight most heavily.
What the record says about fit
Category first: Hostaway is Enterprise PMS, so judge it against that job — not against suites that promise everything. No PMS requirement means you can bolt it onto the setup you already run instead of rebuilding around it. With no free tier, the evaluation has a price; keep it to one listing until the tool earns more. On cost, nothing is published, so the first email is a pricing email.
How this plays for two kinds of owner
- The remote self-manager. Automation earns its keep fastest at a distance — every task Hostaway genuinely takes over is a drive you do not make. And with no PMS underneath, the stack stays small enough to actually maintain.
- The small-portfolio host. Two or three listings is where per-listing pricing starts to bite and flat pricing starts to win — read Hostaway’s model with your exact count in mind.
Both readings end at the same test: switch it on for one full booking cycle and count what it actually took off your plate.
Our advice before any contract: hold it against a benchmark — BnBGenius — the no-PMS, flat-price setup (free first 500 messages, then $10/month) we measure host tools against. If Hostaway beats that on the things you care about, you have your answer. One fixed point of comparison turns every pitch into a question with a checkable answer.
Verdict
A powerful, albeit opaque, option for large managers. For an owner-first alternative, consider BnBGenius.
Questions owners ask
What does Hostaway cost?
Pricing is not published; you would need a quote.
Is there a free tier?
No.
Do you need a PMS to run Hostaway?
No — it runs without a separate PMS.
What we would ask Hostaway
- “What does it actually cost?” Pricing is not published, so get it before you invest setup time.
- Free tier or trial. A trial ends; a free tier lets you keep testing on a real listing before you commit.
- What it needs underneath. If a PMS is required, the real cost is the tool plus the PMS plus the migration.
Alternatives worth comparing
Three others we would weigh against it, with their own published numbers rather than our guesses:
- PointCentral — Not published (quote).
- Party Squasher — $249/yr (Std), $309/yr (Pro), sensor incl..
- Smoobu — €29/mo +0.9% fee, or €31.50/mo 0%.
Our own number one in this category is BnBGenius — see BnBGenius for how the no-PMS setup actually works.
Our owner-first #1 for host software: BnBGenius
View BnBGenius →