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Lodgify vs. Hostaway: Why Our Customers Choose Lodgify
Last updated: September 2026
Having the right vacation rental software can make the difference between success and falling behind. Lodgify and Hostaway both offer a comprehensive suite of tools to simplify property management, but they're built for different kinds of hosts. Here's how they compare.
Who is it for?
Lodgify
Whether you own a single vacation property or manage a portfolio of 30+ rentals, Lodgify is designed for the full range of vacation rental businesses. Its intuitive, user-friendly features let hosts manage operations from one app, at any stage of growth.
See how Lodgify works first-hand with our interactive demo.
Hostaway
Hostaway is built for property managers running 5 or more properties, not solo hosts. It's a quote-based, sales-led platform, so it's not the choice for hosts who want transparent, self-serve pricing or a lightweight, do-it-yourself setup.
How much does it cost?
Lodgify
Lodgify offers 4 plans built to scale with your business.
- Basic is our most affordable plan, starting at $14/month (billed annually), for hosts with 1 property who want a unified calendar across Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com plus an AI-powered unified inbox.
- Starter starts at $26/month and adds the no-code website builder, so you can launch your own direct booking site.
- Professional starts at $42/month, our most popular plan, and adds automated messages plus a listing on Google Vacation Rentals.
- Ultimate starts at $62/month and adds task management, owner statements and priority support.
Every plan comes with a 0% direct booking fee: when a guest books through your own Lodgify website, you keep 100% of that revenue and pay a flat subscription instead of a commission. (Bookings made through Airbnb, Vrbo or Booking.com still carry those platforms' own host fees, which Lodgify doesn't control.) Dynamic Pricing is included on Professional and Ultimate, with a trial available on Starter and Basic.
Lodgify's subscription plans can be charged in U.S. Dollars (USD), Euros (EUR), or British Pounds (GBP).
Hostaway
Hostaway doesn't publish pricing. Every quote is built around your listing count, the channels you connect and the features you add, and requires a demo call with sales. Reports from hosts and industry sources put per-listing costs in the range of roughly $25 to $50/listing/month, plus a one-time onboarding fee commonly cited between $300 and $1,000+, though neither figure is published by Hostaway itself. Confirm both directly with their sales team before signing.
Hostaway vs. Lodgify: What are the main differences?
Website builder
Lodgify
Lodgify's website builder is well known for its ease of use and customizable templates. With a few clicks, hosts can launch a bookable website under their own domain in under 5 minutes, no technical skills required. Lodgify sites are SEO-friendly, which helps drive direct bookings over time. The builder also lets you personalize your site, add widgets and create unlimited pages.
Hosts who already have a WordPress, Squarespace or Wix site can instead embed the Lodgify booking widget, turning an existing site into one that takes direct bookings.
Hostaway
Hostaway includes a direct booking website as part of its platform, but some hosts report that a newer, more advanced version of the builder is sold as a separate add-on, with an additional fee plus a small percentage of direct booking volume. Confirm current website options and any associated fees directly with Hostaway, as this has changed more than once.
Onboarding
Lodgify
Starter, Professional and Ultimate include free 1:1 onboarding with a Lodgify specialist, who helps connect your listings and set up your account. Basic uses guided self-onboarding.
Hostaway
Hostaway's onboarding is thorough but not free: hosts report a one-time onboarding fee, commonly in the $300–$1,000+ range, along with a multi-week setup process given the platform's complexity. Reviews consistently praise the quality of the onboarding specialists themselves, even where the cost and timeline are a drawback.
Channel manager
Lodgify
With the channel manager, every user, regardless of plan, connects to the major booking channels through direct API integrations with Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com, keeping calendars, rates and content in sync in real time. Lodgify holds preferred partner status with all 3.
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Lodgify can also connect to additional or local channels through iCal.
Hostaway
Hostaway offers 2-way sync with the major booking channels (Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com) and holds high-tier partner status with each. Its channel manager and automation depth are genuine strengths, particularly for larger portfolios, though the platform's complexity comes with a steeper learning curve than Lodgify's.
Property management and AI
Lodgify
Lodgify's property management system scales with your plan. Ultimate adds task assignment for cleaning and maintenance, plus analytics and reporting on finances and website traffic. Lodgify's unified inbox includes a built-in AI writing assistant for guest replies, and Lodgify AI Co-Host, currently in early access, is designed to proactively watch your bookings, tasks and revenue and prepare actions for your approval.
Hostaway
Hostaway is genuinely AI-forward: it markets AI-powered automated replies alongside its dynamic pricing and reporting tools, all built for teams managing multiple properties and staff. These capabilities are real, but they come at Hostaway's typical price point and require the quote-based subscription plus any relevant add-ons.
Setting your rental rates
Lodgify
Lodgify's rate system supports a wide range of currencies and pricing structures, including per night, per week, per month, per weekday, per person and seasonal pricing.
Hostaway
Hostaway supports multi-currency pricing through channel-based rate rules, so hosts can display converted rates per platform. Confirm current currency-handling behavior for your specific channels directly with Hostaway, since this varies by integration.
Vacation rental courses
Lodgify
Lodgify offers free courses through the Lodgify Academy covering direct bookings, marketing, photography and more.
Hostaway
Hostaway offers educational webinars but not a structured course library.
Can I try it before I buy?
Lodgify
Try Lodgify free for 7 days, extendable on request, with no credit card required. You can also book a personalized demo with a product expert.
Hostaway
There's no free trial for Hostaway. You'll need to book a demo call, and setup itself can take several hours to weeks depending on portfolio complexity.
How are Lodgify and Hostaway rated?
- Trustpilot:
- Capterra:
Both platforms are well reviewed. Hostaway's reviews consistently praise its onboarding specialists and support team; Lodgify's praise a similar mix of onboarding quality plus ease of use and pricing transparency.
Lodgify vs. Hostaway: which should I choose?
Both platforms offer strong feature sets, but they're built for different stages of a vacation rental business. Lodgify stands out with a self-serve, transparently priced platform and an easy-to-use website builder focused on direct bookings, at any portfolio size from 1 property up. Hostaway's channel management and automation run deep, but it's built for property managers with 5 or more units who are ready for quote-based pricing, an onboarding fee and a longer setup process.
If transparent, upfront pricing and a free trial matter to you, Lodgify is the more straightforward choice. If you're already running a larger, more complex portfolio and have the budget for a custom quote, Hostaway is worth evaluating too.
We recommend trying a free trial, requesting a demo and reading current reviews before deciding, and weighing value for money, support quality and how each platform scales with your business.