Lodgify vs. Smoobu: Why Our Customers Choose Lodgify

Last updated: September 2026

The vacation rental market keeps growing, making the right property management software more important than ever. Lodgify and Smoobu are both built for independent hosts and small-scale operators, but they differ in how they price, support and structure that simplicity.

Here's how they compare.

Who is it for?

Lodgify

Lodgify is built for independent hosts and small-scale property managers who want to run their rental business without the complexity of enterprise software. Every plan and its price are public, so there's no sales call required to find out what it costs.

Smoobu

Smoobu also focuses on independent hosts and smaller agencies, primarily in the European market. It bills exclusively in euros, which is worth factoring in for U.S.-based hosts comparing costs, and its support hours are limited to European business hours rather than 24/7.

How much does it cost?

Lodgify

Lodgify offers 4 transparent plans, each with clear pricing and no surprises about what's included.

Basic is the lower-priced entry plan, starting at $14/month (billed annually), with a unified calendar and AI-powered unified inbox for hosts with 1 property. Starter, Professional and Ultimate scale up from there, starting at $26, $42 and $62/month respectively, adding the website builder, automated messaging and Google Vacation Rentals, and task management and priority support in turn.

Starter, Professional and Ultimate include commission-free direct bookings through your Lodgify website: you pay your Lodgify subscription instead of an additional booking commission, though payment processing fees may still apply. (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. It adjusts your nightly rates automatically based on demand, seasonality and market signals, so your calendar stays competitively priced without manually checking rates every day.

Smoobu

Smoobu's pricing is billed in euros and scales per property. Professional Flex starts at €29/month for 1 property plus a 0.9% booking fee on bookings from connected channels. Professional Prepaid, Smoobu's most popular plan, starts at €35/month for 1 property with no booking fee. Teams Pro+ starts at €55/month, adding 2 write-access team accounts, e-invoicing and 2 months of free dynamic pricing; additional write-access accounts cost €15/month each.

Each additional property adds roughly €9–12/month depending on the plan. There are no setup or onboarding fees on any Smoobu plan.

What are the main differences?

Onboarding

Lodgify

Starter, Professional and Ultimate include free, personalized 1:1 onboarding with a product expert, who helps set up your account, import your listings and connect your channels. Basic uses guided self-onboarding.

Smoobu

Smoobu doesn't charge setup or onboarding fees, and reviewers describe getting started as quick and largely self-guided, without a dedicated 1:1 onboarding session.

Guest messaging and AI

Lodgify

Lodgify's unified inbox brings every guest conversation, across all your booking channels and your own website, into one place, with saved replies, automated messages, a built-in AI writing assistant and WhatsApp messaging from the same dashboard.

Beyond the inbox, Lodgify AI Co-Host is in early access. It surfaces relevant insights and recommendations across your bookings, guests, tasks and revenue, so you stay in control and can act on what needs attention rather than digging for it.

Smoobu

Smoobu's messaging tool automates guest communication with scheduled and templated messages, and integrates directly with Airbnb's and Booking.com's own messaging APIs. It doesn't currently include a native AI writing assistant; Smoobu's own guidance recommends pairing it with an external tool like ChatGPT or Gemini to draft replies using your reservation data.

Website builder and booking widget

Lodgify

Lodgify's website builder is included on Starter, Professional and Ultimate, and lets hosts launch a bookable website under their own domain. It's fully customizable, with templates, widgets and unlimited pages, and every site takes direct bookings from day 1.

Hosts who already have a WordPress, Squarespace or Wix site can embed the Lodgify booking widget instead, turning an existing site into one that takes direct bookings.

Smoobu

A website builder and booking engine are included on every Smoobu plan, with a custom domain available. Customization options are more limited than Lodgify's, with fewer templates to choose from. Smoobu also offers a booking widget that can be embedded on any existing CMS.

Google Vacation Rentals

Lodgify

Lodgify includes Google Vacation Rentals integration on the Professional and Ultimate plans at no extra cost. Traffic from Google Vacation Rentals goes directly to your own website, not a Lodgify page.

Smoobu

This integration isn't currently available on Smoobu.

Property management

Lodgify

Lodgify's property management system lets hosts manage bookings and communicate with staff and guests across platforms from one dashboard. Ultimate, starting at $62/month billed annually, adds task assignment for cleaning and maintenance, plus analytics and reporting on finances, website traffic and other performance metrics.

Lodgify's marketplace also connects to third-party tools for dynamic pricing, insurance, turnover automation and more.

Smoobu

Smoobu also offers property management tools, including task coordination for cleaning teams. More advanced features are reserved for Teams Pro+, starting at €55/month for 1 property; each additional property adds roughly €9–12/month, which can add up for hosts running multiple listings.

Mobile app

Lodgify

Lodgify's mobile app is available on Android and iOS and lets hosts manage their business on the go. Ultimate-plan users can also download the Lodgify PM app to connect with cleaners, check-in agents and rental managers, and guests can use the Lodgify Guest app for guidebooks, Wi-Fi passwords and check-in details.

Lodgify's app is rated 4.6 stars on Google Play and 4.2 stars on the App Store.

Smoobu

Smoobu's mobile app offers similar core features and is available on Android and iOS. It's rated 4.7 stars on both the App Store and Google Play.

Customer support

Lodgify

Support scales with your plan: self-service on Basic, human email support on Starter, phone support on Professional, and priority support via live chat, email and phone on Ultimate. All trial users and subscribers can also reach the Contact team by phone across the U.S. and Canada, the U.K., Spain and Italy.

Smoobu

Smoobu's support is available Monday through Friday, 9:00–13:00 and 14:00–18:00 Central European Time, with limited (tickets-only) coverage on Saturdays and Berlin public holidays.

Preferred partner status

Lodgify

Lodgify is an Airbnb Preferred+ partner, a Vrbo Elite partner, and a Booking.com Premier Connectivity Partner.

Smoobu

Smoobu is a 2026 Airbnb Preferred Software Partner and a Booking.com Premier Connectivity Partner.

Vacation rental courses

Lodgify

Lodgify provides free courses through the Lodgify Academy covering direct bookings, marketing and listing photography.

Smoobu

This isn't offered.

Ratings

Here's how each platform is rated on Trustpilot:

• Lodgify: 4.7 stars | 4,358 reviews
• Smoobu: 3.6 stars | 495 reviews

Can I try it before I buy?

Lodgify

Lodgify offers a free 7-day trial, extendable on request, with no credit card required, plus a live, personalized demo with a product expert and an interactive demo online.

Smoobu

Smoobu offers a free 14-day trial and the ability to book calls through their contact page, with no demo account option.

Which vacation rental software should I use?

Both Lodgify and Smoobu are built for independent hosts and small-scale operators, but they differ in reach and depth.

Lodgify offers a more customizable website builder, Google Vacation Rentals integration, a broader partner network and support that includes phone access starting from Professional. Smoobu can work out cheaper for hosts who want to avoid a booking fee entirely on its Prepaid plan, and its 100+ channel reach may suit hosts who list beyond the major platforms.

If you're looking for an all-in-one platform with more customization, wider OTA reach and a built-in AI writing assistant, Lodgify is the stronger fit. Try Lodgify for free to see if it's right for you.