Lodgify vs Hostaway: Best Choice for Independent Hosts

Both Lodgify and Hostaway help manage bookings, messages, and payments, but they’re made for very different users. Hostaway is for big property managers running complex setups. Lodgify is for independent hosts who want an easy, affordable way to manage their rentals and grow.

Line graph comparing revenue growth before and after using Lodgify from January to July, showing Lodgify's revenue rising sharply to about 34% and Hostaway's revenue increasing gradually to around 16%.

Trusted by thousands of hosts

Hosts managing everything from one beach house to entire portfolios rely on Lodgify to keep operations running smoothly.

3,400+ reviews

1200+ reviews

3,400+ reviews

Person in colorful patterned clothing dancing in a cozy yellow kitchen with wooden floor and plants on the windowsill.

Main Lodgify advantages over Hostaway

Plan

Lodgify
Hostaway
Lodgify Ambassador
Free trial
Free onboarding
Transparent pricing
Usage simplicity
Easy cancellation
Guest mobile app

Benefits

Lodgify
Hostaway
Lodgify Ambassador
Lodgify
5 or fewer
20%
commisison
List of benefits
Hostaway
More than 5
25%
commisison
List of benefits
Lodgify Ambassador
More than 10
30%
commisison
List of benefits
Person in colorful patterned clothing dancing in a cozy yellow kitchen with wooden floor and plants on the windowsill.

Free trial

Lodgify offers a free 7-day trial that you can extend if needed.

Hostaway doesn’t provide a free trial, and access usually starts only after signing a contract.‍

Free onboarding

Lodgify includes personalized onboarding in every plan at no extra cost.

Hostaway charges onboarding fees and requires a longer setup process.

Transparent pricing

Lodgify publishes its full pricing breakdown upfront, so you know exactly what you’ll pay.

Hostaway doesn’t disclose its pricing publicly, and users often need to request quotes.

Usage simplicity

Lodgify keeps everything in one simple platform with smooth booking management on any device.

Hostaway’s interface and workflows are more complex and require more time to learn.

Easy cancelation

Lodgify lets you cancel anytime without a 30-day notice.

Hostaway requires longer commitments and has stricter cancelation conditions.

Guest mobile app

Lodgify offers a dedicated guest app that supports check-in and guidance.

Hostaway doesn’t provide a separate guest app for the stay experience.

Person in colorful patterned clothing dancing in a cozy yellow kitchen with wooden floor and plants on the windowsill.

Lodgify is a trusted partner of

Sunlight casting shadows on a wooden bookshelf with books and a beige couch armrest.

The Lodgify Impact

+143% increase in direct bookings

+40 hours  saved monthly

+60 min saved per reservation

+413% revenue growth

Lodgify and HOSTAWAY Compared

Man wearing glasses working on a laptop at a table with a vase of white flowers and a bowl of fruit near a large window.

What is the cost?

Lodgify keeps pricing transparent and affordable for independent hosts — starting at $16/month (annual). Hostaway doesn’t disclose its full pricing, but different sources estimate an average of $35/month per listing.

Man wearing glasses working on a laptop at a table with a vase of white flowers and a bowl of fruit near a large window.

Lodgify

Transparent pricing for every tier, starting at $16/month.

Hostaway

No public breakdown by plan or region.

Comparison chart showing a yellow logo with check marks for usage simplicity, free onboarding, and transparent pricing, versus an orange Hostaway logo with red X marks for the same categories.

How easy is it to start?

Lodgify provides real, hands-on expert help, not a chatbot or generic tutorial. You’ll get the same personalized setup that pros usually charge up to $700 for or reserve only for big accounts — included for free. Hostaway onboarding fee is €250 for monthly plans and €100 for annual plans.

Comparison chart showing a yellow logo with check marks for usage simplicity, free onboarding, and transparent pricing, versus an orange Hostaway logo with red X marks for the same categories.

Lodgify

Free 1:1 onboarding with an expert for every plan.

Hostaway

Lengthy onboarding process with setup fees

Every feature makes a diference

Lodgify keeps hosting simple with connected channels, a bookable website, a unified inbox, and free onboarding. Hostaway makes everyday workflows heavier and less flexible for independent hosts.

Website builder

Lodgify includes a professional website builder in every plan—no coding or extra tools required. Hostaway’s website builder is far more limited, offering fewer templates and no domain management.

Included in all plans

No-code builder

Ready-to-use templates

Optimized for SEO

Hostaway

Depends on plan and region

Extra fees

Limited customization

Interface showing website layout options named Brooklyn, Cappucino, Paris, and Tangerine with color palette choices, alongside a preview of a man working on a laptop in a warm wood-toned room.

Onboarding

Lodgify provides free, personalized onboarding for every customer. Setup is quick, guided by a product expert, and supported by in-app tutorials. Hostaway charges onboarding fees, and its setup can take weeks due to system complexity.

Fast setup

Available for all portfolio sizes

Free personalized onboarding

Hostaway

Onboarding fees

Longer setup time

Limited support

3D-rendered red and white chess pawns side by side on a black background.

Channel manager

Lodgify offers full two-way API sync with Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, and Expedia — keeping rates, calendars, and content aligned in real time. Hostaway’s connections are less flexible: listings can’t sync automatically, and changes often require manual updates.

Direct API connection

Included in all plans

Seamless connectivity

Hostaway

Manual sync

Only Airbnb import source

Less efficient multi-channel control

Calendar showing bookings on Thursday to Sunday with user names S. Brown, A. Krane, and T. Lehner, corresponding platform icons, prices, and cleaning service icons.

Unified inbox

Lodgify consolidates all guest messages from every channel into one clear view, making communication fast and organized. Hostaway’s system is built for larger teams and can feel overwhelming for independent hosts.

Simple interface

WhatsApp + SMS

Automatic messages with templates

Hostaway

Complex automation setup

Designed for property managers

Digital inbox showing messages from Myron Thompson about late arrival and Seth Schmitt inquiring about booking a beach house in May 2026.
Independent Hosts

Lodgify is trusted by hosts in 180+ countries

This was such an easy, painless experience.

Being a customer, using Hostaway, for a couple years, I thought my onboarding experience with Lodgify would be similar. I was wrong. This was such an easy, painless experience.

This is the default text value

I’ve been using Lodgify to manage several listings across Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking, and it has made my hosting life so much easier.

The channel manager keeps all calendars perfectly synchronized, and the website builder helped me quickly launch my own direct booking site.

This is the default text value

We recently completed our onboarding with Lodgify and the experience was smooth, ...

We recently completed our onboarding with Lodgify and the experience was smooth, supportive, and genuinely helpful. The team guided us step by step as we set up our direct booking website and connected our channels. Every question was answered clearly and quickly, and we felt well taken care of throughout the process. We’re excited to grow our vacation rental business with Lodgify and appreciate the solid start they’ve given us.

This is the default text value
About Lodgify

Leading the industry since 2012

Lodgify has been a market leader in the vacation rental industry for over 14 years, earning the trust of hundreds of thousands of independent hosts worldwide.

Person in colorful patterned clothing dancing in a cozy yellow kitchen with wooden floor and plants on the windowsill.