Hostaway
Hostaway is an all-in-one vacation rental management software that helps property managers scale their business by automating operations, managing channel distributions, and centralizing guest communications into a single dashboard.
Smoobu
Smoobu is an all-in-one vacation rental management software that helps you synchronize booking portals, manage guest communications, and increase your direct bookings through a centralized digital cockpit.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Hostaway | Smoobu |
|---|---|---|
| Website | hostaway.com | smoobu.com |
| Pricing Model | Custom | Freemium |
| Starting Price | Custom Pricing | Free |
| FREE Trial | ✘ No free trial | ✓ 14 days free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✓ Has free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2015 | 2014 |
| Headquarters | Helsinki, Finland | Berlin, Germany |
Overview
Hostaway
Hostaway is a comprehensive platform designed to help you manage and scale your vacation rental business with ease. Whether you handle a handful of properties or manage thousands, you can centralize your entire operation by connecting with major booking channels like Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com. You can eliminate double bookings and manual updates by using the industry-leading channel manager that syncs availability and rates in real-time.
The software solves the complexity of multi-channel hosting by providing a unified inbox for all guest messages and automated tools for tasks like cleaning coordination and payment processing. You can build your own direct booking website to reduce commission fees and use the open API to connect with hundreds of industry tools. It is built specifically for property managers who need a reliable, scalable solution to grow their portfolio without increasing their administrative workload.
Smoobu
Smoobu is a centralized management platform designed to simplify your life as a vacation rental host or property manager. Instead of logging into multiple platforms, you can manage your listings on Airbnb, Booking.com, and VRBO from a single interface. The software automatically synchronizes your calendars in real-time to prevent double bookings and centralizes all guest messages into one unified inbox.
You can also build your own professional booking website to accept direct reservations without paying commission fees to third-party portals. The platform is built for efficiency, allowing you to automate check-in instructions and review requests. Whether you manage a single apartment or a large portfolio of holiday homes, Smoobu provides the tools to professionalize your hosting business while saving hours of manual administrative work every week.
Overview
Hostaway Features
- Channel Manager Sync your calendars, rates, and listings across Airbnb, VRBO, and Expedia instantly to prevent overbookings.
- Unified Inbox Read and respond to every guest message from every channel in one single, organized conversation thread.
- Direct Booking Engine Create your own professional website to accept direct reservations and save money on third-party channel commissions.
- Automated Messaging Schedule check-in instructions and review reminders to be sent automatically based on specific guest triggers.
- Task Management Coordinate your cleaning and maintenance teams by automatically assigning tasks and tracking their completion status.
- Payment Processing Collect payments, security deposits, and guest identities securely through integrated gateways like Stripe and PayPal.
- Multi-Unit Support Manage complex property types like boutique hotels or multi-unit buildings with specialized inventory management tools.
- Owner Portal Give your property owners transparent access to performance reports, monthly statements, and upcoming booking data.
Smoobu Features
- Channel Manager. Sync your availability and prices across all major booking portals in real-time to eliminate the risk of double bookings.
- Booking Website Builder. Create your own professional, mobile-optimized website to accept direct bookings and process payments without paying portal commissions.
- Centralized Inbox. Read and reply to all your guest messages from Airbnb, Booking.com, and other platforms in one unified communication thread.
- Automated Messaging. Schedule personalized templates for booking confirmations, check-in details, and thank-you notes to stay connected with guests automatically.
- Digital Guest Guide. Provide your guests with a paperless guidebook containing house rules, local recommendations, and WiFi codes accessible on their smartphones.
- Mobile Management App. Manage your properties on the go with a dedicated app that lets you update calendars and message guests from anywhere.
Pricing Comparison
Hostaway Pricing
Smoobu Pricing
- Reservation system
- Manual calendar management
- Basic website builder
- Standard guest communication
- Mobile app access
- Everything in Basic, plus:
- Real-time Channel Manager
- Unified guest inbox
- Automated messaging templates
- Direct booking engine
- Digital guest guidebooks
Pros & Cons
Hostaway
Pros
- Extremely reliable sync with major booking channels
- Highly responsive and knowledgeable customer support team
- User-friendly interface that is easy to navigate
- Extensive list of third-party software integrations
- Robust mobile app for managing tasks remotely
Cons
- Initial setup and onboarding takes significant time
- Custom pricing makes it hard to compare costs
- Advanced reporting features have a learning curve
Smoobu
Pros
- Extremely easy setup process for non-technical users
- Reliable real-time synchronization across all booking channels
- Excellent customer support available in multiple languages
- Clean and intuitive interface on the mobile app
Cons
- Website builder templates have limited design flexibility
- Advanced reporting features could be more detailed
- Additional costs apply for some third-party integrations