Becoming a short term rental property manager offers the opportunity to make money from real estate without owning a property and without even holding a license. However, to succeed in this highly dynamic and competitive industry, you need access to the best tools and platforms that will help you automate tasks, increase revenue, and grow your business.
The best Airbnb software for property managers with different needs include:
- Hostaway: Best Overall Software for Airbnb Managers
- Guesty: Best for Integrations
- Hostfully: Best for Guidebooks
- Hospitable: Best for Direct Bookings
- OwnerRez: Best for Customization
- Smoobu: Best Free Option
How We Selected the Best Airbnb Software for Property Managers
When ranking the top tech-based solutions for Airbnb managers, we followed this criteria:
- Features: First and foremost, we looked for tools that allow managers to streamline all processes, from listing and pricing, to guest communication and task management. We also looked for customization options to choose the tools that make the most sense for each individual business.
- Third-party integrations: We focused on software platforms that integrate seamlessly with various types of tools used in the vacation rental industry and that allow managers to list on multiple websites.
- Ease of use: We prioritized software that stands out with its user-friendly interface that does not have a steep learning curve and overly complicated onboarding.
- Pricing: We went for Airbnb management software with competitive pricing that is worth the features and integrations that managers get access to.
- Scalability: We searched for tools that have the capacity to grow with users’ property portfolios so that managers don’t need to switch once they onboard more rentals.
- Customer support: We included products that have strong help centers and that offer support to customers via chat, phone, and email.
- Online reviews: We checked out customer reviews on reliable third-party websites to confirm the quality of each ranked tool and customer satisfaction with it.
- Value for money: Finally, we selected the 6 Airbnb management software solutions for professional managers that offer the best value for money to their users.
1. Hostaway: Best Overall Software for Airbnb Managers
Hostaway is an all-in-one vacation rental software that helps grow a property management business by streamlining and automating all operations. What makes Hostaway stand out from competitors is that it is designed with the needs of property managers in mind, and not Airbnb hosts.
The platform focuses on the scalability of features that can accommodate the requirements of managers with different portfolio sizes and the flexible pricing model that reflects the size of the business.
Hostaway Features and Integrations
Hostaway offers a wide range of features and products that help short term rental managers improve their business. These include:
- Property management system (PMS)
- Reservations manager
- Performance dashboard
- CRM and lead management
- Channel manager
- Multi-calendar
- Multi-unit support
- Cross-listings
- Automated messages
- Automated reviews
- Automated tasks
- Automated payments
- Unified inbox
- Owner portal
- Guest portal
- Booking website builder
- Coupon management
- Payment processing
- Contract signature
- Guest invoicing
- Task management
- Smart lock management
- Notifications
- Mobile app
- Open API
- Revenue management
- Analytics and reporting
- Occupancy reports
- Owner statements
- Financial reporting
- Expense tracking
- Dynamic pricing
- Hostaway Capital as short term rental financing available for renovating properties and growing teams
Moreover, Hostaway integrates with 100+ third-party apps from various categories such as accounting, amenities, automation, blockchain technology, cleaning, contracts, guest management, payments, photography, review management, and smart locks.
Importantly, with Hostaway, property managers can list their vacation rentals on both major booking channels (Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Expedia, and TripAdvisor) and smaller, more niche websites (VacayMyWay, HouseStay, FloridaRentals.com, and HolidayKeepers, to name a few.
Furthermore, managers can connect their existing website or build a brand new one for direct bookings which do not need to pay Airbnb fees. In this way, listings can get exposed to different types of guests to maximize bookings and solidify Airbnb occupancy rate.
Hostaway Pricing
Hostaway offers customizable pricing that scales along with your business. However, the company website does not provide specific information on the expected cost, the available packages, and the possible range. In general, the price is expected to depend on the included features, the number of properties, and potentially the number of team members.
To evaluate if Hostaway is the top solution for their portfolio and to get a custom quote, Airbnb managers need to schedule a demo with the Hostaway team.
There is no free trial as onboarding and setting up an account requires 2-8 hours. There are paid trials that are recommended to managers with 200+ rentals.
Hostaway Reviews
Online Hostaway reviews are available on:
- Capterra: 4.8/5 stars from 990 reviews
- GetApp: 4.8/5 stars based on 990 reviews
- Software Advice: 4.8/5 stars from 982 reviews
- Trustpilot: 4.8/5 stars from 442 reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 stars from 175 reviews
- HotelTechReport: 4.8/5 stars based on 29 reviews
Hostaway has a very strong online presence with thousands of reviews that lead to excellent average ratings. This is one of the reasons that make this the best Airbnb management software for professionals.
Positive Hostaway reviews focus on the easy-to-use platform, the support received during onboarding, the integration with numerous booking channels, the automated communication options, the comprehensive calendar layout, the easy management processes, the complete help guides, and the great, qualified customer support.
Negative reviews of Hostaway mention the implement team incompetence, the difficult-to-navigate interface, suboptimal automations, major problems that make the system non-functional, challenging integrations with Airbnb and Booking.com, difficulties in canceling subscriptions, and lack of proper customer services.
Get Started with Hostaway
Getting started with Hostaway is easy. Start by signing up and scheduling an introductory call. If you’ve never used property management software before the team will help you get set up. If you are migrating over from another solution it’s also very easy to switch.
2. Guesty: Best for Integrations
Guesty is a popular Airbnb property management software that small and large hospitality providers use to optimize operations and maximize revenue. With the available features, Guesty covers all requirements of the best solution for vacation rental operators to manage, streamline, and automate their business from a single platform. A major benefit of this solution compared to alternatives is the large number of integrations with third-party apps.
Guesty Features and Integrations
As expected from one of the best Airbnb software for property managers, Guesty offers a wide range of features that help with various aspects of the business.
The main Guesty features cover:
- Channel manager
- Multi-calendar
- Unified inbox
- Multi-unit management
- Direct reservations
- Manual reservations
- CRM
- Revenue management
- Payment solutions
- Task management
- Automation tools
- Owners portal
- Accounting
- Reporting and analytics
- Guest communication services
- Damage protection
- Guesty Capital offering funding crafted for short term rental businesses that covers property renovations and upgrades, team growth, brand building, and portfolio expansion
- Guesty Locks Manager
- Guesty PriceOptimizer for dynamic pricing
- Guesty Websites
- Guesty Pay for secure payments on the Guesty platform
- Mobile app
- Open API
Two services offered by Guesty as add-ons that are worth mentioning are the guest communication services and the damage protection.
With the guest communication services, Airbnb managers can have the Guesty team handle guest communication outside business hours for prompt responses to guests’ most pressing inquiries.
With the damage protection, property managers can manage damage claims without the involvement of guests for full property protection with zero guest friction, which helps grow repeat customers.
What makes Guesty truly competitive in the short term rental management software field is the number of integrations with third-party apps that they offer. There are 100+ integrations that fall in categories like channel managers, financials and accounting, guest management, home automation and security, marketing, operations, payment processing, and others.
Guesty integrates with dozens of major online travel agencies (OTA) (such as Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, TripAdvisor, Expedia, Google, Agoda, etc.) and minor channels (like GlampingHub, Plum Guide, HomeToGo, Hopper, Misterb&b, etc.).
Guesty Pricing
Guesty has a subscription-based pricing model with two plans appropriate for managers:
- Pro which is designed for 4-199 properties and provides access to advanced features. Pricing is custom.
- Enterprise which is perfect for 200+ properties and gives access to premium features. Pricing is custom.
Each plan comes with multiple available add-ons so that vacation rental managers can customize it to their exact needs.
There is a 14-day free trial of the Guesty Lite plan (1-3 properties), so you can get a feel of what the platform is like, how easy or not it is to use, and whether it’s the right fit for your business before choosing a more advanced package suitable for professional managers.
Guesty Reviews
Online Guesty reviews are available on:
- Trustpilot: 4.5/5 stars from 536 reviews
- Capterra: 4.4/5 stars based on 276 reviews
- GetApp: 4.4/5 stars from 276 reviews
- Software Advice: 4.4/5 stars from 276 reviews
- G2: 4.5/5 stars from 42 reviews
Guesty has established for itself a positive online reputation based on 1,000+ reviews with good average ratings.
What property managers appreciate the most about this Airbnb management software is the user-friendly interface, the strong automation capabilities, the useful pricing feature, the potent real-time information, the frequent feature updates, the reliable integrations with third-party tools, and the available customer support.
The most common complaints include unrealistic promises before onboarding, only basic functions, poorly working integrations with booking channels, tech problems, not meeting contract terms, and useless customer support.
Get Started with Guesty
Getting started with Guesty is easy. Sign up and schedule an introductory call. If property management software is new to you, then the team at Guesty is ready to help. If you are migrating over from another solution, it’s also very easy to switch over.
3. Hostfully: Best for Guidebooks
Hostfully is one of the best Airbnb management software for professional property managers that allows them to make more money by reaching more guests, reducing costs, and running a more efficient business. Where Hostfully truly differentiates itself from competitors is the advanced Digital Guidebooks solution.
Hostfully Features and Integrations
The list of features provided by Hostfully is rather standard for the industry, including:
- Channel manager
- Booking pipeline
- Direct booking
- Branded experience
- Customer data management
- Central calendar
- Guidebook integration
- Unified inbox
- Pre-arrival form
- Digital rental agreements
- Payment processing
- Property data management
- Task management
- Automation
- User permissions to assign different access levels to different team members
- Owner portal
- Owner financial reports
- Reporting and analytics
- Mobile app
- Open API
Interestingly, Hostfully Guidebooks helps Airbnb managers create customizable guest guidebooks in the form of mini, mobile-first websites that require no downloading for easy access to information related to the property, the area, local attractions, check-in, the wifi, how-to guides, and anything else.
Personalized guidebooks are a proven way to take your hospitality services to the next level for 5-star reviews. Moreover, property managers can earn additional revenue from referrals they make to local businesses.
Hostfully integrates with 60+ partners across accounting, amenities, communications, data tools, distribution channels, guest screening, insurance, luggage storage, marketing automation, smart home, turnover management, and others.
The Hostfully platform allows property managers to list and sync their properties on both larger and smaller booking channels, including but not limited to Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Google, Homes & Villas by Marriott International, RedAwning, Travelstation, Whimstay, Homads, GoLightly, Lodge Lovers, OwnerDirect, and Yupe.
Hostfully Pricing
Hostfully plans are available with monthly and annual subscriptions, with the latter benefiting from a 10% discount. In addition, unlike most other vacation rental management software for property managers, Hostfully charges a one-time implementation fee. Plus, additional charges apply for Stripe and PayPal processing.
The following Hostfully plans are a good fit for Airbnb managers with different portfolios:
- Pro with pricing starting at $215/month when billed monthly for up to 11 properties
- Pro Plus with pricing starting at $269/month when billed monthly for up to 19 properties
- Premium with pricing starting at $335/month when billed monthly for 25 properties. The price for 100 listings is $1,350, and it is $2,750 for 200 listings.
Hostfully pricing is relatively affordable for managers with larger portfolios.
There is no free trial of the product, just a free one-on-one personalized demo.
Hostfully Reviews
Online Hostfully reviews are available on:
- Capterra: 4.2/5 stars from 214 reviews
- GetApp: 4.2/5 stars from 214 reviews
- Software Advice: 4.2/5 stars from 214 stars
- Trustpilot: 4.5/5 stars from 109 reviews
- G2: 4.3/5 stars from 29 reviews
Hostfully has a good online presence with 700+ reviews by customers who are generally satisfied with the capabilities and the quality of the product.
Positive reviews of Hostfully focus on the one-in-all PMS, the intuitive platform, the easy-to-use mobile app, the efficient editing of property listings, the great selection of integrations, the continuously newly added features, the facilitated onboarding, the willingness to take feedback and work on it, and the helpful customer support team.
Negative reviews of the Hostfully short term rental management app emphasize technical bugs, troubles with booking channel connections, issues with reservations, problems with guest communication, incomplete and outdated help documentation, a difficult onboarding process, inaccurate reporting, and lack of proper customer services.
Get Started with Hostfully
Getting started with Hostfully is easy. Sign up and schedule an introductory call. If property management software is new to you, then the team at Hostfully is ready to help. If you are migrating over from another solution, it’s also very easy to switch over.
4. Hospitable: Best for Direct Bookings
Hospitable is a vacation rental software that helps property managers save time by automating 90% of guest messages, syncing across all platforms, and streamlining cleaning team reminders, among other tasks. One feature that stands out is the direct booking websites.
Hospitable Features and Integrations
Hospitable features are comparable to the tools offered by other similar platforms. They include:
- Channel manager
- Pricing sync
- Double-booking protection
- Unified inbox
- Guest communication
- Direct booking websites
- Manual reservations
- Task management
- Team collaboration to assign roles, give access, and send tasks to different team members
- Review management
- Smart locks integration
- Reporting and analytics
With Hospitable, Airbnb property managers can easily build their own listing websites to showcase the properties that they manage in the way that they want. Hospitable offers professional, customizable templates that require no technical skills to be implemented. Moreover, managers can use the booking widget to integrate their already existing websites into the system.
Hospitable integrates with apps within accounting, amenities, booking channels, data tools, dynamic pricing, guest verification, guidebooks, home automation, marketing, professional services, and others.
It’s worth noting that Hospitable works only with Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and Google as OTAs. However, the sophisticated direct booking websites feature helps property managers compensate for this limited number of channels with direct bookings, on which they don’t have to pay Airbnb fees.
Hospitable Pricing
Currently, Hospitable has the Professional plan that is suitable for property managers and is developing a Mogul plan that will feature even more options. The price of the Professional plan starts at $59/month for 2 properties and gives access to most features needed for the smooth management of a portfolio of vacation rentals. The price reaches $1,514/month for 99 properties.
Hospitable offers a 14-day free trial for all plans.
Hospitable Reviews
Online Hospitable reviews are available on:
- Trustpilot: 4.2/5 stars from 486 reviews
- G2: 4.9/5 stars from 202 reviews
- Capterra: 4.8/5 stars from 126 reviews
- GetApp: 4.8/5 stars from 126 reviews
- Software Advice: 4.8/5 stars from 126 reviews
- App Store: 3.2/5 stars from 46 reviews
- Real Reviews: 4.3/5 stars from 3 reviews
Hospitable has gained a solid online reputation over the years, with 1,000+ customer reviews that result in good average ratings.
The most important benefits of Hospitable highlighted by users include the intuitive interface, the impressive features, the solutions to real-life problems, the strong channel manager, the powerful communication automation, the competitive pricing, and the professional customer support.
A few drawbacks revealed in Hospitable reviews comprise a suboptimal calendar overview, poor calendar sync, problems with the review management functionality, technical glitches, a steep learning curve, sudden increases in prices, and bad customer support.
Get Started with Hospitable
Getting started with Hospitable is simple. Sign up and schedule a call with their service team. If you don’t have much experience with property management software, don’t worry; Hospitable will set you up. If you are coming over from another software, they can switch you over..
5. OwnerRez: Best for Customization
OwnerRez aims to provide an elite vacation rental channel manager, PMS, and website provider. This Airbnb software for property managers stands out with the multiple add-ons that it offers for a customizable arsenal of tools.
OwnerRez Features and Integrations
The features provided by the OwnerRez platform include:
- Channel manager
- Dynamic pricing
- Messaging
- Website builder
- Direct credit card processing
- Manual payments
- CRM
- Digital signatures
- Security deposits
- Accounting
- Taxes management
- Review management
- Owner portal access
- Statements and payouts
- Expenses management
- Reporting
Many of these features are offered as add-ons so that property managers can customize their plans to only use and pay for what they need for their business.
Similar to other Airbnb management software solutions for managers, OwnerRez integrates with multiple third-party tools including categories like accounting, business intelligence, dynamic pricing, door locks, guest communication, housekeeping services, insurance, websites, and others.
With OwnerRez, Airbnb managers can list properties under their management on various short term rental websites such as Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, TripAdvisor, Google, HomeToGo, GuestSmiles, Houfy, Nofie, Whimstay, FloridaRentals.com, and others.
OwnerRez Pricing
OwnerRez offers a single subscription plan, the pricing of which depends on the number of properties. The plan includes the channel manager and digital signatures, and users can decide what other features to add based on their needs and preferences.
Popular add-ons include property management, hosted sites, integrated sites, SMS messaging, and QuickBooks integration.
The pricing starts at $40/month for 1 property, goes up to $573/month for 100 properties, and reaches $1,472/month for 500 properties. While this looks like a very affordable price, you should keep in mind that the basic plan gives access to only the most needed features, while other tools have to be added and paid for separately.
OwnerRez offers a 14-day free trial so that property managers can be sure that this is the right software for their business before committing to a paid plan.
OwnerRez Reviews
Online OwnerRez reviews are available on:
- Capterra: 4.9/5 stars from 183 reviews
- GetApp: 4.9/5 stars from 183 reviews
- Software Advice: 4.9/5 stars from 183 reviews
- G2: 5.0/5 stars from 23 reviews
- Real Reviews: 3.7/5 stars based on 3 reviews
- Trustpilot: 2.8/5 stars based on 3 reviews
OwnerRez has 500+ online reviews by customers that lead to excellent overall ratings.
Happy OwnerRez customers focus on the robust system, the numerous features, the more options than those offered by competitors, the easy customizations, the high level of dependability, the time savings, the competitive pricing, and the quick and helpful customer support.
Unhappy customers complain about challenging onboarding, lack of proper training, multiple technical issues leading to loss of revenue, and unavailable support.
Get Started with OwnerRez
Getting started with OwnerRez is easy. Start by signing up and scheduling an introductory call. If you’ve never used property management software before, then the team will help you get set up. If you are switching over from another software solution, don’t stress, it’s easy to migrate..
6. Smoobu: Best Free Option
Smoobu offers an all-in-one software for the management of short term and vacation rentals the features of which make it a good choice for professional property managers. This is the only Airbnb management software that offers a completely free version, albeit with very limited features.
Smoobu Features and Integrations
Smoobu features aiming to streamline and automate the core tasks of Airbnb managers include:
- Channel manager
- Rates synchronization
- Reservation system
- Booking system
- Free website
- Availability calendar
- Guest communications
- Automated templates
- Online check-ins
- Guest guides
- Guest reviews
- Shared accounts
- Statistics and KPIs
- Mobile app
- Developer API
Smoobu integrations cover a range of categories including booking channels, dynamic pricing, check-in, cleaning services, local guides, luggage storage, payment gateways, smart Airbnb locks, and SMS.
Smoobu partners with 100+ booking channels covering both the largest names and niche listing websites. Examples include Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Expedia, Trip.com, Hotels.com, Travanto, Orbitz, Flipkey, BungalowNet, Holidaylettings, HolidayRentals.com, RentalHouses, and others.
Smoobu Pricing
Smoobu has two plans that could be used by property managers, with monthly, annual, and biannual subscription options:
- Professional with pricing starting at $28/month when billed annually for 1 property for access to the basic features. The price is $893/month for 100 properties.
- Team with pricing starting at $193/month when billed annually for 1 property for access to professional features. The price is $1,058/month for 100 properties.
The Smoobu Basic plan is entirely free and provides access to the reservation system, website (only subdomain), and basic statistics and requires self-setup. This plan could be a good fit for short term rental property managers who are just getting started and do not have huge budgets.
All plans come with a 14-day free trial.
Smoobu Reviews
Online Smoobu reviews are available on:
- Google Play: 3.0/5 stars based on 261 reviews
- Capterra: 4.8/5 stars from 181 reviews
- GetApp: 4.8/5 stars from 181 reviews
- Software Advice: 4.8/5 stars from 181 reviews
- Trustpilot: 3.2/5 stars from 163 reviews
- G2: 3.6/5 stars from 9 reviews
Smoobu has a strong online presence with close to 1,000 reviews from customers that show generally positive experiences.
Positive Smoobu reviews discuss the simple setup, the intuitive and clean dashboard, the strong performance, the great automation features, the ability to facilitate property management, the customization options, the website creation function, the affordable pricing, and the helpful customer service.
Negative reviews of Smoobu talk about the inability to access channel listings directly once added to the platform, extremely limited settings, regular disconnections in the pricing sync, charges after plan cancellations, and slow customer support.
Get Started with Smoobu
Getting started with Smoobu is very simple. Set up an introductory call on their website. Smoobu will help you set up if property management software is new to you. Switching over from another software solution is also very easy.
Bottom Line
Despite the many benefits, becoming a vacation rental manager can be a very challenging and demanding endeavor which requires the management of multiple properties, the handling of endless tasks, and the coordination of numerous team members.
The best Airbnb management software for property managers can help you streamline and automate processes to grow your business smoothly via channel management, guest communication, team coordination, and more.
