It’s hard to believe that there are still short-term rental hosts who are reliant on manual inputs and research. Hosts managing their Airbnbs the old-fashioned way are missing out on some serious ease and efficiency. The right short-term rental software can streamline your bookings, optimize pricing, and handle all the little details so that you don’t have to—saving you time, effort, and money overall.
Here are our picks for the best short term rental software to look at:
- SummerOS: Best Overall STR Software
- Wheelhouse: Best for Dynamic Pricing
- Guesty: Best for Property Management
- Hostaway: Best for Seamless Integrations
- Hospitable: Best for Communication
- Hostfully: Best for Multiple Channels
How We Selected the Best Short Term Rental Software
Picking the right software for your short-term rental business isn't just about fancy features—it's about finding the perfect fit for your needs. We dove deep into the options out there and looked at what really matters to hosts.
Here’s what we looked for in short term rental software:
- Value: Budget matters. We looked for options that offer great bang for your buck, giving you top-notch features without draining your wallet.
- Ease of Use: Nobody has time to deal with complicated software. We chose tools that are straightforward and easy to navigate.
- Features: We wanted robust features like booking management, guest communication, and smart pricing to cover all the bases.
- Integrations: It’s important that your software plays well with others, so we picked ones that easily sync with popular booking platforms and other essential tools.
- Customer Support: Great support is a lifesaver when things go wrong. We made sure these tools have a team that’s ready to help when you need it.
- Scalability: Whether you're managing one rental or a hundred, the software should be able to grow with your business.
If you’re looking for a comprehensive solution, we highly recommend SummerOS. Our overall best STR software has all the features you could possibly need. SummerOS centralizes your vacation rental data and operations into one powerful platform, helping short-term rental managers grow faster, manage smarter, and stay ahead with proactive management tools.
1. SummerOS: Best STR Software
Investing in and managing short-term rentals is exciting—but full of unknowns. What markets should you invest in? Will a property perform well? And once a property is live, how do you know if it’s performing great… or just okay compared to the competition? With SummerOS, you can go from "Let's see how this goes" to "Let's see how much I can grow."
SummerOS is the first asset management software for short-term rentals, giving STR operators the same data-driven revenue intelligence that hotel and institutional investors have relied on for decades, without enterprise-level costs. By integrating seamlessly with your PMS, pricing tools, and channel manager, SummerOS centralizes revenue forecasting, underwriting, market intelligence, and portfolio insights into one place. No more spreadsheets, manual analysis, or disconnected tools—just smarter decisions and greater revenue for your short-term rental business.
Pricing is easy and straightforward, starting at $15 per property, per month. Discounts are available for larger portfolios. Contact the SummerOS team to learn more!
Ready to take your short-term rental business to the next level? SummerOS gives you the power to go from reactive to proactive management, putting you in control of your portfolio’s growth and success. Learn more here!
2. Wheelhouse: Best for Dynamic Pricing
If you’re looking specifically for dynamic pricing capabilities, Wheelhouse is your go-to. Dynamic pricing uses advanced algorithms to automatically analyze market trends and adjust your prices accordingly, without you having to lift a finger. It’s the best way to optimize your pricing strategy, especially during peak seasons.
Wheelhouse offers different pricing plans—one based on 1% of your revenue (plus a $2.99 monthly fee), and one that charges a flat $19.99 per listing. You can learn more on Wheelhouse's website.
For the price, you get software with comprehensive data analytics that provide insights to help you make informed decisions about your pricing strategy. Don’t worry, the tool also makes suggestions based on your risk tolerance. Everything is placed in an easy-to-use dashboard so you can monitor and adjust your performance accordingly.
While Wheelhouse can be a bit overwhelming at first due to its data-heavy interface, hosts who want to optimize their pricing and boost revenue should really invest in this tool.
3. Guesty: Best for Property Management
Guesty is our recommendation for property management, particularly for hosts with multiple listings. This software is all about making your life easier by automating tasks like booking management, guest communication, and coordinating with your staff. Like Lodgify, it also has a comprehensive set of features that can enable hosts to do practically anything they need.
While those features are impressive, what really sets Guesty apart is its ability to sync with various booking platforms and provide a unified calendar. This makes it a must-have for hosts managing several properties.
Guesty offers 3 plans—the cheapest starting at $16 per month billed annually, with a custom pricing plan for larger portfolios. For more information, visit Guesty.
Guesty’s user-friendly interface and great property management features makes it one of our top picks for managing your properties with ease.
4. Hostaway: Best for Seamless Integrations
Hostaway is an all-in-one short-term and vacation rental management platform built for property managers looking to streamline their operations. It centralizes everything from reservations and guest communication to pricing and reporting, making day-to-day management more efficient.With direct integrations to major platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Google Vacation Rental and more, Hostaway ensures seamless channel management, reducing the risk of double bookings and keeping listings up to date. The platform also offers automation tools for messaging, payments and reviews, helping businesses save time while enhancing the guest experience.
Plus, Hostaway helps property managers boost revenue with our customizable direct booking websites. By reducing reliance on OTAs, our solution increases profit margins, fosters stronger guest relationships and gives businesses greater control over their bookings.
Designed for both small and large-scale operations, Hostaway provides the flexibility and insights needed to optimize performance and maximize revenue. With thousands of positive reviews across platforms like Capterra, G2 and Trustpilot, Hostaway is recognized for its ease of use, customer support and robust automation features. It’s more than just software — it’s your key to running a smarter, more profitable vacation rental business.
5. Hospitable: Best for Communication
Formerly called Smartbnb, Hospitable is our top choice for communication. It’s the ideal solution for hosts who want to maintain high engagement without a lot of manual effort. It automates messaging across multiple platforms with numerous templates and AI—with natural language capabilities—to help hosts get started.
Unfortunately, these features come with a hefty price: Hospitable starts at $29 per month, and only goes up for every additional listing. You can find out more about their pricing scheme on the Hospitable website.
While it’s top-notch at communication, the prices do hurt. Some hosts may also find the initial setup of the messaging feature tedious. However, it’s still an effective and excellent investment for hosts who prioritize efficient guest communication.
6. Hostfully: Best for Multiple Channels
Managing bookings across channels? Hostfully excels in this. Whether you’re posting on Airbnb, Vrbo, TripAdvisor, Booking.com, or all 4, it simplifies the complex task of juggling different calendars and guest communications. Never miss a message or double-book a property ever again!
What we like about Hostfully is its digital guidebooks which provide all necessary information in one place for the convenience of your guests.
Hostfully charges $119 per month for its cheapest option, with scalable options for larger portfolios. Guidebooks will cost extra. Hosts who want more details can visit Hostfully.
Hostfully prices are definitely on the higher side, and hosts with only a few properties may not find it worth it. But, for hosts managing multiple channels, Hostfully is a very valuable tool that can streamline your operations.
Bottom Line
There are many great short-term rental software options available, but SummerOS is a great place to start. SummerOS combines powerful revenue tools with ease of use, allowing you to manage every aspect of your vacation rental assets all in one place. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to scale, SummerOS is designed to help you succeed.
