Is Hostaway cheaper than Hostfully for a small portfolio?

It depends on listing count. Hostfully's Growth plan is $15/property/mo for 1–50 listings. At Hostaway's reported ~$40/listing/mo, a 4-listing operator would pay roughly $160/mo before setup fees — so Hostfully is typically less expensive for very small portfolios.

Does Hostfully match Hostaway's channel distribution reach?

Hostfully offers multi-channel distribution including major OTAs, but Hostaway connects to 8 direct channels and is the only PMS with preferred partner status on Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com, giving it an edge for operators prioritizing maximum channel breadth.

Can Hostfully handle a portfolio over 100 listings as well as Hostaway?

Hostfully's Enterprise tier is built for 200+ listings with custom terms. Hostaway also offers an enterprise plan for 50+ units. Both platforms serve large portfolios, but Hostaway's per-listing model and 300+ integrations may appeal more to operators who need deep third-party tooling at scale.

Comparison

Hostfully vs Hostaway

Pricing, pros and cons, and buyer-fit side-by-side. Pick the one that matches your operation — or see why neither should.

Property Management Software

Hostfully

Vacation rental property management software with strong channel distribution and owner-facing tools

Best Overall

A strong all-around STR PMS for managers graduating into multi-channel operations

From $15/listing • No free trial

Full review →Is it worth it?

Property Management Software

Hostaway

All-in-one vacation rental software for professional hosts

Best for Scale

The automation layer for operators scaling past 10 listings

Contact sales • No free trial

Full review →Is it worth it?

Visit Hostfully →Visit Hostaway →

✓Editorial verdict

Which Should You Pick: Hostfully or Hostaway?

Pick Hostfully if you want transparent tiered pricing starting at $15/property/mo, built-in digital guidebooks, and an owner portal designed for small-to-mid portfolios of 5–200 listings. Pick Hostaway if you run 10–100+ listings, need triple-preferred-partner channel reach across Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com, and prefer a per-listing pricing model with 300+ integrations.

Editorial perspective from the Hostfully side; factual claims about Hostaway are drawn from its review.

Pricing Side-by-Side

Hostfully

Full pricing →

From $15/listing • No free trial

Growth

$15/property/mo

1-50 listings

Full-scale property management solution
Channel manager and direct booking site
Unified inbox with templates and triggers
Mobile app
Owner portal and owner financial reports
Platform fee applies (amount unconfirmed)

Try Hostfully

Pro

$25/property/mo

1-199 listings

Everything in Growth
Dedicated Customer Success Manager
Additional onboarding support
Annual business review
Better fit for growing multi-property teams
Platform fee applies (amount unconfirmed)

Try Hostfully

Enterprise

Custom quote

Custom

Everything in Pro
Tailored onboarding
Priority customer support
Additional 1:1 customer success meetings

Try Hostfully

Hostaway

Full pricing →

Contact sales • No free trial

Standard (quote)

Quote only — ~$40/listing/mo reported

10+ listings typical

Booking fee: Percentage on direct bookings (rate depends on negotiated quote)

Channel manager for 26+ OTAs
Unified guest inbox
Automation engine
Direct booking site
Owner portal
Open API + marketplace access

Try Hostaway

Enterprise (quote)

Custom

50+ listings, management companies

Booking fee: Negotiated

Everything in Standard
Dedicated account manager
Priority support
Custom integrations

Try Hostaway

What each tool does well — and where it falls short

What Hostfully does well

Broad STR-specific feature set without forcing separate channel manager and owner portal tools
Strong multi-channel distribution and direct API connectivity across major OTAs
Good fit for growing vacation rental managers that need owner-facing workflows

What Hostaway does well

Best-in-class multi-channel reliability — eliminates double bookings
Real-time API sync across Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and dozens more. Operators consistently report it as the most reliable sync in the market, which directly prevents costly double-booking incidents.
Preferred-partner status with Airbnb, Vrbo, AND Booking.com — the 'triple crown'
Hostaway is the only property management platform with preferred/premier partner status across all three major OTAs. Priority API access and faster feature rollouts mean fewer sync errors and access to channel-exclusive tools before competitors.
Owner portal with professional reporting — real value for co-host and management companies
Owners get their own login to view revenue, occupancy, and payout statements in real time, with customizable visibility controls. For co-hosting businesses, this transparency tool is a genuine client-retention feature.

Where Hostfully falls short

Higher starting cost than lightweight PMS options for solo hosts
Enterprise-grade breadth can be more software than a 1-3 listing host needs
Some advanced pricing and implementation details still require a sales conversation

Where Hostaway falls short

1.8% booking engine fee on all direct bookings, introduced November 2024
Hostaway added a 1.8% guest service fee to every reservation through operators' own direct-booking websites. This undercuts one of the main advantages of direct bookings (avoiding OTA commissions) and was rolled out via a terms update that many users missed.
Steep learning curve and significant setup investment — not plug-and-play
Setup requires mapping channels, configuring automation rules, setting up owner statements, and training staff. Reviewers consistently note it takes weeks to become fully operational — a real barrier for small operators or teams without technical staff.
Opaque pricing and contract lock-in reported by users — cancellation is difficult
Hostaway requires a sales call to see numbers. Multiple HotelMinder reviews describe being signed into annual contracts they thought were monthly, and difficulty canceling mid-term. Read the contract carefully.

Which Should You Pick

Pick Hostfully if

Small-to-mid-sized vacation rental managers running 5-200 listings across multiple channels who need a full STR operating system with channel distribution, owner-facing tools, and guest messaging in one platform.

Skip Hostfully if

You're a hobbyist with one or two listings who only needs basic messaging automation or simple calendar sync — Hostfully is more software than you need at that scale.

Pick Hostaway if

Multi-property managers running 10-100+ listings across Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com who need reliable multi-channel sync, team task management, and owner reporting in one platform.

Skip Hostaway if

You have fewer than 5 listings, you're budget-sensitive, or you rely heavily on direct booking revenue and can't absorb a 1.8% booking engine fee on every guest transaction.

Where Hostfully and Hostaway actually differ

Hostfully publishes tiered pricing (Growth $15/property/mo, Pro $25/property/mo, Enterprise custom), while Hostaway uses quote-only pricing reported at roughly $40 per listing per month plus setup fees.
Hostaway holds preferred partner status on Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com simultaneously — Hostfully does not advertise the same triple-preferred designation.
Hostfully includes digital guidebooks natively as part of its ecosystem, a feature Hostaway does not bundle in-platform.
Hostaway lists 300+ integrations with an open API and Zapier support; Hostfully emphasizes a tighter partner integration set alongside its own unified inbox with InboxAI.
Hostfully targets operators from as few as 1–50 listings (Growth plan) up through 200+, whereas Hostaway's sweet spot starts at 10 listings and scales to 100+.

Common objections

Is Hostaway cheaper than Hostfully for a small portfolio?: It depends on listing count. Hostfully's Growth plan is $15/property/mo for 1–50 listings. At Hostaway's reported ~$40/listing/mo, a 4-listing operator would pay roughly $160/mo before setup fees — so Hostfully is typically less expensive for very small portfolios.
Does Hostfully match Hostaway's channel distribution reach?: Hostfully offers multi-channel distribution including major OTAs, but Hostaway connects to 8 direct channels and is the only PMS with preferred partner status on Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com, giving it an edge for operators prioritizing maximum channel breadth.
Can Hostfully handle a portfolio over 100 listings as well as Hostaway?: Hostfully's Enterprise tier is built for 200+ listings with custom terms. Hostaway also offers an enterprise plan for 50+ units. Both platforms serve large portfolios, but Hostaway's per-listing model and 300+ integrations may appeal more to operators who need deep third-party tooling at scale.

Keep Digging

Hostfully

A strong all-around STR PMS for managers graduating into multi-channel operations

Full Hostfully review →Is it worth it?

Hostaway

The automation layer for operators scaling past 10 listings

Full Hostaway review →Is it worth it?