Rentals United reaches 90+ channels and Kigo only has 5 — isn't that a decisive distribution advantage?

For established managers with 50+ listings targeting niche OTAs and metasearch, yes — that long-tail breadth is Rentals United's headline feature and Kigo can't match it. But most STR operators get 90%+ of their OTA revenue from Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and Expedia, all of which Kigo covers natively. And Rentals United is a distribution layer that requires a separate PMS underneath — Kigo is a complete PMS in itself. Compare your actual channel mix against Kigo's 5 before assuming you need 90.

Rentals United has no free trial and quote-only pricing — isn't Kigo's published $59/mo base more transparent?

On the base fee, yes. Kigo offers a free trial with no credit card required and publishes its starting price. Rentals United's pricing page replaces every plan with 'Our prices are tailored to your business' and Capterra confirms no free trial. The catch: Kigo's effective monthly cost depends entirely on booking volume through its 1.25%/4% commission, including commission on cancelled bookings. Both have real opacity — Kigo's is variable cost on a published base, Rentals United's is a fixed-quote subscription you can't see until you ask.

I already run Guesty, Hostfully, Track, or Escapia — doesn't that make Rentals United the obvious choice over swapping to Kigo?

Yes. If you have a working PMS and just need broader channel distribution, ripping it out for Kigo's all-in-one model is the wrong move — Rentals United slots behind your existing stack and adds 90+ channels without replacing it. Kigo's pitch only makes sense if you're consolidating onto one platform or starting fresh. For established managers with stable PMS infrastructure, Rentals United is structurally the right category and Kigo is the wrong question.

Comparison

Kigo vs Rentals United

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

Kigo

All-in-one vacation rental PMS with channel management, now a Guesty company

Solid Option

Comprehensive channel management hampered by per-booking commissions and reliability issues

From $59/mo • Free trial

Full review →Is it worth it?

Property Management Software

Rentals United

Channel manager with 90+ OTA distribution for professional property managers

Best for Enterprise

Deepest OTA channel catalog for managers who already run a PMS

Contact sales • No free trial

Full review →Is it worth it?

Visit Kigo →Visit Rentals United →

✓Editorial verdict

Which Should You Pick: Kigo or Rentals United?

Pick Kigo if you want an all-in-one vacation rental PMS with a published $59/mo flat base, 5 direct OTA channels (Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Expedia, TripAdvisor), and bundled operations tooling — eSignature, contactless guest portal, automated task scheduling, and a website creator. Pick Rentals United if you manage 50+ listings, already run a PMS like Guesty, Hostfully, Track, Escapia, or MEWS, and need a distribution layer reaching 90+ channels including niche OTAs and metasearch beyond the big four.

Editorial perspective from the Kigo side; factual claims about Rentals United are drawn from its review.

Pricing Side-by-Side

Kigo

Full pricing →

From $59/mo • Free trial

Flat monthly

$59/mo flat rate subscription. Kigo charges 1.25% on non-payment bookings (e.g., Airbnb where the OTA collects payment) and 4% on paid bookings (e.g., VRBO, Booking.com, Direct) — the 4% includes credit card processing fees (~2.8% Stripe), making the effective platform commission ~1.2%. Commission is charged even on cancelled bookings. Free trial available, no credit card required.

View full pricing →

Try Kigo

Rentals United

Full pricing →

Contact sales • No free trial

Contact sales

Rentals United does not publish numeric pricing. The vendor's pricing page lists property-band tiers (Pro for 5-99 properties, Business for 100-499, Enterprise for 500+) and states 'Our prices are tailored to your business.' Capterra confirms 'Starting Price: Contact vendor for pricing' and 'Free Trial: Not available.' Confirm pricing directly with Rentals United sales.

View full pricing →

Try Rentals United

What each tool does well — and where it falls short

What Kigo does well

Extensive channel management and synchronization
Kigo offers seamless integration to major third-party channels with synchronized availability, rates, and content across multiple listing sites, reducing risk of double bookings and opening up sales revenue opportunities.
User-friendly interface for daily operations
Users with 30+ years in vacation rentals find Kigo the quickest and easiest to learn for getting daily tasks completed, with straightforward processes for payments, refunds, and customer communication.
Comprehensive feature coverage in one platform
Kigo integrates reservation management, distribution, marketing, revenue management, eSignature, and website creation in one platform, streamlining operations for property managers.

What Rentals United does well

Connects to 90+ listing channels including niche regional OTAs
Every tier advertises certified API connections to 50+ channels and access to 90+ listing channels in total, which is the platform's core differentiator versus PMS-bundled channel managers.
API described by integrators as robust and well-documented
A Capterra reviewer called the API 'absolutely phenomenal' and 'unbelievably robust, brilliantly documented,' and the vendor publishes API documentation as a top-level resource.
Preferred-partner status with Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com
Named preferred-partner programs with the largest OTAs can reduce listing-quality friction for managers routing inventory through Rentals United.
Broad PMS interoperability for managers who already have a stack
The partner page lists integrations with Guesty, Track, Hostfully, Escapia, and Streamline, making it a natural distribution layer behind an existing PMS.

Where Kigo falls short

High pricing burden on smaller operations
Pricing is consistently noted as high for smaller businesses, with minimum monthly fees that can be prohibitive for operators with limited vacation rental inventory.
Technical complexity and reliability issues
Users report frequent bugs and glitches affecting integrations, calendar syncing, and website functionality, with an average Ease of Use rating of 3.7 versus the 4.5 category average.
Commission charges on all bookings including direct
Unlike many competitors, Kigo charges a percentage of all bookings including direct bookings not acquired through channels, and continues charging commission even on cancelled bookings.

Where Rentals United falls short

Interface described as click-heavy and dated
A GetApp reviewer noted that 'navigation through the system requires more clicks than necessary,' which adds up to real daily operator time at scale.
Reports of double-booking incidents and billing disputes
A GetApp reviewer (jeffrey D.) wrote 'They cost me tens of thousands in double bookings and did not pay any of the fees.' This is a minority report but operationally serious when it happens.
No transparent pricing and no free trial
Capterra lists 'Starting Price: Contact vendor for pricing' and 'Free Trial: Not available,' so buyers cannot evaluate cost without a sales call.
Sub-5-listing portfolios are not the core ICP
The vendor's Pro tier starts at 5-99 properties, with only a 'We can still help!' note for smaller portfolios — signaling smaller hosts will not get the typical onboarding path.

Which Should You Pick

Pick Kigo if

Mid-to-large vacation rental managers seeking comprehensive channel distribution and established integrations

Skip Kigo if

Budget-conscious small operators or those prioritizing cost efficiency over extensive channel connectivity

Pick Rentals United if

Professional property managers with 20+ listings already running a PMS who need maximum OTA distribution breadth across niche regional channels in addition to Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com.

Skip Rentals United if

You have fewer than 5 listings, want self-serve transparent monthly pricing, or only need the top 3 OTAs.

Where Kigo and Rentals United actually differ

Product scope: Kigo is an all-in-one PMS with reservations, channel management, operations, eSignature, guest portal, and website builder. Rentals United is a distribution layer designed to sit behind an existing PMS (Guesty, Hostfully, Track, Escapia, MEWS) — it isn't a standalone PMS.
Channel breadth: Rentals United markets 'Certified API connections to 50+ channels' and '90+ listing channels total' including niche OTAs and metasearch. Kigo connects to 5 direct OTAs (Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Expedia, TripAdvisor) — far narrower distribution.
Pricing transparency: Kigo publishes $59/mo flat plus 1.25% on Airbnb (non-payment) bookings and 4% on paid bookings (including direct and even cancelled bookings). Rentals United is quote-only across Pro (5–99), Business (100–499), and Enterprise (500+) tiers with no vendor-confirmed dollar figure — HotelMinder cites €107/mo for 10–19 properties but the vendor does not confirm it.
Bundled operations tooling: Kigo bundles eSignature for rental agreements, a contactless guest portal, automated task scheduling, and a website creator in the base subscription. Rentals United is distribution-only — no native PMS operations modules, eSignature, guest portal, or website builder.
API access: Rentals United publishes a public REST API at developer.rentalsunited.com and is consistently praised in third-party reviews ('The API is absolutely phenomenal!'). Kigo's API (BAPI) is partner-authenticated requiring partner_id + api_key with no Zapier — Rentals United offers a meaningfully more accessible developer surface.

Common objections

Rentals United reaches 90+ channels and Kigo only has 5 — isn't that a decisive distribution advantage?: For established managers with 50+ listings targeting niche OTAs and metasearch, yes — that long-tail breadth is Rentals United's headline feature and Kigo can't match it. But most STR operators get 90%+ of their OTA revenue from Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and Expedia, all of which Kigo covers natively. And Rentals United is a distribution layer that requires a separate PMS underneath — Kigo is a complete PMS in itself. Compare your actual channel mix against Kigo's 5 before assuming you need 90.
Rentals United has no free trial and quote-only pricing — isn't Kigo's published $59/mo base more transparent?: On the base fee, yes. Kigo offers a free trial with no credit card required and publishes its starting price. Rentals United's pricing page replaces every plan with 'Our prices are tailored to your business' and Capterra confirms no free trial. The catch: Kigo's effective monthly cost depends entirely on booking volume through its 1.25%/4% commission, including commission on cancelled bookings. Both have real opacity — Kigo's is variable cost on a published base, Rentals United's is a fixed-quote subscription you can't see until you ask.
I already run Guesty, Hostfully, Track, or Escapia — doesn't that make Rentals United the obvious choice over swapping to Kigo?: Yes. If you have a working PMS and just need broader channel distribution, ripping it out for Kigo's all-in-one model is the wrong move — Rentals United slots behind your existing stack and adds 90+ channels without replacing it. Kigo's pitch only makes sense if you're consolidating onto one platform or starting fresh. For established managers with stable PMS infrastructure, Rentals United is structurally the right category and Kigo is the wrong question.

Keep Digging

Kigo

Comprehensive channel management hampered by per-booking commissions and reliability issues

Full Kigo review →Is it worth it?

Rentals United

Deepest OTA channel catalog for managers who already run a PMS

Full Rentals United review →Is it worth it?