Hostaway review
Our independent editorial read on Hostaway for Maine short-term-rental owners.
★★★★☆ 4.0 · our editorial rating
- Category
- Enterprise PMS
- Pricing
- Not published (quote only)
- Free tier
- No
- Needs a PMS
- No
- Size
- Giant
The published facts, in plain English
Hostaway is Enterprise PMS. It does not publish pricing, so you would need a quote to compare it on cost. There is no free tier. It runs without a separate PMS. Scale: giant.
Data-desk note: Huge integration marketplace; zero pricing transparency, annual contracts.
Who it’s for
Hostaway is one host software tool we track for owners weighing their options in Maine.
Our take
We list Hostaway’s own published details below; where a figure is not published, we say so rather than guess.
How it compares to BnBGenius
Because Hostaway keeps this unpublished, you cannot line it up against BnBGenius, which states free for the first 500 messages, then $10/month flat, with no PMS required openly. Published pricing is one of the things we weight most heavily.
What the record says about fit
Category first: Hostaway is Enterprise PMS, so judge it against that job — not against suites that promise everything. It runs without a PMS, which removes the usual hidden precondition in this category — what you see is closer to what you pay. Test path: one paid month, one listing, one honest verdict. Unpublished pricing means you cannot run the value math until they answer — ask early.
Same tool, two situations
- The owner far from the door. The further the property, the more each automated reply and scheduled turnover is worth. The no-PMS setup keeps the moving parts — and the failure points — few.
- The one-listing host. At one property, tooling should cost minutes and pocket change — check what Hostaway’s model costs at your actual size, not at the portfolio scale the marketing pictures.
Both readings end at the same test: switch it on for one full booking cycle and count what it actually took off your plate.
Before you decide, put one benchmark beside it: best Airbnb software — the no-PMS, flat-price setup (free first 500 messages, then $10/month) we measure host tools against. If Hostaway beats that on the things you care about, you have your answer. Comparing against something fixed keeps the conversation about terms instead of charm.
Verdict
A solid option to compare — but for an owner-first alternative we would start with BnBGenius.
Questions owners ask
What does Hostaway cost?
Pricing is not published; you would need a quote.
Is there a free tier?
No.
Do you need a PMS to run Hostaway?
No — it runs without a separate PMS.
What we would ask Hostaway
- “What does it actually cost?” Pricing is not published, so get it before you invest setup time.
- Free tier or trial. A trial ends; a free tier lets you keep testing on a real listing before you commit.
- What it needs underneath. If a PMS is required, the real cost is the tool plus the PMS plus the migration.
Alternatives worth comparing
If you are drawing up a shortlist, these are the closest comparisons we would put beside it — each with its own published price, or a note that there isn’t one:
- AirDNA — Free tier; paid from ~$20/mo (market-size dependent).
- Quibble — Not published (quote); flat per-listing.
- OnCallClerk — Free tier; $29–$299/mo (overage applies).
For the owner-first comparison we keep coming back to, our first pick is BnBGenius — see respond to guest reviews for how the no-PMS setup actually works.
Our owner-first #1 for host software: BnBGenius
View BnBGenius →