On your search for the best vacation rental software, you have probably come across many reviews, blog posts and comparison charts on vacation rental software pricing. The price of the software is definitely something you must consider before installing a new booking system. When it comes to pricing, it’s impossible to compare all systems since a lot of companies offer different variations of their products with different prices.
Vacation rental software comparison is often done by using softwares’ functionalities and comparing them in a user-friendly website. You may compare the best vacation rental software, prices, reviews and see how they all rank against each other.
People are starting to consider renting their properties as a profitable additional revenue stream. So, they wish to hire a vacation rental software. The concern is whether to rent one or build an independent platform by themselves. The choice should be made taking into consideration a variety of various factors.
Whether you’re considering online rental software for your own business, or thinking about the best real estate software for your vacation rental, this article will show you how to find the best solution for you – and also introduce top solutions for vacation rental software comparison.
What is vacation rental software?
Vacation rental software is a type of property management software used by property owners to rent their apartments, villas, and condos to guests on vacation. This type of software helps users manage reservations, maintenance, and marketing campaigns for their properties. This software can also help businesses manage corporate housing.
It helps users manage the following aspects of short-term property rental:
- Reservation management: Automate reservation management with online booking and reservation portals, answer customer inquiries, block off days on the calendar, create new bookings, and manage payments.
- Channel management: Use an integrated multichannel marketing portal to collect guest recommendations and reviews, advertise on your social media channels, and maintain and improve on-page optimization for your webpage or website.
- Reporting: Generate reports to monitor occupancy, expenses, payments received, and more. Reports can be exported in different formats such as XLS, PDF, and CSV.
- Housekeeping: Schedule and manage cleaning operations according to guest check-ins and checkouts. Manage billing and payments to housekeeping vendors or staff.
Lodgify
Based in Barcelona, Spain, Lodgify offers a beautiful property management system that’s user-friendly and functional. The multi-calendar works well for multiple units, and it’s easy to input reservations manually. The customer service team is always friendly and quick to respond (you can even take advantage of personalized onboarding support), and the company maintains a robust library of resources and blog articles.
Unique features: Lodgify’s website builder is one of the best in the market. The tool includes several templates so you can quickly drag and drop widgets and add your own custom text. You can even add videos, maps, and custom code.
Integrations: Lodgify connects directly to Airbnb, Booking.com, and Expedia for rate and availability synchronization. A direct Vrbo is also available if you manage at least 5 properties. For all other channels, Lodgify uses an iCal connection that syncs availability and reservations, but not rates. The system also has free integrations with Mailchimp, Google Analytics, Zapier, and PriceLabs. Some integrations, like Stripe, come with an additional monthly fee.
Pricing: After a 7-day free trial, Lodgify’s annual subscriptions for one property start at $12 per month with a 1.9% booking fee, or you can opt for the Professional version ($32 per month) which has no booking fee. For 25 properties, the Professional version costs $220 per month. Monthly subscriptions without an annual commitment cost slightly more.
Disadvantages: Lodgify’s automated messaging tool falls short; it does not allow for much customization, especially with trigger timing and contact assignments.
Bottom Line: Lodgify is an excellent choice for property managers who want a solid property management system and an eye-catching website without needing to hire a website designer. However, Lodgify doesn’t offer many integrations with third-party services, like keyless locks and dynamic pricing software (only with PriceLabs), so if you use many of these ancillary services, you may want to opt for a different system.
FantasticStay
FantasticStay recently acquired Vreasy, a popular short-term rental property management system, but luckily FantasticStay is retaining much of Vreasy’s functionality. The system offers the standard package of calendar management, booking management, and a channel manager, plus a website builder and automated messaging. The user experience is smooth, and the system has a clean, modern look.
Unique features: One of FantasticStay’s add-ons is a 24/7 guest response service, so your guests can receive quick responses to inquiries and messages even during the middle of the night or when you’re busy with other things. You can also purchase a revenue management add-on that provides pricing guidance and a customer support add-on that gives you phone support around the clock.
Integrations: Direct connections to Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com allow you to update rates and availability from FantasticStay rather than on each site individually. For all other sites, you can sync reservations and availability with an iCal connection. Through Vreasy, integrations to PriceLabs and Quickbooks are available.
Pricing: FantasticStay’s basic plan has no monthly subscription fee, just an 0.8% booking fee, for an unlimited number of listings. This plan does not include integrations or any add-ons, like customer support. Higher-tier plans include all integrations, no payment processing fees, and personalized support. The annual Pro plan costs $214 per year for 20-29 listings.
Disadvantages: FantasticStay does not offer a direct connection to Expedia (yet), and since the software was originally built for the European market, some tax settings may not work properly for other markets.
Bottom Line: FantasticStay is a fantastic choice for Europe-based property managers. It’s also great for property managers who want a low-cost, basic software to manage listings on Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com with no additional integrations via the free plan.
Hostfully
In 2018 Hostfully acquired Orbirental, and today Hostfully’s property management system still looks and feels a lot like Orbirental. The system offers a multi-calendar, automated messaging, a booking engine, and channel management for Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, and Tripadvisor. Hostfully also connects to a couple other channel managers, like Rentals United and myBookingPal, which allows you to distribute rates and availability to additional sites.
Unique features: When many property management systems are shifting toward self-service customer support, Hostfully offers plenty of phone support. Even the most basic plan includes two setup calls with a support rep. Hostfully also offers its Digital Guidebooks feature, which is actually separate from the property management system. Even if you don’t use the property management system, you can still purchase a guidebook-only subscription.
Integrations: Hostfully has a huge “Integration Zone” which includes integrations with dozens of complementary systems. You can connect to dynamic pricing tools, home automation solutions, cleaning management systems, and even HelloSign for digital signatures.
Pricing: Hostfully offers three plans: 1-4 properties pay $79 per month, 5-19 properties pay $189 per month, and 20+ properties pay on a sliding scale depending on the number of listings. 50 listings cost $375 per month. Monthly subscriptions come with a $400 setup fee, but the fee is waived (and you get a small discount!) if you sign an annual contract.
Disadvantages: Some features, like automated text messaging and multiple user access, are not available for accounts with fewer than 5 properties. Hostfully itself doesn’t offer an Expedia connection, but you can connect to Expedia via an integrated channel manager like Rentals United.
Bottom Line: Hostfully is perfect for property owners or managers who want a little extra support in the setup process and on an ongoing basis. Though it’s slightly more expensive than other systems, there are no hidden fees or add-ons.
Hostaway
As noted front and center on their home page, Hostaway truly is an all-in-one vacation rental software offering not just the essential property management features to manage reservations and guests, but they also offer a massive library of integrations, communication tools, analytics, automation and so much more.
Unique features: This list could go on for a while because there are just so many. Features like detailed financial reporting, process automation, revenue management and cross listing optimization all highlight the depth of professionalism and polish to the Hostaway product suite.
Integrations: Like many top tech firms, Hostaway has an open API which means that developers can build right to their product which is a common best practice in the tech world and is typically a leading indicator that a company offers tons of valuable integrations and in Hostaway’s case this is absolutely true. Hostaway’s marketplace boasts integrations ranging from key distribution channels to payment processors all the way to advanced pricing optimization software so you can run your vacation rental with the sophistication of a major hotel chain.
Pricing: Plans start at $100/mo and vary based on which features you add on to your package as well as the scale of your operation.
Disadvantages: While depth of functionality and integrations are ideal for professional owners with multiple properties under management, many of Hostaway’s features may not be needed for a single unit owner partaking in the sharing economy.
Bottom Line: The Hostaway feature set, integrations marketplace and UX make it an outstanding SaaS solution for professional property managers with dozens or even hundreds of units under management empowering managers to run their operation with the sophistication of a major hotel company.
Vreasy
Vreasy is another cloud-based property management system with a built-in channel manager and guest experience platform. With Vreasy, you can control every aspect of your business with a master calendar and manage reservations from any device. The platform will soon be a part of another property management software called FantasticStay.
Key features:
- Channel manager
- Owner statements
- Automation tools
- Staff management tools
- Payment gateway
- Website builder
Integrations: Vreasy has an API connection with over 60 channels including Booking.com and Airbnb. You can also sync your vacation rental website through the Vreasy Channel Manager System.
Pricing: Contact Vreasy for a personalized quote here.
Smoobu
Smoobu is a property management software and channel manager based in Germany. It includes a booking engine and a free website that can be connected to your existing domain. The platform helps rental managers track their KPIs from a single platform and requires no commission fee for bookings.
Key features:
- Channel manager
- Booking system
- Free website
- Automated templates
- Guest guides
- Availability calendars
- Shared accounts
Integrations: Smoobu currently connects to over 100 channels and 15 of them are through API integrations. You can enhance your services by connecting with platforms that specialize in smart pricing, online check-ins, and maintenance.
Pricing: Starts at $22 per month. To calculate your price, click here.
Wave
A top free accounting software to consider from the start of your search is Wave accounting software. Through this option, you’ll be able to connect unlimited bank and credit card accounts to your books. You’ll also be able to add unlimited income tracking, expense tracking, and guest collaborators for free. Plus, you’ll be able to invoice and scan receipts for free as well.
Be sure to note, though: If you want your invoiced customers to be able to pay online directly through the invoice, you’ll need to pay for that. Wave charges 2.9% + $0.30 for each credit card payment and 1% (with a minimum of $1) for each ACH payment. You’ll also need to pay for payroll through Wave. Depending on where you do business, you’ll pay a monthly base fee of either $35 or $20, plus $4 per employee and contractor on your payroll.
What are the deployment options for vacation rental software?
You’ll need to understand the deployment options available before selecting a vacation rental system for your business. Here are the two main types of deployments:
Cloud-based deployment: Vendors of cloud-based solutions host the software on their own or third-party servers. They take care of the maintenance and support of these solutions. Users can access these solutions through computers or mobile devices connected to the internet. The pricing model for cloud-based solutions is usually subscription-based, paid annually or monthly.
On-premise deployment: The user hosts on-premise software on their own servers. They take care of the maintenance, support, updates, and data storage on their own. Users can access these solutions through installed computer applications. The pricing model of these solutions is usually based on a one-time per-user license fee.
Key questions to ask cloud-based (SaaS) vendors: What are the security measures you have in place for preventing data loss in case of cyberattacks?
Key questions to ask on-premise solution vendors:
- What is the typical time needed to get started with your tool?
- Are there any software implementation, installation, or training costs?
Conclusion
Vacation rental software, also called as accommodation software is used to manage all the details involved in running a vacation rental business. Vacation rental businesses offer services like property searching, booking, managing, and other related services to those who stay over at vacation rentals. The software tools help in understanding the travel trends, financial management and many other things. They can be installed on computer or online and stored on cloud.
Vacation rental hosting has been around for quite a long time and are the most popular business model for individuals and companies. The real estate rental is widely used by many people to earn some extra cash by taking charge of someone’s else property and allow it to be used for renting purposes. First you have to define whether you want to go with Vacation Rental Software Free, Cheap or Premium. This can help you cut your costs drastically.