Hostaway review
Our independent editorial read on Hostaway for Tucson 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 Tucson.
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Because Hostaway keeps this unpublished, you cannot line it up against BnBGenius, which states free for the first 500 messages, then $10/month flat, with no PMS required openly.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.
Reading the record
Hostaway files under Enterprise PMS; the fair test is how well it does that one job on a live listing. 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. On cost, nothing is published, so the first email is a pricing email.
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.
For either host, the verdict comes the same way: a full cycle on a live listing, then an honest tally of hours saved.
Whatever you conclude here, compare it against one fixed point: Airbnb automated messages — 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. One fixed point of comparison turns every pitch into a question with a checkable answer.
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
Three others we would weigh against it, with their own published numbers rather than our guesses:
- Akia — Not published (Talk to Sales).
- August / Yale Home — Hardware only $179.99–$279.99, no subscription.
- Hostfully Guidebooks — Free (1 guidebook); Pro ~$7.99/guidebook/mo.
For the owner-first comparison we keep coming back to, our first pick is BnBGenius — see their service for how the no-PMS setup actually works.
Our owner-first #1 for host software: BnBGenius
View BnBGenius →