Hostaway is one of the most recommended names in short-term rental software, and for good reason: it's a capable, mid-market property management system with a large integration ecosystem. But finding out what it costs means booking a demo, sitting through a sales call, and waiting for a custom quote. SympleHost is the AI co-host that ships every layer of the work in one product, with flat per-listing pricing published on the site. This guide compares both platforms honestly so you can choose the right fit.
Quick comparison: SympleHost vs Hostaway
| Feature | SympleHost | Hostaway |
|---|---|---|
| Base pricing | Flat $15–20 per listing/mo, published | Quote-only; commonly reported at $25–50 per listing/mo |
| Setup fee | None | Reported $300–$1,000+ onboarding fee |
| Booking fees | None | 1.8% booking-engine fee on direct reservations |
| Contract | Sign up online, no sales call | Annual contracts are the default |
| AI messaging | Native, multi-language, on every plan | AI tools available within the platform |
| Channel manager | Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, Vrbo, Agoda, Trip.com | Large ecosystem incl. major OTAs |
| Direct booking engine | Native, built-in on Pro | Included (with booking-engine fee) |
| Dynamic pricing | Built on PriceLabs, natively integrated | Via integrations and native tools |
Pricing: a published price vs a sales quote
SympleHost's model: Flat, predictable pricing with no commission and no booking fees. Basic is $15 per listing per month and covers OTA bookings, guest communication, and task management. Pro is $20 per listing and adds the direct-booking website and payment gateway. A host with 5 listings pays $75–$100 a month — and knows that number before signing up.
Hostaway's model: Hostaway doesn't publish prices. You request a quote, take a sales call, and receive custom pricing based on your listing count. Independent reviews consistently report $25–50 per listing per month depending on volume and contract terms, a one-time onboarding fee that can run from $300 to $1,000+, and annual contracts as the default. On top of that, reservations made through Hostaway's own booking engine carry a 1.8% fee.
The math: For a 10-listing operator, reported Hostaway pricing lands around $250–$500 a month before the setup fee — versus $150–$200 with SympleHost, no setup fee, no booking-engine fee. Just as important: you can see SympleHost's price today, compare it against your margins, and start a trial without talking to anyone.
AI guest messaging: automation that actually works
SympleHost: Native AI guest messaging handles common enquiries automatically — availability questions, pricing, check-in details, basic property queries. It replies in the guest's language, learns from your responses, and improves over time. This is built into the product on every plan, not an add-on.
Hostaway: Offers AI-assisted tools within its platform, alongside a solid unified inbox and automation rules. It's a genuine strength of the product — Hostaway's automations are mature and widely used.
The difference: With SympleHost, AI messaging is the product, not a feature bolted onto a PMS — and it answers guests in multiple languages out of the box. If your guests message in English, Spanish, or Bahasa Indonesia, the reply comes back in kind.
Channel management and OTA integration
SympleHost: Connects the OTAs your guests actually book on — Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, Vrbo, Agoda, and Trip.com — in one product with one unified inbox. Calendar, pricing, and messaging stay in sync across every channel.
Hostaway: A large integration ecosystem covering the major OTAs plus many third-party tools. If you need a niche integration, Hostaway has probably connected it.
Practical reality: Most operators running 1–20 properties use a handful of channels. What matters is that those channels stay in sync and that the inbox, calendar, and pricing all know about each booking. SympleHost ships those layers as one product; Hostaway connects them across a bigger, more complex surface.
Direct-booking site and OTA independence
SympleHost: Includes a direct-booking site on the Pro plan — custom domain, integrated payments, real SEO — so you can recapture OTA commission on returning guests. No percentage fee on direct reservations: the $20 per listing is the whole price.
Hostaway: Includes a booking engine, but direct reservations made through it carry a 1.8% fee. That's on top of the subscription — so the channel you built to escape commissions still has one.
Why this matters: Direct bookings are how operators protect margin. A platform that takes a cut of your direct revenue is working against the point of having a direct channel.
Who should choose Hostaway?
- Mid-market and growing property managers (20+ listings) who want a deep PMS with a large integration ecosystem
- Teams with complex third-party stacks that need specific niche integrations
- Operators comfortable with a sales process — demo, quote, annual contract — in exchange for volume pricing
- Businesses that already have staff to run onboarding and configuration
Hostaway is a genuinely capable platform, and at higher listing counts its per-unit pricing compresses. If you're running 50+ listings with a team, it deserves a look.
Who should choose SympleHost?
- Operators managing 1–20 properties who want one product, not a project
- Hosts who want the price on the page — no demo, no quote, no setup fee
- Hosts who want AI messaging and dynamic pricing on every plan, not negotiated into a contract
- Multilingual operators whose guests message in more than one language
- Direct-booking focused hosts who don't want a fee on their own direct revenue
The verdict
Hostaway is a strong mid-market PMS — but it's built for a sales-led buying process. The price is a quote, onboarding is a project with a fee attached, contracts default to annual, and your direct bookings carry a 1.8% engine fee. None of that is unreasonable for a 50-listing operation with staff. It's just a lot of machinery for an operator running a handful of properties.
SympleHost's flat per-listing pricing — $15–$20 a listing, no booking fees, no setup fee — means you know your cost before you sign. And it ships every layer of the work in one product: AI guest messaging, channel management, dynamic pricing on PriceLabs, operations, and a direct-booking site that doesn't charge you for your own guests.
For operators running 1–20 properties, SympleHost offers clearer economics and a faster path to running on autopilot. For large portfolios with a team and a complex stack, Hostaway's depth might justify the process.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Hostaway actually cost? Hostaway doesn't publish pricing — you need to request a quote. Independent reviews report roughly $25–50 per listing per month depending on volume and contract terms, plus a one-time onboarding fee that can range from $300 to $1,000+, with annual contracts as the default. Direct reservations through its booking engine carry a 1.8% fee.
Does Hostaway charge booking fees? Yes, on direct bookings: reservations made through the Hostaway booking engine carry a 1.8% fee on top of the subscription. OTA bookings are charged by the OTA as usual.
What's the best Hostaway alternative? SympleHost is the AI co-host for short-term rental operators. It ships guest messaging, channel management, dynamic pricing on PriceLabs, operations, and a direct-booking site in one product — with flat published pricing of $15–$20 per listing and no booking fees. For operators running 1–20 properties, it does the whole job without the sales process.