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Travel · head to head

Cloudbeds vs Smoobu

Cloudbeds logo

Cloudbeds

Travel

Cloud-based hospitality management platform unifying PMS, channel management, and booking engine

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Smoobu logo

Smoobu

Travel

All-in-one channel manager and PMS for hosts with a handful of holiday rentals

From
€29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Cloudbeds pricing requires custom quote; no published pricing tiers visible, making budgeting and comparison difficult; Smoobu the Flex plan carries a 0.9% fee on every booking, which on an apartment turning over €40,000 a year costs more than the entire annual subscription saving, and the pricing page presents Flex as the cheaper option.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cloudbeds and Smoobu actually diverge.

Attributes where Cloudbeds and Smoobu differ
AttributeCloudbedsSmoobu
Starting priceOn request€29/month
Pricing modelquotePer unit per month
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, APIWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Travel).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Cloudbeds

Nothing recorded that Smoobu does not also cover.

Only in Smoobu

  • Channel manager
  • Website builder
  • Guest messaging
  • Unified calendar
  • Invoicing and e-invoicing
  • Mobile apps

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Cloudbeds

  • Independent hotels and boutique hospitality businesses automating PMS and distributionnot Smoobu
  • Vacation rental hosts (Airbnb, VRBO) consolidating multi-channel bookings and messagingnot Smoobu
  • Hostels and backpacker accommodations using commission-free booking engine to reduce dependency on OTAsnot Smoobu
  • Small-chain hospitality operators managing multiple properties from one interfacenot Smoobu
  • Properties seeking revenue management and dynamic pricing without enterprise-level PMS costsnot Smoobu
  • Hospitality businesses using AI-driven guest messaging and support automationnot Smoobu

Smoobu

  • A host with three apartments in Berlin who needs Airbnb and Booking.com calendars kept in sync and wants a direct booking site to cut OTA commissionnot Cloudbeds
  • An owner wanting automated check-in instructions and pre-arrival messages sent per channel without logging into each extranetnot Cloudbeds
  • A small manager who needs guest invoices that meet German documentation requirements without adding a separate accounting toolnot Cloudbeds
  • A host testing dynamic pricing through the bundled trial before deciding whether to subscribe to PriceLabs separatelynot Cloudbeds

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Cloudbeds

  • Pricing requires custom quote; no published pricing tiers visible, making budgeting and comparison difficult
  • Per-property pricing model means costs scale rapidly for multi-property management; portfolio growth increases operational expenses
  • Revenue Intelligence (AI pricing) locked behind premium tier; base offering lacks dynamic pricing automation
  • Limited offline functionality; properties with poor connectivity face operational challenges
  • Chatbot and messaging automation require configuration; setup complexity increases for non-technical operators

Smoobu

  • The Flex plan carries a 0.9% fee on every booking, which on an apartment turning over €40,000 a year costs more than the entire annual subscription saving, and the pricing page presents Flex as the cheaper option.
  • Pricing is per unit, so a ten unit portfolio pays roughly €31.50 plus nine additional units at about €9.60, and the headline monthly figure covers a single apartment only.
  • Write access is charged per account beyond the included seats, so a cleaner, a co-host and an owner all needing to edit bookings turn into a recurring per seat cost.
  • There is no trust accounting or owner statement generation, so anyone managing units on behalf of third-party owners has to build payout reporting outside the system.
  • Housekeeping and maintenance dispatch is minimal compared with manager-grade platforms, so cleaning coordination happens in WhatsApp or a separate tool once you are past a few units.

Pricing, plan by plan

Cloudbeds

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Cloudbeds review.

Smoobu

€29/month
  • Professional Flex$29/month
    • One unit included
    • 0.9% fee on every booking
    • Channel manager, website builder, messaging
  • Professional Prepaid$31.5/month
    • One unit included
    • No booking fee
    • Website builder, invoicing, chatbot, API access
  • Teams Pro+$49.5/month
    • Everything in Prepaid
    • E-invoicing
    • Two write-access accounts, extra accounts from about €12 each

Which should you pick?

Choose Cloudbeds if

  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
Cloudbeds review

Choose Smoobu if

  • You need channel manager.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want website builder.
Smoobu review

Questions people ask

Is Cloudbeds or Smoobu better?
Neither clearly leads. Cloudbeds starts at On request and Smoobu at €29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cloudbeds or Smoobu?
Cloudbeds starts at On request and Smoobu at €29/month.
Does Cloudbeds or Smoobu run on more platforms?
Cloudbeds runs on Web, iOS, Android, API. Smoobu runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Cloudbeds best used for?
Cloudbeds is most often used for independent hotels and boutique hospitality businesses automating pms and distribution, vacation rental hosts (airbnb, vrbo) consolidating multi-channel bookings and messaging, hostels and backpacker accommodations using commission-free booking engine to reduce dependency on otas, small-chain hospitality operators managing multiple properties from one interface. Of those, independent hotels and boutique hospitality businesses automating pms and distribution and vacation rental hosts (airbnb, vrbo) consolidating multi-channel bookings and messaging are not what Smoobu is typically brought in for.
What can Cloudbeds do that Smoobu cannot?
Smoobu covers Channel manager, Website builder, Guest messaging, Unified calendar.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cloudbeds: Does Cloudbeds have a commission-free booking engine?

Yes. Cloudbeds provides a commission-free booking engine allowing guests to reserve directly on the property website without OTA transaction fees. This reduces distribution costs compared to Booking.com and Airbnb.

Source
Smoobu: Which plan is actually cheaper, Flex or Prepaid?

Prepaid, for almost anyone with real occupancy. The 0.9% booking fee on Flex exceeds the subscription difference once annual revenue passes a few thousand euros.

Cloudbeds: What channels does Cloudbeds distribute to?

Cloudbeds distributes to 450+ booking channels including Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, Agoda, and regional OTAs, all managed from one interface.

Source
Smoobu: How many properties does the entry price cover?

One. Every additional unit adds roughly €9.60 per month.

Cloudbeds: Does Cloudbeds provide revenue management?

Yes. Revenue Intelligence uses AI-powered demand forecasting (95% accuracy) to recommend dynamic pricing, maximising revenue per available room (RevPAR).

Source
Smoobu: Does it include dynamic pricing?

Only two months free on the Teams tier. Ongoing dynamic pricing means subscribing to PriceLabs or similar.

Smoobu: Is there a contract?

Billing is monthly, yearly or two-yearly, with 30 days notice required to cancel; longer terms buy 10% or 20% off.

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