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Travel · head to head

Enso Connect vs Hostaway

Enso Connect logo

Enso Connect

Travel

Guest experience layer for short-term rentals with digital check-in and paid upsells

From
$9/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Hostaway logo

Hostaway

Travel

Vacation rental management platform for professional operators

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Enso Connect the roughly five per cent commission on upsell revenue means the better the product works the more it costs, and a portfolio generating meaningful ancillary revenue pays far more than the per-listing headline suggests.; Hostaway quote-only pricing scaled by listing count, with an onboarding fee commonly reported, so entry cost is real
  • They diverge on capability: Enso Connect covers Digital check-in, Hostaway covers Multi-channel distribution.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Enso Connect and Hostaway actually diverge.

Attributes where Enso Connect and Hostaway differ
AttributeEnso ConnectHostaway
Starting price$9/monthOn request
Pricing modelPer listing per month plus upsell commissionquote
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android, Cloud

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 Enso Connect

  • Digital check-in
  • Guest identity verification
  • Keyless entry
  • Upsell marketplace
  • Unified inbox with AI replies
  • Branded guidebooks
  • Conditional guest journeys
  • PMS integrations

Only in Hostaway

  • Multi-channel distribution
  • Unified inbox
  • Automation
  • Owner statements

What people use each for

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

Enso Connect

  • A manager selling early check-in and late checkout systematically instead of case by casenot Hostaway
  • An apart-hotel wanting hotel-style verification and deposits on Airbnb bookingsnot Hostaway
  • An operator issuing door codes automatically and revoking them at checkoutnot Hostaway
  • A portfolio in a ski or beach market monetising equipment hire and local experiences during the staynot Hostaway

Hostaway

  • Managers running portfolios across several booking channelsnot Enso Connect
  • Operators whose margin goes to manual guest messaging and turnover coordinationnot Enso Connect
  • Companies producing owner statements for managed propertiesnot Enso Connect

Where each one falls short

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

Enso Connect

  • The roughly five per cent commission on upsell revenue means the better the product works the more it costs, and a portfolio generating meaningful ancillary revenue pays far more than the per-listing headline suggests.
  • It requires a property management system underneath it, so it is always a second subscription and a second integration rather than a consolidation.
  • Small operators rarely reach the upsell volume that justifies the setup effort, and configuring conditional guest journeys properly is a project rather than an afternoon.
  • Guest data and messaging pass through another vendor, which adds a data protection assessment for European operators and another party to the breach surface.
  • Smart lock and PMS coverage is good for the mainstream products but thin outside them, so an operator on a less common lock brand or a regional PMS may find the automation does not reach their stack.

Hostaway

  • Quote-only pricing scaled by listing count, with an onboarding fee commonly reported, so entry cost is real
  • Built for professional operators; single-property hosts find the cost per unit hard to justify
  • Channel sync inherits the reliability of the booking platforms it connects to
  • Depth in individual modules is shallower than dedicated point tools

Pricing, plan by plan

Enso Connect

$9/month
  • Core$9/month
    • Per listing per month
    • Digital check-in and verification
    • Branded guidebook
  • Full guest journey$16/month
    • Per listing per month
    • Conditional journeys and smart lock integration
    • Upsell marketplace enabled

Hostaway

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Hostaway review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Enso Connect if

  • You need digital check-in.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want guest identity verification.
Enso Connect review

Choose Hostaway if

  • You need multi-channel distribution.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Cloud.
  • You also want unified inbox.
Hostaway review

Questions people ask

Is Enso Connect or Hostaway better?
Neither clearly leads. Enso Connect starts at $9/month and Hostaway at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Enso Connect or Hostaway?
Enso Connect starts at $9/month and Hostaway at On request.
Does Enso Connect or Hostaway run on more platforms?
Enso Connect runs on Web, iOS, Android. Hostaway runs on Web, iOS, Android, Cloud.
What is Enso Connect best used for?
Enso Connect is most often used for a manager selling early check-in and late checkout systematically instead of case by case, an apart-hotel wanting hotel-style verification and deposits on airbnb bookings, an operator issuing door codes automatically and revoking them at checkout, a portfolio in a ski or beach market monetising equipment hire and local experiences during the stay. Of those, a manager selling early check-in and late checkout systematically instead of case by case and an apart-hotel wanting hotel-style verification and deposits on airbnb bookings are not what Hostaway is typically brought in for.
What can Enso Connect do that Hostaway cannot?
Enso Connect covers Digital check-in, Guest identity verification, Keyless entry, Upsell marketplace. Hostaway covers Multi-channel distribution, Unified inbox, Automation, Owner statements.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Enso Connect: Does Enso Connect replace my PMS?

No. It sits on top of Hostaway, Guesty or a similar platform and handles the guest-facing journey only.

Hostaway: What does Hostaway cost?

It quotes by listing count and modules and does not publish rates. An onboarding fee is commonly part of the arrangement.

Enso Connect: How does the upsell commission work?

Enso Connect takes a percentage, around five per cent, of upsell revenue processed through the platform, on top of the per-listing subscription.

Hostaway: Hostaway or Guesty?

They compete for the same professional operator market with broadly similar feature sets. Differences usually come down to quoted price, onboarding and specific channel or PMS integrations.

Enso Connect: Is it worth it for five properties?

Usually not. The per-listing cost is low but the configuration effort and the upsell volume needed to see a return favour portfolios of twenty units and up.

Hostaway: Is it worth it for one or two listings?

Generally not. It is built for portfolios, and the per-unit cost is hard to justify below a handful of properties.

Enso Connect: Can it take deposits and verify guests on Airbnb bookings?

Yes, that is one of the main reasons operators add it, since Airbnb itself does not give hosts that control.

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