Softwr

Travel · head to head

Hostaway vs Roomsy

Hostaway logo

Hostaway

Travel

Vacation rental management platform for professional operators

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
R

Roomsy

Travel

Per room hotel and hostel PMS with published prices and monthly minimums

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Roomsy has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Hostaway quote-only pricing scaled by listing count, with an onboarding fee commonly reported, so entry cost is real; Roomsy every tier has a monthly floor, so a twelve room property on Essential pays $80 rather than $48 and the advertised per room rate is only real above the break-even room count.
  • They diverge on capability: Hostaway covers Multi-channel distribution, Roomsy covers Booking calendar.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hostaway and Roomsy actually diverge.

Attributes where Hostaway and Roomsy differ
AttributeHostawayRoomsy
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotePer room per month
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, CloudWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: 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 Hostaway

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

Only in Roomsy

  • Booking calendar
  • Online booking engine
  • Channel manager
  • Hostel bed management
  • Invoicing and reporting
  • Multi-property

What people use each for

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

Hostaway

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

Roomsy

  • A twenty five room motel wanting OTA sync and a direct booking engine on a published price with no sales callnot Hostaway
  • A hostel needing dorm bed inventory rather than room-only modellingnot Hostaway
  • An owner running a very small property who wants a free booking calendar and engine before paying anythingnot Hostaway
  • A two-property operator wanting one login and consolidated occupancy figures without enterprise pricingnot Hostaway

Where each one falls short

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

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

Roomsy

  • Every tier has a monthly floor, so a twelve room property on Essential pays $80 rather than $48 and the advertised per room rate is only real above the break-even room count.
  • Channel management is not on the free or Starter tiers, so the cheapest paid plan cannot connect to Booking.com and buyers regularly select it and then have to upgrade.
  • Some OTA connections are routed through SiteMinder rather than built directly, which introduces a third party into your distribution and a second place for a sync failure to occur.
  • There is no revenue management or dynamic pricing, so rates are manual and go stale unless someone maintains seasonal rules by hand.
  • There is no native point of sale or food and beverage module, so a property with a bar or restaurant runs a separate till and reconciles revenue outside the system.

Pricing, plan by plan

Hostaway

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Hostaway review.

Roomsy

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Booking calendar
    • Reporting
    • Invoicing
  • Starter$2/month
    • $2 per room per month
    • $40 monthly minimum
    • Booking engine and core PMS
  • Essential$4/month
    • $4 per room per month
    • $80 monthly minimum
    • Two-way channel manager to major OTAs
  • Pro$6/month
    • $6 per room per month
    • $160 monthly minimum
    • Additional users and advanced reporting

Which should you pick?

Choose Hostaway if

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

Choose Roomsy if

  • You need booking calendar.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want online booking engine.
Roomsy review

Questions people ask

Is Hostaway or Roomsy better?
Neither clearly leads. Hostaway starts at On request and Roomsy at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hostaway or Roomsy?
Roomsy has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Hostaway and Free for Roomsy.
Does Hostaway or Roomsy run on more platforms?
Hostaway runs on Web, iOS, Android, Cloud. Roomsy runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Roomsy for free?
Yes. Roomsy has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Hostaway starts at On request.
What is Hostaway best used for?
Hostaway is most often used for managers running portfolios across several booking channels, operators whose margin goes to manual guest messaging and turnover coordination, companies producing owner statements for managed properties. Of those, managers running portfolios across several booking channels and operators whose margin goes to manual guest messaging and turnover coordination are not what Roomsy is typically brought in for.
What can Hostaway do that Roomsy cannot?
Hostaway covers Multi-channel distribution, Unified inbox, Automation, Owner statements. Roomsy covers Booking calendar, Online booking engine, Channel manager, Hostel bed management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Roomsy: What does a thirty room hotel pay?

$120 a month on Essential, which is above the $80 floor. Below twenty rooms you pay the floor instead of the per room rate.

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.

Roomsy: Which plan includes the channel manager?

Essential at $4 per room per month with an $80 minimum. Free and Starter do not include it.

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.

Roomsy: Is the free plan usable?

For a booking calendar, invoicing and a direct booking engine, yes. Without OTA connections most properties will outgrow it quickly.

Roomsy: Does Roomsy take commission on bookings?

No. You pay the subscription only.

Share

Related pages

More on Hostaway

More on Roomsy

Keep looking

Other head to heads