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Travel · head to head

Hostaway vs ThinkReservations

Hostaway logo

Hostaway

Travel

Vacation rental management platform for professional operators

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
ThinkReservations logo

ThinkReservations

Travel

Property management and booking system for North American inns, B&Bs and small hotels

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Hostaway quote-only pricing scaled by listing count, with an onboarding fee commonly reported, so entry cost is real; ThinkReservations no pricing is published anywhere, so you cannot compare it against Cloudbeds or Little Hotelier without first sitting through a sales call and extracting a quote.
  • They diverge on capability: Hostaway covers Multi-channel distribution, ThinkReservations covers Reservation calendar.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hostaway and ThinkReservations actually diverge.

Attributes where Hostaway and ThinkReservations differ
AttributeHostawayThinkReservations
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, CloudWeb

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), 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 Hostaway

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

Only in ThinkReservations

  • Reservation calendar
  • Direct booking engine
  • Channel management
  • Integrated payments
  • Yield rules
  • Reporting

What people use each for

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

Hostaway

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

ThinkReservations

  • A fourteen room inn moving off a spreadsheet and a phone diary that needs breakfast counts and minimum stay rules handled nativelynot Hostaway
  • A B&B selling gift certificates and packages that wants them redeemable in the same system that takes the bookingnot Hostaway
  • An owner of three small New England properties wanting one login and consolidated occupancy reportingnot Hostaway
  • A campground or cabin operator needing nightly and multi-night rules plus OTA distribution without buying a separate channel managernot 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

ThinkReservations

  • No pricing is published anywhere, so you cannot compare it against Cloudbeds or Little Hotelier without first sitting through a sales call and extracting a quote.
  • The product is built for North American operations, so European tax handling, guest registration requirements and local OTA mix are not supported and it is effectively unsellable outside the region.
  • There is no revenue management or dynamic pricing, so rates rely on manual seasonal and day of week rules that go stale unless someone actively maintains them.
  • Payment processing is bundled, which is convenient but means the effective card rate is negotiated inside a software deal rather than shopped separately, and operators rarely check it against a standalone merchant account.
  • There is no native point of sale, spa or restaurant module, so an inn with a dining room runs a second system and reconciles revenue by hand.

Pricing, plan by plan

Hostaway

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Hostaway review.

ThinkReservations

On request
  • ThinkReservations$undefined/month
    • Property management system
    • Direct booking engine
    • Channel management to major OTAs

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 ThinkReservations if

  • You need reservation calendar.
  • You also want direct booking engine.
ThinkReservations review

Questions people ask

Is Hostaway or ThinkReservations better?
Neither clearly leads. Hostaway starts at On request and ThinkReservations at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hostaway or ThinkReservations?
Hostaway starts at On request and ThinkReservations at On request.
Does Hostaway or ThinkReservations run on more platforms?
Hostaway runs on Web, iOS, Android, Cloud. ThinkReservations runs on Web.
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 ThinkReservations is typically brought in for.
What can Hostaway do that ThinkReservations cannot?
Hostaway covers Multi-channel distribution, Unified inbox, Automation, Owner statements. ThinkReservations covers Reservation calendar, Direct booking engine, Channel management, Integrated payments.

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.

ThinkReservations: How much does ThinkReservations cost?

It is not published. Pricing is quoted per property, generally scaled by room count, after a sales conversation.

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.

ThinkReservations: Is the channel manager an extra subscription?

No. OTA connectivity is part of the platform rather than a separately priced module, which is the main saving against a PMS plus channel manager pairing.

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.

ThinkReservations: Does it work outside the United States?

In practice no. Tax, payments and support are built around North America.

ThinkReservations: Can it handle more than one property?

Yes, small portfolios are supported, but it is designed for a handful of properties rather than dozens.

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