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Travel · head to head

Ola vs Stayntouch

Ola logo

Ola

Travel

India focused ride hailing app from Bengaluru based ANI Technologies, competing directly with Uber across Indian cities

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Stayntouch logo

Stayntouch

Travel

Cloud property management system for independent hotels

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Ola has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Ola ola has entered and subsequently scaled back international operations in markets including the UK and Australia at different points, so current availability outside India should be verified directly rather than assumed from past expansion news.; Stayntouch quote-only pricing scaled by rooms, with no published rates
  • They diverge on capability: Ola covers Car ride hailing, Stayntouch covers Mobile check-in.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ola and Stayntouch actually diverge.

Attributes where Ola and Stayntouch differ
AttributeOlaStayntouch
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelFree app, pay per ride with dynamic pricingquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsiOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android, Cloud

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 Ola

  • Car ride hailing
  • Auto-rickshaw booking
  • Bike taxis
  • Ola Money
  • Outstation and rentals
  • Ola Electric integration

Only in Stayntouch

  • Mobile check-in
  • Guest self-service
  • Cloud PMS
  • Open API
  • Housekeeping
  • Payments

What people use each for

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

Ola

  • A rider in an Indian city choosing between Ola and Uber based on driver availability and price at the time of bookingnot Stayntouch
  • Someone wanting an auto-rickshaw or bike taxi booked through an app rather than hailed on the streetnot Stayntouch
  • A traveller wanting outstation or multi-hour car rental booked through the same app used for city ridesnot Stayntouch
  • A rider preferring UPI or Ola Money wallet payment integration over card-only paymentnot Stayntouch

Stayntouch

  • Hotels wanting to check guests in away from a fixed desknot Ola
  • Properties reducing lobby queuing at peak arrivalnot Ola
  • Independents replacing an on-premise PMS with cloudnot Ola

Where each one falls short

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

Ola

  • Ola has entered and subsequently scaled back international operations in markets including the UK and Australia at different points, so current availability outside India should be verified directly rather than assumed from past expansion news.
  • Fares are dynamic with demand-based surge like the rest of the category, and India-specific vehicle categories like auto-rickshaws can have less predictable pricing than standard car tiers.
  • Ola Electric, the electric scooter manufacturing business, is a separate company from the ride hailing app despite shared branding, and confusing the two when researching the company is a common and understandable mistake.
  • Driver cancellation rates and surge pricing behaviour have drawn periodic complaints from Indian riders, a pattern common across the ride hailing category in high-demand Indian metro areas specifically.
  • Support and dispute resolution for fare or safety issues is handled entirely within the Indian regulatory and customer service framework, which may differ from what a rider is used to in other markets.

Stayntouch

  • Quote-only pricing scaled by rooms, with no published rates
  • Mobile-first depends on property-wide wireless coverage that many older hotels do not have
  • A smaller vendor than the major PMS providers, with a narrower integration ecosystem
  • Strongest in North America, with less coverage elsewhere

Pricing, plan by plan

Ola

Free
  • OlaFree
    • App is free; riders pay per trip at dynamic, demand-based fares
    • Fares vary by vehicle type, including auto-rickshaw and bike taxi options priced lower than cars
    • No published flat rate card, fares vary by city, time and route

Stayntouch

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Stayntouch review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Ola if

  • You need car ride hailing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android.
  • You also want auto-rickshaw booking.
Ola review

Choose Stayntouch if

  • You need mobile check-in.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Cloud.
  • You also want guest self-service.
Stayntouch review

Questions people ask

Is Ola or Stayntouch better?
Neither clearly leads. Ola starts at Free and Stayntouch at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ola or Stayntouch?
Ola has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Ola and On request for Stayntouch.
Does Ola or Stayntouch run on more platforms?
Ola runs on iOS, Android. Stayntouch runs on Web, iOS, Android, Cloud.
Can I use Ola for free?
Yes. Ola has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Stayntouch starts at On request.
What is Ola best used for?
Ola is most often used for a rider in an indian city choosing between ola and uber based on driver availability and price at the time of booking, someone wanting an auto-rickshaw or bike taxi booked through an app rather than hailed on the street, a traveller wanting outstation or multi-hour car rental booked through the same app used for city rides, a rider preferring upi or ola money wallet payment integration over card-only payment. Of those, a rider in an indian city choosing between ola and uber based on driver availability and price at the time of booking and someone wanting an auto-rickshaw or bike taxi booked through an app rather than hailed on the street are not what Stayntouch is typically brought in for.
What can Ola do that Stayntouch cannot?
Ola covers Car ride hailing, Auto-rickshaw booking, Bike taxis, Ola Money. Stayntouch covers Mobile check-in, Guest self-service, Cloud PMS, Open API.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Ola: Does Ola operate outside India?

It has entered and later scaled back operations in some international markets including the UK and Australia at different points; current availability outside India should be checked directly rather than assumed.

Stayntouch: What does Stayntouch cost?

Quoted per property by room count; not published.

Ola: Is Ola Electric the same company as the Ola ride hailing app?

No, Ola Electric is a separately listed company that manufactures electric scooters. It shares branding and some ownership history with the ride hailing business but is a distinct company and product.

Stayntouch: What does mobile-first actually change?

Check-in happens on a tablet anywhere in the property or on the guest's own phone, rather than at a fixed counter, which changes both queuing and front-desk staffing.

Ola: Can I book an auto-rickshaw through Ola?

Yes, auto-rickshaw booking is a standard vehicle category in the app across supported Indian cities, alongside cars and bike taxis.

Stayntouch: What does it need to work well?

Reliable property-wide wireless. A mobile-first PMS is only as good as the network it runs on.

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