Hostaway's automation requires weeks of setup — Boom claims white-glove onboarding in one week. Is that real?

Boom's case studies cite one operator with 250 properties completing a full PMS migration in one week with 24/7 support including weekends. That's significantly faster than Hostaway's typical onboarding timeline. But speed of setup and quality of setup are different things — Boom is a younger product and fast migration doesn't guarantee that channel sync, automation rules, and financial reporting are production-stable from day one. Hostaway's longer setup reflects a more complex platform with deeper configuration options.

Both require sales calls for pricing — which is likely cheaper?

Neither publishes pricing for their core plans. Industry sources estimate Hostaway at ~$40/listing/mo; Boom discloses nothing. One Boom user reported saving ~$30k/year by consolidating tools, but that figure is unverifiable without knowing their previous stack. Hostaway's 1.8% direct booking fee is confirmed and non-negotiable. Get written quotes from both at the same listing count, and make sure Boom's quote accounts for any direct booking fees charged through their ICND integration.

Hostaway has triple-crown OTA partner status — doesn't that make it objectively safer for channel management?

Yes. Hostaway's preferred-partner status on Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com means priority API access, faster feature rollouts, and fewer sync errors. Boom claims 40+ channels but has no documented partner designations and no public evidence of channel reliability at scale. If bulletproof multi-channel sync is your top priority, Hostaway has earned that trust over years. Boom's channel management is unproven — that's not necessarily a failing, but it's a risk you're taking on.

Comparison

Boom vs Hostaway

Pricing, pros and cons, and buyer-fit side-by-side. Pick the one that matches your operation — or see why neither should.

Property Management

Boom

AI-first property management system for mid-to-large operators

Best for Automation

Ambitious AI-first PMS with real automation chops — but young, unpriced, and unproven at scale

Contact sales • No free trial

Full review →Is it worth it?

Property Management

Hostaway

All-in-one vacation rental software for professional hosts

Best for Scale

The automation layer for operators scaling past 10 listings

Contact sales • No free trial

Full review →Is it worth it?

Visit Boom →Visit Hostaway →

✓Editorial verdict

Which should you pick: Boom or Hostaway?

Pick Boom if you want deeper AI automation across guest messaging, reviews, and task management baked into the PMS — and you're willing to bet on a young platform with opaque pricing. Pick Hostaway if you need proven multi-channel reliability with preferred-partner status on Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com, a native mobile app, and an owner portal. Hostaway is the safer, more complete platform; Boom is the higher-ceiling, higher-risk play on AI-first operations.

Editorial perspective from the Boom side; factual claims about Hostaway are drawn from its review.

Pricing side-by-side

Boom

Full pricing →

Contact sales • No free trial

Detailed pricing tiers available on the Boom pricing page.

Hostaway

Full pricing →

Contact sales • No free trial

Standard (quote)

Quote only — ~$40/listing/mo reported

10+ listings typical

Booking fee: Percentage on direct bookings (rate depends on negotiated quote)

Channel manager for 26+ OTAs
Unified guest inbox
Automation engine
Direct booking site
Owner portal
Open API + marketplace access

Enterprise (quote)

Custom

50+ listings, management companies

Booking fee: Negotiated

Everything in Standard
Dedicated account manager
Priority support
Custom integrations

What each tool does well — and where it falls short

What Boom does well

Deep AI automation across guest comms and operations
Boom's BAM handles guest messaging 24/7, writes review responses, and auto-creates tasks from guest feedback. One operator said their front office team is 'now available to deal with making our guests happy, rather than dealing with repetitive stuff.'
White-glove onboarding and responsive support
Case studies and reviews consistently highlight hands-on migration support. One operator (250 properties) reported full PMS migration completed in one week with 24/7 support, including weekends.
Consolidates multiple tools, potentially cutting software spend
One reviewer reported saving ~$30k/year in add-on software costs after switching to Boom from a previous PMS stack, managing everything in one place.

What Hostaway does well

Best-in-class multi-channel reliability — eliminates double bookings
Real-time API sync across Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and dozens more. Operators consistently report it as the most reliable sync in the market, which directly prevents costly double-booking incidents.
Preferred-partner status with Airbnb, Vrbo, AND Booking.com — the 'triple crown'
Hostaway is the only property management platform with preferred/premier partner status across all three major OTAs. Priority API access and faster feature rollouts mean fewer sync errors and access to channel-exclusive tools before competitors.
Owner portal with professional reporting — real value for co-host and management companies
Owners get their own login to view revenue, occupancy, and payout statements in real time, with customizable visibility controls. For co-hosting businesses, this transparency tool is a genuine client-retention feature.

Where Boom falls short

No public pricing — must contact sales
Boom discloses no pricing on its website and the /pricing URL returns a 404. This makes comparison shopping impossible and suggests custom enterprise-style quoting.
Young product with reported stability issues
Launched around September 2024, two of ten Trustpilot reviews (1-star each) cite bugs and unfinished features. One reviewer warned: 'go for a grown up PMS who have a product that works.'
No built-in direct booking website builder
Unlike Lodgify, Hostaway, and Hospitable, Boom has no native website builder or booking widget. Direct booking sites require a third-party partner integration with ICND.

Where Hostaway falls short

1.8% booking engine fee on all direct bookings, introduced November 2024
Hostaway added a 1.8% guest service fee to every reservation through operators' own direct-booking websites. This undercuts one of the main advantages of direct bookings (avoiding OTA commissions) and was rolled out via a terms update that many users missed.
Steep learning curve and significant setup investment — not plug-and-play
Setup requires mapping channels, configuring automation rules, setting up owner statements, and training staff. Reviewers consistently note it takes weeks to become fully operational — a real barrier for small operators or teams without technical staff.
Opaque pricing and contract lock-in reported by users — cancellation is difficult
Hostaway requires a sales call to see numbers. Multiple HotelMinder reviews describe being signed into annual contracts they thought were monthly, and difficulty canceling mid-term. Read the contract carefully.

Which should you pick

Pick Boom if

Mid-to-large STR operators (50–360+ listings) who want an AI-first, all-in-one PMS with automated guest comms, dynamic pricing, and white-glove onboarding support.

Skip Boom if

You're a solo host or small operator who needs transparent pricing, a built-in direct booking website builder, or a mature mobile app — Boom has none of these.

Pick Hostaway if

Multi-property managers running 10-100+ listings across Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com who need reliable multi-channel sync, team task management, and owner reporting in one platform.

Skip Hostaway if

You have fewer than 5 listings, you're budget-sensitive, or you rely heavily on direct booking revenue and can't absorb a 1.8% booking engine fee on every guest transaction.

Where Boom and Hostaway actually differ

Boom's BAM provides 24/7 AI guest messaging, automated review responses, and auto-generated tasks from guest feedback. Hostaway's automation engine is a flexible rule builder that handles check-in messages, review requests, and task assignments — powerful once configured but not AI-driven or autonomous.
Hostaway holds preferred-partner status with Airbnb, Vrbo, AND Booking.com — the only PMS with all three. Boom claims 40+ channel connections but holds no published OTA partner designations and documents no channel API depth.
Hostaway includes a native iOS and Android mobile app and an owner portal with revenue reporting. Boom's mobile app has ~1k downloads with no star rating, and no owner portal has been documented.
Hostaway charges a 1.8% booking engine fee on all direct-website bookings. Boom has no built-in direct booking website builder — direct booking requires a third-party ICND integration, and any associated fees are undocumented.
Hostaway has 300+ integrations with open API on all plans. Boom's integration ecosystem is undocumented, though its all-in-one positioning suggests it aims to replace rather than integrate with third-party tools.

Common objections

Hostaway's automation requires weeks of setup — Boom claims white-glove onboarding in one week. Is that real?: Boom's case studies cite one operator with 250 properties completing a full PMS migration in one week with 24/7 support including weekends. That's significantly faster than Hostaway's typical onboarding timeline. But speed of setup and quality of setup are different things — Boom is a younger product and fast migration doesn't guarantee that channel sync, automation rules, and financial reporting are production-stable from day one. Hostaway's longer setup reflects a more complex platform with deeper configuration options.
Both require sales calls for pricing — which is likely cheaper?: Neither publishes pricing for their core plans. Industry sources estimate Hostaway at ~$40/listing/mo; Boom discloses nothing. One Boom user reported saving ~$30k/year by consolidating tools, but that figure is unverifiable without knowing their previous stack. Hostaway's 1.8% direct booking fee is confirmed and non-negotiable. Get written quotes from both at the same listing count, and make sure Boom's quote accounts for any direct booking fees charged through their ICND integration.
Hostaway has triple-crown OTA partner status — doesn't that make it objectively safer for channel management?: Yes. Hostaway's preferred-partner status on Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com means priority API access, faster feature rollouts, and fewer sync errors. Boom claims 40+ channels but has no documented partner designations and no public evidence of channel reliability at scale. If bulletproof multi-channel sync is your top priority, Hostaway has earned that trust over years. Boom's channel management is unproven — that's not necessarily a failing, but it's a risk you're taking on.

Keep digging

Boom

Ambitious AI-first PMS with real automation chops — but young, unpriced, and unproven at scale

Full Boom review →Is it worth it?

Hostaway

The automation layer for operators scaling past 10 listings

Full Hostaway review →Is it worth it?