Property Management Software
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
Comparison
Hostaway vs Kigo
Pricing, pros and cons, and buyer-fit side-by-side. Pick the one that matches your operation — or see why neither should.
Property Management Software
Kigo
All-in-one vacation rental PMS with channel management, now a Guesty company
Solid Option
Comprehensive channel management hampered by per-booking commissions and reliability issues
From $59/mo • Free trial
✓Editorial verdict
Which Should You Pick: Hostaway or Kigo?
Pick Kigo if you run fewer than 5 listings and need the lowest possible base fee — $59/mo flat beats Hostaway's per-listing math at small scale, and the free trial lets you evaluate before committing. Pick Hostaway if you run 10+ listings, need 8 OTA channels with preferred-partner status on Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com, and want 300+ integrations with Zapier and an open API.
Editorial perspective from the Hostaway side; factual claims about Kigo are drawn from its review.
Pricing Side-by-Side
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
Kigo
Full pricing →From $59/mo • Free trial
Flat monthly
$59/mo flat rate subscription. Kigo charges 1.25% on non-payment bookings (e.g., Airbnb where the OTA collects payment) and 4% on paid bookings (e.g., VRBO, Booking.com, Direct) — the 4% includes credit card processing fees (~2.8% Stripe), making the effective platform commission ~1.2%. Commission is charged even on cancelled bookings. Free trial available, no credit card required.
Try KigoWhat each tool does well — and where it falls short
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.
What Kigo does well
Extensive channel management and synchronization
Kigo offers seamless integration to major third-party channels with synchronized availability, rates, and content across multiple listing sites, reducing risk of double bookings and opening up sales revenue opportunities.
User-friendly interface for daily operations
Users with 30+ years in vacation rentals find Kigo the quickest and easiest to learn for getting daily tasks completed, with straightforward processes for payments, refunds, and customer communication.
Comprehensive feature coverage in one platform
Kigo integrates reservation management, distribution, marketing, revenue management, eSignature, and website creation in one platform, streamlining operations for property managers.
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.
Where Kigo falls short
High pricing burden on smaller operations
Pricing is consistently noted as high for smaller businesses, with minimum monthly fees that can be prohibitive for operators with limited vacation rental inventory.
Technical complexity and reliability issues
Users report frequent bugs and glitches affecting integrations, calendar syncing, and website functionality, with an average Ease of Use rating of 3.7 versus the 4.5 category average.
Commission charges on all bookings including direct
Unlike many competitors, Kigo charges a percentage of all bookings including direct bookings not acquired through channels, and continues charging commission even on cancelled bookings.
Which Should You Pick
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.
Pick Kigo if
Mid-to-large vacation rental managers seeking comprehensive channel distribution and established integrations
Skip Kigo if
Budget-conscious small operators or those prioritizing cost efficiency over extensive channel connectivity
Where Hostaway and Kigo actually differ
- Kigo charges $59/mo flat plus 1.25% on non-payment bookings and 4% on paid bookings — commission applies even on cancelled bookings. Hostaway charges ~$40/listing/mo (quote-only) with no per-booking OTA commission, so at 10+ listings with real booking volume Hostaway's total cost is often lower despite the higher base.
- Hostaway connects to 8 direct OTA channels including Expedia, Agoda, and HomeToGo and holds preferred-partner status on Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com simultaneously. Kigo connects to 5 direct channels with no documented preferred-partner status — fewer distribution options and no priority API access.
- Hostaway offers 300+ integrations, Zapier support, and an open API. Kigo lists 12+ integrations, no Zapier, and limited API access — a significant gap for operators who build workflows around third-party tools.
- Kigo offers a free trial with no credit card required, making it easy to evaluate. Hostaway requires a sales conversation to get pricing and has no free trial — a higher barrier to entry, especially for smaller operators still shopping.
- Kigo's 4% commission on paid bookings includes credit card processing (~2.8% Stripe), making the effective platform take ~1.2%. Hostaway charges 1.8% only on direct-website bookings and nothing on OTA bookings — for OTA-heavy operators, Hostaway's fee structure is materially cheaper.
Common objections
- Kigo's $59/mo flat base is a fraction of Hostaway's ~$400/mo at 10 listings — why not save the money?
- Because Kigo's 4% commission on paid bookings closes the gap quickly. On $200K/year in paid-channel revenue, Kigo adds roughly $8,000 in commission on top of the $708 annual base (~$8,708 total). Hostaway at 10 listings runs ~$4,800/year with no OTA commission. Above about 5 listings with meaningful booking volume, Hostaway is the cheaper option in total cost.
- Kigo is now a Guesty subsidiary — doesn't that mean it will improve fast?
- Possibly, but the current product still ships 5 channels versus Hostaway's 8, no native mobile app, no Zapier, limited API, and documented calendar sync reliability issues. Evaluate on what the platform does today, not roadmap speculation — if Kigo closes the gap later, you can always reassess.
- Kigo has a free trial and Hostaway doesn't — shouldn't I just try Kigo first since there's no risk?
- Kigo's free trial is a real advantage for low-commitment evaluation. But if your portfolio is 10+ listings and you need broad channel coverage, preferred-partner status, and a modern integration ecosystem, Hostaway's feature set is materially stronger. A sales call is a small cost compared to onboarding onto a platform you'll outgrow.
Keep Digging
Hostaway
The automation layer for operators scaling past 10 listings
Kigo
Comprehensive channel management hampered by per-booking commissions and reliability issues