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
Comparison
Hostaway vs OwnerRez
Pricing, pros and cons, and buyer-fit side-by-side. Pick the one that matches your operation — or see why neither should.
Property Management
OwnerRez
Vacation rental software for serious hosts
Best Overall
Most reliable channel manager in its price tier
From $40/listing • 14-day trial
✓Editorial verdict
Which should you pick: Hostaway or OwnerRez?
Pick Hostaway if you need broad multi-channel distribution across 8+ OTAs, a modern UI, and a mobile app for on-the-go management. Pick OwnerRez if you prioritize zero booking fees, predictable published pricing, and best-in-class direct booking tools. OwnerRez is the stronger value below 20 listings; Hostaway pulls ahead when channel breadth and automation matter more than cost transparency.
Editorial perspective from the Hostaway side; factual claims about OwnerRez 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
OwnerRez
Full pricing →From $40/listing • 14-day trial
1 property
~$40/mo
1 listing
Booking fee: Zero on all bookings
- Channel manager (Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Google)
- Hosted booking website + widgets
- WordPress plugin
- CRM + guest profiles
- E-signed rental agreements
- Custom triggers + automation
- QuickBooks Online integration
- 14-day free trial
5 properties
$88/mo
Up to 5 listings
Booking fee: Zero on all bookings
- Everything in 1-property tier
- Owner statements + reporting
10+ properties
Sliding scale, decreases per-unit cost as portfolio grows
10+ listings
Booking fee: Zero on all bookings
- Everything in 5-property tier
- Volume pricing
- Priority support
What 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 OwnerRez does well
Zero booking fees on all channels — including direct
OwnerRez charges only the flat per-property rate — no percentage cut, no per-booking commissions, no surprises. Predictable costs as volume grows.
Best-in-class direct-API channel management, included free
OwnerRez builds its own direct API connections to Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and Google Vacation Rentals rather than routing through a third-party aggregator. Faster sync, fewer failure points, and no extra fee for channel connectivity.
Support quality is the platform's defining differentiator
Across Capterra, G2, and Trustpilot, support quality is the single most cited reason operators choose and stay with OwnerRez. Personalised guidance and custom screen-capture videos — uncommon at this price point.
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 OwnerRez falls short
No native iOS or Android app — mobile management runs through a PWA with real limitations
Users report missing push notifications for SMS and channel messages, navigation issues, and difficult photo reordering on mobile. Staff have confirmed no app is planned.
Steep initial learning curve — the depth is real and so is the ramp
OwnerRez is designed for depth over ease of setup. Independent reviews consistently agree the platform rewards patience but demands it. Users expecting plug-and-play describe feeling overwhelmed initially.
Email-only support — no phone line for urgent issues during live bookings
For most users the depth of email responses compensates, but for time-sensitive situations (guest locked out at check-in, channel sync failure mid-booking), the inability to call is a meaningful gap.
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 OwnerRez if
Tech-comfortable hosts and property managers with 2-100+ listings who want deep channel automation, granular accounting, and a direct booking website — and are willing to invest setup time.
Skip OwnerRez if
You need a native iOS/Android app for on-the-go management, want plug-and-play onboarding with minimal configuration, or primarily operate outside the US market.
Where Hostaway and OwnerRez actually differ
- OwnerRez: published sliding-scale pricing starting at $40/mo for 1 property, ~$112/mo for 8 properties, zero booking fees. Hostaway: ~$40/listing/mo (quote-only) plus 1.8% on direct bookings — roughly $320/mo for 8 listings before the booking fee.
- Hostaway: 8 direct OTA channels including Expedia, Agoda, and HomeToGo. OwnerRez: 4 direct channels (Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Google Vacation Rentals).
- OwnerRez: zero booking fees on all channels including direct. Hostaway: 1.8% booking engine fee on all direct-website bookings, introduced November 2024.
- Hostaway: native iOS and Android mobile app. OwnerRez: PWA only — no native app, no push notifications, staff have confirmed no app is planned.
- OwnerRez: 14-day free trial, no contracts, transparent pricing page. Hostaway: no free trial, quote-only pricing, reported annual contract lock-in.
Common objections
- OwnerRez is way cheaper — why would I pay Hostaway's premium?
- Because you're buying channel breadth and operational convenience. OwnerRez connects to 4 OTAs; Hostaway connects to 8. Hostaway has a real mobile app; OwnerRez has a limited PWA. If you list on Expedia or Agoda, or manage properties away from a desktop, that premium has a measurable return. If you don't, OwnerRez's pricing advantage is real.
- OwnerRez has zero booking fees — doesn't Hostaway's 1.8% direct booking fee kill the direct-booking business case?
- It takes a bite, yes. On a $200/night booking, that's $3.60 per night to Hostaway on top of your subscription. If direct bookings are your primary revenue strategy, OwnerRez's zero-fee model saves meaningful money. Hostaway's advantage is the broader channel mix that may generate enough incremental OTA revenue to offset the fee.
- OwnerRez's support is legendary — is Hostaway's support comparable?
- OwnerRez's email support is genuinely best-in-class at its price point, with personalized video responses that operators rave about. Hostaway offers phone and chat on higher tiers, but user reports are more mixed. If support quality is your top decision factor, OwnerRez has the stronger track record.
Keep digging
Hostaway
The automation layer for operators scaling past 10 listings