Property Management
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 • 14-day trial
Comparison
Kigo vs Lodgify
Pricing, pros and cons, and buyer-fit side-by-side. Pick the one that matches your operation — or see why neither should.
Property Management
Lodgify
Vacation rental software with built-in website builder
Best for Small Hosts
Best website-builder PMS for hosts growing into direct bookings
From $16/listing • 14-day trial
✓Editorial verdict
Which should you pick: Kigo or Lodgify?
Pick Kigo if you want 5 direct OTA channels and comprehensive operations tooling (eSignature, contactless check-in, task scheduling) at a $59/mo base plus booking commission. Pick Lodgify if you need an all-in-one direct-booking website builder with OTA channel sync, transparent per-listing pricing, and you want to drive bookings through your own website rather than paying OTA fees on every reservation.
Editorial perspective from the Kigo side; factual claims about Lodgify are drawn from its review.
Pricing side-by-side
Kigo
Full pricing →From $59/mo • 14-day 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.
Lodgify
Full pricing →From $16/listing • 14-day trial
Starter
$16/property/mo
Booking fee: 1.9% per booking
- Channel management (Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com)
- Direct booking website builder
- Calendar sync
- Guest communication
Professional
$40/property/mo
Booking fee: None
- Everything in Starter
- No booking fees
- Advanced automation
Ultimate
$59/property/mo
Booking fee: None
- Everything in Professional
- Priority support
- Advanced features
What each tool does well — and where it falls short
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.
What Lodgify does well
Reliable channel management with real-time calendar synchronization
Lodgify provides instant syncing across Airbnb, Booking.com, and VRBO that prevents double bookings, saving significant time in manual calendar updates.
Easy-to-use direct booking website builder
93% of users rated the interface as simple. The website builder enables property managers to create professional direct booking sites that reduce dependence on OTA commissions.
Strong customer support and onboarding process
Users consistently praise the comprehensive onboarding process along with helpful and friendly customer service staff who assist with platform setup and ongoing issues.
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.
Where Lodgify falls short
Mobile app stability issues and frequent logouts
Users report persistent mobile app stability problems with frequent logouts and limited mobile support for essential daily operations like cleaning and task management.
Limited reporting and operational management capabilities
Reporting features are limited compared to other hotel management software. Task tracking, maintenance, and owner reporting feel too restricted for complex operations.
Channel syncing issues particularly with VRBO
Some users experience ongoing syncing problems and tedious manual input requirements with VRBO integration, which can disrupt automated workflow processes.
Which should you pick
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
Pick Lodgify if
Small to mid-sized property managers (2–20 properties) focused on growing direct bookings and channel management automation.
Skip Lodgify if
You manage 20+ properties with complex operational needs, require advanced mobile task management, or need extensive reporting capabilities.
Where Kigo and Lodgify actually differ
- Lodgify includes a website builder with commission-free direct bookings and OTA channel sync with transparent per-listing pricing. Kigo charges 4% on direct bookings (includes CC processing; net ~1.2% platform fee) — Lodgify has a real cost advantage for direct-booking-focused operators.
- Lodgify's core positioning is direct-booking-first: website templates, SEO tools, and guest CRM designed to reduce dependence on OTA distribution. Kigo is OTA-distribution-first with website creation as an included feature but not the platform's primary pitch.
- Kigo includes operations tools like task scheduling, eSignature for rental agreements, and contactless guest portal. Lodgify focuses more on booking/marketing tooling — Kigo is broader on back-office operations.
- Both tools connect to major OTAs (Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Expedia). Kigo adds TripAdvisor as a 5th direct channel; Lodgify's exact channel count varies by plan. Comparable breadth on the channels that actually drive volume.
- Kigo charges commission even on cancelled bookings, a structure that's consistently flagged in user reviews. Lodgify's fee structure is per-listing subscription without per-booking penalties on cancellations — cleaner total-cost math.
Common objections
- Lodgify is direct-booking-first and Kigo charges 4% on direct bookings — why would any direct-booking-heavy operator pick Kigo?
- They probably shouldn't. Direct-booking fees are Kigo's worst feature for operators who drive significant traffic to their own website. Lodgify's direct-booking-first architecture (website builder, SEO tools, CRM) makes it the obvious choice for that use case. Kigo's pitch is multi-channel distribution plus bundled operations — if direct bookings are your primary revenue channel, Kigo's fee structure is hard to justify.
- Kigo has task scheduling and eSignature — doesn't that make it more complete than Lodgify's booking-focused tooling?
- For operators whose biggest pain point is back-office operations (cleaner scheduling, signed rental agreements, guest check-in), yes. But for operators whose biggest pain point is 'Airbnb/Vrbo take 15%+ of every booking,' Lodgify's direct-booking infrastructure matters more than Kigo's ops bundle. The question is which problem is bigger in your operation — Kigo for ops-heavy, Lodgify for margin-focused.
- Kigo has reported calendar sync bugs — wouldn't Lodgify's channel manager be more reliable?
- Lodgify has its own reliability reports in user reviews — no channel manager in this category is bug-free. Kigo's 3.7/5 ease-of-use rating is genuinely below average, but Lodgify isn't a clear exception. For reliability, neither is a safe default; evaluate both with a free trial on your actual property mix before committing.
Keep digging
Kigo
Comprehensive channel management hampered by per-booking commissions and reliability issues
Lodgify
Best website-builder PMS for hosts growing into direct bookings