Hostaway vs OwnerRez: Which Property Management Solution is Better for You?

Comparing Hostaway and OwnerRez: What you need to know

Running vacation rentals today takes more than good business instincts and a few spreadsheets. With so many channels to manage and processes to coordinate, most operators turn to property management software (PMS) to stay competitive.

The challenge is finding the right fit. Ill-suited vacation rental software can quickly become a burden, adding costs, slowing down workflows, and confusing your team. What matters most is finding a PMS that aligns with your business model, budget, and long-term goals.

Hostaway and OwnerRez are both solid contenders in the short-term rental industry. However, they cater to specific use cases and may not be the right fit for your company.

Let’s take a closer look at their features, pricing, and customer support to see whether they’ll enable you to scale and grow.

Key differences between Hostaway and OwnerRez

Hostaway and OwnerRez share many core functions like channel management, centralized automation, and financial reporting. Where they diverge is in pricing and user experience.

Hostaway runs on a custom pricing structure from your very first property. This means you tailor your subscription to your needs, which is ideal for larger operators who want more predictable costs for managing multiple units. It also emphasizes enterprise-style features like its owner portal, team collaboration tools, and analytics dashboard.

By contrast, OwnerRez takes a modular approach. It offers a core system with optional add-ons like booking management, QuickBooks, and a WordPress plugin. This gives you more flexibility to shape your tech stack, although it also creates more complexity as you must select and manage more extensions to get full functionality.

Another important distinction is that Hostaway charges a 1.8% booking fee while OwnerRez doesn’t. You must factor this into your budget because it can make a noticeable difference over time, especially for high-volume operators.

Hostaway: Who’s it best for?

Hostaway is well-suited to large vacation rental businesses. Its platform is built to support those with multiple listings, lots of team members, and scattered properties. In particular, the operations and analytics provide comprehensive oversight, making it easier to manage sprawling portfolios.

Its custom pricing structure should also appeal to established businesses. Instead of paying per property or per feature, you agree on one subscription that covers your usage and adjust as your needs change.

OwnerRez: Who’s it best for?

Small to medium operators with fast-growing portfolios are likely to get the most out of OwnerRez. Its modular approach offers flexibility without tying them to a rigid structure.

OwnerRez’s strong automation is also a good fit for managers who want powerful automation, but don’t necessarily need a large, all-in-one platform. The property management, channel manager, and team management features provide everything you need when you’re just building momentum.

Why Hostfully is the best alternative to Hostaway and OwnerRez

Although Hostaway and OwnerRez have their strengths, neither combines simplicity, scalability, and affordability quite like Hostfully does.

Hostfully includes everything you need to run a vacation rental business, from channel management with popular OTAs and guest messaging automation to no-code websites and digital guidebooks. We’re also one of the few platforms to include a CRM-style booking engine that lets you track every stage of the guest’s journey and a whole range of smart devices, including smart locks, thermostats, and cabinets. That’s all without forcing you into long-term commitments or missing out essential features.

Our pricing is also tailored to your size. Small businesses can get started with a low-cost monthly subscription that includes all the basics, while growing operators can move into custom plans. There are no booking fees on any plan, so you keep more of your revenue.

And with 24/7 live support, guided onboarding, and a dedicated customer success manager, Hostfully ensures you make the most of the platform. Our team is always there to walk you through setup and make our features work for your unique needs and goals.

Hostfully vs Hostaway and OwnerRez: A feature comparison

Real customer testimonials: Why businesses choose Hostfully over Hostaway and OwnerRez

Switching to Hostfully is easy and seamless

Changing your PMS is daunting. When your operations depend on software, the thought of downtime and possible disruption can make you hesitate — even if you know your current setup isn’t working.

Hostfully takes care of the transition for you. Our onboarding process starts with a kickoff call where you meet your dedicated customer success manager and our tech experts. From there, you just need to arrange with them to transfer data, sync integrations, or run test processes.

Everything is tailored to your specific needs. If you’re switching from Hostaway to Hostfully, for example, our team helps you transfer your complex setup into our streamlined solution without losing functionality. And if you’re going from OwnerRez to Hostfully, we show you how to handle critical processes like messaging guests and collecting signatures on the new platform.

Best of all, you set the pace. You can tell us whether you want a fast migration or a slow rollout to minimize disruption, and we’ll adapt to your timeframe.

Finished with your research? Time to see how Hostfully works!

Book a personalized demo to explore how Hostfully can streamline your short-term rental management and support your growth.