Top 5 Streamline Alternatives for Vacation Rentals in 2024

Streamline is a powerful all-in-one property management system (PMS), but it’s not for everyone.

If you’re looking for Streamline alternatives or investing in your first-ever PMS, it’s crucial to find the right platform for you. Switching PMS is no small feat, so you’ll want to get it right from the word go to minimize the risk of disruption or downtime further down the line.

But with so many Streamline alternatives and property management software out there, how can you know which is best for you? 

We’ve found five alternatives to Streamline, and listed features, pricing, and the latest user reviews—so you can see how they compare.

We’ll explore:

• Who Streamline is for
• What to look for in a Streamline alternative
• The 5 best Streamline alternatives: Hostfully, Track, Hostaway, OwnerRez, and Escapia

Who is Streamline for?

Streamline is a highly-respected, powerful all-in-one tool with advanced features, such as built-in accounting and a customer relationship management (CRM) platform. 

Streamline is widely recognized in the industry, and won at the VRMB Keystone Awards in 2021. It is also a Preferred Partner of Airbnb and has an Elite Vrbo connection.

What should you look for in a Streamline alternative?

Let’s explore what you should look out for when it comes to comparing options. 

Wide range of integrations

A Streamline alternative should make it easier for you to connect your PMS to a wide array of Airbnb management tools and platforms that simplify your business operations. Choose a platform with a dynamic open API, connections to major online travel agencies (OTAs), payment processors, accountancy software, task managers, etc.

Simplicity and ease of use

You’ll want your alternative to prioritize simplicity and ease of use. Whether this means that it has a simple user interface, a modern dashboard, or user reviews attesting to easy setup and good support, this will be a key priority in your search.

Messaging automation

Messaging guests manually can take hours and can require you to stay stuck to your phone or laptop typing out the same replies repeatedly. Using a PMS with advanced messaging automation lets you send pre-written messages at the exact right time using triggers. So you’ll never forget to send an email or SMS, and your guests have all the info they need when they need it. Also, responding to messages fast is key to achieving Airbnb Superhost status.

Booking journey or pipeline

Growing your business means understanding where your main leads (aka prospective guests) are coming from and where they are in their booking journey. If someone is sent a quote but doesn’t book, or they pay but haven’t yet received check-in instructions, it’s important to know why. 

Using a tool with a booking pipeline lets you see where your guests are in their journey so you can follow up promptly and ensure they have all the details they need at each stage.

Excellent support

Switching PMS can be technically complex. You need to unplug from your existing PMS and wait for the new one to come online. So there’s a risk of missing messages or bookings in the interim.  Even with the simplest platform, you’ll have questions and need some support to get up to speed. 

So you’ll want to find a PMS that offers excellent support tailored to your business needs and users’ skill level.

Easy-to-calculate pricing

It’s easier to compare software and understand how much it’ll cost for your specific portfolio size if you find a platform that offers a simple, easy-to-calculate pricing structure based on the number of units.

A good Streamline alternative will offer pricing per unit and/or simple pricing bands that show what you get for the price and how many properties it covers—ideally without needing a bespoke quote.

Easy-to-update digital guidebooks

Streamline offers a guest app, which enables you to send guests crucial information such as check-in details. However, most PMSs don’t have a proper guidebook feature designed to make it easy to include and update house manuals and policies, and local recommendations. You can also improve the guest experience by sharing essential information and answering FAQs before they arise. This also cuts down on repetitive guest communication and frustration, so any good Streamline alternative should include this.

The 5 best Streamline alternatives for vacation rental managers

Now you know what you’re looking for, let’s dig into the platforms themselves. 

We’ve compared them according to which type of business they might work best for, their key features, pricing, and what users say about them.

1. Hostfully

Hostfully is an all-in-one, award-winning property management platform that has Preferred Partner status with Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com. It picked up awards from the VRMB Keystone Awards in 2019 and 2021 (no awards were given to anyone in 2020) and offers a wide range of integrations. It also specializes in offering white-glove personalized support.

Best for: Businesses of any size who want an in-depth overview of leads and excellent support. The option to add on Hostfully’s stand-alone, proprietary Hostfully Guidebooks feature is a bonus.

Key features

• Booking Pipeline Management – Keep at-a-glance track of your guests’ booking journey and see how potential leads move through the pipeline, so you can optimize marketing, plan future bookings more accurately, and maximize revenue 

• Channel Distribution – Integrations with 14 leading OTAs and niche sites

• Mobile App – On-the-go property management, including calendars and guest communication

• Central Calendar – View all reservations in a single place and avoid double bookings 

• Automated Messaging – Save time and never forget crucial info with pre-written messages

• Direct Bookings Site – Drive direct bookings, improve guest relationships, gather guest data for future marketing campaigns, and save on OTA fees

• Unified Inbox – See all messages in one place so you can reply to guests quickly and easily and improve response times and satisfaction 

• Upsell Services – Generate more revenue and delight guests with extra amenities  

• Payment Processing – Popular integrations to collect payments and security deposits 

• Owner Management – Generate regular financial reports and keep owners happy

• Pricing Tools – Integration with dynamic pricing tools to ensure competitive rates

• White-Glove Support – Onboarding services and tailored customer care

Pricing 

• Starts at $99 per month for Starter (1-4 units)
• $189 for Pro (5-11 units)
• From $239 for Pro Plus (12-19 units)
• From $250 for Premium (20+ units)

Hostfully is priced to reward growth. It enables you to calculate costs per number of units, with no hidden extras or fees. Its online calculator runs to $1,500 per month for 250 properties. Managers with more than 250 properties can request a personalized quote.

Hostfully doesn’t offer a free trial.

2. Track

Track positions itself as a fast-moving, innovative, enterprise software solution that enables companies to scale. It won at the VRMB Keystone Awards in 2021 and is a Google Vacation Rentals Partner. Its standout features include an online booking engine and a built-in trust accounting system. Track also has marketing services and solutions positioned at larger businesses, such as features for reservation managers.

Key features

• Trust Accounting – Fast financial management for complex tax accounting
• Triggers and Automations – Save time with web-based tools, schedules, and templates
• Channel Management – Direct connections with OTAs including Vrbo, Airbnb and Home2Go
• Rates and Reservations – Revenue management tools for updated dynamic pricing
• Direct Booking Engine – Integrated engine with payment processing for direct bookings
• Guest and Owner Portals – Platforms to offer guests and owners all the details they need, like revenue reports, check-in details, house rules, etc. 
• Integrations – Huge array of integrations to third-party tools including insurance, guest experience services, and smart locks 

Pricing 

Track doesn’t publish its pricing publicly or offer a pricing calculation tool on its website. Instead, it offers personalized quotes based on the number of units or rooms. 

Track doesn’t offer a free trial.

3. Hostaway

Hostaway is a well-known all-in-one property management system specially designed for vacation rentals. It is a Preferred Partner of Airbnb, Booking.com, Google Vacation Rentals, Expedia, Booking.com, Marriott Homes & Villas, and Tripadvisor. It has also won accolades including Front Runner in the 2022 Software Advice awards and in the GetApp 2022 Leaders category.

Key features

• Reservations Manager – Keep track of bookings and inquiries and send offers and upsells
• Performance Dashboard – Get an at-a-glance view of business and boost conversions
• Channel Manager – Preferred Partner of Airbnb, Vrbo, Expedia and Booking.com
• Automation Tools – Schedule messages, reviews, tasks, and streamline workflows
• Communication Tools – Benefit from a unified inbox and owner and guest portals
• Marketing Solutions – Drive direct bookings with your own website and offer coupons
• Operations Solutions – Enable payment processing, signatures, and smart lock setup
• Mobile App – Manage your business and communicate even on-the-go
• Open API – Integrate almost any software or build your own tool
• Analytics and Reporting – Make data-based decisions with a wide range of reporting tools

Pricing 

Hostaway doesn’t make its pricing public, and invites interested users to request a quote online. However, users report that it costs around $50 per property per month. If this is correct, it equates to $1,000 for 20 properties.

Hostaway doesn’t offer a free trial.

Users particularly appreciate its “user-friendliness”, and “intuitiveness.” However, many note that it’s “pretty complex” and there are “a lot of functions.”

4. OwnerRez

OwnerRez vacation rental software positions itself as suitable for homeowners with only a few units, as well as property managers with a larger portfolio. It’s also a Preferred Partner of Airbnb, Booking.com, and Tripadvisor and an Elite Vrbo Partner. It won the Software Advice Most Recommended award in 2021 and the Best Functionality & Features award the same year.

Key features

• Channel Management – Integrations to major OTAs and niche sites
• Messaging – Email, SMS, and Airbnb messaging sent automatically on pre-set schedules 
• Website Tools – Drive direct bookings via a proprietary website builder or WordPress plugin
• Finance and Accounting – Use leading processors to take payments and handle security deposits, and manage taxes and revenue
• Property Management – Generate owner statements and manage property accounting
• CRM – Automations for lead management, data capture, and long-term marketing campaigns
• Reporting – Wide variety of reports on all kinds of key performance indicators (KPIs)

Pricing 

• $100 for one property per month with all features included
• $420 for 20 properties per month, all features included
• $3,014 for 500 units per month, all features included

OwnerRez offers a sliding calculator on its website, making it easy to see how much it costs per property up to 500 units. After that, it’s custom priced. Pricing given here includes all features—like property management, QuickBooks integration, direct booking, and SMS messaging. However, you can bring the price down by opting out of some of these. 

OwnerRez offers a free 14-day trial.

5. Escapia

Escapia is vacation rental software for businesses that are aiming to scale and bring more owners onto their books. It positions itself as an innovative platform with over 100 features.

Key features

• Performance Dashboard – Track business performance in real-time using visual data  
• Opportunities Hub – A personalized data insights dashboard 
• Trust Accounting – Manage tax and financial reports and industry regulations
• Distribution – Manage listings across major OTAs and niche channels
• Reservation Calendar – Get an at-a-glance overview of stays
• Housekeeping & Management – Save time scheduling and boost standards with prompt maintenance and cleaning 
• Owner Portal – Keep owners happy by offering insights via a self-service dashboard
• Reporting – Generate reliable reports and save time by pulling data automatically
• Guest Hospitality – Mobile app for guests to access to reservation and property details 
• Integrations – A long list of 94 connections and partnerships, including for payment processing, channel management, marketing, dynamic pricing, insurance, and guest upsells

Pricing 

Like many alternatives to Escapia, the company doesn’t publish pricing on its website. Users can request a quote, which is calculated based on the number of units. Capterra reports that Escapia pricing starts at $9 per property per month. So, $180 for 20 properties, as an example.

Escapia doesn’t offer a free trial.

Streamline alternatives: choose the right one for your business

Streamline is powerful, but it may not be right for your company. Whether you’re looking to switch from your existing PMS or investing in one for the first time, your PMS should offer a wide range of integrations suited to your business needs and fit the skill level of your end-users. It should also have tools dedicated to improving the guest experience, such as digital guidebooks, and automated messaging via SMS and email.

If you’re looking for an all-in-one, modern platform with excellent support, clear pricing, and a wide range of features designed for VRMs of all sizes, Hostfully will help you take your business from strength to strength.

Frequently asked questions about Streamline alternatives

What is Streamline used for?

Streamline is an all-in-one property management system with a long history within the vacation rental industry. It offers tools including lead and revenue management, automations, channel distribution, and trust accounting.

Does Streamline work with Airbnb and Vrbo?

Streamline PMS works with Airbnb and Vrbo, via its integrations marketplace. Streamline also has other booking channel integrations (26 out of its 72 total integrations are booking channels).  

Is there a Streamline equivalent for multiple property managers?

Streamline works well for property managers with multiple properties. In fact, it is particularly well-suited for managers with a larger portfolio. However, some may prefer Streamline alternatives such as Hostfully or OwnerRez.