Hospitable vs Guesty Lite for 1 to 3 listings
Short answer
Hospitable is the free start: its Essentials plan costs $0 with no property limit and puts Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com messages in one inbox. Guesty Lite has no free plan; after a 14-day trial it costs from $29 a listing a month, $20 on the annual plan or $9 plus 1% per booking. Paying either way, compare Hospitable Host ($29 for one home) or Professional ($74 for three) with Guesty's price for your listings.
| For a small host | Hospitable | Guesty Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Essentials: $0, no property limit source | None; a 14-day free trial of Lite source |
| Cost for 1 listing | $0 (Essentials) or $29 (Host) source | From $29 monthly, $20 annual or $9 + 1% per booking source |
| Cost for 2 listings | $0 (Essentials) or $39 (Host) source | From $58 monthly, $40 annual or $18 + 1% per booking source |
| Cost for 3 listings | $0 (Essentials) or $74 (Professional) source | From $87 monthly, $60 annual or $27 + 1% per booking source |
| Annual billing | 12% off paid plans, paid upfront; full refund only within 30 days of starting your trial source | From $20 a listing a month, against $29 billed monthly source |
| Free trial | 14 days on paid plans, no credit card source | 14 days, no credit card source |
| Listing limit | None on Essentials; Host 2 at most; Professional and Mogul no maximum source source | Made for 1 to 3 listings; 4 to 199 is Guesty Pro, priced by quote source source |
| Channels | Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com and Agoda on every plan source | Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com source |
| Messaging automation | Essentials: scheduled messages and saved replies; AI auto-replies, advanced rules and SMS aren't included source | Automated messages from templates, automated responses and AI-powered replies in one inbox source |
| Direct booking site | Professional and Mogul; not on Essentials or Host source | Booking engine listed as an add-on; whether Lite includes it isn't stated source |
| Dynamic pricing | $15 per property add-on on Essentials; included on paid plans source source | PriceOptimizer included on the $9 + 1% plan source |
| Watch out for | Essentials turns off Airbnb Smart Pricing, doesn't allow PriceLabs and its trip-insurance upsell can't be turned off source source source | The $9 price is a limited-time offer with 1% per booking; what happens at a fourth listing isn't stated source source |
By situation
- The same home on two platforms and no budget yet: Hospitable Essentials, free, with one inbox for both.
- One home on a paid plan: Hospitable Host is $29 with dynamic pricing included; Guesty Lite is from $29 monthly or $20 a month on its annual plan.
- Three listings on a paid plan: Guesty Lite's annual plan starts at $60 a month; Hospitable Professional is $74 monthly or $65.12 on annual billing, with a direct booking site included.
- You want direct bookings now: Hospitable includes a booking site from Professional. Guesty lists its booking engine as an add-on, so ask Guesty what it costs on Lite before you count on it.
- A fourth listing is coming: Hospitable Professional and Mogul have published prices and no maximum. Guesty's 4 to 199 listing tier is priced by quote.
Choose Hospitable if
You want to start free, the same home is on two or more platforms or you want Agoda too. On a paid plan, Host covers one or two homes from $29 with dynamic pricing included, and Professional adds a direct booking site.
Choose Guesty Lite if
You're paying for software anyway and Guesty's annual price for your listings is lower (three listings from $60 a month), or you want pricing built in for a per-booking fee instead of a flat one. Confirm what the booking engine costs on Lite before counting on direct bookings.
Or neither
With one listing on one platform, the platform's own scheduled messages and calendar may be all you need. The software check tells you, based on your setup.
Check your own setup
Tick where you list and what you already use. See whether it's enough and what conflicts.
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