Lodgify vs Guesty: Which Vacation Rental Software Should You Choose?

Lodgify vs Guesty—Both offer an all-in-one solution for your vacation rentals, but which one is better?

Managing multiple vacation properties is quite a hassle. You need to juggle tons of variables, from bookings from multiple OTAs; you must also handle communications from multiple channels and payments.

Table of Contents

1. Understanding Lodgify
2. Exploring Guesty
3. Direct Comparison: Lodgify vs Guesty
4. Making the Right Choice for Your Property

Both Lodgify and Guesty come with a ton of features specifically designed to streamline vacation property management.

In this article, we will go in-depth on the Lodgify vs Guesty comparison of vacation rental competitors to find out which is the best vacation rental software for your needs.

Understanding Lodgify

Lodigfy is an online vacation rental property management service that caters to everyone, from single property owners to professionals who manage over a dozen properties. 

Lodgify also offers tailored solutions for all kinds of properties, from bed and breakfasts to villas and small hotels.

Key Features of Lodgify

Lodgify offers so many features that you can spend an entire day just reading the overview. Luckily, we boiled down the list to just a couple that you might find useful.

Website Builder

Whether you’re renting out a single property or are a large property management company, you need a website, even if you manage listings on multiple channels. In such a way, you can save money on listing fees since clients can book directly via your website rather than via a channel like Airbnb.

Lodgify provides tons of website templates you can easily customize to fit your needs. Customizing a template is very simple; you can do it from the dashboard and alter everything from logos and colors to images.

Of course, website customization goes much deeper. You can also add rental listings, create new pages, register a domain, set custom URLs, and even add your own code.

And if you’ve already set up a website via WordPress or Squarespace, you can embed Lodgify code for stuff such as the Book Now box, Book Now button, and Search widget. This way, all your rental processes are done through Lodgify, massively streamlining the entire process.

Mashvisor also comes with a website builder. It’s built from the ground up to create an investor-friendly, SEO-optimized website for all your MLS listings. A website is a great way to generate high-quality leads for your real estate business. 

Listing Management

Another one of Lodgify’s major features is listing management. To start, you can either create the listings using Lodgify’s listing creator or import them directly from Airbnb. 

Creating a listing manually is pretty straightforward and hassle-free. You have access to all the customizations you need to let your guests know what they can expect from their vacation rental. 

The listing manager lets you customize the listing to minute details, including rental type, location, photos, guest limits, rates, etc.

You can also toggle amenities on/off for every property you add. Lastly, the booking settings allow you to add check-in and check-out times, as well as rental agreements and other information guests might find useful.

Wherever a customer creates a booking, all the said info will become visible in the booking info section.

Channel Manager

An Airbnb channel manager helps you manage bookings across various hosting platforms, such as Airbnb and Booking.com. By syncing properties across different channels, you can keep calendars updated and apply rate changes universally.

It means you can update the availability and prices of properties across all channels simultaneously, saving you a lot of time and effort. Additionally, it reduces the risk of double bookings for your properties.

Lodgify currently provides API integrations for Airbnb Professional and Basic, as well as Booking.com, Expedia, and HomeAway/Vrbo.

Unfortunately, its API doesn’t integrate fully with all platforms. For instance, you can’t pull Airbnb metrics, nor can you import listings from Expedia.

Guest Communication

Ask any vacation rental manager what the key to success is, and they’ll tell you it’s keeping customers satisfied. It is why Lodgify comes with a Guest Module. The module allows you to create email templates to talk with guests before, during, and after their stay at your property.

However, the said feature is reserved for the most expensive plan, which is geared towards large property managers. It’s somewhat disappointing because that’s one of the best Lodgify features.

Task Management

Handling a rental management operation can be quite difficult if you can’t automate things. Luckily, Lodgify comes with a task management feature that allows you to set up user portals for your teams where you can create recurring tasks.

Tasks will be organized in a calendar view, allowing team members to see the dates of their assigned tasks across different properties easily.

Pricing and Plans

Lodgify, like most online services nowadays, offers three plans:

• Starter – Starts at $13 a month
• Professional – Starts  at $38 a month
• Ultimate – Starts at $59 a month

The Starter Plan gives you access to the website builder, property management system, channel manager, guest messaging, email support, and more. Unfortunately, there is also a 1.9% booking fee on all reservations.

The Professional Plan comes with all the benefits of the Starter plan, plus the booking fee is waived. You also get access to manual payments, advanced guest messaging, Google vacation rentals, and phone customer support.

Lastly, the Ultimate Plan comes with all the perks of the Starter and Professional Plans, and you get access to property management modules, advanced owner management, a free Turno subscription, and priority customer support.

Pros and Cons

With all the features and pricing covered, let’s go over the pros and cons.

Pros:

• Excellent integrations – Thanks to the two-way API, importing listings from your other channels is a breeze. Importing is as easy as clicking a couple of buttons.
• Website Builder – You’re able to make a visually impressive website in no time, even without any coding experience.
• Booking Management – Lodgify comes with features for managing reservations, calendars, and guest communication, helping streamline the booking process.

Cons:

• Dependence on Third-Party Channels – While channel management is a key feature, users may encounter issues with synchronization or restrictions imposed by third-party booking platforms.
• Technical Support Response Time – Users may experience occasional delays in receiving support responses during peak times or for more complex issues.
• Learning Curve – While Lodgify strives to be user-friendly, new users may still encounter a learning curve, especially when setting up their website and configuring features.

Now, let’s take a look at the other contestants in the Lodgify vs. Guesty for Hosts comparison.

Exploring Guesty

Guesty is vacation rental management software designed for managers with over 20 properties. 

Guesty currently lists a little over 1,000 customers that manage around 100,000 properties. The reason why it’s so popular is that it’s pretty reliable and comes with tons of advanced automation, such as automated messages, auto payment options, a channel manager, and more.

Key Features of Guesty

Before we declare a winner in the Lodgify vs. Guesty comparison, let’s look at what features Guesty brings to the table.

Dashboard

The Guesty dashboard, known as the Overview Page, gives you a big-picture view of your vacation rental business. It shows your current and upcoming bookings, confirmed check-ins, average payments, nights booked, and other important details.

For management companies with lots of properties, having this kind of dashboard is very important for quickly checking how each property is doing and getting a rough NOI estimate. Not all vacation rental management systems offer this feature, so it’s great that Guesty includes it.

Channel Manager

Managing multiple vacation rentals without a channel manager is time-consuming. This is why Guesty offers a feature that will increase your efficiency in property management.

With Guesty’s channel manager, you can easily tweak your listing info and bookings in one spot, and voila, it’s updated everywhere! Guesty works with big names like Airbnb, Booking.com, and more, so you’re sorted across the board. 

Moreover, if you oversee over 15 listings, you can even connect directly to TripAdvisor. While it may only cover some channels, Guesty’s got the main ones covered, making rental management that much more streamlined.

Centralized Calendar

The centralized calendar in Guesty gathers booking details from all the channels your properties are connected to. It provides a list view of your properties and shows which channel each booking is from.

Listing Management

Within the Guesty PMS, you can create and edit property listings easily. You can also update photos, block off dates on calendars, set tasks, and more, all from within the platform.

When you select a specific listing, you’ll see a property overview similar to the main Guesty dashboard. The overview includes details like monthly occupancy rates, upcoming reservations, average payouts, and other important information.

Centralized Inbox

Guesty’s centralized inbox allows you to communicate with all your customers from a single centralized inbox. Whether guests use Airbnb, Booking.com, or their email, all messages land in the said inbox. 

The layout is user-friendly: messages are listed on the left, the current chat is in the center, and guest booking details are on the right.

Analytics

In addition to the analytics available on the dashboard, Guesty enables you to generate reports about properties. You can create reports for individual properties or owners with multiple properties. It is one of a few Guesty advantages over Lodgify.

Pricing and Plans

A Guesty review shows that the platform is pretty hush-hush when it comes to pricing. That is why, before we get into any detail about this short-term rental software’s pricing and plans, we recommend you sign up for a demo before making any commitments.

Here are Guesty’s pricing plans:

• Lite – From $27 a month
• Pro – Depends on the scale of your operation
• Enterprise -Depends on the scale of your operation

The Lite Plan is robust for just $27 a month. You get access to reservation and property management, multi-channel distribution, unified inbox, workflow automation, and more. You also get limited access to growth and finance features, such as CRM, direct reservations, and third-party payment processing.

The Pro Plan gives you access to owner reservations, management of multi-unit complexes, personalized guest quotes, coupons, and promotions, open API, and more. You also get more in-depth analytics and 24/7 priority customer support via chat and phone.

The Enterprise Plan is tailored towards a large rental property business. It includes access to expense tracking, trust accounting, full tech-stack customization, and enterprise-grade security and compliance. 

Pros and Cons

With all the pricing and features of the short-term rental management software laid out, let’s see its pros and cons.

Pros:

• Tons of Integrations – Guesty can work with lots of other apps. For example, it can get suggestions on rates from VR pricing tools such as PriceLabs, Wheelhouse, and Buoy. It can sync check-in and check-out info with housekeeping apps like Breezeway and RoomChecking. Other cool integrations include RemoteLock, Zapier, UpsellGuru, and LuggageHero.
• Owner support – With Guesty, managers handling daily tasks can set up custom permissions for property owners. They can grant access to an Owner Portal where owners can view stats like nights booked, occupancy rates, and average nightly rates.
• Constant updates – Guesty operates in the cloud, so you’ll never miss out on the latest software updates. They’re always rolling out improvements and introducing new features, often based on feedback from users like you.

Cons:

• Pricing – Guesty is filled with features, which means it costs more than other booking management tools. They charge a flat monthly fee, and you must also pay payment processing fees. 
• Too many features – If you’re just starting a vacation rental business, Guesty might provide you with too many features you need or can handle. If you manage under 15 properties, you’re better off with Lodgify.
• Customer Support – Although chat support is pretty helpful, Guesty should work a bit more on their email support. Unless you get a dedicated account manager, getting your ticket resolved takes quite a while.

Direct Comparison: Lodgify vs Guesty

After covering both vacation rental services, let’s compare them and see which is better.

Spoiler alert: both are good; it all depends on the scale of your operation.

User Interface and Ease of Use

When talking about Lodgify vs Guesty’s user interface, Guesty’s interface is sleek and modern, offering a dashboard for key metrics and intuitive navigation. While it offers customization options and seamless integration with third-party apps, its customization may be slightly limited compared to Lodgify. 

Lodgify’s GUI emphasizes website management and marketing tools with templates for visual flexibility. It prioritizes property management features, potentially offering a more straightforward experience for some users.

Both platforms aim for user-friendliness, but Lodgify may enjoy a slight edge in website customization and property management tools. Ultimately, the choice depends on individual preferences and business needs.

Customer Support and Training

Both Guesty and Lodgify offer comprehensive customer support and training. Guesty typically provides dedicated account managers, a knowledge base, and various customer support channels like email and live chat.

They may also offer training sessions and webinars. Lodgify offers similar resources, including a help center with articles and guides, email support, and occasional webinars and workshops.

Both platforms aim to assist users in effectively using their property rental software comparison, though the extent of support and training may vary. You can access a range of resources, including tutorials and community forums, to enhance your understanding and proficiency with the platforms. 

Integration and Compatibility

Both software suites support lots of integrations. So, get ready; this is going to get a bit technical.

Lodgify offers integration with various third-party services to enhance its functionality:

• Payment Gateways – Lodgify integrates with Stripe, PayPal, and other payment gateways for secure online transactions.
• Channel Managers – Users can sync their listings and bookings with platforms like Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo.
• Property Management Systems (PMS) – Integration with PMS systems streamlines tasks like calendar syncing and reservation handling.
• Website Integrations – Lodgify provides tools to embed booking engines and calendars into users’ existing websites.

Guesty also offers extensive integration options:

• Channel Managers – Integration with major platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com centralizes listing and booking management.
• Pricing Optimization Tools – Guesty connects with tools like PriceLabs and Wheelhouse for dynamic pricing strategies.
• Automation Platforms – Integration with Zapier enables workflow automation and connectivity with thousands of other apps.
• Keyless Entry Systems – Guesty integrates with smart lock systems like RemoteLock for secure access management.

Both platforms prioritize compatibility, but you should consider your specific needs and preferences.

Lodgify’s focus on website integration may appeal to property managers looking to embed booking functionality seamlessly into their existing sites.

On the other hand, Guesty’s wide array of integrations, including keyless entry systems and automation platforms, may suit those seeking comprehensive automation and connectivity solutions.

Customizability and Flexibility

Lodgify typically offers a high level of customizability and flexibility, particularly in website design and branding. You can choose from various templates and design options to create a unique look for your vacation rental websites.

Additionally, Lodgify provides tools to embed booking engines and calendars into existing websites, offering flexibility in integration. However, customization options may be more limited in other areas of the platform.

In the customization and flexibility unit, Guesty vs Lodgify, Guesty focuses more on flexibility in managing vacation rental operations than website customization. 

While it offers some customization options, particularly in terms of integration with third-party services and automation workflows, the level of customization may be more limited compared to Lodgify, especially in website design.

However, Guesty’s strength lies in its flexibility to integrate with various tools and platforms to streamline rental management tasks.

Making the Right Choice for Your Property

To boil everything down, the battle between Lodgify vs Guesty depends on the scale of your operation.

However, both tools lack a way to expand your operation. This is where Mashvisor comes in. With our rental property tools, you can find your next investment and a way to grow your business.

Considerations for Small-Scale Property Managers

For small-scale property managers, Mashvisor is the ideal tool due to its tailored focus on real estate investment, affordability, and ease of use. Unlike Lodgify and Guesty, which target vacation rental management, we provide comprehensive real estate data and analytics to help managers make informed decisions about their property investments.

Moreover, you can integrate our real estate data into your custom system via our real estate API.

Recommendations for Large-Scale Operations

Managing a large portfolio demands efficiency and advanced analytics. Our real estate investment software excels with its comprehensive real estate data and predictive analytics, allowing you to conduct comprehensive rental market analysis.

Scalable and customizable, Mashvisor seamlessly integrates with third-party services, offering flexibility and compatibility. Compared to Lodgify and Guesty, Mashvisor’s focus on analytics, scalability, and customization makes it the ideal tool for efficiently managing large-scale operations.

Conclusion: Lodgify vs Guesty

In comparing Lodgify vs Guesty, both platforms offer distinct features catering to different property management needs. One caters to small-scale operations, while the other is for large rental vacation property businesses. 

However, for real estate investment-focused solutions, affordability, and ease of use, Mashvisor stands out.

With its analytics and scalability, Mashvisor assists property managers in optimizing decisions and efficiently managing short-term rental properties, ensuring success in running a short-term rental business.