Let’s break it down and see how Guesty compares to one of its top competitors—Hospitable.
Is Guesty worth it? It depends. Feature breakdown
For short-term rental business owners, managing listings efficiently is a top priority. Guesty is widely recognized as one of the most advanced vacation rental management software options available. But is it worth it for your business?
What Guesty offers and when it’s worth It
Guesty stands out for managing multi-unit properties such as hotels and bed & breakfasts. It's a strong choice for large property management companies with complex operations, offering enterprise features like:
Built-in CRM
Hospitable at a Glance
Originally designed for individual hosts
Now a full-featured property management system
Known for ease of use and intuitive onboarding
14-day free trial, clear pricing, dynamic pricing included in all plans
Guesty at a Glance
Guesty Lite
(formerly Guesty for Hosts/Your Porter) — up to 3 listings
Full Guesty platform
for professional property managers
Guesty Lite:
basic automation
Guesty Pro:
multi-unit support, CRM tools, owner management
Fact sheets
Feature comparison
Communication automation and AI
Operations
Direct booking
Integrations
Property management solutions
G2 Ratings: Hospitable (Purple) vs. Guesty (Gray) | Winter 2026
Usability index
Results index
Implementation index
Relationship index
Summary: which one is right for you?
Choose Guesty for:
Multi-unit support
CRM tools
Choose Hospitable for:
AI-powered messaging
Dynamic pricing at no extra cost
Smart lock and thermostat management included
Owner payouts
Transparent pricing
No long-term contracts
Common questions
Is Guesty worth it for individual hosts?
For hosts with 1–3 listings, Guesty offers "Guesty Lite." While functional, it is often considered less "worth it" than Hospitable for a few key reasons:
Guesty Lite lacks the Full Auto-Reply capabilities found in Hospitable. Individual hosts usually want to be hands-off, and Hospitable’s AI can answer 90% of guest questions without host intervention.
Guesty Lite starts at roughly $39/month but excludes proprietary dynamic pricing and smart lock management, which are included in Hospitable’s comparable plans at a lower starting price.
Is Guesty worth it for professional property managers?
Guesty is worth the investment if you manage hotels, bed & breakfasts, or massive portfolios (50+ units) that require:
Deep CRM & Lead Management: To track direct booking leads and complex guest relationships.
Multi-Unit Support: Managing 20 identical units in one building.
Complex Integrations: If you need a very specific tech stack with dozens of third-party tools.
For many professional managers, Hospitable is actually the better choice because it is the only PMS that handles Automated Owner Payouts (moving the actual funds), whereas Guesty only generates reports.
What are the main pros and cons of using Guesty?
Pros:
Supports 11+ direct channel integrations in its Pro tier.
A massive ecosystem with almost every third-party integration available.
Robust reporting and "trust accounting" for legal compliance at scale.
Cons:
A very steep learning curve that often requires dedicated staff to manage.
Unlike Hospitable, Guesty lacks Issue Alerts to proactively catch guest complaints and Full Auto-Reply to answer FAQs autonomously.
Consistently loses to Hospitable in G2 rankings on all scales.
Are there any hidden costs or issues in getting started with Guesty?
Getting started with Guesty is a significant commitment compared to self-serve alternatives.
Guesty Pro typically requires a $500+ onboarding fee and a guided setup process that can take weeks. Hospitable has $0 setup fees and a 14-day self-serve trial.
Guesty often charges a commission (2%–5%) on your bookings. This means as you grow and increase your nightly rates, Guesty takes a larger cut of your profit.
Essential tools like dynamic pricing and smart home management are frequently treated as paid add-ons or require third-party subscriptions. In contrast, Hospitable includes these natively in its Professional tier.
Guesty Pro often requires annual contracts, making it difficult to switch if your needs change. Hospitable allows you to cancel or downgrade anytime.