Hostaway alternatives for short-term rental hosts

Hosts look for a Hostaway alternative when the sales call ends. There is no public price: hosts report $80 to $175 per month for 1 to 4 listings, a 12 or 24 month contract, and an onboarding fee on top. The AI drafts by default; auto-reply is something you opt into topic by topic, and prices, expenses, cleaning and reviews are not behind any switch because they are not done for you. Tokay is the one we built for exactly this; here is how it and the others compare, with prices as of October 2026. Check each site for the current figure.

Tokay: the complete front desk

Tokay is an AI front desk for short-term rental hosts, built in Bangkok by a host who still runs apartments and was its first customer. It connects to Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo directly in about ten minutes, with nothing to install, no PMS to move into and no onboarding fee. Six agents, each with one job: Pam answers guests around the clock in their own language, more than ten including Thai, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean and Russian. Ivo reviews prices every morning and recommends changes you approve, undoable for two days. Angela turns bank slip photos into expense records and flags a monthly bill that has not arrived. Sam writes tomorrow's cleaning brief every night, updates it when plans change, and reaches cleaners on LINE. Andy drafts a reply to every review the morning it lands. Leo sends one morning message with what needs you.

The host decides what goes out. For two weeks every reply comes to you for approve, edit or deny with a tap; then you switch on what Pam may send alone, one topic at a time. Anything unusual, upset or uncertain always comes to you, and Pam never invents a fact. One published plan: $29 per listing monthly or $24 yearly, $24 / $20 from 10 listings, $19 / $16 from 25, no per-message fees, no commission, no contract. Full refund within 30 days. WhatsApp and LINE for guests and smart locks are coming soon.

Other tools hosts consider

Hospitable

A PMS with Agoda native and a direct booking site. As of October 2026: Essentials free with suggestions only, Host $29 with one listing included, Professional $59, Mogul $99 with three listings and $30 each after; 14-day trial; geo-priced in Thailand, reported at roughly half US list in baht. Autonomous AI replies are only on Mogul, with a second-model check. No bank slip expenses, no bill watchdog, no drafted review replies.

Guesty

An enterprise PMS with more than 60 channels, payments and trust accounting. As of October 2026 Lite is $9 per listing plus 1% of revenue for 1 to 3 listings; Pro and Enterprise are quote only with an annual contract, reported at $40 to $72 per listing, onboarding fees reported. ReplyAI drafts; autonomy unconfirmed; human replies are a paid add-on. See /resources/guesty-alternatives.

Lodgify

A direct booking website builder with a channel manager behind it. Professional about $58 for one listing, about $23 per listing at 10, yearly 20% off, as of October 2026. It markets an "AI co-host" but the AI drafts only; the host sends every reply, and the back office is not covered.

Uplisting

A PMS with direct booking. $51 for 1 to 2 listings, $91 for 3 to 4, then plans with floors ($114 then $20 per listing), as of October 2026. The AI sends above a confidence threshold and is metered at 100 AI actions per month unless on the top plan. Prices, expenses, cleaning briefs and review replies stay with the host.

Nowistay

One plan at €12 (about $15) per property, $13 at 10 to 49, first month free, as of October 2026. An AI co-host inside a channel manager, with a WhatsApp inbox, cleaning tasks, direct booking and smart locks. Autonomous from the start and claims 80 to 90% handled; no accounting, no stated pricing review or review replies. Billed in euros.

How to choose

• Do you want to know the price before the call? Tokay publishes one plan, $29 monthly or $24 yearly per listing, launch price kept for life if you join before 31 March 2027.
• Do you want to avoid a 12 or 24 month contract? Tokay is month to month, stop any time, full refund within 30 days.
• Do you want to pay an onboarding fee? Tokay connects to Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo directly in about ten minutes, and one short call sets your rules.
• Do you want the AI to answer, or to draft? Tokay's Pam sends on the topics you switch on after two supervised weeks, in the guest's own language, and asks you when a fact is missing.
• Do you want the back office in the same plan? Tokay's Ivo, Angela, Sam, Andy and Leo cover prices with two-day undo, expenses from slip photos, nightly cleaning briefs, review replies and the morning summary.

Questions hosts ask