Hospitable vs Lodgify.
Choose for your operation.

01 / A QUICK START

Which should you try first?

Our editorial view: either can deserve a trial. Your deciding factor may be a small operational detail: who handles a failed payment, whether a cleaner sees the right task, or how a changed reservation affects a scheduled message. Demonstrate those details before paying for a year.

For a larger management business, add owner accounting, permissions and data portability to the first demo. If neither shortlisted plan covers these requirements cleanly, widen the evaluation with our three-platform comparison.

02 / COMPARE THE PLAN YOU WOULD BUY

Feature comparison, with plan limits.

The table describes published availability, not a performance test. Product documentation establishes that a capability exists; it does not prove that the configuration will fit your properties. Follow the linked plan details before committing.

03 / THE PORTFOLIO CHANGES THE PRICE

Pricing for 2, 5, 10 and 20 properties.

Hospitable’s published monthly Professional subscription is $59 with two active properties included, then $15 for each additional active property. The arithmetic below assumes every listed property remains active throughout all twelve months. It excludes Direct fees, extras, taxes and discounts. [2]

This assumes each property has check-in activity in every billing cycle. Pricing-only activity can use a different add-on rule; the base subscription continues even with no active properties. Do not treat these figures as a seasonal invoice estimate. [2]

How to make the Lodgify side comparable

Select your actual property count, currency and billing period in Lodgify’s pricing selector. Record the recurring amount for a plan that includes your required tools. Do not multiply a single-property “from” price by twenty or assume one displayed tier price covers unlimited rentals.

For annual billing, write down both the cash due now and its monthly equivalent. If a promotion covers only the first term, calculate renewal separately. A lower monthly equivalent can still require a larger immediate payment. Keep subscription totals separate from revenue-dependent charges so you can see what changes during a busy month.

Before accepting either quote, save a dated copy with the included properties, users, devices and integrations. Ask what happens if you add a rental halfway through the term or temporarily stop taking bookings. Those answers are more useful than a generic promise that a plan “scales.”

04 / FOLLOW THE MONEY THROUGH A BOOKING

Zero booking commission is only one line.

Keep three charges distinct: the software subscription, the booking service fee and the payment-processing charge. Your distribution channels can have their own fees as well. A statement about one category does not remove the others.

Hospitable documents a 1% host service fee for Direct Basic, with Stripe processing separate. Direct Premium offers a split model of 4% guest fee plus 3% host fee, or a 7% host-only model. The fee bases differ, so adding percentages without reading the rules can misstate the payout. [4]

For Lodgify, record the payment provider and its processing terms beside the advertised 0% booking commission. Ask about refunds, foreign cards, currency conversion and disputes if these occur in your business. The payment documentation and your actual agreement should settle those details. [11]

Compare the guest’s checkout total as well as your own costs. Passing a charge to the guest changes the offer they see. Absorbing it changes your margin. Neither arrangement can be evaluated properly from the subscription price alone.

Direct Basic and Premium buy different responsibilities.

Hospitable's setup guide says Premium is enabled by default for eligible properties in the US, UK and Australia. Switching to Basic changes the payment and protection arrangement: you use your own Stripe account, while built-in vetting, damage protection and chargeback coverage are removed. Premium's fraud-related protection also has exceptions; it is not a promise that every dispute is covered. [14] [15]

Decision consequence: do not choose Basic merely because 1% looks smaller. Price any replacement checks or protection you actually need, identify who handles a refund or dispute, then compare costs. The worksheet intentionally models Basic rather than assigning a cash value to Premium's protections.

05 / PUT YOUR OWN NUMBERS TO WORK

A worksheet for comparable costs.

Use monthly quotes for the same portfolio and requirements. Start with the documented Professional example, or enter a confirmed Hospitable subscription quote for another eligible plan. Direct-booking calculations use Basic; set booking value to 0 when it is not used.

At what booking value does the price advantage change?

With other entered costs held fixed, the break-even booking value is (Lodgify subscription + Lodgify extras − Hospitable subscription − Hospitable extras) ÷ 0.01. For example, a hypothetical $190 Lodgify quote versus the $104 Professional example breaks even at $8,600 per month before any difference in processing or extras. The $190 figure is an illustration, not a verified Lodgify tariff. If processing charges vary with revenue, recalculate them at the new volume.

A cheaper eligible plan may still need a separate turnover tool or extra reconciliation. Record those costs and the work involved from your own trial; the calculator does not invent time savings or compare the quality of service.

06 / CONNECTIVITY HAS SEVERAL LAYERS

Check what actually synchronizes.

Hospitable documents connections for Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com and Agoda, as well as a separate iCal import workflow. Lodgify documents its channel manager and connections to major booking platforms. The important next question is what each connection carries for your particular listing. [6] [7] [12]

Calendar availability, nightly prices, stay restrictions, listing content and messages are different data categories. Do not treat a calendar feed as proof that the other categories synchronize too. Ask the provider to demonstrate the connection you would use, including any legacy account or regional limitation.

• Availability: create an approved test block and confirm it reaches each channel.
• Pricing: change a nightly rate and minimum stay, then inspect the channel’s result.
• Messages: check which conversation types reach the shared inbox and where you must reply elsewhere.
• Exceptions: ask how a disconnected account is detected and who receives the alert.

Keep a connection register with the channel, account owner, supported data and support contact. This is especially useful when a co-host connects an account on someone else’s behalf. A working calendar today does not document who can restore that connection later.

07 / TEST THE EXCEPTIONS

What “automated messaging” means in practice.

Hospitable separates event-triggered messages from scheduled messages and publishes separate controls for AI Auto Replies. Its documentation also describes circumstances in which an automated response is not sent. [8] [9] With either product, test the rule you intend to use rather than relying on an AI label.

Build a short trial script around your property’s actual arrival time, parking instructions and exception policy. Begin with a human reviewing replies. Then decide which narrow, repeatable situations are suitable for automation and which should always reach a person.

These are evaluation questions, not a claim that every condition is supported on every plan. Note the result, the required setting and the person responsible for an exception. That produces a more useful comparison than counting the number of automation features.

08 / THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE STAY

Cleaners, co-hosts and owners need different views.

Lodgify documents task assignment and accountability tools, and its Ultimate package includes team and owner workflows. Hospitable’s current plan table places owner statements and portals in Mogul. [10] [13] [1] Those labels should trigger a practical demonstration with your team.

A cleaner may need departure dates, access instructions and a way to report a problem. A co-host may need conversations and reservation changes. An owner may need statements for only their own property. Write down these permissions separately and verify what each person can see and change.

Reconcile one owner statement before choosing.

Use a representative month containing a cancellation, a cleaning expense and a booking that spans month-end. Check which date controls revenue recognition in the report, how your management fee is applied and whether a manual adjustment is traceable. Ask how the output matches the records your accountant expects.

For either platform, distinguish generating a statement from sending an owner’s money. A report, a portal and a payout function solve different jobs. Features described as coming soon should not be used to justify a purchase that depends on them today.

Smart locks, pricing tools and integration costs

Hospitable lists smart-device automation on Professional and Mogul. Lodgify offers smart locks as an add-on and publishes its device compatibility information. A supported brand alone is not enough: check the model, connection requirements, number of devices and extra charges before replacing working hardware. [1] [16]

If you already use a pricing or accounting tool, document which system owns each field. Two systems writing nightly rates can cause confusing results even when both integrations exist. Test an override, an export and disconnection of the integration. The useful question is which existing subscription or manual step can actually be removed.

Support and onboarding during the trial

Compare access to people on your chosen plan, not a website-wide support promise. Lodgify lists email support in Starter, email and phone in Professional, and priority channels in Ultimate. Hospitable identifies Essentials support as community and AI chat. These are access models, not measured response times. [1] [3]

Use the trial to resolve one real setup question. Record the answer, whether the advice fixed the issue and any paid onboarding proposed. A longer trial gives more time to inspect a workflow; it does not demonstrate better support by itself.

09 / THE WEBSITE IS PART OF THE OPERATION

Build and book one real property page.

Hospitable’s Direct documentation confirms a site builder and booking widget; Lodgify also provides website and booking tools. A claim that only one product can accept direct reservations is not a sound basis for choosing. [5] [3]

Use your own photos, property name, amenities and cancellation policy in an approved trial. Open the guest journey on a phone. Can a guest understand the total price, find arrival information and complete checkout without needing you to explain the page?

1. Check content control.

   Inspect the editing of page titles, descriptions, property content, navigation and the domain you intend to use. If you already own a website, demonstrate the widget there.

2. Check the booking journey.

   Try valid and unavailable dates, different guest counts and a promotion if you use one. Review the payment schedule and confirmation, using a provider-approved test process.

3. Check the work after payment.

   Find the reservation, guest message, payment record and turnover task. A polished checkout helps only if the back-office workflow is dependable too.

A website does not generate demand by itself. Budget separately for attracting visitors and encouraging repeat bookings. When comparing costs, include any necessary copy, photography, domain work and outside help. Avoid crediting software with extra bookings that have not actually been measured.

10 / THREE REASONS TO CHOOSE DIFFERENTLY

Match the demo to your situation.

Property count is a useful sizing input, but it does not capture complexity on its own. Two properties with different owners, languages and payment arrangements can need a more demanding setup than ten similar properties under one owner.

11 / PLAN YOUR FIRST LIVE WEEK

A switching checklist you can actually use.

Software selection and migration are separate decisions. Keep your existing setup until the new workflow has been checked in the order agreed with the provider. The sequence below is a preparation framework; your channel configuration determines the exact cutover steps.

1. Inventory the future bookings.

   Record reservation identifiers, dates, guest details, balances, payment status and special arrangements. Agree which information will be imported and which needs manual work.

2. Map accounts and properties.

   Match each channel listing to the correct property. Record account ownership and identify any parent-child inventory or shared availability that needs special handling.

3. Document active rules.

   Keep copies of messages, rates, minimum stays, fees and cancellation settings. Assign responsibility for recreating and reviewing each one.

4. Agree on connection order.

   Ask the provider when old connections should be disconnected and new ones enabled. Avoid overlapping automation that could send duplicate messages.

5. Verify a booking end to end.

   Check availability, displayed price, payment status, guest communication and the next cleaning task. Include a changed or cancelled reservation in the agreed test process.

6. Monitor and keep an exit record.

   Review the first live arrivals, unresolved exceptions and channel alerts. Retain exports and the support contact. Confirm cancellation, renewal and data-access terms before retiring the old account.

Before paying annually, ask for a sample export in a usable format. Check reservations, guest records, transactions and property information separately; one exported spreadsheet may not contain everything. Confirm who owns the domain and how you would reconnect the booking website after leaving.

If you are moving an existing direct-booking website, list the old property URLs and their replacement URLs before launch. Keep control of the domain and request redirects where addresses change. A migration should preserve a guest's saved property link as well as the reservation records.

TURN THE COMPARISON INTO A DECISION

Compare the same difficult day in both products.

The feature table narrows the shortlist. A repeatable operating scenario helps you make the final choice. Use the same property details, team roles and expected outcome in both demonstrations. Otherwise, an impressive result in one product may reflect an easier scenario rather than a better fit.

Start with your most frequent problem, then add one exception that has caused real work. Keep the scenario small enough to follow from beginning to end. A twenty-item demonstration can cover many screens while leaving you uncertain about whether one complete job is actually supported.

Scenario A: a small apartment with a changed arrival

Imagine a two-bedroom coastal apartment with limited parking and a cleaner who works across several rentals. A guest changes their arrival date after receiving the original instructions. Your desired outcome is that the correct reservation dates reach the operating team and the guest receives relevant instructions without contradictory messages.

In the Hospitable demo, inspect the scheduled communication and the information used in the reply. In the Lodgify demo, inspect the same steps on a plan that includes the automation you need. Do not accept a generic statement that messages are automated as the result of this test. Ask where you can see the next scheduled action and how to intervene.

Record the manual work that remains. Someone may need to confirm the cleaner’s availability, approve an exception or correct a property note. A manual decision is not automatically a defect: it may be appropriate for your policy. The important distinction is whether that decision is visible and assigned or likely to be forgotten.

Scenario B: a direct booking for an ordinary holiday home

Use a realistic rental with straightforward amenities, a small terrace and clearly described sleeping arrangements. Give both providers the same photographs, copy and stay dates. This controls the quality of the input: a better set of photos should not be mistaken for a better website builder.

Ask an unfamiliar reader to find the total price, parking arrangement, cancellation terms and payment schedule. Record where they hesitate. Then use a provider-approved test process to follow the reservation into the back office. Check the confirmation, balance, arrival communication and cleaning work as one continuous journey.

Compare editing effort separately from the guest experience. A flexible design control can be helpful when you maintain the site yourself, but a rarely used option may not justify a higher recurring cost. Write down who will update property information, how frequently it changes and which parts require outside help.

Scenario C: an owner asks about a deduction

Use the same anonymized reservation, cleaning expense and management agreement in both products. Begin with plans eligible for the owner workflow. Ask a team member to explain the statement from the underlying records rather than simply showing a final total.

Note the date basis, the calculation and any manual adjustment. Ask what happens when an expense arrives after the reporting period closes. This is an evaluation question, not an assertion that either product supports every accounting treatment. If the statement cannot be explained using the demonstrated setup, keep the requirement unresolved and involve the person responsible for your accounts.

ONE MONTH DOES NOT DESCRIBE A YEAR

Stress-test the costs across your season.

The live worksheet deliberately models one month. For a seasonal portfolio, repeat the calculation for a quiet, typical and busy period, using the relevant subscription and booking assumptions each time. Do not multiply the busiest month by twelve and call it an annual forecast.

The example below isolates the variable Direct Basic service fee. It assumes four quiet months with $2,000 of eligible booking value per month, five typical months with $8,000 per month and three busy months with $18,000 per month. These figures are invented planning inputs, not expected income or a provider forecast. They do not describe tax treatment or payment processing.

The calculation is $2,000 × 4 + $8,000 × 5 + $18,000 × 3 = $102,000, then 1% × $102,000 = $1,020. Add the subscription appropriate to each billing period, processing and required extras separately. A seasonal change in booking value does not by itself establish that a property becomes inactive under Hospitable’s billing rules.

For Lodgify, use the recurring subscription from your matched quote and the actual processing arrangement. Keep the current 0% booking-commission statement separate from those charges. Compare the annual cash outlay and the work included in each package, rather than treating the isolated $1,020 component as the entire difference.

Compare three budgets, not one optimistic case

• Current operation: your existing property count, booking mix and required services.
• Likely change: a planned extra property, owner agreement or additional team role.
• Exit or slowdown: fewer bookings, a closed property or a decision to leave before renewal.

These cases reveal different questions. Growth tests plan limits; a slowdown tests fixed commitments; an exit tests contract terms and data access. Ask for written answers where the public pricing page does not resolve them. Keep possible extra bookings outside the cost comparison until you have evidence to support that assumption.

WHO HANDLES THE EXCEPTION?

Map responsibility after a payment problem.

A booking fee can cover a different set of services from another provider’s charge. Alongside the arithmetic, draw a short responsibility map: who collects payment, who communicates with the guest, who issues a refund and who supplies evidence when a transaction is disputed. Use the terms of the actual payment arrangement you would adopt.

For Hospitable, the Basic and Premium distinction changes this discussion. For Lodgify, establish the chosen payment provider and its terms. Do not assign a monetary value to a protection based only on its name. Ask what is covered, what is excluded and which evidence or deadlines apply to a claim.

Ask for a sample record or documented procedure instead of relying on a verbal reassurance. Where an action cannot safely be demonstrated, record the documentation and the contact responsible for confirming it. Never trigger a real charge or dispute merely to test a feature.

The outcome is not a universal winner. A host who wants more responsibility handled by a service may reasonably choose a different arrangement from an experienced operator with established payment procedures. Your comparison should explain that trade-off rather than reduce every decision to the smallest percentage.

A VERDICT YOU CAN EXPLAIN

Decide with evidence and a clear stopping point.

After the demos, sort essential requirements into three groups: satisfied, satisfied with a documented workaround and unresolved. Do not average an unresolved requirement into a general feature score. If you cannot collect payments through your required arrangement or provide the necessary owner view, resolve that specific issue before purchase.

Describe each workaround in practical terms: who performs it, how often, what information they need and what happens if it is missed. A monthly export may be acceptable to your team; copying every reservation into a second system may recreate the problem you wanted to solve. The number of tools matters less than the reliability and effort of the complete process.

Separate preference from evidence

It is reasonable to prefer one interface. Record that preference separately from documented plan eligibility and observed trial outcomes. If one team member finds a screen easier, ask them to complete the same task in both products before generalizing the impression to the whole operation.

When a result is uncertain, use “not demonstrated” instead of “not supported.” The first describes your evidence; the second makes a product claim. Follow up with the provider and keep the answer dated. This avoids rejecting a suitable option because the wrong person or plan was used in the first demonstration.

Write a short purchase decision

A useful decision note contains the selected plan, required property count, total quoted commitment, reasons for selection, remaining manual tasks and a review date. Add the person responsible for migration and the latest date at which you can change course before renewal.

For example: “We chose the plan that demonstrated our arrival-message and cleaning handover requirements. Website customization was a preference, not a blocker. We will review unresolved conversations and duplicated work after a representative operating period.” This is a template for your own conclusion, not an endorsement of either platform.

If both candidates satisfy the essentials, prefer the arrangement your team can maintain at an acceptable total cost. If neither does, widen the shortlist with more detailed portfolio and role checks. Do not force a choice simply because these were the first two products you investigated.

Know what this comparison cannot settle

Public documentation and transparent arithmetic cannot establish your future bookings, the quality of every support interaction or reliability in your specific configuration. Use the article to organize the decision, then keep your own evidence. Revisit the evaluation record when a new requirement or a revised quote changes the balance.

BEFORE AN ANNUAL COMMITMENT

Rehearse how you would leave.

Data portability is easier to evaluate before you depend on the new system. Ask for a sample export and inspect it in a tool you can use independently. An export button is a starting point; you still need to know which records and fields it includes.

Check future reservations, guest contact information, payment references and property settings separately. Ask whether message history and attachments can be retained, and whether access changes after cancellation. These are questions for both providers, not claims that their export formats or retention rules are identical.

Inspect one record end to end

Choose an approved sample reservation with a date change and a recorded balance. Locate its identifier, current dates and payment status in the export. Make sure the fields are understandable without referring to a screenshot of the original dashboard. If an important field is missing, document how you would retain it and who would do that work.

For the website, keep the domain registrar account, a list of published property addresses and copies of your own text and original photographs. Ask which site elements are portable and which would need rebuilding. A website can remain attractive while still requiring meaningful effort to move; include that effort in your decision.

Finally, distinguish leaving the subscription from changing channel connections. The timing of a technical switch should follow the provider’s migration instructions and your future reservations. Do not disconnect a working account merely to prove that cancellation is possible. A useful exit rehearsal establishes responsibilities and retained records without disrupting a live stay.

Keep these written answers next to the renewal date and the person responsible for reviewing the contract. If a later quote or new property changes your requirements, you can reassess from a documented position rather than restarting the investigation while a cancellation deadline approaches.

12 / THE REMAINING QUESTIONS

Before you make the call.