Hospitable vs Host Tools: A Complete Features & Pricing Comparison

Are you struggling to keep up with all your tasks as a short-term rental host? If you’re constantly
- Typing out messages to your guests,
- Updating your availability on booking sites,
- Manually adjusting your rates, and
- Dropping off keys in person
You should know: there are tools to help you automate all of these tasks, and make better use of your time.
Host Tools is an intuitive tool designed for small vacation rental hosts who don’t have time to learn how to use complicated software. It doesn’t have a steep learning curve and it saves you time from day one.
Host Tools lets you:
- Send automated messages to your guests and cleaners using premade templates and message rules.
- Automatically leave reviews for your guests and prompt them to write you a review in return.
- Synchronize your calendars across all the channels you advertise on, making sure guests see consistent availability everywhere and avoiding double bookings.
- Automate your check-ins using smart locks that guest can unlock with unique access codes.
- Adjust your rates automatically using pricing rules that you set up based on your knowledge of your local market.
But how does Host Tools compare to Hospitable? Let’s find out!
Host Tools provides an automated, unified calendar for short-term rental hosts, allowing you to seamlessly list on all major channels. Start your free trial today!
While you’re here, why not check out our comparison of iGMS vs Host Tools and Guesty vs Hospitable vs Host Tools, too?
Header | ![]() hosttools | ![]() Smarbnb |
---|---|---|
Free trial | hosttools" style=""> 14 days | Smarbnb" style=""> 14 days |
Monthly price per listing* | hosttools" style=""> $8.00 | Smarbnb" style=""> $40.00 |
Setup fee | hosttools" style=""> $0.00 | Smarbnb" style=""> $0.00 |
Channel integrations | hosttools" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style=""> Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Houfy | Smarbnb" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style=""> Airbnb, Vrbo,Booking.com |
Messaging automation | hosttools" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style=""> | Smarbnb" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style=""> |
Review automation | hosttools" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style=""> | Smarbnb" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style=""> |
Pricing automation | hosttools" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style=""> | Smarbnb" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style=""> |
Availability sync | hosttools" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style=""> | Smarbnb" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style=""> |
Smart lock support | hosttools" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style=""> | Smarbnb" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style=""> |
Multi-calendar | hosttools" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style=""> | Smarbnb" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style=""> |
Unified inbox | hosttools" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style=""> | Smarbnb" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style=""> |
Accounting | hosttools" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style=""> | Smarbnb" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style=""> |
Cleaner management | hosttools" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style=""> | Smarbnb" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style=""> |
Noise detection | hosttools" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style=""> | Smarbnb" rowspan="1" colspan="1" style=""> |
*The prices listed are for the first listing, billed monthly. Hospitable has the same starting rate for up to two listings. If you have more listings, Hospitable gives you discounts.
Hospitable vs Host Tools: Pricing
Hospitable pricing
Hospitable has an $40.00 starting rate that covers the first two listings. Because of this, it’s not the most economical option for small hosts with only one listing.
The more rentals you have, the bigger the discount on Hospitable:
- 3 listings cost $48.00 per month
- 4 listings cost $56.00 per month
- 5 listings cost $64.00 per month, and so on.
After the first two listings, Hospitable only charges for active listings (ones that had a check-in during the last 30 days).
What’s included in the price:
- Multiple account management (Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo)
- Channel manager
- Unified inbox
- Multi-calendar
- Automated messaging and reviews
- Task and team management
- Basic business insights

Host Tools pricing
Host Tools is the most budget-friendly vacation rental software on the market. For just $8.00 a month per listing, you get a variety of tools to help you automate your business, save time and enhance the guest experience. It’s perfect for small hosts with one to a handful of listings because it offers advanced functionalities without breaking the bank.
What’s included in the price:
Multiple account management (Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo + add other calendars via iCal)
Unified inbox
Multi-calendar
Automated messaging and reviews
Smart pricing tool
Smart lock automation
Cleaner management

Hospitable vs Host Tools: Channel manager
Hospitable channel manager
The Hospitable channel manager integrates directly with Airbnb and Vrbo. So, it makes it easy to sync your calendars, availability and rates across the two platforms.
Host Tools channel manager
The Host Tools channel manager has direct API connections with Airbnb and Vrbo. Once you’ve added both your Airbnb and Vrbo accounts to the Host Tools platform, you’ll be able to link your calendars and automatically sync your rates and availability.
This has a number of benefits:
- Save time by managing your listings on both channels from one place.
- Avoid costly and annoying double bookings by keeping your availability up-to-date at all times.
- See and reply to all your messages in a unified inbox, regardless of which channel they were sent through.
- Get an overview of your bookings across all your channels in a single calendar.

Host Tools also lets you import other channel calendars via iCal. So, if you advertise on booking sites other than Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo (like Expedia, Tripadvisor or Agoda), you just have to copy your iCal link and paste it into Host Tools. This lets you sync your calendars and availability on those websites too. And, you can even add your vacation rental website where you get direct bookings!
With Host Tools, your chances of getting double bookings diminish and you have peace of mind that all your calendars are consistent and up-to-date.
Hospitable vs Host Tools: Features
Hospitable features
Hospitable has most of the essential tools that property managers need to efficiently run their business. However, it lacks a couple of features that could save you a lot of time and take your Airbnb automation efforts to the next level.
And, as we’ve mentioned before, Hospitabledoesn’t support iCal, so there’s no way to import calendars from channels other than Airbnb or Vrbo. However, as of March 2023 they say that feature will be arriving soon.
Hospitable's features include:
- Channel manager
- Unified inbox
- Multi-calendar
- Automated messaging
- Automated reviews
- Task management
- Team management
- Business metrics
Host Tools features
Host Tools is a well-rounded, all-in-one tool with all the essential features that small vacation rentals hosts need to save time and become more efficient. It’s powerful and easy-to-use at the same time.
One of the tool’s highlights is smart lock automation. Host Tools is unique in supporting smart locks as it is the first channel manager for small hosts to have this feature.
Smart lock automation means that if you install a smart lock on your rental’s door, you can use Host Tools to generate a unique access code for each of your guests, using the last 3 digits of their phone number. Host Tools will then automatically send this code to your guest via email.
And that’s not all. The actions that guests take with the smart lock become events that trigger the sending of automated messages that you can set up. For example, when a guest uses their unique access code to unlock the door, it will trigger the sending of an automated welcome message as soon as they step into your rental. This way, you can be a super attentive host without having to spend any extra time on guest communication.

Another highlight of Host Tools is its rule-based smart pricing tool, which allows you to create pricing rules and stack them on top of one another. This is arguably a better way to adjust your rates than using a dynamic pricing tool because it gives you more control.
As a host, you know your rental and your market better than anyone. With rule-based pricing, you can set the best rates for days of the week, high season and low season, local events, holidays and whenever else you see fit. Host Tools has a variety of intelligent control and pricing settings so you never end up leaving money on the table.
All in all, the most useful features of Host Tools are:
- Channel manager
- Unified inbox
- Multi-calendar
- Automated messaging
- Automated reviews
- Rule-based pricing tool
- Smart lock support
- Cleaner management
Hospitable vs Host Tools: Customer service
Hospitable customer service
Hospitable offers customer support via email and live chat. According to the chat box on Hospitable's website, their usual reply time is approximately one day.
Host Tools customer service
Host Tools offers exceptional customer service straight from the tool’s creator.
I’m a software developer and a property manager. I built Host Tools to solve problems for myself and other hosts. If you have any questions or need any help at all, feel free to reach out to me directly and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Are you ready to start automating your business with the help of an intuitive tool? Try Host Tools for free!
If you’d like to see another vacation rental software comparison to make your decision even easier, check out our post on Host Tools vs Guesty.
Host Tools provides an automated, unified calendar for short-term rental hosts, allowing you to seamlessly list on all major channels. Start your free trial today!
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