Choosing between Guesty and Lodgify is one of the most common dilemmas for vacation rental hosts. Both are excellent platforms, but they serve different audiences and excel in different areas.
In this detailed comparison, we'll put Guesty and Lodgify side by side across every important category so you can make an informed decision for your vacation rental business.
Quick Overview
Lodgify is an all-in-one vacation rental platform known for its excellent website builder and competitive pricing. It's designed primarily for independent hosts and small property managers.
Guesty is a premium property management platform built for professional managers and larger portfolios. It offers deep customization, advanced reporting, and enterprise-grade features.
| Lodgify | Guesty | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2012 | 2013 |
| Best For | 1-25 properties | 20-200+ properties |
| Starting Price | ~$17/month | ~$29/property/month |
| Free Trial | Yes Yes | No Demo only |
| Website Builder | Yes Excellent | Partial Basic |
| Channel Manager | Yes Real-time API | Yes Real-time API |
Channel Management
Both platforms connect to all the major OTAs — Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Expedia, and more — via real-time API connections.
Lodgify offers a solid channel manager with fast sync times (under 2 minutes in our testing) and reliable calendar synchronization. It supports all the channels most hosts need.
Guesty has a slightly more extensive channel network, including some niche platforms popular in specific regions. It also offers deeper customization of listing content per channel — useful for managers who want different descriptions or pricing rules on different OTAs.
Winner: Guesty (slightly, for larger portfolios needing per-channel customization)
Website Builder & Direct Bookings
This is where the comparison gets interesting.
Lodgify's website builder is one of the best in the industry. You get professional, mobile-responsive templates with a built-in booking engine, payment processing, and SEO tools. Hosts can create a legitimate direct booking website without touching a line of code.
Guesty offers a basic website through Guesty Sites, but it's considerably more limited in design options and customization. Most serious Guesty users end up building their own website separately using WordPress or similar.
Winner: Lodgify (by a wide margin)
Pricing
Lodgify offers transparent, published pricing starting at around $17/month for a single property. Plans scale reasonably as you add properties, and you can try it free with their free trial.
Guesty uses custom pricing that isn't published on their website. Based on user reports and our research, expect to pay $29-49 per property per month, plus implementation fees for larger setups. There's no free trial — just a demo.
For a host with 5 properties:
- Lodgify: Approximately $40-65/month
- Guesty: Approximately $145-245/month
Winner: Lodgify (significantly more affordable)
Automation & AI
Both platforms offer automation, but with different approaches.
Lodgify's automation tools cover automated messaging, task management, payment collection, and AI-assisted responses. They're easy to set up and work well for most hosts.
Guesty offers more advanced automation through its "Guesty Automation" module, including complex multi-step workflows, conditional triggers, and advanced task management. It also offers a unified inbox with team assignment features — crucial for property management companies with multiple staff members.
Winner: Guesty (for advanced workflows; Lodgify is sufficient for most independent hosts)
Dynamic Pricing
Lodgify includes built-in dynamic pricing that works well for most hosts. It also integrates with PriceLabs, Beyond, and Wheelhouse.
Guesty doesn't have built-in dynamic pricing but integrates with all the major pricing tools (PriceLabs, Beyond, Wheelhouse). This means an additional subscription cost.
Winner: Lodgify (built-in pricing tool saves money)
Reporting & Analytics
Lodgify provides essential reports — occupancy rates, revenue tracking, booking sources — but the analytics aren't as deep as what enterprise platforms offer.
Guesty shines here with detailed financial reporting, owner statements, multi-property portfolio analytics, and customizable dashboards. If you manage properties for owners and need professional reporting, Guesty is clearly superior.
Winner: Guesty (significantly better for professional managers)
Ease of Use
Lodgify has a cleaner, more intuitive interface. Most hosts can set up their account and start taking bookings within a few hours. The learning curve is moderate.
Guesty has a steeper learning curve due to its feature depth. Implementation for larger portfolios can take weeks, sometimes with paid onboarding assistance.
Winner: Lodgify (easier for beginners)
Integrations
Lodgify's integration marketplace covers the most popular tools — PriceLabs, Turno, RemoteLock, QuickBooks, and more.
Guesty has a larger integration ecosystem, including specialized tools for property managers like Ximplifi (accounting), Minut (noise monitoring), and various POS systems.
Winner: Guesty (broader ecosystem)
Customer Support
Lodgify offers live chat, email support, and an extensive knowledge base. Response times are generally good, with most queries resolved within a few hours during business hours.
Guesty provides dedicated account managers for larger clients, phone support for premium plans, and a comprehensive help center. However, support quality can vary, and some users report slow response times on lower-tier plans.
Winner: Tie (both have strengths and weaknesses)
Who Should Choose Lodgify?
Choose Lodgify if you:
- Manage 1-25 properties
- Want a direct booking website without hiring a developer
- Are budget-conscious
- Prefer an all-in-one solution with built-in pricing
- Are new to vacation rental software
- Want to start quickly with a free trial
Who Should Choose Guesty?
Choose Guesty if you:
- Manage 20+ properties professionally
- Need advanced reporting and owner statements
- Have a team and need multi-user workflows
- Require enterprise-grade automations
- Budget is less of a concern than feature depth
- Need per-channel listing customization
The Verdict
For most independent hosts and small property managers, Lodgify is the better choice. It offers more value per dollar, has a superior website builder, includes built-in dynamic pricing, and is easier to get started with.
Guesty is the better choice for professional property management companies that need enterprise features, advanced reporting, and team management tools — and have the budget to match.
Both are excellent platforms. The right choice depends entirely on your specific situation:
| Your Situation | Our Pick |
|---|---|
| 1-5 properties, just starting | Lodgify |
| 5-20 properties, growing | Lodgify |
| 20+ properties, professional manager | Guesty |
| Want direct booking website | Lodgify |
| Need owner reporting | Guesty |
| Budget-conscious | Lodgify |
| Enterprise features needed | Guesty |
Ready to try the platform that's right for you? Start a free Lodgify trial or request a Guesty demo to see which fits your workflow better.