Do you still need rental software after the fee change?

Plenty of hosts with one or two listings run everything inside Airbnb and never pay for software. Whether that works for you comes down to how many places you list on and whether you want direct bookings.

One listing, Airbnb only

Airbnb's own inbox, calendar and scheduled messages cover the basics. If you want a cleaner inbox or messages that send themselves, Hospitable's free Essentials plan adds a unified inbox and scheduled guest messages at no cost. You don't need to pay anything at this size unless you want automatic nightly pricing.

Two or more channels

Once a listing is on Airbnb and Booking.com, or Airbnb and Vrbo, the risk is a double booking. Free calendar links (iCal) copy availability between sites on a schedule, which leaves a window where the same night can sell twice. A channel manager connects to each site directly and closes that window. Our guide to iCal and API sync explains the difference.

This is where software usually earns its cost. One double booking can cost more than a year of a basic plan, and on Airbnb a host cancellation also hurts your listing.

Direct bookings

If you want guests to book on your own site, you need a plan with a booking website or a website add-on. Hospitable Professional, Smoobu, Lodgify from Starter, and OwnerRez with its hosted website add-on all do this. Direct bookings usually carry a small payment fee instead of a marketplace commission.

Automatic pricing

Automatic pricing moves your nightly rate with demand. Some plans include it. Others charge per listing, or you can add PriceLabs at $14.49 per listing per month. If you already adjust prices by hand every week, you may not need it.

A quick way to decide

Our five-question check gives you an answer for your situation, and the cost calculator shows what the plans that fit would cost.