What's a simple alternative to Lodgify, Smoobu or Hostaway for one or two properties?
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Short answer
With one or two properties you rarely need a full channel manager. What you need is a calendar that stays in sync with Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo, plus somewhere to track guests, payments and cleaning. Stayem does that and is free to start; Hospitable also has a free plan; Lodgify, Smoobu, Beds24 and OwnerRez start from about $14 to $40 a month for one property; Hostaway prices on request and targets managers.
The real trade-off is the connection: most channel managers connect to Airbnb and Booking.com through an API, which is faster and can also push prices and messages. Stayem uses iCal calendar links, which sync availability only and depend on each platform's refresh schedule.
What actually matters with one or two properties
Most holiday rental software is priced and designed for managers with dozens of listings. For an owner with one or two homes, four questions decide the choice:
- Does it stop double bookings across the platforms you use?
- What does it cost for ONE property, not the headline plan?
- Does it cover the jobs you do every week — guest information, payments, cleaner schedules — or only the calendar?
- Will you use the extras you pay for: dynamic pricing, a unified inbox, a website builder?
API channel manager or iCal calendar sync?
An API connection is a direct link to the platform. Availability usually updates within minutes, and prices, listing content and guest messages can sync too. It is the right choice if you change prices often or run many listings.
iCal sync is the free standard every platform supports. It carries availability only, and each platform re-reads it on its own schedule, often every few hours. For one or two properties that is usually enough, especially with a minimum advance notice of a day or two.
Where Stayem fits — and where it doesn't
Stayem is built for independent owners, not agencies. It keeps one master calendar in sync with Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo and any iCal calendar every hour and on demand, and adds what owners otherwise do by WhatsApp and spreadsheet: payment schedules with deposits and balances, a guest welcome portal opened by QR code, and live schedules for cleaners.
It is not the right tool if you need prices or guest messages synced with the platforms, dynamic pricing, or near-instant blocking across many listings. A channel manager from the table below will serve you better.
Holiday rental software compared, for one property
Starting prices for a single property, as each company publishes them.
| Tool | Built for (in their words) | Starting price, 1 property | Free plan or trial | Airbnb / Booking.com connection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stayem | Independent holiday rental owners | £0 — 1 property and 1 calendar; all features free until 31 Dec 2026 | Free plan | iCal (every hour and on demand) |
| Lodgify | Short-term rental businesses, one property or 30+ | From $14/month (Basic, 1 property) | 7-day trial | API |
| Smoobu | First-time hosts to property managers | €29/month + 0.9% booking fee, or €35/month with no fee | 14-day trial | API (Airbnb Preferred Partner) |
| Hostaway | Vacation rental managers | On request | Not published | API |
| Hospitable | Single-unit hosts to large property managers | $0 (Essentials); Host plan $29/month | Free plan and 14-day trial | API |
| Beds24 | Professional property managers | From €15.50/month, pay as you go | 14-day trial | API |
| OwnerRez | Vacation rental owners and managers | $40/month | 14-day trial | API |
Stayem is our product. Competitor details are taken from each company's own website on 22 September 2026, excluding tax, and change often — check their pricing page before deciding. Some vendors show a discounted annual-billing price by default.
Common questions
Do I need a channel manager for one holiday rental?
Usually not. A channel manager pays off when you manage many listings or change prices often. For one or two properties, a calendar that syncs your platforms by iCal, with a minimum advance notice of a day or two, prevents almost all double bookings at little or no cost.
Is there a free alternative to Lodgify or Smoobu?
Yes. Stayem is free to start — one property and one calendar stay free, and all features are free until 31 December 2026. Hospitable also publishes a free Essentials plan. Lodgify and Smoobu offer free trials rather than free plans.
What does Stayem not do that a channel manager does?
Stayem syncs availability, not prices or listing content, and it does not bring platform guest messages into one inbox. It connects by iCal rather than API, so updates follow each platform's refresh schedule instead of arriving within minutes.
Can I switch later if I outgrow it?
Yes. Stayem never changes the bookings on your platforms — it only adds its calendar alongside them — so removing it, or moving to a channel manager, leaves your platform calendars exactly as they were.
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