Chekin vs Smoobu: Head-to-Head Comparison
TL;DR: Chekin and Smoobu both target short-term rental operators. Pick **[Chekin](/chekin-review/)** if: Operators in Spain (Registro de Viajeros / Parte de Viajeros), Italy (Alloggiati Web), Portugal (SEF/SEF.HOS), and France (taxe de séjour) who need automated police registration and tourist-tax reporting that would otherwise be manual, error-prone, and legally risky. Pick **[Smoobu](/smoobu-review/)** if: European operators and solo hosts who want transparent entry-level pricing and competent channel sync without an enterprise lift.
Category: Property Management Software · Chekin · Smoobu
At a glance
| Chekin | Smoobu | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Guest registration and automated tax reporting for STRs in regulated European markets | European-friendly PMS at transparent entry-level pricing |
| Founded | 2017 | 2017 |
| HQ | Valencia, Spain | Berlin, Germany |
| Pricing | from $4/mo | from $27/mo |
| Best for | Operators in Spain (Registro de Viajeros / Parte de Viajeros), Italy (Alloggiati Web), Portugal (SEF/SEF.HOS), and France (taxe de séjour) who need automated police registration and tourist-tax reporting that would otherwise be manual, error-prone, and legally risky. | European operators and solo hosts who want transparent entry-level pricing and competent channel sync without an enterprise lift. |
| Overall | 6.8/10 | 7.0/10 |
Feature-by-feature
| Feature | Chekin | Smoobu |
|---|---|---|
| Channel manager | — | ✅ Native |
| Unified inbox | — | ✅ Native |
| Direct booking site | ⚠️ Partial | ✅ Native |
| Task management | — | ⚠️ Partial |
| AI guest messaging | — | ⚠️ Partial |
| AI that takes actions | ⚠️ Partial | — |
| Automation rules | ✅ Native | ⚠️ Partial |
| Pricing optimizer | — | 🔌 Via integration |
| Open API | ✅ Native | ⚠️ Partial |
| Mobile app | ✅ Native | ✅ Native |
| Multi-calendar | — | ✅ Native |
| Accounting / reporting | ⚠️ Partial | ⚠️ Partial |
| Revenue management | — | — |
Scores by dimension
| Dimension | Chekin | Smoobu |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 7/10 | 8/10 🏆 |
| Features depth | 7/10 🏆 | 6/10 |
| Value for money | 8/10 | 9/10 🏆 |
| Support | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| AI capability | 5/10 🏆 | 4/10 |
| Scalability | 7/10 🏆 | 5/10 |
| Learning curve | 6/10 | 8/10 🏆 |
| Pricing transparency | 7/10 | 9/10 🏆 |
Where Chekin wins
- Scalability — 7/10 vs 5/10
Where Smoobu wins
- Learning curve — 8/10 vs 6/10
- Pricing transparency — 9/10 vs 7/10
- Channel manager — native in Smoobu, not in Chekin
- Unified inbox — native in Smoobu, not in Chekin
- Multi-calendar — native in Smoobu, not in Chekin
Which one should you pick?
Pick Chekin if: Operators in Spain (Registro de Viajeros / Parte de Viajeros), Italy (Alloggiati Web), Portugal (SEF/SEF.HOS), and France (taxe de séjour) who need automated police registration and tourist-tax reporting that would otherwise be manual, error-prone, and legally risky. Pick Smoobu if: European operators and solo hosts who want transparent entry-level pricing and competent channel sync without an enterprise lift.
Pick by operator profile
| Profile | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Solo host (1-5 units) | Smoobu | Higher profile fit (7.6 vs 6.8). |
| Boutique operator (6-20 units) | Chekin | Higher profile fit (7.2 vs 6.6). |
| Professional PM (20+ units) | Chekin | Higher profile fit (7.3 vs 6.0). |
| Enterprise (100+ units) | Chekin | Higher profile fit (7.2 vs 5.5). |
| Multi-market operator | Chekin | Higher profile fit (7.2 vs 5.6). |
| Tech-forward, AI-first | Chekin | Higher profile fit (7.0 vs 5.0). |
| Budget-conscious | Smoobu | Higher profile fit (8.6 vs 7.4). |
Chekin in one paragraph
Chekin — Guest registration and automated tax reporting for STRs in regulated European markets. Strengths: Only guest-experience tool with deep, country-specific legal-registration coverage across Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Germany, and more — a genuine regulatory moat; Automated filing to government portals (Registro de Viajeros, Alloggiati Web, SEF) replaces daily manual paperwork; Automated tourist-tax calculation, collection, and remittance by jurisdiction. Weaknesses: Narrow geographic sweet spot — value collapses outside regulated EU markets; Guest-experience layer (messaging, upsells) is thinner than Duve or Enso Connect — most operators pair Chekin with one of those. Full Chekin review →
Smoobu in one paragraph
Smoobu — European-friendly PMS at transparent entry-level pricing. Strengths: Transparent, published pricing — rare in the PMS category; Clean European channel coverage including regional OTAs; Reasonable learning curve for non-technical hosts. Weaknesses: Feature depth lags category leaders on automation and AI; Mobile experience is functional but not polished. Full Smoobu review →
See also
- All Property Management Software comparisons
- 5stelle vs Chekin
- 5stelle vs Smoobu
- AirDNA vs Chekin
- AirDNA vs Smoobu
- Amenitiz vs Chekin
- Amenitiz vs Smoobu
FAQ
Is Chekin or Smoobu cheaper?
Chekin is cheaper at the entry level ($4/mo vs $27/mo).
Does Chekin have better AI than Smoobu?
Chekin scores higher on ai capability — 5/10 vs 4/10.
Which is easier to use, Chekin or Smoobu?
Smoobu scores higher on ease of use — 8/10 vs 7/10.
Can I switch from Chekin to Smoobu?
Yes, but plan for migration cost: channel reconnections, template rebuilds, automation recreation, and team retraining. Both Chekin and Smoobu export reservation history; neither exports their automation rules cleanly. Run both in parallel for at least two weeks before cutting over.