Hostaway vs Rentals United: Head-to-Head Comparison
TL;DR: Hostaway and Rentals United both target short-term rental operators. Pick **[Hostaway](/hostaway-review/)** if: Operators who want a proven mid-market PMS with broad channel integrations, owner portals, and automation out of the box. Pick **[Rentals United](/rentals-united-review/)** if: Operators on a PMS who need one integration to reach 60+ channels — including long-tail European OTAs most competitors don't cover.
Category: Property Management Software · Hostaway · Rentals United
At a glance
| Hostaway | Rentals United | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mid-market PMS with the highest-status OTA connections and unified inbox | Global vacation rental channel manager connecting PMS software to 60+ booking channels |
| Founded | 2015 | 2013 |
| HQ | Toronto, Canada | Barcelona, Spain |
| Pricing | quote-based | quote-based |
| Best for | Operators who want a proven mid-market PMS with broad channel integrations, owner portals, and automation out of the box. | Operators on a PMS who need one integration to reach 60+ channels — including long-tail European OTAs most competitors don’t cover. |
| Overall | 6.2/10 | 5.4/10 |
Feature-by-feature
| Feature | Hostaway | Rentals United |
|---|---|---|
| Channel manager | ✅ Native | ✅ Native |
| Unified inbox | ✅ Native | — |
| Direct booking site | ✅ Native | — |
| Task management | ✅ Native | — |
| AI guest messaging | ⚠️ Partial | — |
| AI that takes actions | — | — |
| Automation rules | ✅ Native | ⚠️ Partial |
| Pricing optimizer | 🔌 Via integration | — |
| Open API | ✅ Native | ✅ Native |
| Mobile app | ✅ Native | — |
| Multi-calendar | ✅ Native | ✅ Native |
| Accounting / reporting | ⚠️ Partial | — |
| Revenue management | ⚠️ Partial | — |
Scores by dimension
| Dimension | Hostaway | Rentals United |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 7/10 🏆 | 6/10 |
| Features depth | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Value for money | 7/10 🏆 | 6/10 |
| Support | 7/10 🏆 | 5/10 |
| AI capability | 5/10 🏆 | 2/10 |
| Scalability | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Learning curve | 6/10 🏆 | 5/10 |
| Pricing transparency | 2/10 | 3/10 🏆 |
Where Hostaway wins
- Support — 7/10 vs 5/10
- AI capability — 5/10 vs 2/10
- Unified inbox — native in Hostaway, not in Rentals United
- Direct booking site — native in Hostaway, not in Rentals United
- Task management — native in Hostaway, not in Rentals United
- Mobile app — native in Hostaway, not in Rentals United
Where Rentals United wins
- Rentals United does not clearly out-score Hostaway on any dimension in this directory.
Which one should you pick?
Pick Hostaway if: Operators who want a proven mid-market PMS with broad channel integrations, owner portals, and automation out of the box. Pick Rentals United if: Operators on a PMS who need one integration to reach 60+ channels — including long-tail European OTAs most competitors don’t cover.
Pick by operator profile
| Profile | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Solo host (1-5 units) | Hostaway | Higher profile fit (6.2 vs 5.1). |
| Boutique operator (6-20 units) | Hostaway | Higher profile fit (7.0 vs 5.4). |
| Professional PM (20+ units) | Hostaway | Higher profile fit (7.6 vs 6.1). |
| Enterprise (100+ units) | Hostaway | Higher profile fit (7.7 vs 6.0). |
| Multi-market operator | Hostaway | Higher profile fit (7.6 vs 5.7). |
| Tech-forward, AI-first | Hostaway | Higher profile fit (7.2 vs 4.7). |
| Budget-conscious | Hostaway | Higher profile fit (5.7 vs 5.3). |
Hostaway in one paragraph
Hostaway — Mid-market PMS with the highest-status OTA connections and unified inbox. Strengths: Highest-status OTA connectivity (Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Google); Unified inbox with SLA tracking, templates, team assignments, AI replies; Solid direct-booking website builder with conversion widgets. Weaknesses: Pricing is not public; AI scope beyond messaging is lightly documented. Full Hostaway review →
Rentals United in one paragraph
Rentals United — Global vacation rental channel manager connecting PMS software to 60+ booking channels. Strengths: Broadest channel catalog in the category — 60+ OTAs including long-tail European channels; Mature two-way XML/REST API used by most major PMSes as their connectivity backbone; Strong coverage of regional European channels (HomeToGo, Holidu, Atraveo, e-domizil). Weaknesses: Not a standalone PMS — requires an underlying system for operations, guest comms, and tasks; Setup can be slow; channel certifications vary in speed. Full Rentals United review →
See also
- All Property Management Software comparisons
- 5stelle vs Hostaway
- 5stelle vs Rentals United
- AirDNA vs Hostaway
- AirDNA vs Rentals United
- Amenitiz vs Hostaway
- Amenitiz vs Rentals United
FAQ
Is Hostaway or Rentals United cheaper?
Neither Hostaway nor Rentals United publishes pricing openly — both require a sales conversation to quote.
Does Hostaway have better AI than Rentals United?
Hostaway scores higher on ai capability — 5/10 vs 2/10.
Which is easier to use, Hostaway or Rentals United?
Hostaway scores higher on ease of use — 7/10 vs 6/10.
Can I switch from Hostaway to Rentals United?
Yes, but plan for migration cost: channel reconnections, template rebuilds, automation recreation, and team retraining. Both Hostaway and Rentals United export reservation history; neither exports their automation rules cleanly. Run both in parallel for at least two weeks before cutting over.