Hostaway vs Rentivo: Head-to-Head Comparison
TL;DR: Hostaway and Rentivo 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 **[Rentivo](/rentivo-review/)** if: UK-based vacation rental companies that want a custom booking website with bespoke tax/discount logic and API data exchange, backed by an industry-knowledgeable team.
Category: Property Management Software · Hostaway · Rentivo
At a glance
| Hostaway | Rentivo | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Mid-market PMS with the highest-status OTA connections and unified inbox | UK-rooted short-term rental tech stack built around bespoke booking websites and payments |
| Founded | 2015 | 2013 |
| HQ | Toronto, Canada | United Kingdom |
| 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. | UK-based vacation rental companies that want a custom booking website with bespoke tax/discount logic and API data exchange, backed by an industry-knowledgeable team. |
| Overall | 6.2/10 | 5.5/10 |
Feature-by-feature
| Feature | Hostaway | Rentivo |
|---|---|---|
| Channel manager | ✅ Native | ⚠️ Partial |
| Unified inbox | ✅ Native | ⚠️ Partial |
| Direct booking site | ✅ Native | ✅ Native |
| Task management | ✅ Native | ⚠️ Partial |
| AI guest messaging | ⚠️ Partial | — |
| AI that takes actions | — | — |
| Automation rules | ✅ Native | ⚠️ Partial |
| Pricing optimizer | 🔌 Via integration | 🔌 Via integration |
| Open API | ✅ Native | ✅ Native |
| Mobile app | ✅ Native | — |
| Multi-calendar | ✅ Native | ✅ Native |
| Accounting / reporting | ⚠️ Partial | ⚠️ Partial |
| Revenue management | ⚠️ Partial | ⚠️ Partial |
Scores by dimension
| Dimension | Hostaway | Rentivo |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Features depth | 8/10 🏆 | 6/10 |
| Value for money | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Support | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| AI capability | 5/10 🏆 | 3/10 |
| Scalability | 8/10 🏆 | 5/10 |
| Learning curve | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Pricing transparency | 2/10 | 3/10 🏆 |
Where Hostaway wins
- Features depth — 8/10 vs 6/10
- AI capability — 5/10 vs 3/10
- Scalability — 8/10 vs 5/10
- Mobile app — native in Hostaway, not in Rentivo
Where Rentivo wins
- Rentivo 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 Rentivo if: UK-based vacation rental companies that want a custom booking website with bespoke tax/discount logic and API data exchange, backed by an industry-knowledgeable team.
Pick by operator profile
| Profile | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Solo host (1-5 units) | Hostaway | Higher profile fit (6.2 vs 5.9). |
| Boutique operator (6-20 units) | Hostaway | Higher profile fit (7.0 vs 5.6). |
| Professional PM (20+ units) | Hostaway | Higher profile fit (7.6 vs 5.6). |
| Enterprise (100+ units) | Hostaway | Higher profile fit (7.7 vs 5.3). |
| Multi-market operator | Hostaway | Higher profile fit (7.6 vs 5.3). |
| Tech-forward, AI-first | Hostaway | Higher profile fit (7.2 vs 4.5). |
| Budget-conscious | Rentivo | Higher profile fit (5.8 vs 5.7). |
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 →
Rentivo in one paragraph
Rentivo — UK-rooted short-term rental tech stack built around bespoke booking websites and payments. Strengths: Tailored booking websites and WordPress/CMS widgets as first-class outputs; Flexible multi-tiered tax and discount structures; API data exchange for partner systems. Weaknesses: Very small vendor — limited R&D velocity vs Guesty/Hostaway; Narrower integration catalogue than category leaders. Full Rentivo review →
See also
- All Property Management Software comparisons
- 5stelle vs Hostaway
- 5stelle vs Rentivo
- AirDNA vs Hostaway
- AirDNA vs Rentivo
- Amenitiz vs Hostaway
- Amenitiz vs Rentivo
FAQ
Is Hostaway or Rentivo cheaper?
Neither Hostaway nor Rentivo publishes pricing openly — both require a sales conversation to quote.
Does Hostaway have better AI than Rentivo?
Hostaway scores higher on ai capability — 5/10 vs 3/10.
Which is easier to use, Hostaway or Rentivo?
Hostaway and Rentivo score equally on ease of use (7/10).
Can I switch from Hostaway to Rentivo?
Yes, but plan for migration cost: channel reconnections, template rebuilds, automation recreation, and team retraining. Both Hostaway and Rentivo export reservation history; neither exports their automation rules cleanly. Run both in parallel for at least two weeks before cutting over.