RoomRaccoon vs Smoobu: Head-to-Head Comparison
TL;DR: RoomRaccoon and Smoobu both target short-term rental operators. Pick **[RoomRaccoon](/roomraccoon-review/)** if: Small independent hotels and B&Bs in Europe or South Africa wanting PMS + channel manager + booking engine + payment processing in one subscription. 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 · RoomRaccoon · Smoobu
At a glance
| RoomRaccoon | Smoobu | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | All-in-one hotel management system for small independent hotels and B&Bs | European-friendly PMS at transparent entry-level pricing |
| Founded | 2017 | 2017 |
| HQ | Breda, Netherlands | Berlin, Germany |
| Pricing | from $188/mo | from $27/mo |
| Best for | Small independent hotels and B&Bs in Europe or South Africa wanting PMS + channel manager + booking engine + payment processing in one subscription. | European operators and solo hosts who want transparent entry-level pricing and competent channel sync without an enterprise lift. |
| Overall | 6.2/10 | 7.0/10 |
Feature-by-feature
| Feature | RoomRaccoon | Smoobu |
|---|---|---|
| Channel manager | ✅ Native | ✅ Native |
| Unified inbox | ⚠️ Partial | ✅ Native |
| Direct booking site | ✅ Native | ✅ Native |
| Task management | ⚠️ Partial | ⚠️ Partial |
| AI guest messaging | ⚠️ Partial | ⚠️ Partial |
| AI that takes actions | ⚠️ Partial | — |
| Automation rules | ✅ Native | ⚠️ Partial |
| Pricing optimizer | ⚠️ Partial | 🔌 Via integration |
| Open API | ⚠️ Partial | ⚠️ Partial |
| Mobile app | ⚠️ Partial | ✅ Native |
| Multi-calendar | ✅ Native | ✅ Native |
| Accounting / reporting | ⚠️ Partial | ⚠️ Partial |
| Revenue management | ⚠️ Partial | — |
Scores by dimension
| Dimension | RoomRaccoon | Smoobu |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | 7/10 | 8/10 🏆 |
| Features depth | 7/10 🏆 | 6/10 |
| Value for money | 6/10 | 9/10 🏆 |
| Support | 5/10 | 7/10 🏆 |
| AI capability | 5/10 🏆 | 4/10 |
| Scalability | 6/10 🏆 | 5/10 |
| Learning curve | 7/10 | 8/10 🏆 |
| Pricing transparency | 7/10 | 9/10 🏆 |
Where RoomRaccoon wins
- RoomRaccoon does not clearly out-score Smoobu on any dimension in this directory.
Where Smoobu wins
- Value for money — 9/10 vs 6/10
- Support — 7/10 vs 5/10
- Pricing transparency — 9/10 vs 7/10
Which one should you pick?
Pick RoomRaccoon if: Small independent hotels and B&Bs in Europe or South Africa wanting PMS + channel manager + booking engine + payment processing in one subscription. 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 6.4). |
| Boutique operator (6-20 units) | Tie | Both score within a rounding error on this profile — pick on pricing and gut. |
| Professional PM (20+ units) | RoomRaccoon | Higher profile fit (6.6 vs 6.0). |
| Enterprise (100+ units) | RoomRaccoon | Higher profile fit (6.5 vs 5.5). |
| Multi-market operator | RoomRaccoon | Higher profile fit (6.7 vs 5.6). |
| Tech-forward, AI-first | RoomRaccoon | Higher profile fit (6.8 vs 5.0). |
| Budget-conscious | Smoobu | Higher profile fit (8.6 vs 6.6). |
RoomRaccoon in one paragraph
RoomRaccoon — All-in-one hotel management system for small independent hotels and B&Bs. Strengths: All-in-one bundle is legitimately unified — PMS, channel manager, booking engine, payments; Strong presence in European independent-hotel and B&B segment; Called ‘the Rolls Royce of PMS systems’ by multiple positive reviews. Weaknesses: Users cite “a lot of flaws they are still working on” — product maturity gaps persist; Frequent system bugs and slow customer support cited consistently. Full RoomRaccoon 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 RoomRaccoon
- 5stelle vs Smoobu
- AirDNA vs RoomRaccoon
- AirDNA vs Smoobu
- Amenitiz vs RoomRaccoon
- Amenitiz vs Smoobu
FAQ
Is RoomRaccoon or Smoobu cheaper?
Smoobu is cheaper at the entry level ($27/mo vs $188/mo).
Does RoomRaccoon have better AI than Smoobu?
RoomRaccoon scores higher on ai capability — 5/10 vs 4/10.
Which is easier to use, RoomRaccoon or Smoobu?
Smoobu scores higher on ease of use — 8/10 vs 7/10.
Can I switch from RoomRaccoon to Smoobu?
Yes, but plan for migration cost: channel reconnections, template rebuilds, automation recreation, and team retraining. Both RoomRaccoon and Smoobu export reservation history; neither exports their automation rules cleanly. Run both in parallel for at least two weeks before cutting over.