Best Vacation Rental Management Software 2021

Smoobu Competitors & Alternatives

Are you considering Smoobu for your vacation rental management purposes? Before committing to Smoobu, check out these alternatives to determine the best choice for your organization.

Smoobu is a popular vacation rental management software (VRMS) with over 70,000 active listings. It’s an intermediate platform that isn’t the most technologically advanced in its category, but that’s modern and intuitive to navigate. It has many third-party software integrations and will be particularly advantageous for property managers who operate in Europe. Overall, it’s ideal for property managers with up to 15 listings who are in the market for a reasonably priced, mid-tier software.

With so many VRMS solutions on the market, it can be hard to decide which is best for your business. Before you purchase Smoobu, we recommend reading this article to get a better picture of the vacation rental management software market and to see how Smoobu stacks up against its competitors.

The four Smoobu competitors discussed in this article are listed because of similar features, power, pricing, or similar target audiences. Some top Smoobu competitors and alternatives are:

  • Lodgify
  • Guesty
  • OwnerRez
  • iGMS

Throughout this article, we’ll provide an overview of a few Smoobu alternatives. If you’d like to read an in-depth analysis of Smoobu, check out our full Smoobu review.

All of our recommendations are based on research, product demos with the software companies, and dozens of hours spent hand-testing these vacation rental management tools. More details regarding our research process can be found on our vacation rental management category page.

Table of Contents

Smoobu Features

The table below provides a quick overview of Smoobu’s main features. Smoobu offers the standard features found in VRMS tools and has some unique features like guest guidebooks, which is fairly rare among competitors. Otherwise, most of its features are relatively standard and can be found within almost all tools in this space.

FeatureDescription
Direct Booking WebsiteDirect booking websites allow guests to book with you directly rather than going through a third party like Airbnb. While Smoobu’s website template is fine to work with, we were unable to test a website because all Smoobu-hosted sites were down for a couple weeks.
Channel ManagerWith a channel manager, you’ll be able to synchronize and manage property listings across online travel agencies (OTAs) like Airbnb and Booking.com. You’ll want a VRMS that has a mix of large OTAs and small regional tools. Smoobu offers one of the best blends of large and small OTAs, with API integrations with Airbnb, Agoda, Booking.com, Expedia, HomeAway/Vrbo, Trip.com, and many smaller European channels.
Centralized CalendarA centralized calendar works in tandem with the channel manager to pull data from OTAs. This includes bookings made across all your synchronized channels. Smoobu’s centralized calendar is fairly standard, though it is not nearly the best in the industry.
DashboardA dashboard is helpful because it provides a high-level overview of your property portfolio performance. Smoobu’s dashboard is modern and provides crucial statistics like occupancy rates, a six-month overview, and a mini version of the calendar.
MessagingSmoobu offers reliable messaging and message template features. The inbox is streamlined and messages to guests were sent promptly. You can create saved message templates to save time while corresponding with guests, and you’ll also be able to schedule messages to be sent when a guest makes a booking, checks in, and more.
Guest GuidesSmoobu’s guest guides are digital guides that are sent to guests upon their arrival to your property. You can customize them fairly heavily and they’re a great tool to provide your visitors with property information, recommendations for the area, and more.
IntegrationsSmoobu doesn’t have the most extensive list of integrations across VRMS tools, but definitely hovers somewhere in the middle of the pack. There are integrations with tools across categories like payments, pricing, maintenance, and more.

Smoobu Competitor Overview: Features

Below is a chart that compares available features between the platforms. You’ll notice that many features are generally the same across tools. The main differences between tools are often the target customer—for example, Smoobu is great for those with fewer than 15 properties while Guesty should be considered only by those with 20 or more properties—and which OTAs each platform has pre-built API integrations with. A best practice is to pay particular attention to the API integrations, because availability with your preferred channel is going to be one of the most important considerations.

Smoobu Competitors Feature Chart

Smoobu Competitor Overview: Pricing

Smoobu pricing begins at $23 per month for one property. You’ll receive a 20% discount on the monthly price if you sign up for an annual contract. Smoobu also offers a basic free plan with a website, reservation system, and basic statistics. In the Professional plan, which is the paid plan, here is what you will pay month-to-month:

  • One Property: $23 per month
  • Five Properties: $47 per month
  • Ten Properties: $77 per month
  • More Than 20 Properties: Contact Smoobu for pricing

VRMS solutions operate on a wide variety of pricing models, so it can be difficult to directly compare pricing. However, below is a list of price ranges for one, ten, and 20 properties across tools that offer public pricing information. Prices can vary depending on the plan you choose and which features you’ll need. Here are some pricing comparisons between Smoobu and its top competitors.

CompanyPricing Details
Smoobu
  • One Property: $23 per month
  • Five Properties: $47 per month
  • Ten Properties: $77 per month
  • More Than 20 Properties: Contact Smoobu for pricing
Lodgify
  • One Property: $11 to $69 per month
  • Ten Properties: $37 to $226 per month
  • Twenty Properties: $46 to $369 per month
Guesty
  • Between 2% and 5% of each booking
  • One-time onboarding fee
OwnerRez
  • One Property: $35 to $80 per month
  • Ten Properties: $89 to $188 per month
  • Twenty Properties: $137 to $275 per month
iGMS
  • Flexible: $1 per booked night
  • Pro: Between $18 and $30 per property per month

Top Smoobu Competitors

Some of Smoobu’s main competitors are listed below. For each alternative, we’ll give a brief description and a short explanation of how the tools differ. Based on our research, we’ll also let you know who each software would benefit most. If you see a tool in these comparisons that seems like it’ll benefit your business more than Smoobu would, read the full reviews to learn more.

Guesty
Guesty
Rating 91
Hostfully
Hostfully
Rating 89
Hostaway
Hostaway
Rating 89
Hostaway
Hostaway
Rating 89
Hostfully
Hostfully
Rating 89
iGMS
iGMS
Rating 88
iGMS
iGMS
Rating 88
OwnerRez
OwnerRez
Rating 86
OwnerRez
OwnerRez
Rating 86

Lodgify

Lodgify is very similar to Smoobu because it’s a popular tool with a very modern interface. Both platforms are ideal for those who manage fewer than 20 properties and who want an easy-to-use tool. Both tools received a rating of 84 in our category because, while they’re great to navigate, they’re not the most advanced or reliable choices on the market. Consider both Smoobu and Lodgify only if you’re in the market for a mid-tier solution that comes at a reasonable price with moderate functionality.

You'll prefer Smoobu if:

  • You manage properties in Europe
  • You’re interested in a basic free plan
  • You want a dashboard that provides a performance overview
You'll prefer Lodgify if:

  • You want advanced website templates for your rental business
  • You don’t need an API integration with Agoda
  • You have a larger budget to spend on a VRMS
Lodgify
Rating: 84
Starting Price: $11 per month

Lodgify is a vacation rental management software that’s best for those with between five and twenty properties. The strongest features are the customizable website templates and modern dashboard. Prospective customers can sign up for a free trial if they're interested in testing the tool.

Pros:
  • Particularly customizable website templates that customers enjoy
  • Modern and intuitive user interface that's hassle-free
  • Ideal for those with between five and twenty properties
Cons:
  • Crucial features are confined to the most expensive plan
  • Customers have reported lackluster customer support
  • Features other than the website builder are less advanced than some alternatives

Guesty

Guesty is an advanced, premium software tool that should be used by professional property management companies or individuals who manage more than 20 listings. Guesty is very expensive as they charge between 2% and 5% of each booking. There is also a one-time implementation fee. Overall, though, you get what you pay for, and Guesty is a very reliable software with advanced automations and technical features.

You'll prefer Smoobu if:

  • You want an easy-to-utilize tool
  • You don’t need a particularly advanced software
  • You own and manage properties in Europe
You'll prefer Guesty if:

  • You manage more than 20 properties
  • You have a larger budget for a VRMS tool
  • You want advanced and reliable automation features
Guesty
Rating: 91
Starting Price: Custom

Guesty is an advanced vacation rental management software that's used in the management of over 100,000 properties. With advanced automations and API connections with the major OTAs, it'll benefit those who are looking for an intensive and advanced tool to manage a large number of properties.

Pros:
  • The platform is feature-rich and robust, but still easy to navigate
  • Two-way API integrations with OTAs will push and pull data automatically
  • Nearly 100 integrations with third-party tools available via the Guesty Marketplace
Cons:
  • Pricing is not transparent and there is no free trial of the tool
  • Connection with TripAdvisor only works if you have 15 or more properties
  • Customers have noted that platform is quite expensive, with a hefty onboarding fee

OwnerRez

OwnerRez is a tool that’s best for smaller businesses. It’s detail-rich with well-thought-out features, though it’s a bit clunky to use and the interface isn’t quite as intuitive to navigate. It’s a great option for those who manage a handful of properties because it’ll likely be too jumbled for those with large businesses. Compared with Smoobu, it’s less modern and more detailed.

You'll prefer Smoobu if:

  • You manage up to 15 properties
  • You prefer to work with a modern, streamlined interface
  • You want to utilize the guest guides feature
You'll prefer OwnerRez if:

  • You manage fewer than ten properties
  • You don’t mind a steeper learning curve
  • You want in-house rental agreement templates
OwnerRez
Rating: 86
Starting Price: $35 per month

OwnerRez is an established vacation rental management software tool with all the features needed to manage rental properties. Though the interface is difficult to navigate, the tool works quite well. We recommend it for those who manage up to three properties.

Pros:
  • OwnerRez has built native tools (e.g. electronic signature tool) rather than integrating with third-party software vendors
  • Message templates are automatically configured, which saves an immense amount of time
  • Emails and rental agreements automatically populate with dynamic content
Cons:
  • The interface is outdated, especially compared with newer competitors
  • Parts of the OwnerRez application are challenging to navigate
  • Customers have reported that importing past information is time-consuming

iGMS

iGMS is a popular vacation rental management software that is ideal for those who only use Airbnb, Booking.com, or HomeAway/Vrbo. Because API connections are only established with these three channels, it’s not the most advantageous software. iGMS also does not offer direct booking websites. However, the rest of the tool works well and we found the automation features to be fairly strong. Smoobu is better for those who would like to list across many different channels and who are looking for a more streamlined inbox.

You'll prefer Smoobu if:

  • You prefer to have many OTAs to list properties
  • You want to utilize the guest guides feature
  • You have around 15 properties
You'll prefer iGMS if:

  • You only use Airbnb, Booking.com, and HomeAway/Vrbo
  • You don’t need a direct booking site
  • You manage a small number of properties
iGMS
Rating: 88
Starting Price: Free

iGMS is a popular vacation rental management software tool with over 80,000 properties managed on their platform. It offers strong automations and is reliable overall. We recommend it for those who are interested in syncing Airbnb listings and do not need to build a website.

Pros:
  • Strong automation features save time for property owners
  • Flexible Plan allows managers to pay only for booked nights
  • Customer support is particularly responsive
Cons:
  • Lacking website templates or direct booking widget
  • Doesn't include a dashboard to provide company overview
  • API connections are only established for three channels

Bottom Line

Smoobu is a reliable option for those looking for a mid-tier VRMS and especially for those who manage listings in Europe. With a wide list of API integrations, it’s ideal for those who need to synchronize properties across many OTAs and increase listing visibility.

However, depending on the size of your portfolio and your desired features, you should consider Smoobu’s competitors. Here’s a quick recap of who might prefer some of Smoobu’s competitors:

  • Lodgify is a more reliable option if you need an advanced direct booking website
  • Guesty is an advanced tool that should be considered if you manage more than 20 properties
  • OwnerRez is ideal if you have a handful of properties but still want power
  • iGMS is a great solution if you utilize only Airbnb, Booking.com, and HomeAway/Vrbo

If you’re interested in testing Smoobu for 14 days, sign up here.

Katelyn Anderson

Katelyn is a Junior Research Analyst at SoftwarePundit, where she conducts in-depth analyses of technology markets & products and writes software-related content. She graduated summa cum laude with degrees in English and Psychology. Her main areas of interest are content creation, user experience, and search engine optimization. You can connect with Katelyn on LinkedIn.

Katelyn is an expert in several software categories including:

  • Accounting software
  • Integration software
  • Live chat software
  • Vacation rental software
  • Video conferencing software

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