Smoobu vs Hostaway
Two solid channel managers, very different sweet spots. Hostaway is built for agencies managing 20+ properties. Smoobu is built for operators like you — 1–15 properties, German-speaking market, no enterprise contract required.
At a glance
| Smoobu | Hostaway | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat rate per property, published online | Per-property, requires a sales demo to get a quote |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no credit card | Demo call required first |
| German UI & support | Yes — native German interface and support team | English only for most users |
| Übernachtungssteuer | Built-in Berlin reporting (uenst-2a export) | Not supported |
| OTA integrations | ~50 channels (all DACH-relevant ones) | 100+ channels |
| Automation / workflows | Core automations (messaging, pricing, tasks) | Advanced (conditional logic, multi-step workflows) |
| Setup time | 1–2 days typical | 1–2 weeks with onboarding support |
| Best property count | 1–15 properties | 20–200+ properties |
| Direct booking widget | Included — embed on any site | Included — more customisable |
| Stripe integration | Yes (via API or direct booking site) | Yes |
Pricing — what you actually pay
Smoobu publishes its pricing on the website. Hostaway requires a sales call before you see a number. That tells you something about who each product is designed for.
Smoobu
- Starter: ~€19–25/month · 1 property · all core features
- Professional: scales with property count · multi-user access
- Unlimited: flat annual rate regardless of property count
- All plans include channel manager, booking calendar, messaging, direct booking widget
- No percentage-of-revenue fee
- No minimum contract — monthly billing available
Prices vary slightly by region and are updated periodically — check the Smoobu site for current rates. The structure (flat per-property) is stable.
Hostaway
- Custom pricing — no public rate card
- Per-property monthly fee, typically higher than Smoobu at equivalent property counts
- Annual contracts common at this price point
- Onboarding fees reported by users in some plans
- Worth it if you need Hostaway's advanced automation and have the scale to justify it
Pricing data from public user reviews and community posts (June 2026). Always request a current quote directly from Hostaway.
Bottom line: For 1–5 properties, Smoobu is almost certainly cheaper. At 15–20+ properties with complex needs, Hostaway's pricing may become competitive relative to the extra features you get.
German market fit
If you operate in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland, this is where the gap between the two products is largest.
Smoobu wins in DACH
- Übernachtungssteuer: Smoobu has built-in support for Berlin's city tax (uenst-2a), including automated guest statement export. This alone saves hours per filing period.
- German-language support: Support tickets answered in German. FAQs and onboarding materials in German. No translation layer needed.
- DACH OTA coverage: Airbnb, Booking.com, FeWo-direkt, Holidu, Wimdu, and other DACH-relevant channels all supported via direct API connections.
- SEPA-friendly: Payment flows designed for the European context, not just US credit card flows.
Hostaway in DACH
- Platform is entirely in English — your team must be comfortable operating in English.
- No built-in Übernachtungssteuer support — you need a workaround or manual tracking.
- Support is English-only. Response quality is good but timezone differences can add latency for European operators.
- Core OTA connections (Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia) are all available, but some DACH-specific channels may be missing.
Which one is right for you?
- You have 1–15 properties and don't need an enterprise contract
- You operate in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland
- You file Übernachtungssteuer in Berlin or want automated city tax exports
- You want to see pricing before talking to sales
- You want to be up and running in 1–2 days
- You or your team are more comfortable in German
- You're testing direct bookings and want the embedded widget with minimal friction
- You manage 20+ properties or are building a property management business
- You need advanced workflow automation (conditional logic, multi-step sequences)
- Your operation requires 100+ OTA channel integrations
- You want a dedicated onboarding team and account manager
- You're building a team and need granular user permissions
- You operate primarily in the US or UK market
What about switching later?
A valid concern. Both platforms export your booking history and reservation data as CSV. OTA connections need to be re-linked in the new platform — this takes a few hours per OTA but isn't technically difficult. Guest message templates need to be re-created.
The main switching cost is time: typically 2–4 hours for Smoobu → something else, 1–2 weeks for Hostaway → something else (more complex setup means more to unwind).
My recommendation: start with Smoobu. The lower switching cost means you're not locked in. If your operation genuinely outgrows it at 20+ properties, you'll know exactly what you need from a more complex system and Hostaway will be an obvious fit at that point.
The verdict
For the typical Smoobu Hub reader — a host with 1–5 properties in the DACH region — Smoobu wins on every dimension that matters: pricing transparency, German-language support, built-in Übernachtungssteuer handling, and a setup process that doesn't require a sales call.
Hostaway is a genuinely strong product. It's just designed for a different problem: managing large portfolios across multiple markets with a team of operators. If you're reading this page trying to decide between the two, you're almost certainly the Smoobu customer.
Disclosure: I use Smoobu to manage my own property (Seumi in Berlin). The affiliate link below earns me a small commission if you sign up — at no extra cost to you. This comparison reflects my honest experience and publicly available information as of June 2026.
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