Guesty guide
Guesty vs Hostaway for direct bookings
Two capable platforms, judged only on what they let a website do. This is not a features comparison — plenty of those exist.
The short version
Both are excellent operational platforms and either will run your business well. From a website perspective they differ in one meaningful way: Guesty gives you a documented Booking Engine API intended for headless builds, while Hostaway leans on a native website product with an Open API underneath it that supports connecting sites built elsewhere8.
In practice that makes Guesty marginally the easier platform to build fully custom against, and Hostaway marginally the better one if you want a strong native site with selective customisation.
Where each one wins
Guesty suits larger portfolios and serviced accommodation operators who want a headless front end and are prepared to pay for it. Its direct booking stack is explicitly three-tiered, which makes the upgrade path clear.
Hostaway suits managers from around ten units upwards who want strong operations and a competent website without a bespoke build. Its Booking Website Pro adds a real editor, AI SEO tooling and marketing features7 — useful if a custom build is not on the table this year.
- Guesty: better documented headless route, clearer three-tier upgrade path
- Hostaway: stronger native site, Open API that explicitly supports external front ends
- Both: no channel commission on direct bookings, both sync live to the same calendar
The fees nobody mentions
Hostaway charges a 0.5% reservation fee on direct bookings through Booking Website Pro, plus a 1.8% guest-facing fee in the US8. Small against 14–16% to Airbnb3, but it is not zero and it should be modelled.
Guesty's direct booking routes do not carry an equivalent per-booking website fee, though pricing is quote-based above the entry tier. Compare total cost of ownership rather than headline plan prices.
Which we would choose
If the website is the priority and the portfolio is large: Guesty. If operations are the priority and the website needs to be good rather than exceptional: Hostaway.
Both are the wrong reason to switch platforms. If you already run one of them, keep it — the website in front of it is almost always the constraint, not the software behind it.
Questions people actually ask
Straight answers.
Is Guesty or Hostaway better for direct bookings?
Guesty if you want a fully custom front end on a documented API. Hostaway if you want a strong native website with selective customisation and an Open API to fall back on.
Neither is a bad answer, and neither is worth migrating for on website grounds alone.
Does Hostaway charge for direct bookings?
Yes, a 0.5% reservation fee on bookings through Booking Website Pro, plus a 1.8% guest fee in the US8.
Trivial next to OTA commission, but worth modelling if you are pushing serious volume direct.
Should I switch platforms to get a better website?
Almost never. Changing the system that runs your operation to improve the layer in front of it is an expensive way to solve the wrong problem.
Both platforms support custom front ends. Build the website you need on the platform you already have.
Back to the main page
Guesty website design
The full picture on building a direct booking website around Guesty — integration routes, what changes, and what it costs you not to.
Guesty Booking Engine API integration
What the API exposes, and what a headless build actually involves.
ReadA better alternative to Guesty Websites
Where the native builder runs out of road, and what replacing it looks like.
ReadSEO for a Guesty website
Property pages, location content and the technical work the platform will not do.
Read