Best Property Management Software for Airbnb and Short-Term Rentals

Property managers that are responsible for Airbnb properties face a unique set of challenges that regular property managers do not really face—from guest communication to frequent turnover, to dynamic pricing and reviews and ratings.

To stay on top of these things, many Airbnb hosts and property managers turn to specialized property management software. These tools can help automate daily tasks, streamline guest communication, handle maintenance requests, and more, allowing you to focus on growing your business.

Whether you're managing one property or multiple, finding the right property management software is crucial to running a successful short-term rental operation.

In this guide, we’ll explore some of the best property management software for Airbnb and short-term rentals. We'll review features, pricing, and user experiences to help you make an informed decision.

The options provided are either official Preferred+ Airbnb Partners or Standard Airbnb Partners.

Preferred+ partners provide the required functionality and software connections that meet and exceed Airbnb's requirements. Whereas, standard partners provide the minimum required functionality and software connections required by Airbnb.

Top Property Management Software for Airbnb

Managing multiple Airbnb or short-term rental properties can be overwhelming, but the right property management software can simplify your operations.

Below are some of the top-rated software solutions designed to help Airbnb hosts automate tasks, streamline communications, and optimize their short-term rental management processes.

Guesty

Airbnb Preferred+ Software Partner

Guesty is one of the most popular property management software options for Airbnb hosts and short-term rental managers. It’s designed to simplify the management of multiple properties across platforms like Airbnb, Booking.com, and VRBO.

Guesty’s powerful automation features, such as guest communication and payment processing, make it a favorite among hosts looking to streamline their operations.

Key Features:

• Advanced channel manager that syncs listings across Airbnb and other platforms
• Automated guest messaging and booking management
• Dynamic pricing tools to optimize revenue
• Integration with third-party services like keyless entry and noise monitoring

User Review: “Guesty has significantly reduced the time I spend managing my Airbnb listings. The automation features, especially guest messaging and payment processing, are real time-savers.”

Pricing: Guesty’s pricing is customized based on the number of properties and features you need. You can request a quote to get exact pricing tailored to your requirements.

Lodgify

Airbnb Preferred+ Software Partner

Lodgify is a well-rounded property management tool built specifically for vacation rentals and short-term rentals, including Airbnb.

It offers a full range of features, from a channel manager to a custom website builder that allows property managers to accept direct bookings. With its user-friendly interface, Lodgify is perfect for property managers looking to enhance their online presence while simplifying operations.

Key Features:

• Custom website builder for direct bookings and increased visibility
• Channel manager that syncs across Airbnb, Booking.com, and Expedia
• Automated guest communication and booking management
• Integrated payment processing and dynamic pricing tools

User Review: "Lodgify has made it easier to manage my Airbnb properties while reducing platform fees. The custom website has been a game-changer for direct bookings."

Pricing: Lodgify offers tiered pricing based on the number of properties:

• Starter plan: $16 per month
• Professional plan: $40 per month
• Ultimate plan: $59 per month

Each plan comes with additional features as you scale, making it a flexible option for property managers with different needs.

Hostaway

Airbnb Preferred+ Software Partner

Hostaway is another excellent property management solution for Airbnb hosts and short-term rental managers. Known for its strong integrations and robust reporting tools, Hostaway makes it easy to manage multiple properties while automating key tasks like guest messaging and payment collection.

Hostaway’s channel manager syncs across Airbnb, Booking.com, and other platforms, making it a great option for property managers looking for seamless cross-platform management.

Key Features:

• Comprehensive channel manager that syncs with Airbnb and other platforms
• Automated payment processing and guest messaging tools
• Reporting and analytics tools to track performance
• Integrations with third-party services like dynamic pricing and marketing tools

User Review: "Hostaway has really simplified managing my short-term rentals. The channel manager keeps everything synced, and the automation features save me a ton of time."

Pricing: Hostaway’s pricing is not listed, but their pricing model is either a monthly or annual rate based on the size of your business. You’ll need to contact them directly for a customized quote.

Hostfully

Airbnb Preferred+ Software Partner

Hostfully is a feature-rich property management software designed for short-term rental managers and Airbnb hosts. It’s particularly well-known for its digital guidebooks, which allow hosts to provide guests with all the information they need before and during their stay.

This platform also emphasizes automation, helping property managers reduce the manual work involved in booking management, guest communication, and maintenance requests.

Key Features:

• Digital guidebooks for guests, enhancing their experience
• Automated responses for guest communications
• Channel manager that syncs with Airbnb, Booking.com, and VRBO
• Direct booking capabilities to avoid platform fees

User Review: "Hostfully’s guidebook feature has been a huge hit with guests. They always mention how convenient it is. The automation tools have also saved me a lot of time managing bookings."

Pricing: Hostfully offers pricing based on the number of properties:

• Starter: $109 per month (for up to 4 properties)
• Pro: $215 per month (for up to 11 properties)
• Pro Plus: $269 per month (for up to 19 properties)
• Premium: Custom quote

Besides the Starter plan, these plans are more suited for property managers with larger portfolios, offering a range of features that grow with your business. If you pay annually, you can save 10%.

Lodgix

Airbnb Standard Software Partner

Lodgix is a user-friendly property management software that caters to short-term rental managers and Airbnb hosts. It offers essential features such as channel management, booking automation, and guest communication tools, making it a reliable choice for those managing multiple properties.

Lodgix also integrates seamlessly with platforms like Airbnb, HomeAway, and Booking.com, ensuring that your listings are always synced across channels.

Key Features:

• Channel manager that syncs listings with Airbnb, HomeAway, and more
• Automated booking confirmations and guest messaging
• Integrated accounting and reporting tools
• Customizable website for direct bookings

User Review: "Lodgix has been a great tool for managing my short-term rentals. I love that I can handle everything in one place, from bookings to guest communication."

Pricing: Lodgix offers pricing based on the number of units managed:

• Base plan: $79.99 per month (for up to 7 properties)
• Pricing increases as the number of units grow, with added features available in higher plans

Smoobu

Airbnb Standard Software Partner

Smoobu is a property management software built specifically for Airbnb hosts and short-term and vacation rental managers. It’s an all-in-one platform that simplifies the process of managing bookings, communication, and property operations.

With a focus on automation and channel management, Smoobu allows users to sync their listings across multiple platforms, including Airbnb, Booking.com, and Expedia, all from a single dashboard.

Key Features:

• Channel manager that syncs listings with Airbnb, Booking.com, and Expedia
• Automated guest communication and booking management
• Integrated website builder for direct bookings
• Guest experience tools, including digital guest guides
• Booking statistics and reporting tools

User Review: "Smoobu has been a game-changer for my Airbnb management. It’s easy to use, and the channel manager keeps my listings updated automatically. I also love the guest guides—it’s a great way to provide more information to guests."

Pricing: Smoobu offers pricing based on units. Here's the pricing for one unit:

• Basic: Free
• Professional: $31.29/month
• Team: $214.71/month

For each unit added, the pricing goes up by about $10.

If you pay yearly, you get a 10% discount. If you pay for two years, you get a 20% discount.

What is Airbnb Property Management Software

If you're new to managing Airbnb properties or short-term rentals, you might be wondering how property management software can help streamline your business.

Airbnb property management software is designed to assist hosts and property managers by automating many of the daily tasks involved in running vacation rental properties.

These tools offer features like automated guest communication, channel management (which syncs listings across platforms like Airbnb, Booking.com, and VRBO), pricing optimization, and more.

By automating key tasks such as managing bookings, guest messaging, and even maintenance requests, property management software allows Airbnb hosts to save time and reduce the risk of human error.

Guest Communication

In the vacation rental industry, communication with tenants and guests is extremely important. This is why most property management solutions offer a streamlined method of communication for them.

By having a streamlined method of communication, property managers and property owners can know exactly what is happening in their vacation rental properties. They can also stay up to date with any issues or concerns that arise from the guest.

Channel Manager

A channel manager is a system that allows a property manager to syndicate their rental properties to different listing sites. This is a very useful feature for vacation rental businesses as it makes it easier to fill vacant properties.

A channel manager may also allow users to sync multiple airbnb accounts and have them all centered in one dashboard.

Some systems may even allow property managers to create their own website to accept direct bookings. However, this is a very advanced feature and may have extra costs applied.

Maintenance Management

Many property managers and property management companies have dedicated maintenance management software. However, good property management software has maintenance management as one of its features.

A proper maintenance management software solution should be able to do various things like:

• Streamline management tasks
• Automatically accept tasks
• Assign tasks to vendors
• Monitor the complete process

With all of these features, property managers can easily keep track of all pending and completed tasks and make sure they all get taken care of as quickly as possible.

Accounting Features

Apart from having a good maintenance management solution, great property management software should have an intuitive accounting system.

This accounting system should be able to generate various reports pertaining to vacation rentals that property owners can find useful. Some of these useful reports include:

• Balance sheet
• Income statement
• General ledger
• Accounts payable

Manage Multiple Listings

Vacation rental software should also be able to support multiple properties and multiple listings. This allows the property managers to have all of their properties in one place and manage them all using the same system.

Choosing the Right Property Management Software for Airbnb

Finding the right property management software for Airbnb and short-term rentals is crucial to running a successful business. With features like automated guest communication, channel management, and dynamic pricing, these tools help streamline day-to-day operations and free up time for hosts to focus on growing their rental portfolios.

Whether you're looking for a software solution that's an official Preferred+ Airbnb partner like Guesty or Hostaway, or a more flexible option like Lodgix, each software option reviewed here offers unique benefits tailored to your short-term property management needs. The key is to choose the one that best fits your portfolio size, budget, and specific requirements.

By investing in the right Airbnb property management software, you can ensure that your Airbnb properties are managed efficiently, bookings are optimized, and guest satisfaction remains high.