How do you decide what goes in these comparisons?

Every price and feature claim is checked against the vendor's own live pricing page before publishing, and we note the month it was checked. Where a vendor doesn't publish a price, we say that rather than repeating figures from review aggregators, several of which describe plans that no longer exist. We also list where GuestIntro loses, because a comparison that never does is not much use to you.

Is GuestIntro always the recommendation?

No. GuestIntro has a hard ceiling of ten properties, no PMS integrations, and covers nine languages against Guidey's 110 and Hostfully's 16 or more. Each round-up has a section on when to stay with the tool you're already paying for, and above ten properties that's usually the honest answer.

Which GuestIntro product do these pages compare?

Both. The guidebook pages compare the Guest Manual, which is free for one property and runs from $6.99 a month billed yearly. The direct booking pages compare our booking sites, which start at $19.99 a month billed yearly with no commission on bookings beyond Stripe's card fees.

Comparisons · Updated July 2026

GuestIntro alternatives and comparisons

Round-ups of the vacation rental guidebook alternatives and direct booking builders worth knowing about, with prices checked against each vendor's own site rather than copied from review aggregators. Every page says where GuestIntro loses as well as where it wins.

Updated monthly·July 2026

Guidebook tools

Compare a guidebook tool

Tools that replace a printed welcome book: WiFi details, house rules, check-out instructions and local recommendations on a guest's phone. Prices shown are each vendor's cheapest published option for one property.

Touch Stay$99/year
No free plan. Priced per account by property count, from one property up to 300, and cheapest of anyone once you pass ten listings.
Compare the alternatives Head-to-head with GuestIntro
Hostfully Guidebooks Price not published
Free tier is real and permanent, but carries sponsored recommendations you can't remove. The paid Pro price isn't published anywhere.
Compare the alternatives Head-to-head with GuestIntro
Guidey$89/year
110 languages, automatic and hand-written combined — more than anyone here, ours included. No free plan, and no AI guest chat.
Read the comparison
RueBaRue Price not published
Guest messaging and housekeeping operations alongside the guidebook. English-only guides, and text numbers limited to the US and Canada.
Read the comparison

Direct booking

Taking bookings on your own site

Tools for taking bookings on your own site instead of paying commission to an OTA. Worth knowing before you start: going direct and paying no commission aren't automatically the same thing.

Lodgify $17.85/mo
That entry plan has no website builder and caps at one rental. A third property moves you to $52.92, and there's an unpublished transaction fee on top.
Compare the alternatives
Direct booking, explained
How commission-free booking actually works, what a custom domain and calendar sync involve, and what you keep per booking.
Read the guide
OTA fee calculatorFree
Work out what Airbnb and Booking.com cost you per year in commission, using your own nightly rate and occupancy.
Open the calculator

Method

How these comparisons work

How do you decide what goes in these comparisons?: Every price and feature claim is checked against the vendor's own live pricing page before publishing, and we note the month it was checked. Where a vendor doesn't publish a price, we say that rather than repeating figures from review aggregators, several of which describe plans that no longer exist. We also list where GuestIntro loses, because a comparison that never does is not much use to you.
Is GuestIntro always the recommendation?: No. GuestIntro has a hard ceiling of ten properties, no PMS integrations, and covers nine languages against Guidey's 110 and Hostfully's 16 or more. Each round-up has a section on when to stay with the tool you're already paying for, and above ten properties that's usually the honest answer.
Which GuestIntro product do these pages compare?: Both. The guidebook pages compare the Guest Manual, which is free for one property and runs from $6.99 a month billed yearly. The direct booking pages compare our booking sites, which start at $19.99 a month billed yearly with no commission on bookings beyond Stripe's card fees.

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Pricing on every page in this section was checked against the vendor's own website in July 2026. Vendors change pricing without notice, so confirm before you buy.