Base360 vs Hostaway at a glance
Both are full property management systems: they connect your booking channels, bring guest messages into one inbox and plan cleans from checkouts. The differences show up in how you start and leave, how your team gets in, and what is built in, as the jobs below show.
| What you need | Hostaway | Base360 |
|---|---|---|
| Getting started | A $500 onboarding fee on its own comparison page, and billing from your first onboarding call | No setup fee, and our team moves you over for free |
| The contract | The term is set in your own agreement, month to month or annual | No contract |
| A cleaner starts working | Set up as a Hostaway user, because tasks show only to the users they are assigned to | A private link in the phone’s browser, with no app or login |
| A problem in a guest message becomes a task | Automatic tasks start from reservations, upsells and schedules; no built-in one from messages is documented | The AI drafts the repair task, and your team checks and saves it |
| Texting guests | From a US number you can’t choose; two-way texts guaranteed only for US, Canadian and UK numbers | From a number you pick and buy inside Base360, or one from your own Twilio account |
| Changing prices | Its own Dynamic Pricing add-on, billed per active property and updated every 24 hours | Ask Claude in plain words, and it asks before each change by default |
| Tracking landlord leads | No built-in CRM for property owners documented in its help centre | A CRM with a landlord pipeline, messages, calls and notes |
| Booking channels | Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Expedia, Google Vacation Rentals and other major sites by direct connection, and calendar sync for sites without one (Hostaway channels) | Ten built in, including Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo and Expedia, and more on request through Channex, which connects about 130 platforms |
| Airbnb and Booking.com messages in one inbox | Yes | Yes |
Good to knowEvery Hostaway detail on this page comes from Hostaway’s own website, help centre and terms, checked on 9 October 2026. Hostaway changes its product and prices too, so check the latest version before you decide. Hostaway is a trademark of its owner, and Base360 is not affiliated with Hostaway.
Common problems with Hostaway
Hostaway is a capable PMS. Its problems for growing operators come from how it is priced and set up, and from what it leaves to other tools. These seven come up most.
- You pay before you are up and running. You sign, book the first onboarding call, and the invoice starts while half your listings are still being connected. Hostaway’s help centre says billing starts on the day of your first onboarding call, and that listings not connected to a channel are still charged (Hostaway billing). Its own comparison page also lists a $500 onboarding fee (Hostaway vs Guesty).
- Pausing or leaving has its own rules. A quiet winter comes, or you decide to move, and the account can’t simply be put on hold. Hostaway can’t pause billing (Hostaway help), its terms leave the length of your contract to your own agreement (Hostaway terms, §11.1), and it deletes reservation data after an account is deactivated (cancelling Hostaway).
- Every cleaner needs a Hostaway login. A new cleaner starts on Monday, and before they see a single job you create a user for them. In Hostaway’s own Tasks, a task is visible only to its assignee, its supervisor, the group it was given to and admins (Hostaway task visibility).
- A guest’s problem stays in the inbox. At 21:00 a guest writes that the shower is cold. Someone reads it, opens the task list and types the problem out again for the plumber. Hostaway’s automatic tasks start from reservations, upsells and recurring schedules (Hostaway auto-tasks). Its AI can flag a message like this for attention (Hostaway AI escalations), but its help centre documents no built-in way to turn a guest message into a task.
- Texts come from a number your guests don’t know. A guest from Berlin gets a check-in text from an American number and doesn’t answer it. Hostaway sends SMS from a US number you can’t choose, and only guarantees two-way texting for US, Canadian and UK numbers, with a limit of 480 characters (Hostaway SMS).
- Smart pricing is another bill per property. Hostaway’s Dynamic Pricing is billed per active property on top of your plan and updates prices every 24 hours (Hostaway Dynamic Pricing).
- New landlords live in a spreadsheet. Three landlords answered your ad this week: one on Instagram, one by e-mail and one on the phone, and their details end up in a spreadsheet. Hostaway’s Guest Book keeps your guests’ details (Hostaway Guest Book), and its help centre documents no built-in CRM for property owner or landlord leads.
The first two are about how Hostaway starts and ends. The other five are about your team’s day, once the system is running.
How Base360 solves them
Base360 starts free with no contract, and it builds in the work Hostaway leaves to a login, a person or another tool. Each problem has its answer:
- Free switching, no setup fee. Our AI agents capture your properties, bookings and guests from the system you use today and bring them into Base360 in one day, for free. You connect your channels with us on a short call.
- No contract. There is no term to sign.
- A private link for cleaners and contractors. Each person gets their own link that opens in the phone’s browser, with no sign-up, app or login. It shows their jobs, how to get into each property and the checklist, and they can report a problem with a photo.
- Repair tasks drafted from guest messages. When a guest reports a problem in the inbox, Base360’s AI can draft a repair task for that property. Your team checks and assigns it, and the contractor gets it in their link.
- SMS from your own number. Texts go out from a number you pick and buy inside Base360, or one from your Twilio account, and replies land in the same inbox as your Airbnb, Booking.com and WhatsApp messages, next to the booking.
- Prices set with Claude. You ask Claude in plain words, such as lowering weekday prices on three flats. It reads your bookings and prices in Base360, proposes the change and, by default, asks before it saves anything. If you use PriceLabs, you can keep it.
- Landlord leads in a CRM. Each landlord or property owner lead gets a profile with their messages, calls and notes, and moves through a pipeline from the first message to a signed deal.
The sections below show how each one works, starting with the move itself.
Free switching, no setup fee
Base360 has no setup fee, and moving over is free, however many properties you have. Our AI agents capture your properties, bookings and guests from the system you use today and bring them into Base360 in one day. So you aren’t paying for an onboarding before your first booking runs through the new system.
We don’t have your Airbnb or Booking.com logins, and we shouldn’t. So your channels are connected with you, on a call, and each listing is matched to its property in Base360. Connecting the listing you already have keeps its reviews, as Airbnb’s help centre explains.
Moving from another PMS? Our guide to switching PMS shows what happens to your reviews, bookings and channels, step by step.
No contract
Base360 has no contract, so you stay because the system works for you.
TipBefore you close your Hostaway account, download your reservations from Hostaway’s reservations list (Hostaway help). Hostaway deletes reservation data after an account is deactivated, so the download is your copy of past stays.
A private link for cleaners
Each cleaner and contractor gets their own private link, which opens in the phone’s browser with no sign-up, app or login. So a cleaner sees their jobs from the first link you send, with how to get into each property and the checklist for it.
The link only shows the work and properties given to that person, so treat it like a key and send it only to them. Your own team uses the Base360 app on iOS and Android; cleaners and contractors don’t need it.
Repairs drafted from guest messages
When a guest reports a problem in a message, such as a cold shower or a heater that won’t turn on, Base360’s AI can draft a repair task for that booking’s property. Your team checks the draft and saves it, so the problem reaches the contractor without being typed out again.
The AI can draft it from any guest conversation linked to a booking, whether it came through Airbnb, Booking.com, WhatsApp or e-mail, because they all arrive in the same unified inbox. Once it is assigned, the contractor gets it in their private link.
SMS from your own number
Base360 sends SMS from a number you pick and buy in the app, or one from your own Twilio account, in the same inbox as your Airbnb, Booking.com and WhatsApp messages. So your texts come from a number you chose, and each reply lands next to its booking when the guest’s number is on it.
You can also start a new SMS, WhatsApp or e-mail conversation from the inbox with someone who hasn’t booked, such as a landlord.
Prices set with Claude
Base360 connects to Claude, so you can ask for a price change in plain words, such as lowering September weekday prices on three flats. Claude reads your bookings and prices in Base360, proposes the change and, by default, asks before it saves anything. So you change exactly the prices you mean to change.
If you already use PriceLabs, you can keep it, and Base360 leaves pricing to it. Our guide to pricing with Claude walks through a full pricing session.
Landlord leads in the CRM
Base360 has a CRM for landlord and property owner leads, with a pipeline from the first message to a signed deal. So every landlord lead has a profile with their messages, calls and notes, wherever they first got in touch, instead of a row in a spreadsheet.
When a landlord signs, their property joins the same system that runs your bookings and cleans. Our guide to landlord lead tracking shows the pipeline step by step.
What works the same as Hostaway
If you are moving from Hostaway, the everyday basics are there. Base360 connects Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and Vrbo, brings guest messages into one inbox with automated messages and AI-drafted replies, and plans cleans from checkouts. Guests check in online and can buy extras such as a late checkout, WhatsApp runs from your own WhatsApp Business number, each property owner gets a monthly statement, guests can book on your own direct booking website, and your team has an app on iOS and Android.
The Base360 walkthrough shows the whole system, and our Turno alternative and Breezeway alternative pages compare it with cleaning and operations tools.
When Hostaway is the better fit
Hostaway has a marketplace of more than 200 integrations (Hostaway marketplace) and lists itself as an Airbnb Preferred Plus Partner, a Booking.com Premier Partner and a Vrbo Elite Partner (Hostaway vs Guesty). It offers phone support around the clock (Hostaway vs Guesty), and owners can log in to see their own properties (Hostaway owner portal). If your setup depends on those, Hostaway is built for it.
Base360 suits operators who run their own cleaning team, grow by signing landlords and would rather start free with no contract.
Questions vacation rental operators ask
Is Base360 a good Hostaway alternative?
Yes, for short-term and vacation rental operators who run their own cleaning team, grow by signing new landlords and would rather not sign a contract. Base360 is a property management system for short-term rentals with cleaning, maintenance, a unified inbox and a CRM for landlord leads built in, and it connects to Claude for pricing. If you rely on Hostaway’s marketplace of integrations, Hostaway may suit you better.
How do I switch from Hostaway to Base360?
We move you over for free, however many properties you have. Our AI agents capture your properties, bookings and guests from the system you use today and bring them into Base360 in one day. You join a call to connect your channels, because only you hold the logins for Airbnb, Booking.com and the others. Before you close your Hostaway account, download your reservations, because Hostaway deletes reservation data after an account is deactivated.
Does Base360 have a contract or a setup fee?
No. There is no contract and no setup fee, and moving your properties, bookings and guests over is free.
Do my cleaners need a Base360 account or app?
No. Each cleaner and contractor gets a private link that opens in the phone’s browser, with no app or login. Your own team uses the Base360 app on iOS and Android.
Can I send SMS and WhatsApp messages from my own number?
Yes. SMS goes out from a number you pick and buy inside Base360, or one from your own Twilio account, and WhatsApp from your own WhatsApp Business number, both in the same inbox as your Airbnb and Booking.com messages. You can also start a WhatsApp conversation with someone who hasn’t booked yet, such as a landlord, using a template WhatsApp has approved.
Can I keep using PriceLabs with Base360?
Yes. If you already use PriceLabs, you can keep it, and Base360 leaves pricing to it. If you don’t, you can set prices with Claude, which by default asks before every change.
How much does Hostaway cost?
Hostaway gives prices as a quote after you fill in a form (Hostaway pricing). Its help centre bills per listing, including listings not connected to a channel. Dynamic Pricing is billed per active property, Booking Website Pro costs $49 a month plus a 0.5% reservation fee, and Hostaway’s own comparison page lists a $500 onboarding fee (all checked 9 October 2026).