The project dashboard is a free tool that is only available to verified hoteliers to make adopting new technology easier by streamlining their research and simplifying their communication workflow.
TLDR
We analyzed 57 verified hotelier reviews, compared feature sets, pricing, and real-world case studies to break down where each platform delivers. The right choice depends on your property type and priorities:
Counter shines in ease of use and customer support , with exclusive features like Payment processing and Housekeeping module.
GMS shines .
Side-by-side ratings based on 57 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
| HTScore |
|
|
| Likelihood to Recommend |
|
|
| Ease of Use |
|
|
| Customer Support |
|
|
| Value for Money |
|
|
| Starting Price | Contact sales | Contact sales |
| Verified Reviews | 57 | 0 |
After analyzing 57 verified reviews, Counter users most value its user interface and usability, customer support, automated features, while GMS users highlight . Click any theme to see what reviewers say.
|
|
GMS |
|---|---|
| Pros | |
|
+
User interface and usability
▾
|
|
|
+
Customer support
▾
|
|
|
+
Automated features
▾
|
|
|
+
Platform integration
▾
|
|
| Cons | |
|
−
Bug issues
▾
|
|
|
−
Reporting and revenue management
▾
|
|
|
−
Pricing
▾
|
|
How each product ranks among Property Management Systems vendors for different property sizes, types, and regions — based on verified reviews from hoteliers in each segment.
By Hotel Size
| Segment |
|
GMS |
|---|---|---|
| Small (10-24 rooms) ▾ | #26 28 reviews | — |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) | #46 4 reviews | — |
| Large (75-199 rooms) | #32 2 reviews | — |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) | #31 1 reviews | — |
By Property Type
| Segment |
|
GMS |
|---|---|---|
| Boutique ▾ | #31 16 reviews | — |
| Luxury | #44 4 reviews | — |
| Branded / Chain | #43 4 reviews | — |
| Extended Stay ▾ | #32 5 reviews | — |
By Region
| Segment |
|
GMS |
|---|---|---|
| North America ▾ | #25 8 reviews | — |
| Europe ▾ | #20 25 reviews | — |
| Asia Pacific | #16 4 reviews | — |
| Middle East | #11 2 reviews | — |
Choosing between Counter by Counter and Felix by GMS hinges on your hotel’s operational needs and growth ambitions. Counter is a dedicated property management system (PMS) built primarily for hostels, offering an extensive feature set and a strong focus on daily operational management. Felix, on the other hand, is an AI-driven review and feedback analysis platform, not a full PMS, designed to help you interpret customer reviews and improve service.
Counter aims to streamline your front desk, reservations, and guest management, while Felix focuses on extracting insights from reviews to guide service improvements. Both serve different core functions—so which aligns better with your current priorities? Let’s compare their strengths and limitations.
Counter is a full-fledged PMS tailored for hostels and small hotels, with 54 detailed reviews in the last six months, indicating recent user feedback and ongoing development. Its high overall rating of 4.73/5 and a strong 91% likelihood of recommendation reflect its popularity among hostel operators. Customers praise its ease of use (4.6/5), excellent support (4.96/5), and value for money (4.8/5). Users mention that Counter simplifies daily operations, automates tasks like night audits, and offers features such as channel management, booking engine, payment processing, and guest CRM.
Felix, by contrast, does not function as a PMS but as an analytics platform specializing in review and customer feedback analysis. It is not rated on operational features but on its AI capabilities, making direct comparisons difficult. Felix’s primary utility is interpreting guest feedback to improve service quality. If your hotel needs a robust PMS to manage reservations, check-ins, and daily operations, Counter is the clear choice. Does your team need operational tools or review insights?
If your hotel requires a comprehensive property management system to handle bookings, room management, invoicing, and channel integrations, Counter is the right pick. It is especially suitable if you operate a hostel or small hotel with a high volume of reservations and need features like group bookings, automated night audits, and multi-currency support. Its recent reviews highlight user satisfaction with its interface and support, making it ideal for daily operations.
Felix should be your choice if your focus is on understanding and acting upon guest reviews, especially if reputation management or online presence is critical. It’s better suited for hotels that already have a PMS in place but want advanced review analysis to improve guest experiences and drive positive feedback. If your priority lies in reputation and customer insights rather than operational management, Felix is the better fit.
In summary, for operational excellence and booking management, go with Counter. For review analysis and improving guest satisfaction through feedback insights, Felix is the way to go.
Counter boasts an impressive ease-of-use score of 4.6/5 and a user-friendly interface praised for its simplicity and intuitive navigation. Users report quick onboarding, with an average onboarding rating of 4.7/5, and commend the system’s mobile-friendly design that allows management on the go. Support staff, notably Evelyn and Max, are frequently highlighted for their responsiveness, further easing staff adoption despite some bugs reported in the system.
Felix, however, is not rated for usability as a PMS because it doesn’t offer operational management features. Its interface is designed for review analysis, which may require some learning for hotel staff unfamiliar with data interpretation. Since Felix isn’t a property management tool, ease of use is less about operational workflows and more about navigating review data and insights. But for your hotel team managing reservations and front desk tasks, Edge: Counter.
Counter’s feature set is extensive, with 19 unique capabilities that directly impact daily hotel operations. These include a channel manager, booking engine, payment processing, automated night audits, guest CRM, multi-currency support, group booking management, and ancillary revenue tracking. Its integrated house-keeping module and centralized user management also facilitate smooth operational control.
Felix offers no standalone features for reservations, property management, or direct hotel operations. Instead, it provides AI-driven review summaries and tailored recommendations based on customer feedback. While this can be invaluable for reputation management, it lacks the operational tools Counter provides. Therefore, for features that directly modify or manage guest stays, Counter holds the advantage. Edge: Counter.
Counter’s support team, rated at 4.96/5, is frequently praised for quick, effective responses. Multiple reviews mention support staff like Evelyn and Max for their professionalism and helpfulness, often resolving issues within minutes. The onboarding process is rated at 4.7/5, reflecting a generally smooth experience in adopting the system.
Felix, by contrast, has no publicly available reviews on support or onboarding since it functions mainly as an analytics tool rather than a customer-facing PMS. Its support experience is less transparent, and given that it is not a full PMS, its user support is likely more limited. For your hotel’s operational needs, Edge: Counter.
Counter boasts integration with 7 verified partners, including notable platforms like SiteMinder, Cloudbeds, Stripe, WuBook, Goki, and FLYR Hospitality. These integrations streamline booking, payments, and access management, expanding your hotel’s connectivity and operational flexibility. Many users appreciate how these partnerships simplify daily workflows and revenue streams.
Felix reports zero verified integrations, as it functions primarily as a review analysis platform. It can connect with review sites and social media channels but does not directly integrate with PMS or channel management platforms. If seamless connectivity with booking and revenue systems is critical, Counter’s integrations give it a clear edge. Edge: Counter.
Based on recent reviews, Counter’s satisfaction rating of 4.73/5 and the 91% likelihood of recommendation indicate strong hotelier approval. Its user base, predominantly hostels and small hotels, particularly in Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific, values its ease of use and operational features.
Felix lacks published user ratings and reviews, making it impossible to compare satisfaction levels directly. Since the primary users of Felix are likely larger hotels or hospitality groups focused on review management, the score is less relevant. For your hotel, Hoteliers rate Counter higher by a wide margin. Edge: Counter.
Counter does not publicly detail its pricing but emphasizes no implementation fees and a straightforward, flat subscription model. A free tier is not available, but users find its value justified given the feature set and support.
Felix’s pricing details are also unavailable openly, as it’s a SaaS platform focused on review analysis. It is likely offered on a subscription basis, but specifics are not posted. Since both products lack transparent pricing, your decision should consider the value gained from features and support rather than cost alone.
Counter by Counter provides a comprehensive property management system, with a strong focus on hostels and small hotels. It delivers a broad feature set, excellent support, and extensive integrations, making it ideal for operational management and daily hotel functions.
Felix by GMS offers valuable review insights but does not replace a PMS or operational platform. It’s best suited for hotels that want to deepen their understanding of customer feedback rather than manage reservations or automate front desk operations.
If your priority is running your hotel smoothly and efficiently, Counter is the clear choice. For reputation and review strategy enhancement, Felix offers complementary benefits but is not a substitute for a PMS.
Ultimately, for your hotel’s operational success, Counter’s recent reviews, high ratings, and feature depth make it the more reliable, well-rounded solution.
According to HTR's product database, Counter and Felix share 0 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.
| Feature |
|
GMS |
|---|---|---|
| Booking Engine | ||
| Calendar view | ||
| Channel Manager | ||
| Custom rates | ||
| Payment processing | ||
| RevPaR & ADR Reports |
Showing top differences. 7 more features differ between these products.
What hoteliers love
Hoteliers find Counter's interface clean, intuitive, and user-friendly, making it easy to train new staff quickly. The mobile and desktop interfaces w... Hoteliers find Counter's interface clean, intuitive, and user-friendly, making it easy to train new staff quickly. The mobile and desktop interfaces work well, allowing managers to handle tasks remotely. It is particularly noted for its simplicity in calendar and calendar management.
The support team at Counter is frequently praised for its responsiveness and helpfulness. Staff like Evelyn and Max receive specific mentions for thei... The support team at Counter is frequently praised for its responsiveness and helpfulness. Staff like Evelyn and Max receive specific mentions for their professionalism. However, there are concerns about slower support in certain time zones.
Users appreciate Counter's automated features that include tasks like contactless check-in, automating credit card charges, and managing bookings acro... Users appreciate Counter's automated features that include tasks like contactless check-in, automating credit card charges, and managing bookings across platforms. This automation reduces staff workload and improves operational efficiency.
Where hoteliers push back
Several hoteliers mention persistent bugs in the system, particularly issues with overbookings, bed availability display, and system errors during boo... Several hoteliers mention persistent bugs in the system, particularly issues with overbookings, bed availability display, and system errors during booking cancellations. These bugs have a negative impact on daily operations and guest experience.
Hoteliers appreciate Counter's reporting capabilities but note that the reports can be improved for better insights. Revenue management features are s... Hoteliers appreciate Counter's reporting capabilities but note that the reports can be improved for better insights. Revenue management features are seen as lacking, particularly for businesses operating on multiple rate plans or using dynamic pricing.
Unique capabilities
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. Counter and Felix share many core Property Management Systems features, but each has unique capabilities. Counter offers 7 verified integration partners, while Felix offers 0. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.
Small hotels should prioritize ease of use and fast onboarding. Counter leads in ease of use at 4.6/5 vs 0.0/5. Look for transparent pricing and a trial or demo option. Filter reviews on each product page by property size to hear from hotels like yours.
Counter: No. Felix: No. Neither product currently offers a free tier. Most Property Management Systems vendors offer demos or trials — request one from each to evaluate before committing.
The HT Score is a composite ranking that considers 4 criteria groups and over a dozen variables to help hoteliers objectively compare hotel technology products. Counter has an HT Score of 17 and GMS has 0. Here is how the score is calculated.
| Criteria Group | Weight | What It Measures |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Ratings & Reviews |
|
How highly do users recommend this product? Ratings Score, Review Volume, Share of Voice, Review Depth, Review Recency, Success Stories ▾ The most heavily weighted factor. Analyzes average satisfaction ratings (likelihood to recommend, ease of use, support, ROI), total review count relative to category peers, review recency (at least 20 reviews in the trailing 6 months), and share of voice across unique hotel clients to detect selection bias. |
| Partner Ecosystem |
|
How highly do tech partners recommend this company? Partner Recommendations, Integration Quantity, Integration Quality ▾ Evaluates partner recommendations as expert votes of confidence, the number of verified integrations, and ecosystem quality — the average HT Scores of integration partners. Products with higher-quality integration ecosystems are more likely to deliver a connected tech stack. |
| Customer Centricity |
|
How customer-centric is this organization? Certified Support, Review Consistency, Profile Completeness ▾ Assesses whether the company has earned HTR Customer Support Certification, maintains consistent review collection over time (an indicator of feedback-driven culture), and keeps product profiles complete with capabilities, screenshots, pricing, and features. |
| Reach, Staying Power & Resources |
|
How extensive is this company's reach and resourcing? Geographic Reach, Staying Power, Company Resources, Trending Score ▾ Measures global presence (countries and regions served), years in business as a stability proxy, team headcount as a resource proxy, and a trending score based on trailing-twelve-month buyer inquiries, reviews, partner recommendations, and press activity. |
Customer ratings and reviews are by far the most important factor in the HT Score algorithm. HTR does not accept payment for higher rankings. All reviews are verified — only hotel industry practitioners with confirmed affiliations can submit ratings. View full HT Score methodology →
Product recommendations advisor