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.
HOIST GROUP shines .
Side-by-side ratings based on 57 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
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| Ease of Use |
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| 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 HOIST GROUP users highlight . Click any theme to see what reviewers say.
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User interface and usability
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Customer support
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Automated features
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Platform integration
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Bug issues
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Reporting and revenue management
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Pricing
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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 |
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HOIST GROUP |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
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HOIST GROUP |
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| Boutique ▾ | #31 16 reviews | — |
| Luxury | #44 4 reviews | — |
| Branded / Chain | #43 4 reviews | — |
| Extended Stay ▾ | #32 5 reviews | — |
By Region
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HOIST GROUP |
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| North America ▾ | #25 8 reviews | — |
| Europe ▾ | #20 25 reviews | — |
| Asia Pacific | #16 4 reviews | — |
| Middle East | #11 2 reviews | — |
When choosing a property management system (PMS), your hotel needs a solution that simplifies daily operations, enhances guest experience, and integrates with existing tools. Counter by Counter and HOIST GROUP's HotSoft are both designed to meet these goals, but they diverge significantly in their approach, support, and market presence. Counter, being newer and more reviewed, offers a highly rated, hostelry-focused platform, while HotSoft lacks recent reviews or a tangible user base. How do these differences impact your decision?
Counter emphasizes ease of use, automation, and extensive integrations for hostels and small hotels, whereas HotSoft aims for a broader hotel management scope but lacks recent user feedback. Your hotel’s specific needs—whether in a hostel or a full-service property—should guide which is more suitable.
Counter and HotSoft both aim to streamline hotel operations but do so through different lenses. Counter, with a 4.73/5 overall rating from 54 recent reviews, excels in user-friendliness, automation, and support, especially for hostels, where 83% of its users operate. In contrast, HotSoft has no recent reviews or ratings, making it difficult to assess its current performance or usability.
Counter’s recent reviews highlight its simple, intuitive interface, automated features like payment processing, and a mobile-friendly design. Conversely, HotSoft's lack of recent feedback leaves hotel decision-makers uncertain about its current capabilities or user satisfaction. Would you prefer a platform with proven recent performance and a strong user base?
If your hotel is a hostel or small property needing a straightforward, easy-to-use PMS with automation, go with Counter. Its features like channel management, POS integration, and guest CRM are tailored for the hostel segment, and its high review count lends confidence.
If your hotel requires a comprehensive, multi-property management system with strong reporting and automation, HotSoft might seem appealing. However, without recent reviews or a known user base, it's risky. For now, Counter’s proven track record and targeted features make it the safer, more reliable choice.
Counter boasts a 4.6/5 ease of use rating from 54 reviews, with users describing its interface as clean, intuitive, and quick to learn. HotSoft has no recent or specific user ratings, leaving its ease of use uncertain.
Hoteliers appreciate Counter’s mobile-friendly, simple calendar view, and straightforward onboarding process. Support team responsiveness also enhances usability. Without recent user feedback on HotSoft, the clear edge goes to Counter for user-friendliness.
Counter offers 19 features exclusive to its platform, including a channel manager, payment processing, booking engine, housekeeper module, guest CRM, multi-currency/multi-lingual support, and automated night audits. HotSoft’s feature set remains unspecified but is described as comprehensive for hotel operations, likely covering reservations, front desk, billing, and reporting.
Counter’s specific feature count and recent focus on automation and integrations give it a tangible edge. HotSoft’s broader hotel management scope may be suitable for larger properties but lacks the detailed, modern feature set Counter provides. Edge: Counter.
Counter’s support rating is a stellar 4.96/5, with reviewers praising its responsiveness and helpfulness, mentioning team members like Evelyn and Max positively. Users frequently mention quick, clear assistance and proactive support.
HotSoft has no recent reviews or explicit support ratings, making it impossible to gauge current support quality. Given the high support score for Counter, it clearly offers a more reliable and responsive service. Edge: Counter.
Counter integrates with seven verified partners, including popular platforms like Stripe, SiteMinder, Cloudbeds, and Goki. HotSoft's integration landscape remains unverified with no listed partners or shared integrations.
Counter’s broad integration options enable your property to connect with essential third-party tools, streamlining operations. HotSoft’s integration capabilities are less transparent, suggesting fewer or less current options. Edge: Counter.
Counter’s recent reviews, from a dedicated user base of hostels and small hotels, rate it at 4.73/5 overall, with a 91% likelihood to recommend. Its latest reviews praise ease of use, support, and automation.
HotSoft has no recent reviews or ratings, making it impossible to compare user satisfaction. Given the comprehensive recent feedback for Counter, it’s the clear favorite among hoteliers seeking proven satisfaction. Edge: Counter.
Counter’s pricing details are not publicly listed, but it is not offered as a freemium or monthly flat fee, indicating a likely custom or per-property fee structure. HotSoft similarly does not disclose pricing, suggesting it targets larger hotel groups with customized quotes.
Given both lack transparent pricing, your decision will likely depend on negotiations based on property size and needs. However, Counter’s free trial option and transparent feature set make it easier to assess value before committing.
Counter is well-suited for small to medium properties focusing on guest experience and operational simplicity, especially hostels.
HotSoft targets properties with complex operational needs and a preference for a full-suite PMS.
Counter is a newer, highly reviewed PMS tailored for hostels and small hotels, emphasizing ease of use, automation, and support. Its 54 recent reviews and high ratings suggest it is a reliable choice for properties prioritizing simplicity and quick deployment.
HotSoft, despite its comprehensive feature set, lacks recent user feedback or a proven track record, making it a gamble for hotels seeking reassurance. For now, Counter’s proven performance and dedicated focus on small-scale properties make it the clear choice.
If your hotel needs an intuitive, automation-focused PMS for a hostel or boutique hotel, Counter is the safer investment with proven satisfaction. Larger properties or chains seeking more extensive management tools might consider HotSoft, but should do so cautiously until more recent user experience data becomes available.
Property Management Systems pricing is rarely straightforward. Here is what we know from each vendor's public pricing data. Always request a custom quote for your property size.
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HOIST GROUP |
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According to HTR's product database, Counter and HOIST GROUP - HotSoft share 0 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.
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HOIST GROUP |
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| 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 HOIST GROUP - HotSoft share many core Property Management Systems features, but each has unique capabilities. Counter offers 7 verified integration partners, while HOIST GROUP - HotSoft 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. HOIST GROUP - HotSoft: 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 HOIST GROUP has 0. Here is how the score is calculated.
| Criteria Group | Weight | What It Measures |
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| Customer Ratings & Reviews |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 →
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