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.
Maxial shines .
Side-by-side ratings based on 57 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
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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 Maxial 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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Maxial |
|---|---|---|
| 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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Maxial |
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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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Maxial |
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| 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 Maxial by Maxial hinges on your hotel’s operational needs, scale, and focus. Counter is tailored for hostels, boasting a robust feature set specifically designed for smaller properties with high volume, while Maxial offers an all-in-one management suite suited for larger hotels and resorts. Both aim to streamline operations but diverge significantly in their capabilities and target markets.
Counter, with more recent reviews and a higher review count, presents a clearer picture of its ongoing performance. Maxial’s lack of reviews and recent feedback makes it difficult to gauge its current reliability or user satisfaction. So, which product better meets your hotel’s needs?
Counter excels at providing a user-friendly, mobile-optimized PMS designed for hostels, with 54 reviews and a 4.73/5 overall rating. Its focus on ease of use, automation, and integrations makes daily management straightforward. Maxial, on the other hand, offers a broad management platform but has no recent reviews or ratings, leaving its performance and user experience unverified.
Counter's high customer support score of 4.96/5 and ease of use rating of 4.6/5 demonstrate its reliability for busy hostel environments. Maxial’s lack of recent data leaves hoteliers uncertain about its current support quality or usability. Do you want a proven system with recent user feedback or an untested option?
If your property is a hostel, boutique, or small city hotel needing quick, intuitive management with integrated booking, Counter is the logical choice. Its strong user feedback, especially from hostels, emphasizes its simplicity, automation, and support. Maxial might appeal if you run a larger resort or hotel chain seeking extensive module integration, though its lack of recent reviews makes this speculative.
Counter’s 7 verified partners and active presence in multiple regions indicate a mature, tested product. Maxial’s absence of verified integrations and reviews suggests it’s less proven for hotel operations at this time. For hoteliers prioritizing confidence and proven features, Counter is the safer bet.
Counter’s UI is praised for being straightforward, with a 4.6/5 ease of use rating backed by 54 recent reviews. Users highlight its intuitive interface, fast onboarding, and mobile-friendly design, making staff adoption quick. Support responsiveness is also a standout strength.
Maxial offers no recent reviews or ratings, so its usability cannot be reliably assessed. Without user feedback, it’s impossible to determine whether Maxial provides a user-friendly experience or requires significant training. Edge: Counter.
Counter boasts 19 exclusive features, including a channel manager, payment processing, booking engine, automation tools, guest CRM, multi-currency, and ancillary revenue tracking. These functionalities address core hostel needs like online booking, automated night audits, and group management.
Maxial’s feature set remains unspecified, with no data on unique capabilities or modules. Its lack of verified integrations or detailed feature count suggests it may not offer the same level of specialization or breadth as Counter. Edge: Counter.
Counter’s support score of 4.96/5 derives from enthusiastic user reviews praising its quick, helpful responses — especially from team members like Evelyn and Max. Users appreciate its responsiveness, even amidst system bugs, and consider support a key strength.
Maxial has no recent reviews or support ratings available, making it impossible to assess its support quality. Hoteliers need confidence in post-sale assistance, and without recent feedback, Counter clearly leads here. Edge: Counter.
Counter integrates with seven verified partners, including popular platforms like Stripe, SiteMinder, Cloudbeds, and Goki. These integrations facilitate payment, channel management, and access control, helping streamline your operations.
Maxial has no verified integrations listed, indicating limited or unproven connectivity with third-party platforms. For a property relying on multi-channel distribution or integrated payment solutions, Counter’s existing integrations provide a tangible advantage. Edge: Counter.
Counter’s overall rating of 4.73/5 and 54 recent reviews provide a strong, recent indication of user satisfaction. Hospitality properties across various segments, especially hostels, rate it highly for ease of use and support, with some reviews calling it “the best PMS for hostels.”
Maxial’s lack of reviews and ratings mean there’s no recent data to gauge user satisfaction or hotel segment preferences. Until user feedback emerges, Counter’s ratings and reviews make it the more trustworthy choice. Edge: Counter.
Both Counter and Maxial do not publicly list pricing details, suggesting a custom quote process based on your property’s size and needs. Given the absence of transparent pricing, your team should request tailored quotes to compare value accurately.
Not ideal if your hotel requires extensive enterprise-level modules not offered in Counter, or if your property’s scale exceeds its current feature scope.
Not ideal if your hotel is a small property or if you prefer a solution with proven user feedback and recent reviews.
Counter is a highly-rated, feature-rich PMS tailored for hostels and small properties, with a clear track record of recent user satisfaction. Its ease of use, automation, and support offerings make it a solid choice for properties prioritizing simplicity and reliability.
Maxial’s lack of recent reviews and unclear feature scope make it an uncertain option. Unless your hotel operates at a larger scale and can verify Maxial’s capabilities, Counter remains the recommended choice.
If you need a system that’s proven, easy to implement, and well-supported, Counter should be your first pick. For larger properties with complex operational needs and a desire for AI-driven insights, keep an eye on Maxial’s future reviews and feature updates.
According to HTR's product database, Counter and Maxial share 0 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.
| Feature |
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Maxial |
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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 Maxial share many core Property Management Systems features, but each has unique capabilities. Counter offers 7 verified integration partners, while Maxial 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. Maxial: 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 Maxial 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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