Counter vs. Mews PMS:
Which Is Right for You?

Is Counter or Mews Better for Hotels?

Counter and Mews serve distinct hotel segments despite sharing the PMS category. Counter’s core strength lies in hostels, with 83% of its users in this segment and a 4.7/5 rating from 50 hostel reviews. It is designed as a straightforward, mobile-friendly system that reduces manual workloads for small, agile hostel teams. Mews, by contrast, targets a broader hotel market including boutique (21%), city center (7%), branded (4%), and luxury hotels (7%), with over 959 reviews and a consistent 4.6/5 rating across diverse property types.

Both systems address property management with cloud-based interfaces that streamline check-in/out, reservations, and billing. They automate routine tasks, reducing front desk workload and improving guest experience. Where they diverge is scope and complexity: Counter offers simplicity and rapid onboarding ideal for hostels, while Mews delivers a feature-rich platform supporting multi-property operations and extensive integrations for hotels seeking scalability.

Counter vs Mews: Which Should Your Hotel Choose?

If you operate a small to medium hostel, especially in Europe or North America, Counter’s streamlined design, mobile accessibility, and highly rated customer support (4.9/5) make it the better choice. Its 57 reviews and 91% recommendation likelihood reflect satisfaction tied to ease of use and support responsiveness. However, Counter lacks recent review activity, suggesting limited data on current platform development.

If you manage a boutique, city center, branded, or luxury hotel, or a multi-property portfolio, Mews is preferable. With 959 reviews (81 in the last six months) and a stable 4.6/5 overall rating, Mews offers a richer feature set including multi-currency, revenue management, and guest CRM. Its 352 verified integrations support complex workflows and global operations. Recent reviews confirm active development and scalability benefits.

Properties smaller than 20 rooms or those with minimal tech needs might find Mews’ breadth excessive, while larger hostels or multi-property groups may find Counter’s functionality limiting. Data for B&Bs and budget hotels is thinner for Counter, so caution applies there.

Is Counter or Mews Easier to Use?

Counter scores slightly better on ease of use with 4.6/5 compared to Mews’ 4.7/5, but its onboarding rating is 4.7/5 versus Mews’ 4.4/5, reflecting faster initial adoption in hostel teams. Reviewers praise Counter’s "clear, simple, and easy to understand" interface that requires “no teaching” and allows quick training of staff. Mews users also highlight an intuitive, modern UI that shortens onboarding, though note complexity grows with advanced features.

Counter’s interface suits small teams needing fast, mobile access without extensive configuration. Mews excels in layered usability, supporting front desk, housekeeping, and management workflows but may require more training. Both products report strong but differing onboarding experiences: Counter’s is rated higher, possibly due to narrower scope.

Edge: Counter.

Which Has Better Features: Counter or Mews?

Mews outpaces Counter significantly in feature breadth with 40 unique hotel-specific features versus none exclusive to Counter. Mews includes multi-lingual and multi-currency support, a revenue management module, guest CRM and profiles, integrated POS and CRS, gift vouchers, ID scanning, email marketing, digital registration, and advanced guest communication like SMS messaging and a mobile guest app. It further offers housekeeping mobile apps, automated space optimization, task and shift management, drag-n-drop tape charts, rules-based room assignments, PCI and GDPR compliance, and tax configuration.

Counter focuses on core PMS functionality with strong automation in booking and payment processing and integration with POS, but lacks advanced modules. This narrow feature set suits hostels with simpler operational needs but limits Counter’s utility for hotels requiring multi-property management, complex revenue strategies, or extensive guest engagement tools.

Edge: Mews.

Which Has Better Customer Support: Counter or Mews?

Counter leads with a 4.9/5 customer support rating compared to Mews’ 4.3/5. Reviewers of Counter consistently mention quick, personable assistance from staff like Evelyn and Max, with statements such as “client support is very fast and always reachable” and “the tech team was always super helpful and patient.” Mews users acknowledge helpful onboarding and account management but cite slower support response times and occasional unresolved tickets, with some describing “support that feels too dependent on chat and articles.”

Counter’s smaller user base may allow more personalized support, benefiting hostels that rely heavily on rapid issue resolution. Mews’ larger scale and complexity can occasionally hinder support speed, though it offers extensive training resources and a dedicated onboarding team.

Edge: Counter.

Which Has More Integrations: Counter or Mews?

Mews offers 352 verified integrations, vastly exceeding Counter’s 7. Both platforms share integrations with FLYR Hospitality, SiteMinder, Goki, and Stripe, but Mews uniquely provides connections to critical systems such as Criton, Right Revenue, Sage, FLEXIPASS keyless access, and a wide range of hospitality-specific marketing and development services. Counter’s limited integrations include WuBook, Cloudbeds, and Channex, which may suffice for smaller hostels but restrict expansion.

Hotels needing seamless connectivity to multiple OTAs, revenue managers, POS systems, and guest experience platforms will find Mews’ ecosystem indispensable. Counter’s lean integration set appeals to hostels prioritizing simplicity over extensibility.

Edge: Mews.

Which Do Hoteliers Rate Higher: Counter or Mews?

Both products hold an overall 4.6/5 rating, but Mews gathers this from a much larger sample—959 total reviews with 81 recent, rated 4.4/5—while Counter has 57 reviews with no recent ratings available. Mews’ rating remains stable across segments with boutique hotels (4.6/5, 526 reviews), city center hotels (4.6/5, 333 reviews), and hostels (4.7/5, 168 reviews) all endorsing its performance.

Counter’s 4.7/5 rating for hostels (50 reviews) reflects strong niche satisfaction. Limited Service & Budget Hotels and Boutique Hotels rate Counter slightly lower (4.6/5 and 4.4/5 respectively), but review counts here are smaller. The absence of recent Counter reviews weakens confidence in current performance metrics.

Edge: Even.

How Much Do Counter and Mews Cost?

Counter does not publish pricing details and offers no freemium, monthly flat, or per-room fees, nor implementation fees or trials. Pricing appears customized or subscription-based but is not transparent.

Mews lists a base price of $900 with no freemium or trial options, and no per-room or flat monthly pricing disclosed. Implementation fees are absent. While $900 may represent a starting point, total costs likely scale with property size and add-ons.

Without full pricing transparency from either vendor, no direct cost comparison is possible.

What Type of Hotel Should Use Counter?

• Hotels that operate hostels and prioritize a simple, mobile-friendly PMS.
• Teams that want rapid onboarding with minimal training.
• Properties needing responsive, attentive customer support for day-to-day issues.
• Operations emphasizing automation in booking management and payment processing without complex revenue management.
• Properties in regions supported by Counter’s limited but relevant integrations (e.g., Stripe, Goki).

Not ideal if you need:

• Multi-property management or extensive reporting.
• Advanced revenue management or guest CRM.
• Rich integration ecosystems with over 300 partners.
• Frequent system updates supported by active recent reviews.
• Comprehensive group booking functionality.

What Type of Hotel Should Use Mews?

• Boutique, city center, branded, and luxury hotels requiring scalable, multi-property PMS.
• Hotels needing advanced features like revenue management, guest CRM, digital registration, and integrated POS.
• Properties that benefit from a broad marketplace of over 350 integrations for payment, marketing, and operations.
• Teams requiring detailed reporting, customizable workflows, and automation across departments.
• Hotels aiming to improve guest experience with online check-in, guest apps, and contactless services.

Not ideal if you need:

• A lightweight, highly specialized hostel PMS.
• Minimal training and extremely fast onboarding for small teams.
• Simple system with a narrow feature set and few integrations.
• Transparent pricing upfront without potential scaling costs.
• A system with consistently highly rated, rapid customer support.

Counter vs Mews: The Bottom Line for Hotels

Counter and Mews serve different hotel markets with some overlap in hostel and budget segments. Counter’s appeal lies in its straightforward, mobile-friendly platform tailored to hostels that want to reduce manual tasks without investing in complex technology. It excels in customer support and onboarding but lacks advanced features and integrations. Mews offers a comprehensive PMS suite that supports diverse hotel types, scalable operations, and a vast integration ecosystem.

Choose Counter if your property is a small to medium hostel prioritizing ease of use, personalized support, and mobile access. Its automation reduces operational overhead, and the intuitive interface requires minimal staff training.

Choose Mews if you run a boutique, branded, or luxury hotel, or manage multiple properties. Its advanced revenue management, guest CRM, and extensive integrations empower complex workflows, while its cloud-native platform supports digital guest journeys and scalable growth.