Counter vs. Shiji Daylight PMS:
Which Is Right for You?

Is Counter or Shiji Daylight PMS Better for Hotels?

Counter and Shiji Daylight PMS address different hotel operational needs and scales. Counter is optimized for hostels, evidenced by 83% of its users being hostels and a 4.7/5 rating from 50 hostel reviews. It simplifies reservations and automates payments for smaller, high-turnover properties. Shiji Daylight serves a broader hotel spectrum, from boutique to luxury and multi-property groups, with 41% luxury hotels and 16% branded hotels in its user base, plus 4.5/5 ratings across major segments. Both systems solve the core PMS problem: managing reservations, guest data, and billing efficiently, but they diverge sharply in complexity and scale.

Counter’s focus is on intuitive, mobile-friendly operation that reduces admin time for hostels. Shiji Daylight centralizes guest profiles and operations for large or multi-property hotels requiring detailed analytics and integrations. While both have a 4.6/5 overall rating, Counter’s 57 reviews come primarily from small properties, whereas Shiji’s 37 reviews cover a wider hotel range. This makes Counter better for small hostels and Shiji better for larger, multi-property operations.

Counter vs Shiji Daylight PMS: Which Should Your Hotel Choose?

If you operate a 20-100 bed hostel or a small independent property focused on straightforward, mobile-friendly management, Counter is the better choice, supported by 83% hostel users rating it 4.7/5 across 50 reviews. Counter’s automation of check-in/out and integrated POS saves significant staff time, crucial for small teams. However, its reporting and revenue management features are less mature, so properties needing advanced revenue tools may miss out.

If your hotel is a boutique, branded, luxury, or multi-property group, Shiji Daylight PMS fits best. Its 41% luxury and 16% branded hotel user base, with 4.5/5 ratings from 25 luxury hotel reviews and 21 branded hotel reviews, reflect its strength in handling complex operations and group bookings. Shiji’s cloud-native platform centralizes guest data with a Single Guest Profile, supports multi-currency and multi-lingual workflows, and offers extensive integrations (72 verified partners). For properties that require detailed analytics, robust reporting, and API-driven automation, Shiji is the recommended choice. Data for limited service hotels is thin but leans toward Counter, while Shiji’s versatility covers most other hotel segments.

Is Counter or Shiji Daylight PMS Easier to Use?

Both Counter and Shiji Daylight PMS have identical ease-of-use ratings at 4.6/5, with onboarding scores closely matched: 4.7/5 for Counter and 4.5/5 for Shiji. Counter users praise its clean, intuitive interface that requires minimal training—for example, one review notes no need to explain the system to staff, enabling quick adoption. Counter’s mobile and desktop usability supports managers handling tasks remotely, particularly valuable for hostels with lean staffing.

Shiji Daylight’s modern UI aligns with staff digital familiarity, making daily operations smoother, especially in multi-property contexts. Reviewers commend its user experience for reducing complexity despite the system’s enterprise depth. Some users note occasional slowness during peak operations but still find it intuitive.

Edge: Even.

Which Has Better Features: Counter or Shiji Daylight PMS?

Shiji Daylight PMS offers a much broader feature set with 83 unique features compared to Counter’s 4 unique features beyond their 15 shared capabilities. Shiji’s exclusive features include multi-lingual support, centralized user and role management, task management, tablet/kiosk check-in and checkout, multi-currency billing, integrated CRS, group booking engine, automated reminders, housekeeping modules, real-time reporting, rules-based room assignments, native email marketing, and PCI and GDPR compliance. These features significantly improve operational workflows for larger hotels and chains by automating labor-intensive tasks and enhancing guest personalization.

Counter’s unique features—channel manager, booking engine, mobile app, and guest CRM—focus on core hostel needs, streamlining reservations and guest communications through a straightforward interface. The mobile app and channel manager are particularly helpful for hostels managing high guest turnover and multiple OTAs.

Edge: Shiji Daylight PMS.

Which Has Better Customer Support: Counter or Shiji Daylight PMS?

Counter holds a customer support rating of 4.9/5 versus Shiji Daylight’s 4.6/5. Counter’s support team is frequently named in reviews—Evelyn and Max receive specific praise for responsiveness and professionalism. Users report quick resolution of issues and an openness to feature requests, especially valued by smaller properties needing prompt assistance. However, some mention slower responses in certain time zones.

Shiji Daylight’s support is also praised for availability and professionalism. Reviewers highlight clear communication and well-coordinated go-live support, which minimizes operational disruption and builds confidence during implementation. The larger scale and complexity of Shiji’s deployments make this level of support crucial, and its 24/7 availability aids hotels with international operations.

Edge: Counter.

Which Has More Integrations: Counter or Shiji Daylight PMS?

Shiji Daylight PMS offers 72 verified integrations compared to Counter’s 7, sharing 4 integrations including SiteMinder, Cloudbeds, Goki, and FLYR Hospitality. Shiji’s extensive integration ecosystem includes revenue management systems like IDeaS and Duetto, distribution partners such as Amadeus and Mews, and guest experience platforms like Revinate and Oaky by Plusgrade.

Counter’s integrations focus on core hostel operations with partners like WuBook, Channex, and Stripe for payments. These integrate essential functions but lack the depth and breadth required for large hotel groups needing sophisticated revenue or guest management tools.

Edge: Shiji Daylight PMS.

Which Do Hoteliers Rate Higher: Counter or Shiji Daylight PMS?

Both products have a 4.6/5 overall rating, but the distribution varies by hotel segment and review volume. Counter has 57 reviews, mostly from hostels (50 reviews at 4.7/5) and limited service hotels (35 reviews at 4.6/5), indicating strong satisfaction in smaller, budget-conscious properties. Shiji Daylight has fewer reviews (37) but covers luxury (25 reviews at 4.5/5), branded hotels (21 reviews at 4.5/5), and boutique hotels (19 reviews at 4.6/5), showing solid ratings in higher-end and multi-property segments.

Recent review volume favors Shiji with 3 new reviews in the last six months versus none for Counter, indicating Shiji’s ratings reflect current product state better.

Edge: Even.

How Much Do Counter and Shiji Daylight PMS Cost?

Counter does not publish pricing details, offers no trial, and has no implementation fee. Its freemium or per-room monthly pricing models are not available, suggesting pricing is likely customized or bundled.

Shiji Daylight PMS lists a base price of $1,200, with no freemium or monthly flat or per-room pricing published. There is no trial or implementation fee indicated. This base price likely suits medium to large hotel groups given the platform’s enterprise capabilities.

Without comparable published pricing models, a direct price comparison is not possible.

What Type of Hotel Should Use Counter?

• Hotels that are hostels or small independent properties, supported by 83% hostel user base and a 4.7/5 rating from 50 hostel reviews.
• Teams seeking an intuitive, mobile-friendly PMS that reduces manual booking and payment tasks.
• Properties focused on integrating POS and payment automation with simple channel management.
• Hotels prioritizing responsive customer support praised for quick issue resolution by named staff.
• Operations needing a lightweight system without complex multi-property or group booking requirements.

Not ideal if:

• Your property requires advanced revenue management or detailed reporting.
• You operate multiple properties or need centralized guest profiles.
• Your hotel demands extensive third-party integrations or multi-language/multi-currency support.
• You require robust group booking functionality; Counter’s group features are currently limited.

What Type of Hotel Should Use Shiji Daylight PMS?

• Hotels operating in luxury, branded, boutique, or multi-property segments, as reflected by 41% luxury and 16% branded hotel users.
• Teams needing centralized management of guest data with Single Guest Profile for consistent experiences across properties.
• Properties requiring extensive integrations for revenue management, distribution, and guest engagement.
• Hotels that need advanced features such as multi-lingual support, digital registration, task management, and real-time reporting.
• Organizations planning enterprise-scale rollouts with smooth onboarding and 24/7 support.

Not ideal if:

• You manage a small hostel or limited-service property with straightforward operational needs.
• Your team prefers a simpler, more mobile-optimized interface over enterprise-grade complexity.
• You have limited budget flexibility, as Shiji’s base price and implementation may be higher.

Counter vs Shiji Daylight PMS: The Bottom Line for Hotels

Counter and Shiji Daylight PMS address distinct market needs. Counter excels as a streamlined, mobile-friendly PMS tailored for hostels and small independents prioritizing simplicity, rapid onboarding, and responsive support. Shiji Daylight is a comprehensive, cloud-native platform designed for medium to large hotels and multi-property groups requiring advanced features, centralized guest management, and extensive integrations.

Choose Counter if your property is a hostel or small independent seeking an intuitive system with integrated POS and payment automation, backed by highly rated customer support (4.9/5). Its simplicity reduces staff workload and accelerates guest processing. Conversely, choose Shiji Daylight if your hotel demands multi-property scalability, sophisticated revenue management, and a broad ecosystem of integrations (72 verified partners), supported by a platform rated 4.5/5 in luxury and branded segments with proven enterprise deployments.

For hotel operators, the choice hinges on property scale and complexity. Counter offers operational ease and fast adoption for hostels, while Shiji Daylight delivers depth, centralized control, and advanced automation for larger, diversified hotel portfolios.