Exely HMS vs. IQWare HMS: Which Is Right for You?

Updated May 15, 2026  ·  60 verified reviews analyzed

TLDR

We analyzed 60 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:

Exely shines in ease of use and customer support , with exclusive features like Transactional Emails (booking, folios, etc) and Payment Requests.

IQWare shines .

See the full breakdown below ↓

How Does Exely HMS Compare to IQWare HMS?

Side-by-side ratings based on 60 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.

HTScore
82
0
Likelihood to Recommend
98%
87%
Ease of Use
4.9/5
3.4/5
Customer Support
4.9/5
3.6/5
Value for Money
4.9/5
2.9/5
Starting Price From $400/mo Contact sales
Verified Reviews 56 4

What Are the Pros and Cons of Exely HMS vs IQWare HMS?

After analyzing 60 verified reviews, Exely users most value its user interface, customer support, hotel operation efficiency, while IQWare users highlight . Click any theme to see what reviewers say.

Exely Exely IQWare IQWare
Pros
+ User Interface
+ Customer Support
+ Hotel Operation Efficiency
+ Channel Management
Cons
Customization and Reporting Features
System Performance and Speed
Mobile Application

Exely vs IQWare: Rankings by Hotel Segment

How each product ranks among Hotel Management Software vendors for different property sizes, types, and regions — based on verified reviews from hoteliers in each segment.

By Hotel Size

Segment Exely Exely IQWare IQWare
Small (10-24 rooms) #23 16 reviews #40 2 reviews
Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) #17 15 reviews #40 1 reviews
Large (75-199 rooms) #16 3 reviews
X-Large (200+ rooms) #11 1 reviews #26 0 reviews

By Property Type

Segment Exely Exely IQWare IQWare
Boutique #22 13 reviews #37 1 reviews
Luxury #20 11 reviews #41 0 reviews
Branded / Chain #25 2 reviews #44 0 reviews
Extended Stay #21 3 reviews #33 0 reviews

By Region

Segment Exely Exely IQWare IQWare
North America #22 2 reviews #35 2 reviews
Europe #24 2 reviews
Asia Pacific #6 28 reviews
Middle East #7 5 reviews

The Decision

Choosing the right hotel management software depends on your hotel’s size, needs, and growth plans. Both Exely HMS and IQWare HMS aim to streamline operations, but they do so with very different strengths and weaknesses. Your choice will significantly influence daily workflows, customer experience, and revenue strategies—so understanding their differences is crucial.

Exely offers a more modern, integrated platform with a focus on direct bookings, online reputation, and automation, whereas IQWare provides a longstanding, broad-spectrum PMS primarily suited for established multi-property operations. Are you ready to dig into which solution aligns best with your goals?

Is Exely HMS or IQWare HMS Better for Hotels?

Exely HMS stands out with high user ratings, recent reviews, and a strong focus on optimizing revenue through features like a booking engine, channel management, and online reputation tools. Its latest reviews and 48 total reviews, with 18 in the last six months, give it a more current perspective on product performance.

IQWare’s reviews are limited (only four total, with no recent feedback), and its overall rating is significantly lower at 2.83/5. While IQWare has a long history in hospitality tech, the lack of recent reviews suggests less ongoing development or user engagement. Should you prioritize a solution with current user insights?

Exely HMS vs IQWare HMS: Which Should Your Hotel Choose?

If your hotel is looking for an all-in-one platform that emphasizes direct bookings, guest engagement, and automation—especially if you’re in a boutique, city center, or resort segment—Exely is the more suitable option. Its robust features include a booking engine, channel management, guest messaging, and revenue management, making it ideal for hotels striving to increase direct revenue and streamline operations.

Conversely, if you operate a large multi-property portfolio with complex operational needs and prefer a longstanding, traditional PMS, IQWare’s broad feature set might appeal—though its lack of recent reviews and support issues suggest caution. For most hotels seeking modern efficiency and active support, Exely emerges as the better choice.

Is Exely HMS or IQWare HMS Easier to Use?

Exely’s ease of use shines with a 4.88/5 rating, and reviews praise its intuitive interface, simple navigation, and quick onboarding—users highlight how staff can adapt rapidly. Its recent reviews reflect strong support and a user-friendly experience, making staff adoption straightforward.

IQWare scores lower at 3.38/5, with feedback indicating a steeper learning curve, inconsistent support, and outdated interfaces. Some users report frustration with navigating the system and delays in assistance, which could hinder daily operations.

Edge: Exely HMS.

Which Has Better Features: Exely HMS or IQWare HMS?

Exely boasts 38 exclusive features, including multi-currency support, gift vouchers, automated night audits, native email marketing, group booking and website development tools, guest profiles, and a comprehensive PMS with online check-in/out. Its feature set is heavily focused on direct revenue, online presence, and automation.

IQWare, with no unique features listed, appears to offer a broad but less specialized suite, focusing on reservations, housekeeping, maintenance, and basic reporting, with 20 verified integrations. It lacks the depth seen in Exely’s automation, marketing, and online tools.

Edge: Exely HMS.

Which Has Better Customer Support: Exely HMS or IQWare HMS?

Exely’s support ratings are exceptional, with a 4.9/5 rating and recent reviews praising prompt, helpful responses and continuous improvements. Users mention quick solutions via multiple channels and a proactive support team, making support a reliable pillar.

IQWare’s support scores 3.63/5, with reviews revealing inconsistent communication, long wait times, and some frustration during troubleshooting. Several users cite unresponsiveness during off-hours and difficulties resolving issues.

Edge: Exely HMS.

Which Has More Integrations: Exely HMS or IQWare HMS?

IQWare offers 20 verified integrations, including major players like SiteMinder, Revinate, and RateGain, providing broader connectivity with third-party systems. This extensive list could be valuable for larger, multi-property setups needing various operational tools.

Exely has 8 verified partners, including Booking.com, Oracle Hospitality, and Bakuun.com, with one shared partner (IDeaS). Its focus is more on core hotel management and direct booking tools rather than a wide array of integrations.

Edge: IQWare HMS.

Which Do Hoteliers Rate Higher: Exely HMS or IQWare HMS?

Exely’s reviews are recent, plentiful, and highly positive, with a 98% likelihood to recommend and an average rating of 4.88/5 for ease of use and 4.9/5 for customer support. Hotels across segments, especially boutique, city center, and resorts, rate it highly for reliability and support.

IQWare’s reviews are sparse, mostly negative, with a 0.5/5 worst review citing a scam. The few positive comments are outdated or limited, making it clear that current user satisfaction favors Exely.

Edge: Exely HMS.

How Much Do Exely HMS and IQWare HMS Cost?

Exely costs $400 per month with no implementation or trial fees, providing a transparent flat rate. Pricing details for IQWare are unavailable, but historically, their solutions tend to have higher or custom pricing, often with additional implementation costs.

Given Exely’s clear, predictable pricing, your hotel can budget effectively without surprises, whereas IQWare’s undefined costs could lead to unforeseen expenses.

What Type of Hotel Should Use Exely HMS?

  • Hotels prioritizing direct bookings and online reputation management
  • Boutiques, city center, and resort properties seeking automation
  • Hotels aiming to reduce operational errors and manual tasks
  • Teams looking for robust support and ongoing updates
  • Hotels with a focus on revenue growth through integrated tools

Not ideal if your hotel relies heavily on legacy systems or has minimal online presence.

What Type of Hotel Should Use IQWare HMS?

  • Larger, multi-property operations needing extensive integrations
  • Hotels with complex operational workflows requiring detailed asset management
  • Properties that value a long-standing, traditional PMS
  • Hotels with stable, predictable needs and less emphasis on automation
  • Businesses comfortable with a potentially outdated interface

Not ideal if you seek modern user experience, strong support, or active development.

The Bottom Line for Hotels

Exely HMS is a modern, highly-rated platform that excels in ease of use, customer support, and features tailored for revenue growth. Its recent reviews and high recommendation rate position it as a trustworthy choice for most hotels aiming to optimize daily operations and guest engagement.

IQWare offers a broad, established system with extensive integrations, but its outdated reviews and support concerns suggest limited ongoing development. Its suitability is best for large, multi-property portfolios with complex needs and less emphasis on modern user experience.

If your hotel values current user feedback, rapid support, and an all-in-one system, Exely HMS is the clear winner. For hotels with complex operational requirements and existing integration needs, IQWare might still be relevant—but proceed with caution.

How Much Do Exely HMS and IQWare HMS Cost?

Hotel Management Software 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.

Exely Exely IQWare IQWare
Starting Price From $400/mo

Which Features Does Exely HMS Have That IQWare HMS Doesn't (and Vice Versa)?

According to HTR's product database, Exely HMS and IQWare HMS share 0 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.

Feature Exely Exely IQWare IQWare
Automated night audit
Gift Vouchers
Multi-currency
Payment Requests
RevPaR & ADR Reports
Transactional Emails (booking, folios, etc)

Showing top differences. 26 more features differ between these products.

Real-World Results: Exely vs IQWare by Business Goal

We analyzed 2 verified case studies to compare what hotels actually achieve with each platform across four key business objectives.

Increase Revenue & Reduce Costs
Exely MetroStar Hotel Kuala Lumpur Large
+ +72% Direct Bookings
+ � Reservations surged after activating the Booking Engine and Loyalty Program.
+ +20% Website Revenue

"We took a proactive approach and collaborated with Exely, implementing various strategies, such as a loyalty program. The outcome has been outstanding — not only have we been able..."

Vasanth Kumar
Vasanth Kumar
Front Office Manager
IQWare IQWare

No published case study for this goal yet.

Increase Operational Efficiency
Exely Boulevard Batumi Hotel & Bellevue Residence Mid-Size
+ 15% of total online bookings now come from the hotel
+ �s own website.
+ Availability and pricing are now consistently synced across all OTA channels.

"Once we switched to Exely, we immediately noticed a significant increase in reservations from online travel agencies. We discovered that our previous system had blocked some availa..."

N
Nino Motskobili
Head of Data Operations
IQWare IQWare

No published case study for this goal yet.

Exely vs IQWare: The Bottom Line

Exely
Exely
4.9/5 from 56 reviews

What hoteliers love

User Interface 73% positive

The intuitive and straightforward interface of Exely significantly enhances user experience, making it easier for staff to navigate during busy period... The intuitive and straightforward interface of Exely significantly enhances user experience, making it easier for staff to navigate during busy periods and integrating seamlessly into daily operations.

Customer Support 100% positive

The customer support team receives praise for their quick responses and helpfulness, ensuring any issues are swiftly addressed, though this is a more... The customer support team receives praise for their quick responses and helpfulness, ensuring any issues are swiftly addressed, though this is a more general feature and not unique to Exely.

Hotel Operation Efficiency 100% positive

Exely is praised for streamlining hotel operations, reducing errors and enhancing overall workflow efficiency by automating various processes and task... Exely is praised for streamlining hotel operations, reducing errors and enhancing overall workflow efficiency by automating various processes and tasks.

Where hoteliers push back

Customization and Reporting Features 56% negative

Users express a need for more advanced reporting options and customization capabilities to enable deeper performance analysis and personalized user ex... Users express a need for more advanced reporting options and customization capabilities to enable deeper performance analysis and personalized user experience, which are lacking in the current system.

System Performance and Speed 50% negative

There is critique regarding the system's performance during peak workload periods, with reports of long loading times, occasional errors, and unexpect... There is critique regarding the system's performance during peak workload periods, with reports of long loading times, occasional errors, and unexpected logouts hindering operational flow.

Ranks higher for

Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) #17 vs #40
Small (10-24 rooms) #23 vs #40
X-Large (200+ rooms) #11 vs #26
Bed & Breakfast & Inns #25 vs #39

Unique capabilities

Multi-currency Gift Vouchers Transactional Emails (booking, folios, etc) Automated night audit Payment Requests
4.9/5 ease of use 4.9/5 support 8 integrations
Visit Profile
IQWare
IQWare
4.4/5 from 4 reviews

Ranks higher for

US #23 vs #25
3.4/5 ease of use 3.6/5 support 20 integrations
Visit Profile

Where the ratings diverge most

Overall Rating IQWare 2.8 vs 0.0 (+2.8)
Ease of Use Exely 4.9 vs 3.4 (+1.5)
Customer Support Exely 4.9 vs 3.6 (+1.3)
Value for Money Exely 4.9 vs 2.9 (+2)
Onboarding Exely 4.8 vs 3.1 (+1.7)

Frequently Asked Questions About Exely HMS vs IQWare HMS

Can Exely HMS replace IQWare HMS?

It depends on your requirements. Exely HMS and IQWare HMS share many core Hotel Management Software features, but each has unique capabilities. Exely HMS offers 8 verified integration partners, while IQWare HMS offers 20. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.

Which is better for small or independent hotels?

Small hotels should prioritize ease of use and fast onboarding. Exely HMS leads in ease of use at 4.9/5 vs 3.4/5. 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.

Do Exely HMS or IQWare HMS offer a free plan?

Exely HMS: No. IQWare HMS: No. Neither product currently offers a free tier. Most Hotel Management Software vendors offer demos or trials — request one from each to evaluate before committing.

How Does HTR Evaluate and Rank Exely HMS and IQWare HMS?

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. Exely has an HT Score of 82 and IQWare 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 →

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