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 82 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:
Hostaway shines in ease of use and customer support , with exclusive features like Financial Reporting and Guest Portal.
Kigo shines .
Side-by-side ratings based on 82 verified hotelier reviews on HTR.
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| Starting Price | Contact sales | Contact sales |
| Verified Reviews | 82 | 0 |
After analyzing 82 verified reviews, Hostaway users most value its customer support quality, onboarding experience, automation and efficiency, while Kigo users highlight . Click any theme to see what reviewers say.
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Customer Support Quality
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Onboarding Experience
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Automation and Efficiency
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Third-party Software Integrations
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Customization and User Control
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Financial and Payment Processing
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Integration Challenges
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How each product ranks among Vacation Rental Software vendors for different property sizes, types, and regions — based on verified reviews from hoteliers in each segment.
By Hotel Size
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| Small (10-24 rooms) ▾ | #2 23 reviews | — |
| Mid-Size (25-74 rooms) ▾ | #1 19 reviews | — |
| Large (75-199 rooms) | #2 4 reviews | — |
| X-Large (200+ rooms) | #1 3 reviews | — |
By Property Type
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| Boutique ▾ | #2 14 reviews | — |
| Luxury ▾ | #2 9 reviews | — |
| Branded / Chain ▾ | #2 6 reviews | — |
| Extended Stay ▾ | #2 8 reviews | — |
By Region
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| North America ▾ | #1 47 reviews | — |
| Europe ▾ | #2 17 reviews | — |
| Asia Pacific ▾ | #1 7 reviews | — |
| Middle East | #1 2 reviews | — |
Choosing between Hostaway and Kigo hinges on your specific needs as a vacation rental manager. Both platforms aim to streamline operations, but Hostaway offers a more established presence and a richer feature set backed by extensive reviews. Kigo, while comprehensive, has a smaller user base and fewer recent reviews, making Hostaway the more proven choice for most hoteliers.
Hostaway’s more recent reviews and higher ratings provide a more reliable gauge of performance, especially in customer support, ease of use, and feature depth. As a property manager or owner, your decision should depend on your operational complexity and growth plans, but the data leans heavily toward Hostaway.
Hostaway and Kigo both serve vacation rental managers but differ significantly in their market presence and feature availability. Hostaway excels in automation, integrations, and support, making it ideal for scaling property portfolios and professional operators. Kigo, by contrast, offers a broader suite of tools focused on maximizing revenue and simplifying management, but its smaller review count and less recent feedback limit confidence in its current performance.
Hostaway’s 80 reviews in the last six months with a 93.02 score and 5-star overall rating reflect strong, recent hotelier satisfaction. Meanwhile, Kigo’s absence of recent reviews and a 0 overall rating suggest limited current user engagement and less reliability. Would your hotel prioritize proven support and automation or a broader revenue focus?
Hostaway’s user experience is highly rated, with a 4.63/5 ease of use score based on 80 reviews, and most users praise its intuitive interface and onboarding process. Support staff are noted for their quick, thorough assistance, contributing to a smoother learning curve. Users highlight how its platform simplifies multi-channel management, even for beginners.
Kigo’s user feedback is lacking, as it has no recent reviews or ratings available. Without direct feedback, it’s unclear how user-friendly or accessible Kigo is for hoteliers. Based on available data, Edge: Hostaway.
Hostaway offers 10 features exclusive to its platform, including financial reporting, owner statements, a guest portal, mobile app, and a channel manager. These features address core operational needs, offering deep financial insights and automation tools. In contrast, Kigo doesn’t specify unique features or competitive functionalities in the available data.
The comprehensive feature set of Hostaway—especially its owner and guest portals, responsiveness, and customizable integrations—sets it apart. Kigo’s offerings appear more generalized, but without detailed feature comparison data, the edge clearly goes to Hostaway.
Hostaway’s customer support is highly rated at 4.75/5, with recent reviews praising its responsiveness, availability, and helpfulness. Users like the 24/5 live chat support and dedicated onboarding help, which many find critical during setup and ongoing operations.
Kigo’s support ratings and recent reviews are unavailable, making it impossible to evaluate its support quality. Given the importance of reliable support in property management, Hostaway’s proven high ratings position it as the superior choice. Edge: Hostaway.
Hostaway boasts 14 verified partners, including major players like Airbnb, VRBO, and PriceLabs, plus a suite of unique integrations such as Stripe, Duve, and Breezeway. Its extensive partner network offers flexibility and efficiency for property managers seeking a connected ecosystem.
Kigo, with only 2 verified partners—Airbnb and PriceLabs—has limited integration options. This significantly restricts automation and operational flow, especially for complex portfolios. Hostaway’s broader integration ecosystem provides a clear advantage. Edge: Hostaway.
Hostaway’s recent reviews (80 in the past six months) reflect a hotelier-rated score of 93.02, with an overall rating of 5/5 and a 95% likelihood to recommend. Property types like hotels, inns, and vacation rentals rate it highly, highlighting its versatility across segments.
Kigo lacks recent reviews and ratings altogether, making it impossible to assess current user satisfaction. Based on available data, hoteliers favor Hostaway’s proven performance and recent feedback. Edge: Hostaway.
Pricing information for both platforms is not publicly disclosed, which is typical for enterprise SaaS solutions. Expect to receive custom quotes based on your property count and feature needs.
Since both are commercial SaaS platforms without clear published prices, consider them comparable in cost—your hotel’s size and requirements will be the determining factors.
Not ideal if your hotel has very few properties or prefers a simple, less integrated system.
Not ideal if you require extensive recent reviews or prefer proven, high-touch support. Also, if your property management needs are basic, Kigo’s broad feature set might be more than you need.
Hostaway’s core advantage lies in its extensive, recent reviews, high satisfaction ratings, and broad feature set backed by a large user base. Its focus on automation, integrations, and support makes it well-suited for growing property portfolios and professional operators.
Choose Hostaway if you value proven reliability, a strong support network, and a platform that scales with your business. Its advanced automation and financial tools provide tangible operational benefits.
Kigo, although comprehensive, currently lacks the recent user feedback and review volume to confidently recommend it for active hoteliers. It may appeal to owners who prioritize revenue management and simple web integration, but its limited recent data makes it a less certain choice.
In conclusion, for most hoteliers actively managing or scaling vacation rentals, Hostaway remains the superior, more trusted choice based on current review data. Its extensive features, support quality, and recent positive feedback set a clear standard in the market.
According to HTR's product database, Hostaway and Kigo share 0 features. Here are the key differences — features one has that the other lacks.
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What hoteliers love
Overall, customers are pleased with customer support, highlighting quick, effective responses and personal attention from service agents. Nonetheless,... Overall, customers are pleased with customer support, highlighting quick, effective responses and personal attention from service agents. Nonetheless, some mention long hold times or the need for more real-time support options.
Hostaway's onboarding support is widely commended, with consultants like Ramon, Jeriko, and others praised for their dedication and expertise. Users a... Hostaway's onboarding support is widely commended, with consultants like Ramon, Jeriko, and others praised for their dedication and expertise. Users appreciate their patience and detailed walkthroughs, making complex integrations feel seamless. However, some suggest extending the duration of onboarding calls for more comprehensive support.
The platform's automation capabilities, including central reservation management and automated communication tools, are recognized for saving time and... The platform's automation capabilities, including central reservation management and automated communication tools, are recognized for saving time and reducing manual errors. These features improve overall operational efficiency and help manage multiple properties with ease.
Where hoteliers push back
Users appreciate the intuitive nature of the interface but seek more customization options, particularly for mobile management, message templates, and... Users appreciate the intuitive nature of the interface but seek more customization options, particularly for mobile management, message templates, and website flexibility. There's a call for improvements in tools that allow better tailored user experiences.
Integrated payment systems are generally satisfactory, but limitations with processors like Stripe, lack of direct invoicing, and complexity in financ... Integrated payment systems are generally satisfactory, but limitations with processors like Stripe, lack of direct invoicing, and complexity in financial reporting are notable downsides. Users suggest expanding payment options and simplifying financial operations.
Unique capabilities
Where the ratings diverge most
It depends on your requirements. Hostaway and Kigo share many core Vacation Rental Software features, but each has unique capabilities. Hostaway offers 14 verified integration partners, while Kigo offers 2. Review the feature comparison above to see where they differ before switching.
Small hotels should prioritize ease of use and fast onboarding. Hostaway 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.
Hostaway: No. Kigo: No. Neither product currently offers a free tier. Most Vacation Rental Software 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. Hostaway has an HT Score of 93 and Kigo 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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