Smoobu vs OwnerRez (2025): A Comprehensive Comparison for Vacation Rental Hosts
When it comes to the choice between Smoobu and OwnerRez, hosts often wonder: Which is a better fit for my needs? This comprehensive comparison examines the unique selling points of each, including channel management, booking tools, pricing features, mobile apps, and support, to help you make an informed decision about the best vacation rental software for your needs.
Whether you're already using one of these tools and considering making the switch, or seeking a channel manager and vacation rental software that simplifies operations, this guide breaks it all down with clarity, user-friendly interface insights, and independent research.
Who Offers the Best Channel Manager?
Smoobu: Real-Time Sync with Airbnb, Booking.com & More
Smoobu’s Channel Manager connects to Airbnb, Booking.com, and more, syncing availability, pricing, and rules across multiple platforms. This prevents double bookings and improves efficiency through real-time calendar synchronization, automated rate rules, and restrictions syncing.
With Smoobu, property managers and vacation rental owners enjoy complete control and visibility over their properties. This is thanks to a centralized dashboard that brings reservation management, performance stats, and inventory management under one roof. The integrated channel management platform ensures listings stay up-to-date across all API channels, increasing OTA visibility and streamlining your multi-channel distribution.
OwnerRez: Powerful But Technical
OwnerRez boasts a strong API connection with leading platforms, but it often requires manual setup and may feel outdated to users seeking a modern property management system. In contrast, Smoobu's user interface is designed for ease of use and navigation, making it a more accessible option for those who are not tech-savvy.
Learn more about Smoobu’s Channel Manager feature.
Which Tool Has a Better Website Builder?
Smoobu: No-Code, SEO-Friendly Website Builder
Smoobu features a robust direct booking Website Builder that requires no coding. It supports multi-lingual websites, SEO tools, mobile responsiveness, and seamless integration with its booking engine.
The builder is ideal for generating web traffic, improving OTA visibility, and increasing direct bookings, without the need for plugins, third-party platforms, or a referral fee structure. It includes optional add-ons, innovative forms, gallery sections, and real-time analytics to measure performance.
OwnerRez: No Built-In Site Builder
OwnerRez does offer its own native Website Builder, but unlike Smoobu, this is not included in the base price of their plan. Users must therefore add it to the initial price they see when initially calculating how much they are likely to pay.
Create your direct booking website with Smoobu.
What’s the Better Booking Engine?
Smoobu: Simple, Secure, and Fully Integrated
Smoobu’s vacation rental booking engine supports real-time availability, secure online payment acceptance through Stripe and PayPal, and booking rules such as min-stay, cleaning fees, discounts, and upselling opportunities.
Smoobu's Booking Engine can easily be integrated into either external websites that you may have already created in WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace, as a direct HTML or iframe. Likewise, it easily connects to the built-in Smoobu Website Builder and can thus be seamlessly integrated with any site you may wish to use. Moreover, it is included in all price plans as standard.
Explore Smoobu’s Booking Engine.
OwnerRez: Widget-Based Booking
OwnerRez utilizes embeddable widgets for its booking engine, which requires additional configuration. This can be time-consuming and may require technical knowledge. While flexible, it’s not fully integrated like Smoobu’s built-in solution and lacks a streamlined user experience.
Who Offers Smarter Pricing Tools?
Smoobu: Built-In & Integrated Dynamic Pricing Tools
Smoobu enables native dynamic pricing based on season, occupancy, weekday, or length of stay. Dynamic pricing is available as a paid add-on for €12.99 per month per property.
What’s more is that Smoobu offers integrations with some of the leading players in the dynamic pricing market, including Smartness and PriceLabs. So, if you are already using a dynamic pricing solution, there is no need to switch, as you can take your subscription with you when you sign up for Smoobu.
OwnerRez: Third-Party Required
OwnerRez relies on integrations with PriceLabs or Beyond for dynamic pricing, which introduces extra costs and breaks the all-in-one experience that many short-term rental hosts prefer.
Boost your income with Smoobu pricing tools.
How Does the Mobile App Compare?
Smoobu: Everything You Need, Anywhere
The Smoobu mobile app is a complete vacation rental management tool. It offers full access to calendars, push notifications, pricing, and guest communications. Its lightweight design works seamlessly on Android and iOS, allowing you to send automatic messages, update availability, and view real-time performance metrics.
It mirrors the desktop version and includes user management. Regular updates and security checks ensure the app's stability and security.
OwnerRez: No Native Mobile App
While mobile-responsive via browser, OwnerRez lacks a native app, making mobile service experiences slower and more challenging to navigate for busy property managers.
Download Smoobu’s mobile app now for iOS or Android.
Who Wins in Customer Support?
Smoobu: Fast, Friendly, and Human
Smoobu’s multilingual support is available via live chat and email with fast response times. There are no upsells or restrictions—every user has access to help regardless of their plan. Support includes onboarding and tailored advice.
Smoobu’s help center is supported by human support agents, offering proactive assistance across international markets.
OwnerRez: Email-Focused Support
OwnerRez provides quality support, but mostly via email. Live support is limited, depending on your subscription, which may not be suitable for time-sensitive guest situations.
Get responsive support from Smoobu.
Is There a Free Trial?
Smoobu: Full Access, No Credit Card
Smoobu’s 14-day free trial includes all features—reservation management, calendar management, guest messaging, dynamic pricing, and channel sync—without requiring credit card details.
The trial offers a comprehensive user experience, enabling hosts to explore all features before committing.
OwnerRez: Limited Trial
OwnerRez does offer a trial, but setup complexity may hinder users from exploring every function effectively, especially for those new to property management software. OwnerRez also requires credit cards.
Learn more about your two weeks of Smoobu here.
Which Offers Better Overall Value?
Smoobu: Simple, All-Inclusive Pricing
Smoobu’s value lies in its unified feature set at one flat monthly rate. What features are included is clearly stated, and hosts don’t need to speak to a member of the sales team first before signing up. They can do everything themselves. Prices start from as low as €23.20 per month per property.
Everything else is included, from channel management and user (team/owner) management to guest and messaging tools, integrations, a complete mobile app, and more. There are no hidden fees, and Smoobu does not pressure users into upgrades.
OwnerRez: Add-On Based Model
OwnerRez segments pricing by feature, so adding tools like channel management, CRM, and booking widgets increases total cost. It may work for advanced tech users, but it lacks value for money for most vacation rental companies.
The base price starts at $40 per month for one property and, as mentioned, does not include every feature.
Explore Smoobu’s pricing plans yourself.
Final Comparison Table: Smoobu vs. OwnerRez
| Feature | Smoobu | OwnerRez |
|---|---|---|
| Channel Manager | Real-time sync with 100+ OTAs via 2-way API integration. | Syncs with major OTAs. |
| Dynamic Pricing | Native tool at €12.99/month per property; integrates with PriceLabs, Beyond, and Wheelhouse. | Included with all plans: customizable templates, multilingual support, and SEO optimization. |
| Website Builder | Included with all plans; customizable templates, multilingual support, and SEO optimization. | Direct booking website builder is an add-on feature |
| Guest Communication | Centralized inbox for multi-platform messaging, customizable Guest Guide. | Centralized inbox for multi-platform messaging and a customizable Guest Guide. |
| Integrations | Over 40 industry-leading integrations. | Integrates with various apps. |
| Free Trial | 14-day trial with no credit card required, full access to features. | Demo, 14-day trial, which requires payment details. |
| Pricing | From €23.20/month for one property; transparent, no hidden fees. | Base price starts at $40 per month before add-ons. |
Conclusion
When comparing Smoobu and OwnerRez, the findings indicate that Smoobu is designed to be more straightforward and all-inclusive, potentially offering greater efficiency for hosts.
For those seeking alternatives to Lodgify or competitors to OwnerRez, Smoobu presents itself as a comprehensive property management solution that encompasses various features in a single platform.
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