LodgeDeck vs Hostaway
Hostaway runs the rental. LodgeDeck answers whether you can.
Hostaway is a property management platform. LodgeDeck is the cited compliance and lodging-tax layer that sits alongside it. Here is what Hostaway is genuinely good at, and the one thing LodgeDeck does that it does not set out to.
What Hostaway is
A short-term rental management system with a channel manager, automation, a unified inbox and a marketplace of integrations, built for growing hosts and property-management companies.
Built for: Hosts and property managers scaling a portfolio who want channel management and automation in one place.
Pricing
Hostaway is sold as a subscription with pricing set through a sales conversation based on your listing count. LodgeDeck does not restate a figure it cannot verify.
LodgeDeck: free to check any city and save one property, then $29/mo.
The one thing LodgeDeck adds
It is the compliance and tax layer, not the operations layer. LodgeDeck answers whether a city allows a short-term rental, what licence it needs and the exact lodging tax a guest pays, with the source cited and a confidence flag on every field, and exposes that same cited dataset as a JSON API and an MCP server for agents. A PMS manages bookings, messaging and channels; it does not give you a sourced answer to the legal and tax question, nor an API an agent can query for it.
Where Hostaway genuinely wins
- A strong channel manager and a broad integration marketplace
- Automation and a unified inbox for multi-listing operations
- Built to scale with a growing property-management business
How they fit together
Use both, for the jobs each is built for
Hostaway handles the day-to-day operations of your listings. LodgeDeck runs alongside it and answers the question underneath: is a short-term rental allowed in this city, what licence does it need, and what is the exact lodging tax a guest pays, each field citing the jurisdiction that set it. The same cited dataset is a JSON API and an MCP server, so a travel, proptech or tax agent can look it up mid-task.
FAQ
LodgeDeck vs Hostaway, common questions
Is LodgeDeck a Hostaway alternative?
Hostaway is a property management platform. LodgeDeck does something different: it gives you a cited answer to whether a city allows a short-term rental and what the lodging tax is, and exposes that as an API. Many hosts use both.
Who is Hostaway built for?
Hosts and property managers scaling a portfolio who want channel management and automation in one place.
What does Hostaway cost?
Hostaway is sold as a subscription with pricing set through a sales conversation based on your listing count. LodgeDeck does not restate a figure it cannot verify.
Is LodgeDeck a Hostaway alternative?
They solve different problems. Hostaway manages the operations of a portfolio; LodgeDeck gives you the cited legal and tax answer for a city and an API to query it. They sit alongside each other rather than compete.
Can I get STR rules and tax inside Hostaway?
A PMS focuses on operations, not sourced regulatory and tax data. LodgeDeck fills that: cited rules and lodging tax per city, with a confidence flag and source link on every field, available on the site and via the API and MCP server.
Other comparisons
How LodgeDeck compares to the rest of the category
Get the cited answer first
Check whether a city allows a short-term rental and what the lodging tax is, free, before you commit to any platform.