Vacation rental website builders compared (and when to skip them)

A vacation rental website builder is software that turns a template into a booking site without code. It is the fastest and cheapest way to get your own site online. It is also the option with the most limits.

This page is for owners and managers choosing between a builder, the site that comes with their booking software and a done-for-you build. I run WentDirect, which is one of the done-for-you options below, so read my view of it with that in mind. Prices are from each company’s own website on November 10, 2026.

Vacation rental website builders at a glance

Option	Type	Published price	Booking commission
OwnerRez	Booking software with hosted websites	$88 a month for 5 properties, on a sliding scale	None stated: “No commissions, no guest fees, or per-booking fees”
Hospitable	Booking software with a direct booking site on its higher plans	Plan prices were not shown on the page when I checked	A fee on direct bookings is listed
Hostaway	Property management system	No public price. Quote only	Not stated on the pricing page
Lodgify	Booking software with a website builder	I could not load its pricing page	Not checked
CraftedStays	Standalone builder	$89.99 a month after a $69.99 first year, for 2 properties. $8 a month per extra property	None
Boostly	Done for you	No public price	Not stated
Hudson Creative Studio	Done for you	Templated from $2,000. Custom from $8,000. Hosting $100 a month	None on its booking engine
WentDirect	Done for you	Custom from $2,000	None

Read the table as a starting point. Plans change, and several of these companies quote by the number of properties.

How I compared them

I looked at four things on each company’s own site.

1. What it is: software you set up yourself, or a service that builds the site for you.
2. What it costs, where a price is published.
3. Whether it takes a commission on bookings made through the site.
4. Who it suits, by number of properties and how much you want to do yourself.

I did not test every product hands-on, and I have not ranked them. Where a page did not show a figure, the table says so.

Website builders inside booking software

If you use a property management system, you may already have a website builder. This is vacation rental website software in its most common form: a site generated from the listings in your account.

OwnerRez

OwnerRez prices on a sliding scale by number of properties. Its pricing page shows $88 a month for five. Hosted websites appear as an option you can include, and there is a WordPress plugin for hosts who want their own WordPress site connected.

Its page states “No commissions, no guest fees, or per-booking fees.” OwnerRez is one of the tools I build on, so I know it from that side as well.

Hospitable

Hospitable includes a direct booking website on its Professional and Mogul plans. The free Essentials plan and the Host plan do not include one. Its pricing page lists a fee on direct bookings, so read the current rate before you count on a commission-free site.

Hospitable is another tool I build on. A custom site can sit on top of it and use its calendar and rates.

Hostaway

Hostaway does not publish prices. Its pricing page asks how many listings you manage and offers a quote, with tiers that start at two listings. It points owners with a single listing to a waitlist.

It is built for managers with a portfolio. If that is you, ask about its website options when you get a quote.

Lodgify

Lodgify sells booking software with a website builder and templates. I could not load its pricing page when I checked, so there are no figures for it here. See its site for current plans.

What these have in common

The calendar is already connected, which is the hard part of any booking site. Setup is quick, and there is one bill.

The limits are the same across them. You choose from a small set of templates. You get a page for each property and not much else. You have little say over page structure, which makes it hard to rank for anything beyond your own name.

Standalone direct booking website builders

A standalone direct booking website builder sits on top of your booking software. You keep the software for calendars and payments and use the builder for the site guests see.

CraftedStays

CraftedStays is the clearest example. Its Host Plan is listed at $69.99 a month for the first year and $89.99 a month after that. That covers two properties, with $8 a month for each one added, up to 20.

It connects to Hostaway, Guesty, Hospitable, OwnerRez and Hostfully. Its pricing page says there is no setup fee on subscription plans and no booking commission.

It also sells setup services. White Glove onboarding is listed from $2,500 as a one-time fee, with larger packages from $7,500 and $14,000.

A short term rental website builder like this suits an operator with a handful of properties who wants a better site than the software’s own, and is comfortable with a subscription.

Done-for-you options

The third route is paying someone to build the site. You give up the low monthly price and get your time back.

Boostly

Boostly, based in the UK, sells a done-for-you WordPress site bundled with a CRM, training and coaching. Its site shows no prices and points to a strategy call. It says sites go live in about 30 to 35 days and lists integrations with more than two dozen booking systems.

Hudson Creative Studio

Hudson Creative Studio is an agency that builds WordPress sites for vacation rental brands. It lists two packages. Templated starts at $2,000 and goes live within one to two weeks of kickoff. Custom starts at $8,000 and takes about two months.

It also lists hosting and maintenance at $100 a month, and a booking engine from $45 a month for up to five listings.

WentDirect

This is my own business. I design and build custom direct booking websites from $2,000, with a first draft ready one week after all your assets and access are in. Full SEO is from $1,500 as a one-time total per website.

There is one person here, not a team. I work with clients in the United States and build on the booking software they already use. I have two sites to show so far, one live and one close to launch. If a long client list matters to you, the agencies above have one and I do not yet.

Builder or custom build: how to choose

Three questions settle it for most people.

How much is your time worth? A builder costs less money and more hours. Someone has to choose the template, write the pages, load the photos and keep it current.

Do you need the site to bring in guests, or only to take bookings from people who already know you? A booking page for returning guests can be simple. A site that has to rank on Google needs pages a template does not have.

How long will you keep it? A subscription is cheap in month one. Over three years, $89.99 a month is $3,239.64, and you still do not own the design.

The best website builder for rental property owners by situation

There is no single best website builder for rental property owners. There is a sensible choice for each situation.

• One property, tight budget, already on booking software: use the site included with your software.
• Two to 20 properties on a supported system, and you want a better-looking site: a standalone builder is a fair step up.
• A portfolio and a real marketing budget: an agency with a team can handle the scale.
• You want a custom site that ranks, and you do not want to build it: a done-for-you build.

If you manage homes for other owners, the site also has to win owners. See property management website design for what that changes.

When to skip the builder

Skip the builder when the site is meant to be a source of bookings, not a place to send people you already have.

A template gives every host the same structure. Search engines have little reason to prefer one copy over another. Ranking takes pages built around what guests search in your area, and a keyword behind each one. That is vacation rental SEO, and it needs a site you can shape.

Skip it too if you have tried one and stalled. Many builder sites are half-finished because the owner ran out of evenings. A site that is live and complete beats a better one that never launches.

And skip it if the fees are what brought you here. The Host Fee Calculator shows what a direct booking keeps. A builder that charges a commission on those bookings gives part of that back.

Final Thought

A vacation rental website builder is the right tool when you need something simple, soon and cheap. It is the wrong tool when the site has to compete for guests who have never heard of you. Be honest about which of those you need before you pay for either. If it is the second, see how I approach vacation rental website design, and judge the work on its own terms.