Nowistay vs Smoobu: a European channel manager and PMS owned by HomeToGo (founded 2014, AI drafts only) versus an AI-native PMS with a fully autonomous AI co-host that onboards in minutes. Compare pricing, AI, channels, smart locks, KYC, payments, and direct booking.
Autonomous AI co-host included at EUR 12/month per property. Onboard in minutes, no credit card required.
Start free trialNowistay and Smoobu both target vacation rental hosts and small concierges, but their approaches diverge sharply on two points: speed of setup and AI capability. Smoobu, founded in 2014 by hosts and owned by HomeToGo since 2021, offers a channel manager and PMS with a booking website builder. Nowistay, founded in 2024, is built around an autonomous AI co-host that engages directly with guests and onboards in minutes, with AI dynamic pricing included in the same subscription. This guide compares both platforms across pricing, AI, channels, automation, onboarding, and ease of use.
Competitor facts checked on smoobu.com and support.smoobu.com on 8 October 2026.
Considering a move to Nowistay? This guide explains how to prepare and migrate from your PMS: How to migrate from your PMS (channel manager) to Nowistay.
Nowistay is an AI-native PMS that combines a channel manager, autonomous AI co-host, digital welcome guide, smart-lock integrations, cleaning and team automation, identity verification, payment processing via Stripe, a direct booking engine and built-in dynamic pricing (AI Pricing) in a single platform. The AI co-host engages guests directly, with no host approval needed, and answers most guest questions on its own. Nowistay is built for hosts managing 1 to 100+ properties.
Smoobu was founded in 2014 by hosts, is based in Berlin and has been owned by HomeToGo since 2021. It offers a property management system, channel manager, booking engine, guest communication, website builder, guest guide, a paid dynamic pricing add-on, statistics, and account management. Smoobu connects to 100+ booking portals including Airbnb, Booking.com, and Expedia.
According to Smoobu’s published pricing page (annual billing, 10% discount):
For a single property on Smoobu’s Professional Flex plan, the cost is EUR 29/month plus a 0.9% transaction fee. Nowistay is EUR 12 per month for the same single property, billed monthly, and includes the autonomous AI co-host that Smoobu does not have.
Dynamic pricing is a separate line on Smoobu: its Dynamic Pricing add-on costs EUR 12.99 per property per month once the free trial ends, so the Smoobu prices above do not include it. That add-on alone costs more than Nowistay’s whole AI Channel Manager plan (EUR 12 per property per month), where AI Pricing is included.
Nowistay: Onboards in minutes. Connect Airbnb via OAuth, paste your Booking.com listing, set up your knowledge base, and the AI co-host is ready. A new property is live in minutes, AI included.
Smoobu: Setup involves connecting OTAs, configuring channel mappings, customizing your booking website and writing message templates. Smoobu offers a 14-day free trial.
Nowistay: Autonomous AI that answers guest questions in real time, 24/7, in 90+ languages. Trained on your property’s specific knowledge base. Operates across Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, WhatsApp and email. No host approval required.
Smoobu: No autonomous AI. Since July 2026, Smoobu’s AI suggests replies that the host reviews and sends, and it offers AI translation. Beyond that, Smoobu’s automation centers on personalized message templates and scheduled delivery, and the host still sends every reply to freeform guest questions.
Nowistay: Real-time sync of calendars, prices, and availability across Airbnb, Booking.com, VRBO, and Expedia, plus iCal for additional channels. Two-way sync prevents double bookings.
Smoobu: Connects to 100+ booking portals including Airbnb, Booking.com, and Expedia. Two-way sync. This matters if you sell on regional or niche portals that Nowistay does not connect.
Nowistay: Built-in direct booking engine with a widget for any existing website plus a hosted booking page. Stripe payments, security deposits, discount codes, zero commission.
Smoobu: Includes a booking website builder with themes and integrated payments (Stripe and PayPal).
Nowistay: Native integrations with Nuki, igloohome, TTLock, Tedee and HomeIt smart locks, with Yale, Schlage, August and KeyNest as paid options. Codes generated per booking, sent automatically via AI co-host or welcome guide, revoked at checkout.
Smoobu: Native integrations with Nuki, igloohome, Tedee, Masunt and RemoteLock (which covers Yale, Schlage, August and Kwikset).
Nowistay: Automated cleaning missions at every checkout, mobile team notifications, photo checklists, role-based access for cleaners and maintenance, AI-detected guest issues.
Smoobu: According to Smoobu’s help center, it has no cleaning task workflow.
Nowistay: Digital welcome guide you can build with AI, shared by link or QR code and translated by AI into 9 languages; its content also feeds the AI co-host’s answers.
Smoobu: Includes a Guest Guide in its plans.
Nowistay: Built-in guest identity verification: automated KYC requests sent before check-in, with verification status visible in your dashboard. Helps reduce fraud and meet regulatory requirements.
Smoobu: No native KYC. Hosts use third-party tools or manual processes.
Nowistay: Native Stripe integration. Collect security deposits, charge for upsells, accept direct booking payments, split a direct booking payment into a deposit and a later balance.
Smoobu: Integrated payments through its booking website. Supports Stripe and PayPal for direct booking transactions.
Nowistay: AI co-host operates natively in 90+ languages. Welcome guide translated by AI into 9 languages. Guests are answered in their own language by default.
Smoobu: Smoobu interface and most features support multiple languages, and it offers AI translation for guest messages, but replies are still sent by the host.
Nowistay: AI Pricing, Nowistay’s built-in dynamic pricing, is included in the AI Channel Manager plan at no extra cost. Built around your typical price and minimum price, it suggests a nightly price for every free night over the next 2 years, following seasons, weekends, holidays, demand among similar homes nearby, last-minute and orphan nights, and shows the reason for each change. You apply suggestions in one click, or turn on Automatic mode property by property, and the prices go to every connected channel. PriceLabs remains available as an optional integration (separate PriceLabs subscription). See how AI Pricing sets your prices.
Smoobu: Sells its own Dynamic Pricing as a paid add-on at EUR 12.99 per property per month, after a 30-day (Prepaid) or 60-day (Teams Pro+) trial. Third-party tools (PriceLabs, Beyond, Wheelhouse, Smartpricing) are also possible, each with its own subscription.
Nowistay: Real-time dashboards for occupancy, revenue, guest sentiment, and operational efficiency.
Smoobu: Statistics and reporting included in core feature set.
Both platforms are designed for hosts, not developers. Nowistay adds an AI co-host that is ready as soon as your property knowledge is in, so a new property is configured in minutes.
Smoobu may still fit if you sell on regional portals that Nowistay does not connect (Smoobu lists 100+), or want a website builder rather than a booking widget and a hosted booking page. For everyone else, Nowistay’s AI co-host, smart-lock automation, ID verification and welcome guide come in one platform, and switching takes minutes.
Nowistay replaces Smoobu as your PMS and channel manager; moving your listings takes minutes. You reconnect Airbnb and Booking.com, your bookings come across, and the AI co-host starts answering guests as soon as your property knowledge is in place.
Nowistay onboards in minutes: connect Airbnb via OAuth, add Booking.com, set up your knowledge base, and the AI co-host is ready. On Smoobu you also configure channel mappings, message templates and, optionally, the booking website builder.
No. Smoobu has no autonomous AI: its AI suggests replies that the host sends, and it offers AI translation. Nowistay’s AI co-host is autonomous: it understands and answers freeform guest questions in real time in 90+ languages without host approval.
Yes. Nowistay is EUR 12/month per property. Smoobu’s lowest published price is EUR 28/month for a single unit on 2-year Prepaid billing, and the Professional Flex plan adds a 0.9% transaction fee on top of EUR 29/month. Nowistay charges no booking commission, and its subscription includes the autonomous AI co-host.
Yes. You reconnect Airbnb via OAuth and switch your Booking.com connectivity provider to Nowistay, your bookings come across, and you add your property knowledge for the AI co-host. Moving your listings takes minutes, and the first month is free with no credit card.
Yes. AI Pricing, Nowistay’s built-in dynamic pricing, is part of the EUR 12 (USD 15) per property per month AI Channel Manager plan, with no add-on and no separate subscription. Smoobu sells its own Dynamic Pricing as an add-on at EUR 12.99 per property per month, which on its own costs more than the whole Nowistay plan.
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Over 25 years of experience in real estate investing and a recognized expert in short-term rental automation. Bassel helps property managers increase revenue, cut operating costs, and deliver 5-star guest experiences using AI-powered tools he built from firsthand hosting experience.
