Lodgify alternatives for owners who do not want to build the site themselves

A cheap tool is only cheap if you have the time to build with it.

The short answer: Lodgify and Smoobu are do-it-yourself tools: you pay a monthly fee, then build and manage the website yourself. The alternative is a done-for-you service. Launch VRO builds your booking website for you, keeps it running, has it ready in 7 working days or it is free, and lets you pay half to start and the other half when you go live.

Lodgify is a well-known name for rental websites. Many owners try it, then look around. Some find that the hard part is not the price. It is the hours.

This guide shows both kinds of options, so you can choose with your eyes open.

What are the two ways to get a booking website?

• Do-it-yourself tools such as Lodgify and Smoobu: you pay a monthly fee for software. You build the pages, connect your calendars, write the text, and fix what breaks.
• Done-for-you: someone builds the site for you, and keeps it running. You pay a setup fee, and a monthly plan is optional.

What does a do-it-yourself tool really cost?

The monthly price looks small. Tools like these usually start at a low monthly fee, and some add a booking fee on top, so check each tool's own pricing page for today's numbers. On top of that you pay card fees to the payment company.

The cost that is easy to miss is your time:

• Choosing a template and building every page
• Writing the text and sorting out the photos
• Connecting payments, calendars and your booking tool
• Fixing things when a guest says it does not work on their phone

If you enjoy it, it can work well. If you have been "meaning to finish the website" for months, every week without it is a week of guests booking you through a site that charges you about 15.5% (see how much Airbnb really takes from you).

What is the done-for-you option?

With Launch VRO, you do not build anything. We make your booking website and keep it running.

• Ready in 7 working days, or it is free. The clock starts when you have sent us what we asked for.
• Pay half to start. The other half only when your site is ready and you go live.
• A custom booking website, synced with your booking tool.
• 1 year of hosting included. Hosting stays free while you keep a monthly plan.
• A monthly plan is optional. It covers support, fixes and a monthly report, from $89 a month.

Launch Pad is $999 to set up. If you want your guests answered for you, Grow adds Launch AI. See every plan on the pricing page.

How do you choose?

• Pick a do-it-yourself tool if you have the time, you enjoy building, and you want the lowest monthly price.
• Pick done-for-you if your time is worth more on guests, or you tried a builder and never finished.

A site of your own pays for itself fast. About $8,000 of direct bookings covers a $999 setup, as the maths in our fee guide shows. Ready to stop putting it off? Pay your first installment and we start building.

Common questions

What is a good alternative to Lodgify for vacation rentals?

If you want to keep building the site yourself, another do-it-yourself tool such as Smoobu is the closest match. If you would rather not build it, a done-for-you service such as Launch VRO builds and runs your booking website for you, ready in 7 working days or it is free.

Is a done-for-you website better than a website builder?

It depends on your time. A builder has the lowest monthly price, but you do all the work. A done-for-you site costs more upfront, and you get a finished website without building anything yourself.

Do I have to take a monthly plan with Launch VRO?

No. The setup includes 1 year of hosting, and a monthly plan is optional ongoing support. Hosting stays free while you keep a monthly plan.

Sources and helpful links

• Stripe pricing — card fees on direct bookings
• Airbnb: how host fees work — the 15.5% single fee