Boostly vs Zugrow (formerly LetGrow): Which Does a UK Airbnb Host Actually Need?
You're comparing Boostly and Zugrow, probably because you're tired of WhatsApp questions at 11pm or guests who can't find the boiler switch. The first thing to know is that they're different kinds of product. Boostly helps hosts win direct bookings with a website, marketing tools and coaching; it doesn't sell a guest guidebook of its own. Zugrow's Guidebook is an AI-built guest guide for your property. This breakdown explains what each one does and compares the Airbnb guidebook tools for UK hosts you'd realistically choose between: Zugrow, Touch Stay and Hostfully.
Quick Comparison: Boostly vs Zugrow and the Main Guidebook Tools
Transparency: Zugrow publishes this blog, and Zugrow is one of the tools compared below. We've kept the comparison factual and flagged where rivals are the better fit, but read it with that context in mind. Prices and features were checked on each company's website in October 2026.
1. Zugrow Digital Guidebook. Best for Speed, Price and Built-in Upsells
Best for: UK self-managing hosts who want a professional guidebook live in minutes, with built-in Stripe checkout for early check-in, late checkout and parking upsells.
How it works: Paste your Airbnb listing URL into the Zugrow Guidebook builder. AI uses your listing to draft house rules, check-in details, transport information and nearby recommendations for cafés, restaurants and attractions using Google Places data. You review and edit everything in the host portal, add private details such as door codes, then share a mobile-friendly link with guests. The guidebook includes built-in Stripe upsells, so guests can pay for extras without messaging you at midnight, plus an AI guest assistant that answers common questions 24/7.
Pricing: £2.95 a month billed annually (£35.40 a year), or £3.25 month to month, per guidebook, with the first 2 weeks free. Cancel any time. If you have several listings, each needs its own guidebook. Zugrow's Max plan includes a guidebook for every property.
Pros
- Fast setup: about two minutes from Airbnb URL to a draft guidebook
- AI-generated content: no blank page; the tool drafts the sections for you to check
- Built-in upsells: Stripe checkout for extras such as early check-in, late checkout and parking, with no platform fee on free options and 1% on paid upsells
- Google Places data for local coffee shops, pubs and attractions
- Extras included: instructional videos, a direct booking link and an AI guest assistant
- Mobile-first design: guests open it on their phone, with no app download
Cons
- Template-based design: you can customise the branding, but if you want a fully bespoke design you may find it restrictive
- No native app: it's a web link rather than an iOS or Android app, which many guests prefer anyway
- No free plan: after the trial it's a paid subscription, unlike Touch Stay's and Hostfully's free tiers
- Built for individual hosts and small portfolios: larger managers may want Touch Stay's integrations or Hostfully's wider platform
Verdict: If you're a self-managing host who values speed, low cost and a simple way to sell extras, Zugrow's Guidebook is a strong choice. The AI draft saves a lot of copying and pasting, and if you charge even £10 for early check-in, one sale covers more than three months of the annual plan. Learn more in our digital guidebook setup guide.
2. Boostly. Best for Hosts Building Direct Bookings
Best for: Hosts who want to build a direct booking business alongside Airbnb and are ready to invest time and money in it.
How it works: Boostly is a direct booking service, not a guidebook app. Its website describes a done-for-you setup: a custom WordPress website built by its team, sync with your property management system, a Boostly CRM for leads, email and social media, AI agents for content, social, email and guest communication, a voice AI that answers guest calls, mini sites for things like local guides and gift vouchers, plus training through the Boostly Academy, live coaching calls and a community of more than 2,000 hosts. Its aim is to help you win repeat guests and bookings directly, without paying a platform's commission on those stays.
Pricing: Boostly doesn't publish prices on its website; you book a free call to find out.
Pros
- Direct booking website built for you, in your own brand
- Marketing and AI tools for email, social media and guest enquiries
- Training and community: academy courses, live coaching and a large host community
Cons
- No guest guidebook product: you'd still need a separate guidebook. Touch Stay even runs a dedicated offer for Boostly fans
- No published prices: you can't compare costs without a sales call
- More than you need if you only want a guidebook: if you're happy on Airbnb and just want fewer guest questions, you'd be paying for a website and marketing system you won't use
Verdict: Boostly makes sense if you're treating hosting as a business and want to reduce your reliance on Airbnb. But if you simply need a fast, affordable guidebook to stop repetitive guest questions, it's the wrong kind of tool. Compare guidebook options with other Airbnb welcome book alternatives to see which fits your hosting style.
3. Touch Stay. Best for Larger Portfolios, or a Free Start
Best for: Property managers who want integrations and data, and small hosts who want to start on a free plan.
How it works: Touch Stay has been running since 2014 and says more than 10,000 hosts use it. Its AI guidebook generator drafts your first guide from an Airbnb or Booking.com link, pulling in property details and photos. You can add images, virtual tours and videos, apply your logo, fonts and brand colours, and offer add-ons through an upsell widget. Its Growth plan adds an AI chatbot that answers guest questions from your guidebook content.
Pricing: A free plan with unlimited guidebooks, capped at 20 guest views per guidebook a month and with a 5% store commission. Paid plans start from $8.25 per property a month on its website (US dollars; its calculator also quotes in pounds), with a 14-day free trial.
Pros
- Free plan to get started
- AI tools: a guidebook generator, a content assistant and an AI chatbot for guests (Growth plan)
- Data dashboard to track guide views and feedback
- 40+ integrations with property management systems, channel managers and other hospitality tools
- Brandable design with your logo, fonts and colours
Cons
- Free plan limits: 20 guest views per guidebook a month and a 5% store commission
- Headline prices in dollars: use the calculator for an exact quote in pounds
- AI generator for your first guide only: later guides use the AI content assistant instead
Verdict: Touch Stay is a polished, established option, especially for managers who need integrations. For a single property, Zugrow's annual price is lower than Touch Stay's lowest advertised paid rate, while Touch Stay's free plan works if its view limit covers your guests. See our full Zugrow Guidebook page for what's included.
4. Hostfully. Best for Hosts Who Want a Guidebook Linked to a Wider Platform
Best for: Hosts already using, or considering, Hostfully's property management system, and hosts who want one guidebook free.
How it works: Hostfully sells digital guidebooks on their own as well as alongside its property management system. The first guidebook is free. Pro covers up to 199 guidebooks and adds revenue-generating features, custom branding, bulk editing and instant translation into 16+ languages. All plans include an AI itinerary planner, and guidebooks sync with Hostfully's property management system.
Pros
- One free guidebook
- Marketplace upsells on Pro, with a 1% Stripe fee
- Translation into 16+ languages on Pro
- Links to a full platform if you later want channel management and automated messaging from the same company
Cons
- Pro price not published on its guidebook pricing page
- Most useful inside Hostfully's ecosystem: if you don't use its property management system, some of the benefits don't apply
Verdict: Hostfully makes sense if you're running a multi-channel operation on its platform and want everything in one place. Zugrow's platform now does this too: a channel manager for Airbnb and Booking.com with a unified inbox, free for one property (new hosts join a waitlist and are onboarded in waves), and the Max plan includes the guidebook for every property. For Airbnb-focused hosts, see our 2026 comparison of the top digital guidebooks.
When to Pick Zugrow and When to Pick Boostly
The honest answer is that they solve different problems. Boostly's direct booking toolkit is built for hosts who want to grow a business beyond Airbnb. Zugrow's AI-generated guidebook is for hosts who want to stop answering "What's the WiFi password?" at 10pm, and it costs from £2.95 a month. Some hosts will use both: a direct booking website from one company and a guidebook from another.
When to pick Boostly: you're serious about direct bookings, you want a website built for you, and you're willing to invest time learning the platform. Its training, coaching and community are a big part of what you're paying for.
When to pick Zugrow: you self-manage, you list mainly on Airbnb, and you want a professional guidebook live before your next guest checks in. The 2-week free trial lets you test it first.
The Real Cost of Not Using a Digital Guidebook
Every "Where's the recycling bin?" message costs you time. Every "How do I work the heating?" text at 11pm costs you sleep. A digital guidebook isn't just a nice-to-have. It catches repetitive questions before they reach your phone and helps guests feel informed and independent. If you're still sending house rules over WhatsApp or leaving a printed binder that guests ignore, you're working harder than you need to.
From our own portfolio: we run about 24 short lets in Manchester. Our guests check in with lockboxes, and we send the code on arrival day. In our experience, fast replies and clear check-in information on the day earn us more 5-star reviews than anything else, so the check-in section is the one to get right in any guidebook. That's how we do it, one example among many, and Zugrow works with whatever check-in setup you use.
Hosts on Reddit regularly discuss moving from physical welcome books to digital ones. Check out real examples UK hosts are using for inspiration.
What About Free Guidebook Options?
There are genuinely free options. Airbnb has a built-in guidebook for local recommendations, which anyone can see, and a house manual in your listing's arrival guide, which only guests with a confirmed reservation can access. Touch Stay has a free plan and Hostfully gives you one guidebook free. You can also put something together in Google Docs, Notion or Canva.
The trade-offs: Airbnb's tools only work inside Airbnb, document-based guides aren't designed for phones, and free tiers come with limits. You'll also spend longer formatting than you would reviewing an AI draft. If your time is worth even £15 an hour, saving an hour of setup covers about five months of the £2.95/month Zugrow Guidebook.
Final Verdict: Which Should UK Hosts Choose?
For self-managing Airbnb hosts who want a guidebook: Zugrow's Digital Guidebook is quick to set up, low cost and includes AI generation and Stripe upsells. The 2-week free trial means you can check it saves you time before you pay.
For direct booking builders: Boostly is worth a conversation if you want a website and marketing system built for you. It isn't a guidebook, so budget for one separately.
For property managers and larger portfolios: Touch Stay or Hostfully offer integrations, translation and portfolio features that a solo host may not need.
Ready to stop answering the same guest questions? Try Zugrow's Guidebook free for 2 weeks: paste your Airbnb URL, review the AI-generated content and share the link with your next guest. If it doesn't save you time, cancel before the trial ends.
Frequently Asked Questions: Boostly vs Zugrow Airbnb Guidebook
Does Boostly have a digital guidebook?
Not as a product of its own. Boostly's website focuses on direct booking websites, a CRM, AI agents and coaching. For a guest guidebook you'd use a separate tool such as Zugrow, Touch Stay or Hostfully.
Is Zugrow or Boostly cheaper for a single Airbnb listing?
They're different products, so it depends what you need. Zugrow's guidebook costs £2.95 a month billed annually (£3.25 month to month), with the first 2 weeks free. Boostly doesn't publish its prices; you book a call to get a quote for its direct booking package.
Which Airbnb guidebook has the fastest setup time?
Zugrow and Touch Stay both draft a guidebook from your listing link. Zugrow says about two minutes from pasting your Airbnb URL; Touch Stay says within minutes, and its generator covers your first guide at sign-up. Either way, check the draft and add your private details before sharing it.
Can I add upsells like early check-in to my Airbnb guidebook?
Yes, with most guidebook tools. Zugrow includes Stripe upsells with no fee on free options and 1% on paid ones. Touch Stay has an upsell widget, with a 5% store commission on its free plan. Hostfully's Marketplace upsells come with Pro and carry a 1% Stripe fee.
Do I need a separate app for Zugrow's guidebook, or is it web-based?
Zugrow's guidebook is web-based. You share a mobile-friendly link with guests, and they open it in their phone's browser. There's no app to download.
Which guidebook tool is best for UK hosts with multiple properties?
For a handful of properties, Zugrow's per-guidebook price and fast AI setup work well, and the Max plan includes a guidebook for every property. For large portfolios or property management companies that need integrations, translation or bulk editing, Touch Stay or Hostfully Pro are worth comparing.
Is Boostly worth it if I only list on Airbnb and don't want direct bookings?
Probably not. Boostly's strength is direct booking: a website, marketing tools and coaching. If you're happy listing only on Airbnb, you'd be paying for features you won't use, and you'd still need a separate guidebook.
Sources, checked October 2026: Boostly; Touch Stay plans, features, AI guidebook generator and Boostly offer; Hostfully guidebook pricing; Airbnb Help Centre on guidebooks and house manuals; Zugrow Guidebook and Zugrow pricing.