Looking for a Hostfully Alternative in 2026?
Maybe you want a guidebook that builds itself from your Airbnb listing, a simpler monthly price, or upsells without moving to a bigger plan. Whatever the reason, there are several good Hostfully alternatives, and the market has changed a lot: free plans, AI set-up and in-guidebook upsells are now common.
This guide compares the main options for 2026, focusing on digital guidebook apps for self-managing hosts with one to five properties. We have checked each tool's own website (October 2026) and flagged where each one wins and where it falls short.
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.
1. Zugrow Digital Guidebook. Best Hostfully Alternative for Budget-Conscious Hosts
Best for: Self-managing hosts with one to five listings who want a low flat price per guidebook, AI set-up from their Airbnb listing and upsells included.
Price: £2.95 a month per listing billed annually (£35.40 a year), or £3.25 month to month. 2 weeks free: your card isn't charged until the free trial ends, and you can cancel anytime.
Zugrow's Digital Guidebook is built for speed. Paste your Airbnb listing URL and the AI builds a complete guest guidebook within minutes. You get house rules, check-in and checkout instructions, Wi-Fi details, local recommendations from Google Places data, an AI assistant that answers guest questions, and a built-in upsells tab where guests can pay for extras such as early check-in or late checkout through Stripe. Zugrow charges 1% on paid upsells and nothing on free options; the rest goes to your Stripe account.
What Makes Zugrow Stand Out
- Flexible billing: £3.25 per listing month to month, or £2.95 a month billed annually. Add or drop properties as you go.
- AI set-up for every guidebook: Zugrow pulls the details from your Airbnb listing and fills in the guidebook for you, which you can then edit in the host portal.
- Built-in upsells: Upsells are part of every guidebook rather than a higher tier. Guests tap a button in the guidebook and pay through Stripe.
- Works with the Zugrow platform: If you manage a property in Zugrow, you can import the guidebook by link or code, filling that property's check-in, Wi-Fi, parking and appliance details so the AI agents answer guests from the same information.
Honest Drawbacks
- No free-forever tier: Touch Stay and Hostfully both have free plans (with limits). Zugrow's guidebook has the first 2 weeks free, then a paid subscription.
- No hardware: If you want a physical tablet in the property (like YourWelcome's set-up), you'll need to provide one yourself.
- Guidebook only: The standalone guidebook is a guest guide, not a management tool. If you also want a PMS and channel manager, Zugrow's hosting platform connects Airbnb and Booking.com, with the guidebook included on the Max plan (onboarding runs in waves via a waitlist).
- Newer product: Zugrow's guidebook is younger than Touch Stay and Hostfully and doesn't yet have the long feature list of the more established tools.
Verdict: If you want a polished, mobile-friendly guidebook built from your Airbnb listing, with upsells, at a low flat price, Zugrow is a strong choice for 2026. If you need a free plan or a long feature list, look at Touch Stay or Hostfully first.
2. Touch Stay. Established Hostfully Alternative with a Free Plan
Best for: Hosts who want a well-established guidebook with guest messaging and integrations, and a free plan to start on.
Price: A free plan, plus paid plans priced by guidebook type and number of homes, billed monthly or annually. Touch Stay shows prices through a calculator on its pricing page. There is also a 14-day free trial of the paid features.
Touch Stay is one of the best-known guidebook tools for hosts. Its guidebooks are mobile-first and branded, with no app for guests to download, and the platform has grown well beyond guidebooks: it now includes scheduled guest emails and SMS, an upsell store, guest feedback prompts, analytics and integrations with over 40 PMS, channel manager and hospitality tools. It also offers guide templates for other uses, including cleaning and changeovers.
Pros
- Free plan: Unlimited guidebooks, limited to 20 guest views per guidebook a month, one team seat and a 5% commission on store sales.
- AI tools: An AI guidebook generator builds your first guide from your Airbnb or Booking.com link at sign-up, an AI content assistant helps with later guides, and an AI chatbot answers guests on paid plans.
- Mature platform: Guest messaging, an upsell store and a long list of integrations make it a good fit if you want one tool for the guest journey.
Cons
- AI set-up is limited: The generator is for your first guide during sign-up; later guides are built with the content assistant rather than from a listing link.
- Free plan limits: 20 guest views per guidebook a month is fine for a quiet listing but can run out at a busy one.
- Pricing takes a calculator: Paid prices depend on the guidebook type and number of homes, so you'll need to work out your own quote.
Verdict: Touch Stay is the established all-rounder, with a free plan that makes it easy to try. If you mainly want a guidebook built from your Airbnb listing with upsells at a flat low price, Zugrow is simpler. For a deeper dive, read our full comparison of the top 5 digital guidebooks for 2026.
3. Hostfully. The Original Guidebook, with a Free Tier
Best for: Hosts who want a single free guidebook, or who already use Hostfully's property management software.
Price: Hostfully's Free plan covers one guidebook at no cost. Pro covers up to 199 guidebooks and adds revenue features, custom branding, bulk editing and translations into 16+ languages; Enterprise is for 200+ guidebooks. Hostfully's pricing page doesn't publish the Pro price.
Hostfully is a property management system that also sells its Digital Guidebooks as a product in their own right, so you don't need the PMS to use them. Guidebooks pull in local recommendations and maps from Google, and guests can use an AI itinerary planner to build a plan for their trip.
Pros
- Free single guidebook: Hard to beat if you only have one property and don't need upsells.
- Marketplace upsells on Pro: Sell early check-ins, late checkouts, mid-stay cleans, airport pickups and rental items, with a 1% Stripe fee. Hostfully also offers Viator links that earn commission on guest activity bookings.
- PMS connection: If you already run Hostfully's PMS, the guidebook syncs with it.
Cons
- Upsells need Pro: The Marketplace isn't included on the Free plan.
- Pro price not published: You'll need to sign up or ask Hostfully to see what Pro costs for your portfolio.
- More manual set-up: Hostfully's guidebook page doesn't describe building a guidebook automatically from your Airbnb listing link, so expect to fill in more yourself.
Verdict: Hostfully is a sensible choice for a single free guidebook, or for hosts already on its PMS. Zugrow's Max plan is the alternative if you want a PMS, channel manager and guidebook together. Curious how Zugrow compares feature by feature? Read our detailed Hostfully vs Zugrow comparison.
4. YourWelcome. Tablet-Based Guidebook with In-Property Sales
Best for: Hosts who want a tablet in the property that guests can use during their stay.
Price: A subscription charged per property. YourWelcome says each property gets an 8-inch tablet, stand and cable with no separate hardware cost; prices are on its pricing page.
YourWelcome takes a different approach: the guidebook lives on a tablet in the property, with AI-assisted text and video guides, FAQs and local recommendations. The tablet also works as an in-property point of sale, so guests can order extras such as late checkout or equipment hire during their stay.
Pros
- Physical presence: A tablet on the kitchen counter is hard to miss, and guests don't need to find a link or download an app.
- In-stay sales: Guests can order extras on the spot.
- Hardware covered: YourWelcome says the tablet is included and replacements are provided free if it is stolen, lost or damaged.
Cons
- Built around the device: YourWelcome's site doesn't mention a phone-based guide guests can open before arrival. If you want guests reading check-in details on the way, ask before you sign up.
- Device management: A tablet in the property still needs to stay charged and working between guests.
- Prices not on the homepage: You'll need the pricing page or a quote to compare costs.
Verdict: YourWelcome suits hosts who like the idea of a tablet in the property and in-stay ordering. If you prefer a lightweight, phone-first guide with nothing to keep charged, Zugrow's web-based guidebook is simpler.
5. Boostly. A Direct Booking Route Rather Than a Guidebook App
Best for: Hosts whose main goal is building direct bookings, with a guidebook as one small part of that.
Price: Tied to Boostly's websites and programmes rather than a standalone guidebook subscription.
Boostly, founded by Mark Simpson, is best known for direct booking websites, training and coaching for hosts. Its current offer centres on custom websites with PMS sync, a CRM and AI tools for content and guest communication, rather than a dedicated guidebook app.
Pros
- Direct booking focus: Useful if you want to rely less on Airbnb and Booking.com over time.
- Training and coaching: You're joining a programme, not just buying software.
Cons
- Not a guidebook tool: If you only need a guidebook for this month's guests, it's more than you need.
- Bigger commitment: A website and coaching programme takes more time and money than a guidebook subscription.
Verdict: Boostly is worth a look for hosts planning a long-term direct booking strategy. If you just need a fast, affordable guidebook to send to Airbnb guests, Zugrow, Touch Stay or Hostfully fit better. For more beginner-friendly tool roundups, see our guide to the best Airbnb tools for new hosts in 2026.
Do You Need a Paid Guidebook at All?
Not always. Some hosts share a free Google Doc or Notion page instead. It costs nothing, but you lose the phone-friendly layout, branding, upsells and AI answers that guidebook apps add, and keeping it up to date across several properties gets fiddly. With free plans from Touch Stay and Hostfully, a proper guidebook no longer has to cost anything to try.
For more on what hosts actually use, see our posts on what Quora hosts recommend for guidebook apps and our Reddit welcome book examples.
How to Choose the Right Hostfully Alternative for Your Property
Here's a quick way to pick:
Choose Zugrow if:
- You manage one to five listings and want a low, flat price per guidebook with monthly or annual billing.
- You want every guidebook built for you from your Airbnb listing.
- You want upsells (early check-in, late checkout and other extras) included without moving up a tier.
- You use, or plan to use, the Zugrow platform and want your guidebook details to feed its AI agents.
Choose Touch Stay if:
- You want a free plan to start, with room to grow.
- You want guest messaging, feedback prompts and integrations alongside the guidebook.
- You value an established brand with a long feature list.
Choose Hostfully if:
- You have one property and want a free guidebook without upsells.
- You already use Hostfully's PMS and want everything under one login.
Choose YourWelcome if:
- You want a tablet in the property and in-stay ordering of extras.
Choose Boostly if:
- You're building a direct booking business and want a website, training and coaching.
For self-managing UK hosts who want a guidebook built from their Airbnb listing with upsells included, Zugrow offers a good balance of price, speed and features in 2026. Start your 2-week free trial here. Your card isn't charged until the trial ends.
Final Verdict: The Best Hostfully Alternative in 2026
There is no single winner; it depends on what you need. If you want the lowest-effort guidebook with upsells at a flat £2.95 a month (billed annually), Zugrow's Digital Guidebook is our pick for self-managing hosts. If you want a free plan, Touch Stay and Hostfully both have one, each with limits.
Touch Stay is the established all-rounder with messaging and integrations. Hostfully remains a good choice for a single free guidebook or for hosts already on its PMS, and Zugrow's own hosting platform is the alternative if you want a PMS with the guidebook included. YourWelcome and Boostly serve different needs: tablets and direct bookings respectively.
For the typical UK Airbnb host with one to five listings who wants something quick to set up and easy to run, try Zugrow free for 2 weeks and see whether it suits you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Zugrow cheaper than Hostfully?
It depends on how many guidebooks you need and whether you want upsells. Hostfully's first guidebook is free, without its upsell Marketplace. Zugrow's guidebook costs £2.95 a month per listing billed annually (or £3.25 month to month), with upsells included at a 1% fee on paid extras. Hostfully doesn't publish its Pro price on its pricing page, so compare quotes for your number of properties.
What's the best Hostfully alternative for a single property?
If you want a free option, Touch Stay's free plan and Hostfully's free guidebook are both worth trying, within their limits. If you want the guidebook built from your Airbnb listing with upsells included at a low flat price, Zugrow is built for exactly that, with the first 2 weeks free.
Do any Hostfully alternatives include built-in upsells?
Yes, several do. Zugrow's guidebook includes Stripe upsells for early check-in, late checkout and other extras, with a 1% fee on paid upsells. Touch Stay has an upsell store, YourWelcome lets guests order extras on the in-property tablet, and Hostfully's own Marketplace is available on its Pro plan.
Can I try Zugrow before I pay?
Yes. Zugrow's Digital Guidebook starts with 2 weeks free, and your card isn't charged until the trial ends. You can generate your guidebook, set up upsells and share it with guests before the subscription starts at £2.95 a month billed annually (or £3.25 month to month).
Which tool is fastest to set up?
Zugrow and Touch Stay can both build a guidebook from your Airbnb listing link within minutes, though Touch Stay's generator is for your first guide at sign-up. Zugrow builds every guidebook from the listing URL. Hostfully, YourWelcome and Boostly involve more set-up of their own.
Is Touch Stay or Zugrow better for UK hosts?
Both are good options. Touch Stay is more established, has a free plan and adds guest messaging and integrations. Zugrow is newer, builds every guidebook from your Airbnb listing and includes upsells at a flat £2.95 a month billed annually. If you want a free plan and a broad feature set, choose Touch Stay. If you want quick set-up with upsells at a simple price, choose Zugrow.
Sources (checked October 2026): Zugrow Digital Guidebook, Touch Stay pricing, Touch Stay AI guidebook generator, Hostfully Digital Guidebooks pricing, Hostfully Digital Guidebooks, YourWelcome, Boostly.