Transparency: Zugrow (formerly LetGrow) publishes this blog, and Zugrow is one of the tools compared below. We've kept the comparison factual and flagged where Touch Stay is genuinely the better fit, but read it with that context in mind.
Touch Stay is one of the longest-running digital guidebook products: it launched in 2014 and says more than 10,000 hosts use it across over 100 countries. Zugrow Guidebook is newer: an AI-built guest guide at a low flat price. Both give guests a mobile-friendly guide on their phone. They're priced differently and suit different hosts. Here's a straight comparison so you can decide which is right for you.
Quick Verdict
Choose Touch Stay if: you want to start on a free plan, you manage a larger portfolio and want extras such as a data dashboard and 40+ integrations, or you simply want the most established name.
Choose Zugrow if: you have one property or a small portfolio, want a low fixed price (£2.95 a month billed annually, or £3.25 month to month) with the first 2 weeks free, want AI to draft the whole guidebook from your Airbnb link, and want built-in upsells with a 1% fee on paid extras. If you're on Zugrow's Max plan, a guidebook for every property is already included.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Cost Over Time
This is the biggest practical difference, and it isn't as simple as one being cheaper.
Touch Stay has a free plan with unlimited guidebooks, capped at 20 guest views per guidebook each month and with a 5% commission on its store. Paid plans start from $8.25 per property a month on its website, which is $99 a year at that rate, in US dollars. Its pricing calculator quotes in pounds too, and the exact price depends on how many homes you have and whether you pay monthly or annually.
Zugrow charges £2.95 a month per guidebook billed annually (£35.40 a year), or £3.25 month to month, with the first 2 weeks free. For one property on annual billing:
- After Year 1: £35.40.
- After Year 3: £106.20.
- After Year 5: £177.
So for a single property, Zugrow's annual plan costs less than Touch Stay's lowest advertised paid rate, while Touch Stay's free plan costs nothing if its view limit covers your guests. Both charge per guidebook, so the gap grows with every property. If you use Zugrow's Max plan to run your properties, a guidebook for every property is included at no extra cost.
Setup Time
Both now use AI to give you a head start. Touch Stay's AI guidebook generator builds a draft from an Airbnb or Booking.com link, pulling in property details and photos and drafting check-in details, WiFi information, local tips and contact details. It's available for your first guide during sign-up; after that, its AI content assistant helps with additional guides.
Zugrow builds the whole guidebook from your Airbnb URL in about two minutes: local recommendations from Google Places data, check-in details, house rules and transport information. You then check everything and add your own details in the host portal, such as door codes, appliance tips and personal recommendations. Expect to spend minutes refining, not hours typing from scratch.
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. Whichever guidebook you choose, get the check-in section right: in our experience, fast replies and clear check-in information on the day earn us more 5-star reviews than anything else. That's how we do it, one example among many, and Zugrow works with whatever check-in setup you use.
Start your Zugrow guidebook free trial →
Upsells
Both products let you offer paid extras such as late checkout, early check-in or welcome hampers. The difference is in how they charge:
- Touch Stay has an upsell widget for add-ons inside the guidebook. On the free plan its store takes a 5% commission; check its pricing for the rate on paid plans.
- Zugrow includes upsells in the guidebook subscription, with guests paying securely through Stripe and funds going to your Stripe account. There's no platform fee on free options (such as parking permits) and 1% on paid upsells.
A few paid extras a year can cover the cost of either guidebook.
UK Fit
Both work well for UK hosts. Touch Stay's calculator quotes in pounds as well as dollars, euros and Australian dollars. Zugrow prices in pounds, is written in British English throughout, and uses Google Places data for local recommendations.
The Honest Trade-Off
Touch Stay has been around longer, has more brand recognition and offers more for larger operations, such as a data dashboard and 40+ integrations with property management systems and channel managers. Both now include an AI assistant that answers guest questions. Its free plan is also a genuine option if your guidebook views stay within the limit.
Zugrow suits solo hosts and small portfolios who want a low, predictable price: the AI draft saves time, the annual price is lower than Touch Stay's lowest advertised paid rate, and the built-in upsells can turn the guidebook into a small source of extra income.
Sources, checked October 2026: Touch Stay plans, pricing calculator, features, AI guidebook generator and about page; Zugrow Guidebook and Zugrow pricing.