Beds24 Alternative for Hotels and Guesthouses
Beds24 starts from EUR 15.50/month plus EUR 0.55 per channel link and is hard to beat on API and channel flexibility. FrontDesko is the simpler alternative: a free PMS with unlimited rooms and a flat-tier channel manager at $35-54/month.
By the FrontDesko team · Last updated 2026-10-31 · Beds24 prices read from its public pricing page on 2026-10-31
How does Beds24 compare with FrontDesko at a glance?
| FrontDesko | Beds24 | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free forever (unlimited rooms) | From EUR 15.50/month |
| How channels are priced | Flat tiers by room band: Mint $35, Basil $42, Saffron $54 per month | EUR 0.55/month per channel link (one room type on one channel) on top of the base fee |
| Channels | 75+ two-way OTA connections plus Google Hotels | 60+ channels claimed; iCal and Google Hotel Ads |
| Booking engine | Free tier, commission-free | Included at no extra cost; custom subdomain EUR 19/month |
| API and integrations | Public API and API docs | Open API, "hundreds of integrations" claimed; the strongest point of the product |
| Extra users | Custom roles per user; emailed sign-in code for elevated roles | EUR 2/month per additional user login |
| Onboarding | Free migration; guided tours in the app | Personal onboarding and training from EUR 79 |
| Trial / contract | Free tier has no clock; no card | Trial without a card; no contract |
| Guest app, POS | Included in the free tier | Not listed on the pricing page |
Both products combine a PMS, a booking engine and a channel manager. They make opposite trade-offs: Beds24 prices by what you connect and exposes a lot of configuration; FrontDesko prices by room band and hides most of that behind defaults.
Where does Beds24 win?
- API and automation. An open API and a long list of integrations (pricing tools, lock systems, accounting) make Beds24 the pick for operators who build their own workflows. FrontDesko has a public API, but the Beds24 ecosystem is broader.
- Pay for what you use. At EUR 0.55 per channel link, a property with few room types and two channels can pay very little. The link counts as one room type connected to one channel, so the bill is easy to predict once you count them.
- Vacation-rental channel coverage. The vendor lists Vrbo, Airbnb, Marriott Homes & Villas and Google Vacation Rentals among its channels and displays 2026 partner badges from Expedia and Vrbo (vendor claims).
- iCal and messaging options including SMS and WhatsApp integrations.
If you already run Beds24 comfortably and rely on its integrations, stay. The case for leaving is about effort, not capability.
Where does FrontDesko win?
FrontDesko's PMS, commission-free direct booking engine, guest app and POS are free forever with unlimited rooms. The channel manager and Ask FrontDesko AI assistant are the paid part: Mint $35/month (0-10 rooms), Basil $42/month (11-30 rooms) or Saffron $54/month (31-50 rooms). There is no per-link arithmetic and no separate fee for extra users on the roles side; staff accounts use per-user custom roles.
Beds24 sells personal onboarding and training from EUR 79, which is a fair hint that new users should expect a learning curve. FrontDesko's staff app is translated into nine languages and includes guided tours, and migration support is free. For a 10-room hotel, that can be the difference between being live this week or next month.
Recently shipped features:
- Unified guest inbox: email and OTA chat land in one Messages tab instead of being split between your mailbox and each OTA extranet.
- Card guarantee: on OTA bookings through the Channex payment app, and on direct bookings through the hotel's own Stripe account (a card is saved, not charged, until you decide).
- Website booking widget: embeds on your own site and supports deep links that pre-select room type, dates, currency and language.
- Guest-app self check-in and check-out: date-gated, with the check-in wizard following your payment policy.
- Packages with stay-length discounts: sell a bundle at one total price, with a length-of-stay discount shown in the price preview.
What would a 10-room property pay on each?
Beds24: the base is "from EUR 15.50/month" and each channel link is EUR 0.55. Illustratively, 4 room types on 3 channels is 12 links, or EUR 6.60 a month in link fees on top of the base; the pricing page points to a calculator for the real total, so confirm there.
FrontDesko: $0 for the PMS, booking engine, guest app and POS; $35/month (Mint) if you add the channel manager and AI assistant. Beds24 will usually be cheaper in raw euros for a small property; FrontDesko trades that for fewer moving parts and more bundled modules. More comparisons: best channel managers for small hotels.
What does a day look like after switching from Beds24?
Illustrative scenario, not a customer case study: the property, people and numbers below are invented to show how the screens behave. No real customer or quote is described.
- 07:30 — Elena, the (invented) owner of a 10-room B&B in Bruges, opens FrontDesko on her laptop. The dashboard shows today's arrivals, departures and rooms to clean, without the per-channel settings she used to scroll past.
- 10:05 — She changes the weekend rate for two room types once; the channel manager pushes it to every connected OTA.
- 12:40 — A guest messages through an OTA chat and another emails. Both appear in the Messages tab, and she replies from there.
- 15:15 — A direct booking arrives from the widget embedded on her site; a package with a three-night discount shows one total in the price preview.
- 19:00 — Her part-time receptionist logs in with a custom role: reservations and check-in only, no rates or reports.
- 22:45 — Elena checks tomorrow's arrivals. A guest has already done self check-in in the guest app and left an arrival time.
How do you switch from Beds24 to FrontDesko?
- Export bookings and guests from Beds24 (CSV).
- Create the free FrontDesko account, configure room types and rates, and import the CSV with the onboarding wizard.
- If you use iCal links to other platforms, import and export them in FrontDesko's iCal sync while you move.
- Subscribe to your channel manager tier, connect OTAs, and remove each channel from Beds24 as you reconnect it.
- Run both in parallel for 7-14 days, then cut over and cancel Beds24.
The longer playbook is on the switching guide and in the hotel PMS migration checklist.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Beds24?
FrontDesko is a good alternative if you want a free PMS with unlimited rooms and a flat-tier channel manager at $35 to $54 per month. Beds24 is stronger if you need its API depth or very granular, pay-per-link pricing.
How much does Beds24 cost?
Beds24 lists pricing from EUR 15.50 per month, plus EUR 0.55 per month per channel link, where a link is one room type connected to one channel. Extra users are EUR 2 per month and a custom booking subdomain is EUR 19 per month.
Is Beds24 or FrontDesko cheaper?
For a small property with few room types and channels, Beds24 is often cheaper in raw euros. FrontDesko is free for the PMS, booking engine, guest app and POS, and charges a flat tier of $35 to $54 per month for the channel manager.
Does Beds24 have more channels than FrontDesko?
Beds24 claims more than 60 channels; FrontDesko lists 75 or more two-way OTA connections plus Google Hotels. Check that the specific channels you sell on are supported by each vendor before you decide.
Does FrontDesko have an API like Beds24?
FrontDesko has a public API with documentation. Beds24 advertises an open API and hundreds of integrations, and its ecosystem is broader, so check your required integrations first.
How long does it take to switch from Beds24?
Most small properties move in one to two weeks. Export reservations as CSV, import them into FrontDesko, reconnect channels and run both systems in parallel for 7 to 14 days. Migration is free on every FrontDesko plan.
Does FrontDesko support vacation rentals like Beds24?
Yes, with separate pricing: $4 per unit per month, no minimum, covering the complete product. Hotels use the room-banded model. See the vacation rental channel manager page for details.
Where did these Beds24 facts come from?
Every Beds24 price or claim on this page comes from the pages below, fetched on 2026-10-31. Vendors change prices; confirm on their site before you decide. Beds24 channel and API claims are the vendor's own marketing statements.
- Beds24 pricing (from EUR 15.50/month, EUR 0.55 per channel link, add-ons, trial, no contract) — fetched 2026-10-31
- Beds24 home page (60+ channels, open API, integrations) — fetched 2026-10-31
More comparisons
Try the free PMS alongside what you have
The PMS, booking engine, guest app and POS are free forever — unlimited rooms, no card, no trial clock. Run it next to Beds24 for a week before you decide anything.
Get a Free Demo See Pricing