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RedAwning vs Rentals United vs Smoobu

Comparing

Compare RedAwning vs Rentals United vs Smoobu for booking-site updates. Choose one tool for daily work, extra booking-site links or a service that helps you.

Overview

RedAwning

Offer managed channel and service options for vacation rental owners.

Best for: For hosts who want help managing booking sites, if their property qualifies.

Rentals United

Send property data through channel connections, with links to supported property management systems.

Best for: Filling a known gap in booking-site coverage beside a supported system.

Smoobu

Combine channel management, a booking engine, website tools and guest tools.

Best for: Using a single suite for booking-site links and direct bookings.

Showing all 18 detailed properties.
RedAwning versus Rentals United versus Smoobu: features and conditions.
What matters to youRedAwningChannel managersRentals United
3.9 / 5Out of 188 reviews
Channel managers
Smoobu
4.3 / 5Out of 1,200 reviews/ratings
Channel managers
Score
Score40
STRCompare scoring
Score93
STRCompare scoring
Score94
STRCompare scoring
PropertiesThe property-management offer is aimed at 10+ properties or units. That target does not confirm a limit for every account. Homeowner plans are separate.Pro is aimed at 10–50 listings, Scale at 50–200 and Enterprise at 200+. These are target ranges, not confirmed property limits.Ask for a price above 20 properties. We could not confirm a maximum number of properties per account.
OverviewRedAwning markets managed channel and service options to vacation rental owners. These include sharing listings on major booking sites. Managed channel services differ from a standalone channel-management plan. Each property and channel must qualify.Rentals United sends property data through channel connections and can work with PMS adapters. Our view: consider it if you know which gap in booking-site coverage you need to fill and have a PMS process that works with it. Avoid adding the same channels your tools already handle. Pro advertises 10-50 listings. This puts it near the larger end of our audience. We could not confirm a 1-9-listing offer. That does not prove smaller accounts are banned. We read guides and have not tested the product.Our view: Smoobu may suit hosts who want one suite for rental work. It combines booking-site links, a website builder, a booking tool for your website and guest tools. Check whether it fills a gap in what you already use. Its help guides list direct Airbnb and Booking.com links. Vrbo uses calendar feeds. This view is based on published guides, not product tests.
Plans and add-ons
PM Complete/Exclusive

PM Complete/Exclusive charges 10% commission for 10+ properties or units. Homeowner plans are separate: Essential 10%, Essential Plus 15%, Full Service 18%. The services differ. These are commissions, not fixed software fees.

Owner Essential

PM Complete/Exclusive charges 10% commission for 10+ properties or units. Homeowner plans are separate: Essential 10%, Essential Plus 15%, Full Service 18%. The services differ. These are commissions, not fixed software fees.

Owner Essential Plus

PM Complete/Exclusive charges 10% commission for 10+ properties or units. Homeowner plans are separate: Essential 10%, Essential Plus 15%, Full Service 18%. The services differ. These are commissions, not fixed software fees.

Owner Full Service

PM Complete/Exclusive charges 10% commission for 10+ properties or units. Homeowner plans are separate: Essential 10%, Essential Plus 15%, Full Service 18%. The services differ. These are commissions, not fixed software fees.

Pro

Pro starts at $330 per account each month and is aimed at hosts with 10–50 listings. Scale offers a custom fixed price or percentage fee. Enterprise has custom prices. Ask for a quote for your setup.

Scale

Pro starts at $330 per account each month and is aimed at hosts with 10–50 listings. Scale offers a custom fixed price or percentage fee. Enterprise has custom prices. Ask for a quote for your setup.

Enterprise

Pro starts at $330 per account each month and is aimed at hosts with 10–50 listings. Scale offers a custom fixed price or percentage fee. Enterprise has custom prices. Ask for a quote for your setup.

Professional Pre-Paid

Professional Prepaid costs €35 a month for the first property. Each extra property costs €12 a month. The yearly discount is 10%. The two-year discount is 20%. Flex costs €29 for the first property plus a 0.9% booking commission. Contact the vendor for Flex. Teams Pro costs €55 for the first property. Confirm the exact Flex rate for extra properties.

Professional Flex

Professional Prepaid costs €35 a month for the first property. Each extra property costs €12 a month. The yearly discount is 10%. The two-year discount is 20%. Flex costs €29 for the first property plus a 0.9% booking commission. Contact the vendor for Flex. Teams Pro costs €55 for the first property. Confirm the exact Flex rate for extra properties.

Teams Pro +

Professional Prepaid costs €35 a month for the first property. Each extra property costs €12 a month. The yearly discount is 10%. The two-year discount is 20%. Flex costs €29 for the first property plus a 0.9% booking commission. Contact the vendor for Flex. Teams Pro costs €55 for the first property. Confirm the exact Flex rate for extra properties.

Price and how you pay
PM Complete/Exclusive: 10% commissionBooking percentage
Plan prices and conditions

PM Complete/Exclusive: 10% commission

Booking percentage

Property management is aimed at 10+ properties or units. There is no fixed plan total, setup fee or minimum monthly charge. We could not confirm which income the commission applies to or extra booking-site fees. Owner packages differ.

Total for all your properties is not confirmed

Pro: from $330/account/monthStarting price
Plan prices and conditions

Pro: from $330/account/month

Starting price

Pro is aimed at 10-50 listings. Ask whether fewer properties qualify and get an exact price.

Total for all your properties is not confirmed

Professional Pre-Paid: €35.00/monthTotal account bill
Plan prices and conditions

Professional Pre-Paid: €35.00/month

Total account bill

Net EUR monthly plan; VAT at checkout, write users extra.

One Smoobu billable property per counted property.

Professional Flex: €29 first property + 0.9% bookings

Booking percentage

The official help gives a monthly price for the first property. We could not confirm Flex prices for more properties or yearly billing. Help says the commission includes Booking Engine. The general direct booking FAQ conflicts with this. Check your contract.

One Smoobu billable property per counted property.

Teams Pro +: €55/month

Total account bill

The published price for the first property includes 2 accounts with editing access. The help does not clearly state the tier for extra properties.

One Smoobu billable property per counted property.

Limits and requirements
  • The property-management offer is aimed at 10+ properties or units. That target does not confirm a limit for every account. Homeowner plans are separate.
  • We could not confirm an API for hosts to use directly, its plan or request limits.
  • We could not confirm a fixed update schedule for prices or bookings.
  • Pro is aimed at 10-50 listings, Scale at 50-200 and Enterprise at 200+. These are target ranges, not confirmed property limits.
  • Enterprise lists a direct API connection for your software. We could not confirm direct API access for Pro or Scale.
  • Airbnb prices, open dates and available units update when a change is recorded. Vrbo collects listing details once per 24 hours. Its prices, open dates and available units update on their own, with daily collection too. Do not assume every update is instant.
  • Ask for a price above 20 properties. We could not confirm a maximum number of properties per account.
  • Developers can use an API key and receive automatic updates called webhooks. Ask support to allow API keys during a trial. The HMAC guide explains how to sign requests. Only the from/to booking-date filters currently work.
  • Direct Airbnb/Booking.com updates arrive within a few minutes. Vrbo imports typically take 10-20 minutes. Vrbo’s fetch can take up to 24 hours.
Review sources
CapterraRating 3.9 / 5 · 137 reviews
GetAppRating 3.9 / 5 · 137 reviews
Software AdviceRating 3.9 / 5 · 137 reviews
G2Rating 4 / 5 · 5 reviews
TrustpilotTrustScore 3.7 / 5 · 46 reviews
CapterraRating 4.4 / 5 · 197 reviews
GetAppRating 4.4 / 5 · 197 reviews
Software AdviceRating 4.4 / 5 · 197 reviews
G2Rating 3.9 / 5 · 14 reviews
TrustpilotTrustScore 3.7 / 5 · 504 reviews
GoogleRating 4.8 / 5 (rounded) · 485 ratings
01 / Channel distribution
Airbnb connection

How the link works, what it sends and its limits.

With conditions

Managed Airbnb service

  • The property-manager service says it puts listings on Airbnb and helps improve them. This does not confirm an API for hosts to use directly.
With conditions

Send listing details; receive bookings

  • Airbnb receives listing details on its own or when you request an update. Prices and open dates update when a change is recorded. Rentals United receives Airbnb bookings. Change or cancel bookings in Airbnb. Your settings control which details update.
Available

Connect your Airbnb account

  • Link your Airbnb account and match its listings to Smoobu properties. Smoobu sends prices and open dates. It receives bookings and cancellations.
Vrbo connection

How the link works, what it sends and its limits.

With conditions

Managed Vrbo service

  • The property-manager service lists Vrbo. Agree on how listings, bookings and payments will be handled before setup.
With conditions

Two-way booking updates

  • Vrbo collects listing changes once in 24 hours. Prices, open dates and available units update on their own; Vrbo also collects them daily. New bookings are sent through the connection. Changes and cancellations go both ways under Vrbo’s rules.
With conditions

Calendar dates only

Details: Vrbo iCal

  • Vrbo, FeWo-direkt and Abritel use two iCal calendar links. Set prices and stay rules on Vrbo. Imports usually take 10–20 minutes. Vrbo may take up to 24 hours to collect updates.
Booking.com connection

How the link works, what it sends and its limits.

With conditions

Managed Booking.com service

  • The property-manager service lists Booking.com. Check which details it shares and the terms for who owns the guest relationship.
With conditions

Booking.com sends booking updates

  • Booking.com sends bookings and changes to Rentals United. You can also change or cancel there, with some limits. Both single-unit and multi-unit properties can connect.
Available

Connect each property

  • Connect each Booking.com property and match its rooms and price plans. Use Smoobu to send prices and open dates.
Other channels

Other booking sites listed in the guides.

With conditions

Provider lists 50+ extra sites

  • The property-manager offer lists 50+ sites beyond Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com and Expedia. What each link can do may differ.
With conditions

Links to more booking sites

  • Rentals United lists other booking sites too. Check each site’s connection guide for what it can share.
With conditions

Direct and calendar links

  • Other booking sites use direct connections or iCal calendar links. What you can share depends on the connection. iCal shares open and booked dates only.
Calendar sync

What API and iCal links share, and how they update.

With conditions

Managed booking calendar

  • The service lists calendar management and booking-site links. Check how it connects to your property software.
With conditions

How updates move varies

  • One service sends updates, or the other checks for them. The direction and method depend on the booking site and data.
With conditions

Direct and iCal calendar links

  • Direct links work both ways. Each iCal calendar link works one way, so set up both import and export. Add existing outside bookings during setup. Set up the first price update too.
Rates and restrictions

Share prices, open dates and booking rules.

With conditions

Managed pricing service

  • The service lists listing improvements, revenue management and biweekly performance meetings. Check which prices and stay rules it sends to each site.
With conditions

Prices, open dates and listing details

  • Airbnb prices, open dates and available units update when a change is recorded. Vrbo receives updates and also collects them daily. Check how each site matches listing details and amenities.
With conditions

Direct connections only

  • Smoobu sends prices and open dates through direct connections. Some settings stay on the booking site. The Vrbo iCal link does not send prices.
Reservation sync

Booking updates and which way they move.

With conditions

Booking-management service

  • RedAwning lists a management portal and calendar tools. Check how booking changes and cancellations move between sites and how long updates take.
With conditions

Booking-change rules vary

  • Vrbo booking changes go both ways. Changes made in Rentals United for Booking.com have limits. Follow the separate steps to transfer a booking to Vrbo.
With conditions

Bookings and cancellations

  • Bookings and cancellations from connected sites appear in one calendar. You must add or import bookings from other sources.
How often updates run

How often updates run and what the service covers.

We could not confirm a fixed update schedule for prices or bookings.

With conditions

Depends on the information

  • Airbnb prices, open dates and available units update when a change is recorded. Vrbo collects listing details once per 24 hours. Its prices, open dates and available units update on their own, with daily collection too. Do not assume every update is instant.
With conditions

Update times depend on the connection

  • Airbnb and Booking.com direct updates arrive within a few minutes. Vrbo imports usually take 10–20 minutes. Vrbo may take up to 24 hours to collect updates.
02 / Host operations
Unified inbox

Send and receive messages through supported booking sites.

With conditions

Managed guest messages

  • The service lists messages in one place and 24 x 7 guest service. This is a managed service; check how much inbox control you get.
With conditions

Inbox listed in all three plans

  • Pro, Scale and Enterprise list Unified Inbox. Check which message types each booking site supports.
With conditions

Guest messages in one place

  • Paid plans list guest messaging in one place. A calendar-only link does not confirm that you can send messages through that site.
Automated messages

Rules that send guest messages based on bookings.

With conditions

Automatic guest messages

  • The plan for property managers lists messages and replies sent for you. The AI messaging tool has more ways to help guests.
With conditions

Guest messaging in all three plans

  • The plans list guest messaging. We could not confirm which events send messages or each booking site’s sending limits.
With conditions

Scheduled guest messages

  • Smoobu lists automatic guest messages. Which booking sites can receive them depends on your connections.
Direct booking

Booking engine and website conditions.

With conditions

Personal or branded websites

  • The offer lists a personal website and a branded website with search-engine help. Check setup, branding and payment terms in the agreement.
With conditions

Website Builder costs extra

  • Website Builder and Google Redirects cost extra. The base Pro price does not cover every website cost.
With conditions

Booking website and booking tool

  • Paid plans list a website where guests can book. Flex charges a booking fee for this site and connected booking sites.
Payment processing

Payment services you need and their fees.

With conditions

Payment processing and chargeback protection

  • The property-manager offer includes full payment processing and chargeback protection. Ask which amounts fees apply to and what is excluded.

We could not confirm a standard US payment-processing fee or which payment tools the base plan includes.

With conditions

Stripe, PayPal or pay on arrival

  • Booking Engine offers Invoice/Pay upon arrival, PayPal and Stripe Connect. Card and Apple Pay payments are listed. Link your payment service first. Fees depend on your merchant account.
PMS connections

Other rental tools you can connect and the rules that apply.

With conditions

Property-software links for managers

  • Check which property-management tools work with RedAwning and which plan includes each link.
With conditions

Links to property-management software

  • Use Find your PMS to check for your software. A listed software link does not mean your account can use the API directly.
With conditions

Links to pricing tools

  • Smoobu lists links to pricing tools. We could not confirm a general link to other property-management software.
API access

Check who can use the API and what it does.

We could not confirm an API for hosts to use directly, its plan or request limits.

With conditions

Direct API in Enterprise

Plan: Enterprise

  • Enterprise lists a direct API connection for your software. We could not confirm direct API access for Pro or Scale.
With conditions

Connect your software; trial limits

  • Developers can use an API key and receive automatic updates called webhooks. Ask support to allow API keys during a trial. The HMAC guide explains how to sign requests. Only the from/to booking-date filters currently work.
03 / Eligibility and costs
Property limits

Check the actual limit, not just the advertised size.

The property-management offer is aimed at 10+ properties or units. That target does not confirm a limit for every account. Homeowner plans are separate.

  • The property-manager offer targets 10+ properties or units. We could not confirm a firm account limit. Homeowner plans are separate.

Pro is aimed at 10–50 listings, Scale at 50–200 and Enterprise at 200+. These are target ranges, not confirmed property limits.

  • Pro targets 10–50 listings, Scale 50–200 and Enterprise 200+. These ranges describe intended users. We could not confirm hard property limits.

Ask for a price above 20 properties. We could not confirm a maximum number of properties per account.

  • Ask for a price above 20 properties. We could not confirm a maximum number of properties per account.
Plans and add-ons

Plans and other paid tools you need.

With conditions

Manager and homeowner service plans

  • PM Complete/Exclusive charges 10% commission for 10+ properties or units. Homeowner plans are separate: Essential 10%, Essential Plus 15%, Full Service 18%. The services differ. These are commissions, not fixed software fees.
With conditions

Pro, Scale, Enterprise

  • Pro starts at $330 per account each month and is aimed at hosts with 10–50 listings. Scale offers a custom fixed price or percentage fee. Enterprise has custom prices. Ask for a quote for your setup.
With conditions

Prepaid, Flex and Teams Pro

  • Professional Prepaid costs €35 a month for the first property. Each extra property costs €12 a month. The yearly discount is 10%. The two-year discount is 20%. Flex costs €29 for the first property plus a 0.9% booking commission. Contact the vendor for Flex. Teams Pro costs €55 for the first property. Confirm the exact Flex rate for extra properties.
Additional fees

Booking percentages, processing fees and optional charges.

With conditions

Commission-based service

  • The property-manager page lists 10% commission, no setup fee and no monthly minimum. Ask which income counts toward the fee. Check booking-site charges, exclusions and yearly contract terms.
With conditions

Starting account price; paid extras

  • Pro starts at $330 per account, not per property. Your bill may be higher. Screen & Protect, Website Builder, Elevate and Google Redirects cost extra.
With conditions

Flex booking fees and extra users

  • Flex charges 0.9% on connected-site and Booking Engine bookings. Users who can make changes cost €15/month, with no yearly discount. Read-only access is free. Check the billing currency; displayed conversions may differ. Smoobu’s guides disagree on website booking fees. The Flex guide says 0.9%, so check your agreement.
Onboarding and support

Moving data, setup fees and support rules.

With conditions

Sales demo and managed setup

  • Start with a sales demo. RedAwning advertises no setup fee. Agree on who will move your data, connect booking sites and handle payments.
With conditions

Setup and support vary by plan

  • Pro lists a setup offer. Scale lists a setup expert, account manager and priority support. Enterprise adds technical and planning help. Ask who qualifies and get a quote for the full cost.
With conditions

14-day trial; check cancellation terms

  • Add your properties and match the booking-site connections before turning them on. Smoobu offers a 14-day trial. Check your plan’s cancellation terms, especially if you paid in advance.

Choose a channel manager for your booking sites — RedAwning vs Rentals United vs Smoobu

List your booking sites and the jobs each link must do. Rates, open dates, bookings and cancellations can follow different rules. Check those rules before adding a tool. Check whether the offer is a full suite, extra channel links or managed help.

RedAwning: what to consider

Check which owner or property-manager offer fits you. Compare the work done for you as well as channel coverage. Check what you pay, what is left out and how long the contract lasts. Read the RedAwning profile for its plans and requirements.

Rentals United: what to consider

Check that it fills a gap in your current tools. The listed offers target larger groups of rentals. An offer for a few properties was not confirmed. Ask about fit and extras before switching. Read the Rentals United profile for its plans and requirements.

Smoobu: what to consider

Check each channel; the links do not all work the same way. Airbnb and Booking.com use direct links. Vrbo uses calendar links. Check website-booking terms, since the published fee details conflict. Read the Smoobu profile for its plans and requirements.

Explore all booking-site management tools, what booking-site connections can cover, booking-site services and channel managers to continue your shortlist.

Common questions

Where should I edit listings when using RedAwning, Rentals United and Smoobu?

Decide which system controls rates, open dates and listing text. Check the sync mode before editing both sides. One system may own prices while another owns photos. Write down where your team should make each change.

What should I check after connecting one of these tools?

Match each home to the right listing. Check future bookings and manual blocks, then look at dates and prices on each booking site. Go far enough to inspect the offer, but do not complete a test booking unless you intend to buy it.

Does RedAwning’s distribution service replace my property software?

Its page for property managers says your property software stays in control. RedAwning handles the channel links. Check that it works with your current system. Agree where to edit rates and dates. Linking booking sites does not mean it takes over every property task.

Why does Airbnb show Sync Everything for a Rentals United Limited Sync listing?

Rentals United says Airbnb can show that label even when Limited Sync is still in use. Check the actual mode in Rentals United’s Airbnb Property Settings. Do not change your workflow based only on the label in Airbnb.

Can an Airbnb co-host connect the listing to Smoobu?

No. Smoobu’s guide says the account that owns the listing must allow the link. A co-host account cannot do that. The listing must also be set to Listed, not snoozed or unlisted. Then match each Airbnb listing to the right Smoobu property.

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