A Smoobu alternative for small homestays in Vietnam

HostBooking · Updated Nov 2, 2026 · 7 min read

Smoobu is a European vacation rental tool with direct two-way API connections to Airbnb and Booking.com, priced in euros per unit. HostBooking is built for homestays in Vietnam: a free plan, VietQR deposits, hourly stays, police guest registration export and Zalo messages, but it syncs OTAs only through iCal and booking emails.

Where the numbers come from

HostBooking wrote this page. Smoobu figures come from the Smoobu pricing page and its Booking.com connection page, checked November 2026. HostBooking figures come from our pricing page on the same date. Software prices change often, so check again before you decide.

Who each one suits

• Smoobu suits apartment and villa hosts who sell mostly to international guests on Airbnb and Booking.com, want to change rates in one place for every channel, take card payments through Stripe or PayPal, and are fine paying in euros.
• HostBooking suits small homestays, villas and serviced apartments in Vietnam with mostly Vietnamese guests: deposits by bank transfer, guest messages on Zalo, rooms sold by the hour, a guest list for the local police, and a direct booking website with no commission.

Quick comparison

"Not mentioned" means Smoobu’s pricing page does not cover it, not that Smoobu cannot do it. Ask Smoobu if it matters to you.

Where Smoobu is clearly better

• Real two-way channel manager. Smoobu says rates, availability and bookings flow through direct connections with Airbnb and Booking.com. Change a rate once and both channels update. HostBooking cannot do this: iCal only carries booked dates, so you still edit rates on each OTA.
• Global payment gateways. Stripe and PayPal make it easy for foreign guests to prepay by card.
• Longer track record in short-term rentals and more integrations with European tools.

Where HostBooking fits better

• Flat price in dong. Basic is 99,000 VND/month whatever the room count; 8 rooms or 20 rooms cost the same. The free plan covers properties under 50 bookings a month.
• VietQR deposits. Each booking gets a QR code with the exact amount and reference, paid straight into your bank account. See VietQR payments.
• Hourly and overnight stays on one calendar, with cleaning gaps between guests. See hourly rentals.
• Guest registration: scan the QR on chip ID cards and export the list for the police. See stay declaration.
• Zalo, the messaging app most Vietnamese guests read first, for confirmations and payment alerts. See Zalo notifications.
• Front desk tools (point of sale, housekeeping, reports, household-business tax books) on the free plan.

What HostBooking lacks

There is no two-way OTA channel. OTA sync uses iCal pulled every 5 minutes and turns confirmation emails from Booking.com, Agoda, Airbnb, Traveloka, Trip.com and Expedia into bookings. OTA sync starts on Basic or costs 59,000 VND/month as an add-on. Guest registration is not submitted to the Ministry of Public Security portal for you. If most of your nights sell on Airbnb and Booking.com and you change rates daily, a channel manager such as Smoobu saves more time.

Questions to answer before you choose

• What share of your nights sells on Airbnb and Booking.com? Above half, Smoobu’s API connections earn their price.
• Do guests pay by international card or local bank transfer? For transfers, VietQR beats Stripe.
• Do you sell rooms by the hour? If so, try an hourly booking in both tools during the trials.
• Who handles police guest registration each day, and how long does it take?
• Is your staff more comfortable working in Vietnamese or in English?

Switching to HostBooking

1. Sign up and create your property and room types. With several properties, use the Excel template.
2. Export upcoming bookings to Excel or CSV and open Bookings › Import from file. Columns are detected from Vietnamese or English headers, every row is previewed, and an import can be undone. See importing bookings.
3. Link iCal calendars between HostBooking and each OTA, then click Sync now to test.
4. Set a mail filter that forwards OTA confirmation emails, so bookings arrive with guest names and prices.
5. Run both systems for a week, compare calendars, then switch off the old one.

To weigh other options, read Excel vs OTAs vs your own website, or open the demo.