Hostfully popularised the digital guidebook, and it remains a polished product. BetterSTR delivers the same core experience for guests, with unlimited guidebooks, automatic PMS sync and a free guest TV extension, and the guidebook itself is 100% free. No per-guidebook tiers, no upgrade wall.
Create your free guidebookHostfully Guidebooks is a mature, well-liked product sold on a tiered subscription that scales with how many guidebooks you need. BetterSTR takes a different approach: the digital guidebook is free for every property you have, synced automatically from your PMS, and it extends onto the TV in your rental through BetterSTR TV. If your guidebook bill grows every time your portfolio does, that is the difference this page is about.
Hostfully sells guidebooks in plan tiers, so the price steps up as you add properties. That is fair for what it is, but for a growing operator it means the guidebook line item grows with you, forever.
BetterSTR guidebooks are free, for one property or one hundred. Check-in instructions, WiFi details, house rules, local recommendations and everything else your guests need, generated from your PMS data and kept in sync automatically. We make our money on optional extras such as the TV hardware and premium tools, not on the guidebook itself.
Free digital guidebooks synced from your PMS:
A tiered guidebook subscription:
| Feature | BetterSTR Free | Hostfully Guidebooks |
|---|---|---|
| Guidebook price | Free, unlimited properties | Tiered subscription by guidebook count |
| PMS sync | ✓ 20+ PMS integrations, auto-sync | Integrations vary by plan |
| Per-stay personalisation | ✓ Guest name, dates, WiFi, door code | Partial, varies by setup |
| Local recommendations | ✓ Yes, with maps | ✓ Yes |
| Upsells | ✓ Built in, with security deposits | ✓ On paid tiers |
| QR codes & SMS delivery | ✓ Yes | ✓ QR yes; delivery varies |
| Guest TV experience | ✓ Free BetterSTR TV extension | ✗ No |
| WiFi sharing on screen | ✓ Guidebook, TV and QR | In-guidebook only |
| AI guidebook generation | ✓ Yes | Varies |
| Best fit | Hosts who want it free and on the TV | Hosts already in the Hostfully ecosystem |
A web guidebook lives in the guest’s pocket. BetterSTR also puts it on the TV they turn on the first night: a personalised welcome screen, WiFi at a glance, house information and your recommendations, synced from the same PMS data. No other guidebook product extends to the television, and the guidebook itself still costs nothing.
To be even-handed: Hostfully has been at this a long time, the guidebook templates are polished, and if you already run Hostfully’s property management platform the guidebook slots naturally into that ecosystem. If you are happy with what you pay and deeply invested in their stack, there may be no urgent reason to move. BetterSTR competes by making the guidebook itself free, syncing it from whichever PMS you already use, and adding the TV experience no web guidebook can offer.
If you want a professional digital guidebook without a subscription that grows with your portfolio, and you like the idea of the same content appearing on the rental’s TV, BetterSTR is the pragmatic choice. If you are committed to the Hostfully platform end to end, their guidebook remains a solid product. Trying BetterSTR costs nothing, so the comparison is easy to run for real.
Unlimited properties, PMS sync, QR codes, upsells and a free TV extension. No credit card required.
Create your free guidebook Explore Better GuidebookYes. The BetterSTR digital guidebook is free for unlimited properties: check-in instructions, WiFi, house rules, local recommendations and per-stay personalisation included. We charge for optional extras such as TV hardware and premium tools, never for the guidebook.
Yes. Connect your PMS and BetterSTR builds guidebooks from your property data automatically, and the AI-assisted generator drafts local recommendations and house content you can edit. Most hosts are live the same day.
BetterSTR integrates with more than 20 property management systems including Hospitable, OwnerRez, Hostaway, Smoobu, Cloudbeds and iGMS, with reservations and guest details flowing through automatically.
BetterSTR TV puts your guidebook on the television in your rental: a welcome screen with the guest’s name, WiFi details, house information and your recommendations, plus streaming apps, with guest sign-ins cleared at checkout. It runs on an inexpensive Android TV device plugged into the TV you already own.
For most hosts, BetterSTR delivers the guidebook experience free, synced from the PMS, and extends it to the TV. Hostfully Guidebooks remains a fair pick inside the Hostfully ecosystem. Also see the TouchStay alternative comparison, or the full Better Guidebook product page.