BetterSTR gives you captive-portal email capture, party prevention and direct-booking lists from your guest WiFi, from $7/month, then $2 per additional access point, with no proprietary router to buy. Bring your own UniFi or TP-Link Omada access points.
StayFi and BetterSTR both capture guest emails from your WiFi. The difference is lock-in and price. StayFi is a WiFi-marketing platform that starts at $19/month and steers you toward its own branded hardware ($99–$303). BetterSTR captures the same guest data from $7/month (then $2 per additional access point), works with the UniFi or TP-Link Omada access points you already own, and drops guests onto your actual digital guidebook instead of a dead-end splash page, because it’s part of a whole guest-experience platform.
Only the lead booker’s details come through Airbnb, but every guest joins your WiFi. A captive portal turns that WiFi login into a marketing moment: guests enter a name and email (and opt in) before they get online, so you build a direct list of everyone who stays, not just the booker. Done well, it also prevents parties by flagging unusual usage, and it becomes the foundation of your direct-booking channel.
WiFi marketing built into an all-in-one guest platform:
A dedicated WiFi & guest-marketing platform:
Comparing StayFi competitors? The questions that matter are the same for all of them: does it run on access points you already own, what does it cost per property, and where does the guest land after signing in. Here is StayFi vs BetterSTR, side by side, using StayFi’s published pricing at the time of writing. For the wider field and what switching involves, see our StayFi vs the competitors guide and the best vacation rental WiFi marketing tools.
| Feature | BetterSTR Best Value | StayFi |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $7 first property, then $2 per additional access point | From $19/month |
| Captive-portal email capture | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Bring your own hardware | ✓ UniFi or TP-Link Omada | Works with UniFi; own hardware sold |
| Proprietary router required | ✓ No | Hardware upsell ($99–$303) |
| Guests land on your real guidebook | ✓ Yes | Splash page |
| Party / usage monitoring | ✓ Yes | Varies |
| Direct-booking email lists | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Part of a full guest platform | ✓ Guidebook, tablet, TV, SMS | ✗ WiFi marketing only |
| Free digital guidebook included | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |
| No-hardware option | ✓ WiFi QR code sign, 20c a scan, no monthly fee | Needs compatible WiFi hardware |
StayFi’s model leans on its own splash pages and branded hardware. BetterSTR does the opposite: use the UniFi or TP-Link Omada access points you already have and pay just $7/month for your first property, then $2/month for each additional access point. Better still, once a guest signs in they land on your actual digital guidebook, not a marketing dead-end, so the same login that grows your email list also answers guest questions.
Already on StayFi? Our guide to repurposing your StayFi UniFi device for BetterSTR gets you moved over without buying anything new.
StayFi starts at $19/month and offers its own access points from $99 to $303. BetterSTR’s WiFi marketing is $7/month for your first property, then $2/month per additional access point and needs no proprietary hardware: run it on the UniFi or TP-Link Omada access points you already own. Across a portfolio that difference compounds fast, and the WiFi add-on sits on top of a free digital guidebook, so you’re getting more for less.
“My guests love scanning the QR code and having everything in one place — check-in, WiFi and local tips. Hosting is so much smoother and guests mention it in their reviews.”
Rebekah, Airbnb Host, New ZealandCapture every guest’s email from $7/month (then $2 per additional access point), on the hardware you already own.
Create your free guidebook Explore WiFi marketingYes. BetterSTR captures guest emails from your WiFi with a branded captive portal, the core of what StayFi does, from $7/month for your first property, then $2/month per additional access point, with no proprietary hardware required and a free digital guidebook included. It works with UniFi and TP-Link Omada access points.
No. BetterSTR works with the UniFi or TP-Link Omada access points you already own. Unlike StayFi, there’s no branded router to purchase.
Yes. Our step-by-step guide walks you through repurposing your StayFi UniFi device to work with BetterSTR, so you can move over without buying anything new.
WiFi marketing is $7/month for your first property, then $2/month for each additional access point, on top of the free digital guidebook. StayFi starts at $19/month and sells access points from $99 to $303, so BetterSTR is a fraction of the cost across a portfolio.
Guests enter a name and email (with marketing opt-in) on a branded captive portal, then land on your real digital guidebook (check-in, WiFi, house rules and local tips) instead of a dead-end splash page.
If you want the same guest-email capture without the hardware lock-in or the price, BetterSTR is the stronger StayFi alternative. StayFi is a capable WiFi-marketing platform; BetterSTR matches the core capability from $7/month (then $2 per additional access point) on your own hardware, and bundles it with a free guidebook, companion tablet and TV welcome screen. See the full WiFi marketing product.
Paying for StayFi and a guidebook like TouchStay? BetterSTR Simple replaces both, plus the in-room tablet and TV welcome screen, for $15 a property a month.