Channel manager pricing: the models behind the number
"How much does a channel manager cost" doesn't have one answer, because vendors price it at least five different ways. This page explains each model with a real example from the vendor's own page, checked on 11 November 2026, and ends with how to work out your own monthly cost.
Five ways vendors charge for a channel manager
The same word — "channel manager" — covers software priced in at least five different shapes. A flat per-property tier charges the same amount regardless of room count, up to a stated limit. A per-room or per-unit model scales the bill as your property gets bigger. A per-channel-link fee charges separately for each connection between a room type and a booking site. A commission or booking-fee plan takes a percentage or fixed amount per reservation instead of, or on top of, a subscription. A quote-only model publishes no figure at all until you talk to sales.
Knowing which shape you're looking at matters more than the headline number, because two prices that look similar at one room count can diverge sharply at ten rooms, or the moment your booking volume rises.
Pricing model, vendor example, and what the vendor's page says
| Model | Vendor example | What the vendor's page says |
|---|---|---|
| Per-property flat tier | Lodgify | Basic plan: "This plan is only available for 1 property or less. $14 /month." |
| Per-room/unit scaling (pay-as-you-go) | Beds24 | "The fees ... are calculated based on your actual number of rentals, rooms, apartments, villas or other rented units," from €15.50/month. |
| Per-listing plan tiers (price based on units selected) | Smoobu | Professional Prepaid: "€35 /month [struck through] €10.50 /month ... Price based on number of units selected." |
| Per-channel-link add-on fee | Beds24 | "Each link costs €0.55 per month," billed separately from the base subscription. |
| Commission / booking-fee plan | Smoobu | Professional Flex: "a 0.9% commission fee per booking," instead of the flat-fee plans' 0% commission. |
| Quote-only, no published figure | Cloudbeds | Four named plans (Flex, One, Experience, Enterprise); no plan shows a dollar figure, only a quote request. |
Reading the model behind the number
A per-property flat tier, like Lodgify's Basic plan at $14/month, charges one fixed number as long as you stay at or under the room cap the plan states — Basic is capped at one property. That makes it predictable, but it also means the price doesn't shrink for a very small single-room operation the way a per-room model might.
A per-room or per-unit model, like Beds24's pay-as-you-go base fee or Sirvoy's per-room plans, starts lower for a single unit and rises as you add rooms. Beds24 layers a second scaling cost on top — a separate €0.55 per channel link per month — which is a genuinely different line item from the base fee, not part of it.
A commission model moves the cost to the moment of the sale rather than a fixed date each month. Smoobu's Professional Flex at 0.9% per booking is the clearest published example among the vendors checked for this page; Lodgify's separate 1% transaction fee works similarly but is explicitly tied to online guest payments through a payment gateway, not to the booking itself, and Lodgify states 0% booking fee on every plan regardless.
A quote-only model, like Cloudbeds' four plan tiers, tells you what's included before telling you what it costs. That isn't necessarily more or less expensive than a published figure — it just means the real comparison only starts once you've asked for a number in writing.
Why the model matters more than the headline number
A single-room host
A per-room model or a capped per-property plan can both suit a one-unit listing, but a commission plan might cost less in a slow month and more once bookings pick up.
A 20-room guesthouse
Per-room scaling adds up fast at this size, so the total monthly figure — not the entry price — is what should be compared across vendors.
A property with heavy seasonal swings
A commission or booking-fee model moves with revenue, which can suit a business with a short high season and a long quiet one better than a flat monthly bill.
Where Prime Host fits — and where it doesn't
Prime Host's own model, for comparison with the five above.
Prime Host's pricing model
- A flat per-property fee from $59/month plus a per-room amount that scales with room count — a hybrid of the flat-tier and per-room models above, shown by a public calculator rather than a quote request.
- No commission or per-booking fee layered on top, and no separate per-channel-link fee.
- Annual billing by default; monthly billing costs 20% more and can be cancelled any month.
Where it doesn't fit
- Prime Host is a channel manager with a booking calendar and direct booking engine, not a full front-desk system — no night audit, key-card integration or point of sale.
- The booking engine cannot take card payments yet and handles one room per booking.
- It is a newer product with a smaller customer base than the established vendors named above.
Work out your own all-in monthly cost
- 1
Identify which model each vendor you're considering actually uses
Flat tier, per-room, per-listing, per-channel-link, commission, or quote-only — per the table above, not the marketing headline.
- 2
Plug in your real room count and booking volume
A per-room price needs your room count; a commission plan needs your typical monthly booking revenue, not a guess.
- 3
Add every separate line item the vendor states
Per-channel-link fees, extra logins, SMS and other add-ons are often priced apart from the base subscription — Beds24's page is explicit about this.
- 4
Total it for one billing period and compare that single number
Not the entry price from a comparison table — the full monthly figure for your property, on the billing period you'd actually choose.
A quote-only vendor like Cloudbeds needs this same exercise done with the figure from its sales quote, once you have one in writing.
Sources
- Beds24 pricing — beds24.com/pricing.html
- Lodgify pricing — lodgify.com/pricing/
- Sirvoy pricing — sirvoy.com/pricing
- Smoobu pricing — smoobu.com/en/pricing
- Cloudbeds pricing — cloudbeds.com/pricing/
- Prime Host pricing — primehostpartners.com/en/pricing
Vendor facts were read from each vendor's own website on 11 November 2026. Prices and plans change — confirm on the vendor's page before you decide.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a channel manager cost?
It depends which pricing model the vendor uses: a flat per-property tier, a per-room or per-unit figure that scales with size, a per-channel-link add-on, a commission per booking, or a quote-only figure with no published number. The table above gives a real example of each, sourced from each vendor's own page.
What's the difference between a per-room model and a commission model?
A per-room model charges based on how many rooms or units you have, regardless of how many bookings you take. A commission model charges a percentage or fee per booking, so the bill moves with your sales rather than your room count.
Is a per-channel-link fee the same as a commission?
No. Beds24's €0.55-per-link fee is charged for connecting a room type to a booking channel, not for each individual reservation — it's a separate flat cost from any commission.
Which model does Prime Host use?
A flat per-property fee plus a per-room amount that scales with room count, shown by a public calculator, with no commission or per-booking fee added on top.
Why do some vendors publish no price at all?
Cloudbeds' pricing page names its plans and what each includes, but states no dollar figure for any of them — pricing is set per customer through a quote request rather than published generally.
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