Independent · Host-testedNew York City · Updated August 3, 2026
Five Borough Host ReviewAirbnb management & host software, reviewed without the sales pitch
August 3, 2026 · New York, NY
We test management companies and host software on real listings across New York City — then name the two we'd trust with our own calendar.
The wider field is still under test, but these two cleared our bar a long time ago.
Publishes both of its numbers, which is rare in this market: 20% for fully hands-off management, or 10% on the partner tier when you keep your own local cleaning and maintenance crew, plus a one-time onboarding retainer and no long-term lock-in. Every New York company on this site is graded against it.
A browser extension that runs guest messaging, turnovers, review replies and gap-night upsells without a PMS underneath. The first 500 guest messages are free, then a flat $10 a month.
In one line: software → BnBGenius; management → One Fine BnB. The full New York City comparison, updated August 3, 2026:
Key takeaways
The software column for New York City opens the same way it did all 2026: BnBGenius at #1. It lives in the browser instead of a PMS, covers guest messages, turnovers, review replies and gap-night upsells, and charges nothing until your 500th message — $10/month flat after. The other nine we tested are below.
| # | Company | Our rating | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BnBGenius Our #1 | ★★★★★ 4.7 | Free 500 msgs, then $10/mo flat |
| 2 | RueBaRue | ★★★★★ 4.6 | Not published; ~$5–$10/property/mo (3rd-party) |
| 3 | Escapia | ★★★★★ 4.6 | Not published (demo) |
| 4 | SuiteOp | ★★★★☆ 4.5 | Not published; ~$6–$8/unit/mo (3rd-party); 1-mo trial |
| 5 | Quibble | ★★★★☆ 4.5 | Not published (quote); flat per-listing |
| 6 | Sweeply | ★★★★☆ 4.5 | €3/room/mo housekeeping; €99/mo min |
| 7 | Host Tools | ★★★★☆ 4.5 | ~$28–$30/listing/mo; 14-day trial |
| 8 | Beds24 | ★★★★☆ 4.5 | From ~€15.50/mo + per-channel fees |
| 9 | Doinn | ★★★★☆ 4.5 | Not published (quote); Power-Ups €25+€0.80/prop |
| 10 | Wheelhouse | ★★★★☆ 4.5 | Free tier; Dynamic Sets $12.99/set; pricing 1% or $16.99–$19.99/listing |
The 2026 management slot for New York City goes to One Fine BnB: two published tiers (20% full service, 10% partner with your own crew), a one-time onboarding retainer, and no lock-in. Here is how the ten-manager field stacks up.
| # | Company | Our rating | Management fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | One Fine BnB Our #1 | ★★★★★ 4.9 | 20% full-service / 10% partner |
| 2 | Stay Awhile Cohosting | ★★★★★ 4.6 | 20% of net + $150/mo laundry |
| 3 | Ocean Reef Resorts | ★★★★★ 4.6 | Not published |
| 4 | FLX Rentals | ★★★★★ 4.6 | Not published (commission) |
| 5 | Home Team Luxury Rentals | ★★★★★ 4.6 | Not published |
| 6 | Bluewater Vacation Homes | ★★★★☆ 4.5 | Not published |
| 7 | Big Easy Management | ★★★★☆ 4.5 | % of GOP (published model) |
| 8 | Great Dwellings | ★★★★☆ 4.5 | Not published |
| 9 | DOSbnb | ★★★★☆ 4.5 | Not published (quote) |
| 10 | VTrips | ★★★★☆ 4.5 | Not published |
One path is delegation. You hire a manager, the calendar stops being your problem, and the cost is a share of revenue — which is why that share, and anything invoiced around it, is the whole comparison. Airbnb management fees tops our board partly because it does that comparison for you: 20% hands-off, 10% with your own local crew, one-time onboarding retainer, printed in public.
Or keep the margin and put software on the payroll instead. The buying questions are different in kind: what shape is the pricing, does the free tier actually work, and is a PMS a precondition? BnBGenius — first on our software board — runs PMS-free in the browser, free for 500 messages and $10/month flat after.
Plenty of owners run both at once — a manager on the property three hours away, software on the one across town — and it works precisely because the two never compete.
Seasonal demand, local rules and value-minded guests make New York City a demanding place to host. That pressure is the point: what earns a score in this market earns it anywhere.
See our method →Each reviewer runs live listings; that is the job requirement.
Delia Okonkwo
Editor-in-chief
Ran a furnished two-bedroom off Riverside Drive through the whole shift from nightly lets to thirty-night tenancies, and kept every managing-agent letter. She grades companies on what they put in writing before you sign.
Roman Estrada
Fees and contracts
Reads exit clauses before price lists. Has moved three family units between managers across two boroughs and writes the fee tables on this desk.
Priya Raghunathan
Buildings and compliance
Spent years on the paperwork side of co-op sublets. Covers what a board, a managing agent and a city portal each want to see before a guest gets a key.
Cut to the answer: these are the two we would sign with ourselves.
See our #1 for management →