The best accounting software for Airbnb and short-term vacation rentals should include essential features, such as rent collection, trust accounting, tax tracking, and multi-location management. It could be a specialized rental accounting software like OwnerRez and Escapia or a general-purpose bookkeeping solution like QuickBooks Online, which provides rental features through third-party integration.
That said, here are our top six best accounting software for vacation rentals:
- OwnerRez: Best overall for integrating multiple listing sites
- Baselane: Best FREE Airbnb accounting software for managing multiple units
- QuickBooks Online: Best for managing Airbnb rentals when integrated with Bnbtally
- Escapia: Best for short-term property management companies
- FreshBooks: Best easy-to-use accounting software
- Wave: Best FREE software to simply track income and expenses
We evaluated and determined the best vacation rental accounting software by carefully studying their features, strengths and weaknesses, and unique use cases. We leverage our expertise and extensive research capabilities to identify and address the specific questions our audience has—and this ensures that our content is rooted in knowledge and accuracy, aligning with our Fit Small Business Editorial Policy.
Best Vacation Rental Accounting Software: Quick Comparison
Monthly Pricing | Number of Users | Free Trial | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | $40 to $1,472 | Unlimited | 14 days |
 | $0 | Undisclosed | ✕ |
 | $35 to $235 | 1 to 25 | 30 days |
 | Custom quote | Undisclosed | ✕ |
 | $19 to $60 or custom | 30 days | |
 | $0 or $16 | 1 or unlimited | ✕ |
Income & Expense Tracking | Tax Tracking | Trust Accounting | Multi-location Management | Payment Processing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
OwnerRez: Best Overall for Integrating Multiple Listing Sites
Pros
- Allows you to list properties on multiple platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com efficiently
- Includes CRM features to store and organize guest records
- Provides unlimited bookings, emails, payments, and widgets
- Integrates with QuickBooks Online for enhanced bookkeeping
- Lets you communicate with guests via text
Cons
- Charges an additional cost for support with setup and implementation
- Doesn’t integrate with Expedia and Google Vacation Rental
- Has no renter portal
- Lacks a mobile app
- Offers limited customer support options
OwnerRez’s pricing is based on the number of units and ranges from $40 for one property to $1,472 for 500 properties. The price includes channel management and digital signatures.
Any of the Premium features—property management, QuickBooks integration, hosted sites, integrated sites and WordPress plugin, and SMS messaging—are priced separately. However, a 14-day free trial is available, and you can use any of the Premium features during that time.
The provider also offers ProConnect, a premium service that will help you set up your account and configure your features and settings. Prices for ProConnect start at $500, which cover up to two properties; and after that, it’s $150 each for the next seven properties and then $100 each for 10 properties or more.
We selected OwnerRez as the best overall for integrating multiple listing sites due to its robust channel management tools and access to unlimited bookings and payments, making it an excellent scalable solution. It claims to have an elite vacation rental channel manager status, which means it partners directly with various channels, like Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo.
Additionally, OwnerRez provides other tools useful for rental management, including text messaging, payment processing, tax tracking, a CRM, and a built-in website builder. It also integrates with QuickBooks Online, enhancing your accounting capabilities like customized reports to help monitor performance. This makes OwnerRez one of our best short-term rental management software, particularly for QuickBooks Online integration.
On the downside, OwnerRez lacks a mobile app, which could have been a useful feature for accepting payments and tracking expenses on the go. A good alternative is QuickBooks Online, one of our best mobile accounting apps. It includes a robust mobile app that lets you create invoices, accept payments, and track spending from your mobile device.
Baselane: Best Free Airbnb Accounting Software for Multiple Units
Pros
- Free bookkeeping and property management features
- Free rent payments via ACH transfer
- Can track an unlimited number of properties
- Accept payments directly into your bank account for free
- Includes tenant screening features
- Has no minimum deposit
Cons
- Has no tenant screening features
- Doesn’t allow landlords to collect partial payments
- Has no routine maintenance and repair scheduling tools
- Lacks CRM features
Baselane doesn’t charge monthly fees, and you can also use its bookkeeping features for free. Also, there is no fee for processing rent payments made directly into Baselane banking accounts.
However, payments deposited into an external bank account are charged $2 per transaction, while payments made via credit or debit card cost 2.99% per transaction. Landlords can cover these fees or pass them on to the tenant.
We highly recommend Baselane for landlords who need a free solution for managing multiple properties. Its bookkeeping and property management features are completely free to use, and once you sign up, you can immediately use these features. Additionally, it’s free to accept payments when tenants pay you via ACH and are deposited into a Baselane bank account, which we cover in detail in our detailed Baselane Business Checking review.
Meanwhile, the only times you pay is when your tenants pay you through a debit or credit card or you use an external bank account. However, we believe the fees are generally competitive and provide opportunities to save money.
Additionally, Baselane provides many useful tools, such as the ability to connect as many accounts as needed, set up an operating account for each unit, and open separate accounts for security deposits. Also, you can generate tax and schedule E reports as well as track income and expenses by property or unit so you know exactly where your money goes.
However, we want to see Baselane add a CRM for storing and organizing guest and tenant records. We recommend OwnerRez if you need this specialized feature.
QuickBooks Online: Best for Managing Airbnb Rentals When Integrated With Bnbtally
Pros
- Generates detailed invoices and bills for each reservation through Bnbtally
- Allows you to specify class tracking categories
- Provides chart of accounts templates for Airbnb through Bnbtally
- Allows historical data import available from Bnbtally
Cons
- Supports only Airbnb and Vrbo (through Bnbtally integration)
- Is a bit difficult to master
- Lacks vacation rental property management tools even with Bnbtally integration
- Simple Start: $35 per month for one user
- Essentials: $65 per month for three users
- Plus: $99 per month for five users
- Advanced: $235 per month for 25 users
QuickBooks Online has a free 30-day trial. However, if you purchase a plan right away, then you get 50% off on the first three months, plus a free meeting with a ProAdvisor to get you started.
Bnbtally is priced based on the number of listings. It starts at $32 per month for the first two listings and goes up to $711 a month for 99 listings. For 100 or more listings, you must request a custom quote.
Escapia: Best for Short-term Property Management Companies
Pros
- Offers free and unlimited eSignatures
- Includes calendar management tools
- Has real-time property insights
- Has no added distribution fees on direct channels
Cons
- Has no live chat or 24/7 customer support
- Doesn’t publish pricing information
- Has no channel management tools
- Doesn’t allow two-way texting
Escapia charges a flat monthly fee based on the number of properties you manage. Pricing information isn’t available on its website; you must request a customized quote.
We recommend Escapia for short-term property management companies because of its robust accounting and reporting functionality that is tailored to the needs of a property manager. For instance, it includes a comprehensive performance monitoring dashboard that allows managers to view consolidated year-over-year reports on rent, bookings, average daily rates, and number of nights sold. This makes it one of our best short-term rental management software.
Additionally, managers can use Escapia to create and send rental agreements to tenants and track unsigned contractors with real-time data in the dashboard. They can also track money across accounts, manage recurring owner charges, simplify year-end reports like 1099s and 1042s, and more.
On the flip side, Escapia lacks channel management tools, which could be an issue for those who own or oversee multiple properties. For this, we recommend OwnerRez, which allows you to list and manage properties across various platforms, including Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com.
FreshBooks: Best Easy-to-Use Accounting Software
Pros
- Generates easy-to-read expense reports to help manage cash flow
- Provides double-entry accounting at an affordable price
- Lets you send unlimited invoices in all its plans
- Has a mobile app available for accounting and invoicing
Cons
- Includes only one seat in the base plan; additional fee for each extra user
- Doesn’t allow you to track bank accounts without a live bank connection
- Can’t track income or expenses by class
- Has no integrations with vacation rental property management software
- Lite: $19 per month
- Plus: $33 per month
- Premium: $60 per month
- Select: Custom price
Each plan allows for one seat, and if you require additional users, they are priced at $11 per user, per month. FreshBooks offers a 30-day free trial, which you can use for the Lite, Plus, and Premium plans. No credit card is required to sign up.
We selected FreshBooks as the best easy-to-use accounting platform for vacation rental property owners because of its user-friendly interface and excellent customer support. It is also reasonably priced, with features such as a mobile app and payment processing tools.
FreshBooks lacks rental management-specific tools, but it has a few features that are useful to owners. These include invoice status reports, a payment log, and a communication platform that allows you to communicate with guests. However, we wish users could integrate it with specialized rental management apps—just like QuickBooks Online, which integrates with Bnbtally.
Wave: Best Free Software to Track Income & Expenses
Pros
- Has a free plan for a single user; ideal for individual landlords
- Is easy to set up and use even for beginners
- Generates different kinds of accounting reports
- Allows you to set up monthly automatic e-payments
Cons
- Doesn’t let you track income and expense by classes or locations
- Lacks property management features
- Has limited customer support in the free plan
- Doesn’t let you connect your bank accounts in the free plan
- Starter: Free for a single user; includes accounting and invoicing features
- Pro: $16 monthly or $170 annually for unlimited users; includes additional features, such as bank feeds, unlimited receipt scans, and live chat and email support
Add-ons:
- Starter:
- $8 monthly for unlimited receipt scans
- Starter and Pro:
- Wave Payroll: $40 monthly for tax service states or $20 monthly for self-service states—plus an additional $6 per month, per active employee or independent contractor (read our detailed Wave Payroll review for more information)
- Wave Advisor: $149 monthly for bookkeeping support
- Accounting and payroll coaching: $379 (one-time)
We chose Wave’s free plan, Starter, as the best free solution to track income and expenses, and we also included it in our roundup of the best real estate accounting software. While it lets you track income and expenses in total, the data is unavailable by property. However, you can generate month-to-month or year-by-year comparisons to determine cash flow trends.
Landlords can accept payments from tenants using Wave Payments. It’s a paid service that lets you accept guest payments online. You can learn more about this solution through our review of Wave Payments.
Since Wave’s Starter plan is free, it has very limited features. For instance, it doesn’t allow you to connect your bank account unless you upgrade to the pain plan. Also, it has no property management features, like booking and channel management, which are typically found in specialized property management software like OwnerRez and Baselane.
How We Evaluated the Best Accounting Software for Vacation Rentals
We evaluated the best accounting software for Airbnb and vacation rentals by looking into the following factors:
- Features and functionality: We looked at whether the platform offers income and expense tracking specifically tailored to vacation rentals, and if it can handle multiple properties and units. We also reviewed whether it can generate invoices for guests and owners, and if it calculates taxes based on local regulations.
- Integration and compatibility: We evaluated whether the solution integrates with popular property management platforms or booking systems, and if it is able to connect with bank accounts for automatic transaction syncing. We also looked at whether it supports integration with payment gateways for seamless revenue collection.
- User-friendly interface: We considered whether the user interface is intuitive and easy to navigate and if the provider offers user guides, tutorials, or training resources to help you get started.
- Automation and efficiency: We looked at whether the software automates tasks like expense tracking, income reconciliation, and tax calculations and if it can generate financial reports or statements automatically.
- Scalability: We considered if the platform can handle an increasing number of properties and transactions as your business grows and if it offers tiered pricing plans that accommodate different business sizes.
- Customer support: We evaluated the available support channels (such as phone, email, and live chat), if there are any hidden costs for premium support, and if there are any limitations on the availability of customer support.
- Cost and pricing: We looked at the pricing model, whether that comes in the form of a monthly subscription, annual fee, or transaction-based), if there are fees for integrations, and if the cost is reasonable considering the features provided.
- Trial period: We checked whether the provider offers a free trial period so that you can test its software’s features and see how the solution works in practice.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Vacation rental accounting software is a specialized tool designed to help property owners and managers efficiently manage their financial transactions and recordkeeping related to vacation rentals. It automates tasks like income and expense tracking, tax calculations, and financial reporting.
Look for features like integration with property management platforms, automated income and expense tracking, tax calculations, customizable financial reporting, and support for multiple properties or units.
It applies tax rates based on your local regulations and automatically calculates taxes for each booking. It is important to ensure that the platform supports the tax rules specific to your jurisdiction.
Vacation rental accounting software simplifies financial management for your property business. It helps you accurately track income and expenses, generate reports, and calculate taxes. This reduces manual work, ensures accurate financial records, and supports better decision-making.
Bottom Line
The best accounting software for vacation rentals depends on the needs of your business. If you are a QuickBooks user with listings on Airbnb, Bnbtally is a powerful integration that automates your accounting processes. If you list your property on multiple listing sites, consider OwnerRez. Escapia is our best accounting software for short-term rentals, while FreshBooks is what we recommend for ease of use and reasonable pricing. For a free basic option that lets you track income and expenses, Wave is a good choice.
