Grouped by what you’re trying to get done as a host, with a short “vs. typical alternatives” line on every row. We won’t pretend we do things we don’t, and we won’t hide the bits where we’re the same as most other guidebook tools. The point is to help you decide.
First manual takes about ten minutes. Not a blank page — scaffolding you fill in. The bits hosts always forget are already on the list, so you can’t skip them.
18 starter section types
What you get
WiFi, check-in, check-out, lockbox codes, house rules, local tips, contacts, appliances — each comes with the right template inside.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools give you a blank page and expect you to know what guests will ask. We pre-fill the questions for you.
Ten sections pre-selected
What you get
The ten sections every short-term rental needs are already ticked when you start. Untick the ones that don’t fit and you’re off.
Vs. typical alternatives
Same as most
Custom sections, your own icons
What you get
If your property has something unusual — a private dock, a vineyard, a hot tub with a quirk — add a section in your own words with its own little icon.
Vs. typical alternatives
Same as most
Drag to reorder
What you get
Whatever your guests need first goes first. The order on the dashboard is the order they read.
Vs. typical alternatives
Same as most
Show or hide any section
What you get
Working on the lockbox copy? Switch its visibility off, keep editing, flip it back on when it’s ready. Guests never see a half-finished section.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools force you to delete or publish; we let you save without showing.
Section templates inside
What you get
WiFi has a network-and-password block. Check-in has lockbox + arrival steps. Contacts has a roster. You fill in the blanks, you don’t stare at one.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools give you a free-form text box per section. We give you the right shape for the section type.
Autosaves as you type
What you get
No “Save” button to hit before you close the tab. Every change is kept the moment you stop typing.
Vs. typical alternatives
Same as most
A guest who scans the QR should feel like they’re reading something the host wrote, in a place that looks like the place — not a third-party website that swallowed your property.
Pick a brand colour
What you get
Tints the buttons, the headings, the small accents. The rest of the page stays clean so the colour reads as a signature, not a takeover.
Vs. typical alternatives
Same as most
Upload your logo
What you get
Shows on the cover and across the manual. Square or wide, light or dark — we handle it.
Vs. typical alternatives
Some tools charge for logo upload as a premium add-on. We don’t.
Cover photo with treatment toggle
What you get
Pick a photo for the top of the guide. Choose how it’s framed — full-bleed or boxed, soft or sharp. Decide which mood you want.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools give you one fixed cover style. We give you a small choice without overwhelming you.
Optional welcome splash
What you get
An optional full-screen “Welcome to [property name]” splash for the first time a guest opens the guide. Off by default; switch it on if you want a moment of arrival.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools force a splash on or off. We make it your call.
Host profile card — off by default
What you get
Your name, your photo, where you’re based, a sentence in your own voice, your response-time hint. Warms up first messages. Or leave it off and stay completely anonymous.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools either always show host details or never let you. We let you decide per property.
Some things are impossible to explain in writing — the washing machine with a German dial, the TV remote with three button presses, the heating timer guests never find. Show them on video instead.
Photos with captions
What you get
Show the stove, the lockbox, the gate that sticks. Caption each photo the way you’d explain it. Captions translate; the photo itself works in any language.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools support photos. We add per-photo captions so the image carries instruction, not just decoration.
30-second vertical videos
What you get
Film the dishwasher cycle on your phone, drop it into the section. Guests press play and get it — no translation needed for hands pressing buttons.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools allow embeds from third-party video sites. We upload directly so playback is silent, in-place, no extra app, no pop-up permission.
Up to ten videos on Free
What you get
100 MB each — about a minute of vertical HD. Plenty for the fiddly bits across a small portfolio without thinking about cost.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools either don’t support direct video uploads or charge extra. We include it on the free tier.
Copy-to-clipboard for passwords and codes
What you get
Guests tap once and the WiFi password is on their clipboard. No squinting at a long string of characters.
Vs. typical alternatives
Many tools just print the password as text. We make it a one-tap copy so guests don’t mistype letter-O for zero.
Passwords stay readable in every language
What you get
When a guest switches the manual to Japanese, the WiFi password and lockbox codes are protected from being “translated” into something useless. They stay exactly as you typed them.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools translate everything. We keep codes intact so they still work after a language switch.
The standout feature most other tools don’t have. Build a small roster — yourself, a day manager, a night cover, a co-host, a cleaner — with the days and hours each is on duty. Guests tap Call Host and reach whoever is actually working at the property right now.
Time-aware contact routing
What you get
A button that knows what day it is and who’s on. After-hours questions go to the night cover, not your bedside table.
Vs. typical alternatives
Nobody else routes contacts by schedule. The alternative is a single phone number you can never escape.
Multi-contact roster
What you get
Add up to a handful of people — owner, manager, cleaner, building security. Each gets their own days and hours.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools support one contact. We support a small team and a schedule.
Drag priority
What you get
Drag a contact above yourself and that person picks up first; you become the backup. Take yourself off the rota for a holiday.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools force you to be the primary contact. We let you step aside.
Quick-start templates
What you get
Pick “Business hours”, “Out of hours”, “Weekends”, or “24/7” and the schedule fills itself in. Tweak from there.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools have no schedule concept at all.
Overnight and split-shift support
What you get
Schedules can wrap across midnight (22:00–06:00) or run in two windows a day (07:00–11:00 + 16:00–20:00). Real cover patterns, supported.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools have no schedule concept at all.
Coverage-gap warnings
What you get
Before you publish, we tell you if any hour of the week has no one on duty. No “aha” moment for the guest at 03:00.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools have no schedule concept at all.
Preview-as-guest scrubber
What you get
Drag a scrubber to any minute of the week and see exactly who guests would reach at that moment.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools have no schedule concept at all.
Stick one code on the kitchen counter. Change the WiFi password later and the printed QR keeps working. Codes you printed last year point at the manual you updated this morning.
Print-ready A4 PDF
What you get
A clean, properly-sized QR with your property name underneath. Print it, tape it up, done.
Vs. typical alternatives
Same as most
Download as PNG
What you get
Drop the code into a Canva design, a printed welcome card, a framed sign.
Vs. typical alternatives
Same as most
Download as SVG
What you get
Scales up to A0 for a billboard or down to a luggage tag without going blurry.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools only offer PNG. We add SVG for designers and large-format printing.
Bulk QR sheet for portfolios
What you get
One printable page with every property’s QR. Cut, tape, done. Useful when you’re setting up five units in a building at once.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools force you to print property-by-property. We give you the bulk sheet on every plan.
Codes never go stale
What you get
Change the manual’s slug or move a property to a new structure — the printed QR keeps pointing at the right page.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools tie the QR to a fixed URL. We add a redirect so the printed code keeps working forever.
Built in, on every plan. No plugin, no install, no setup. The guest’s phone picks the right language automatically; a switcher at the top lets them change it.
12 languages, built in
What you get
English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Japanese, Mandarin, Korean, Arabic. Every word translates the moment a guest taps.
Vs. typical alternatives
Some tools support more languages on paid tiers. We give you twelve on the free tier.
Auto-pick from the phone
What you get
A guest with their phone set to French sees the manual in French the first time they open it. No tapping needed.
Vs. typical alternatives
Many tools force a language switcher on first load. We pick it for the guest.
Top-of-page switcher
What you get
If the auto-pick is wrong, the guest taps a flag at the top and the whole manual switches instantly.
Vs. typical alternatives
Same as most
Codes stay readable
What you get
WiFi passwords, lockbox codes, gate codes — marked so they don’t get mangled by translation.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most translation tools translate literally everything. We protect what shouldn’t change.
A short note pinned to the top of every guide visit. Power outage, plumber on the way, welcome basket waiting. Edit it from your phone, schedule it to clear itself, every guest who scans the QR sees it the moment they arrive.
One-line live banner
What you get
280 characters at the top of every guide visit. Write it once — every guest in the property sees it immediately.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools require you to message guests one at a time. We pin it to the page they’re already on.
Schedule a time window
What you get
Set a start and an end time. The banner appears at the start, disappears at the end — no late-night “forgot to clear it”.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools have no scheduling at all.
Respects the property’s timezone
What you get
A 9am start fires at 9am wherever the property is — not 9am in your laptop’s timezone. Works correctly across a portfolio in different countries.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools that schedule anything use the host’s local clock. We use the property’s.
Status pill at a glance
What you get
Your dashboard tells you which properties have a banner running, which have one scheduled, and which are quiet — without opening each.
Vs. typical alternatives
Same as most
Guests tap to check in on arrival and tap again on the way out (no account, no email — just a hello and a goodbye), and they can leave you a note any time during their stay. The kind ones, you publish for the next guest with one tap.
One-tap check-in on arrival
What you get
Anonymous. No account, no email. The guest just lands and taps. You see in your dashboard that they’re in safely — no “are you here yet?” text needed.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools require guest sign-ups or paid accounts to track arrival. We do it with a single tap.
One-tap check-out on departure
What you get
Same idea, in reverse. Your cleaning team knows the unit is empty without you having to text the guest “are you out yet?”.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools don’t have a check-out concept. We add it so you stop sending that message.
Private guest notes
What you get
Guests can leave a note any time during the stay — a thank-you, a complaint, a suggestion. Only you see it by default.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools either don’t collect notes or display them publicly. We default to private.
Publish the kind ones
What you get
Beautiful notes get a one-tap “Publish for next guests” button. Unkind ones never see daylight.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools are all-or-nothing. We let you curate.
Unread badge on the dashboard
What you get
Each property card shows how many new notes you haven’t opened yet. Easy at-a-glance triage across a portfolio.
Vs. typical alternatives
Same as most
Off by default. Switch it on when your manual carries lockbox codes, gate codes, or alarm codes you’d rather not have on a public web page. Send the code via WhatsApp; guests enter it once and their phone remembers.
4-8 digit code lock
What you get
Pick a code, share it with confirmed guests, the manual stays hidden from anyone without it.
Vs. typical alternatives
Some tools have private mode on paid tiers only. We include it on the free tier.
Guest phone remembers
What you get
Guests enter the code once and their phone keeps them in for the rest of the stay. No re-entering every time they want to check the WiFi.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools that have a lock force re-entry every visit. We don’t.
Share the code your own way
What you get
Send via WhatsApp, SMS, email, the platform’s own message thread — whatever channel you already use. We don’t insert ourselves.
Vs. typical alternatives
Same as most
Private badge on the dashboard
What you get
Each property card shows whether its manual is locked. Easy to see at a glance across a portfolio.
Vs. typical alternatives
Same as most
Your dashboard shows scan counts, which sections guests open most, the quiet 👍 / 👎 they leave on each, and the top countries + devices reading you. Rewrite the paragraphs that aren’t working; double down on the ones that are.
Scan counts per property
What you get
Know which QRs are actually being scanned. Quiet codes might be in a bad spot — move them.
Vs. typical alternatives
Same as most
View counts per property
What you get
Beyond the scan — how many times guests come back to read. Drying-rack instructions read twenty times means a video would land.
Vs. typical alternatives
Same as most
Section reactions
What you get
Guests can leave a quiet 👍 or 👎 on each section. You get a heatmap of what’s working and what’s confusing.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools have no per-section feedback. We add it without making guests fill out a form.
Top countries + devices
What you get
Know who your guests are without asking. Pick which language to prioritise; know whether your photos render well on the phones they’re using.
Vs. typical alternatives
Same as most
Last 7 days + lifetime totals
What you get
Recent vs. cumulative — both on one screen, no chart-juggling.
Vs. typical alternatives
Same as most
Paste your Airbnb / Vrbo / Booking.com / Google review URL once. Guests see a one-tap “Leave a review on Airbnb” at the bottom of their guide — automatically branded to wherever they booked you, so the platform they already have an account on is the platform they review you on.
Paste a URL, we figure out the rest
What you get
Drop in your Airbnb listing URL and we auto-detect that it’s Airbnb. Same for Vrbo, Booking.com, Google. The CTA wording adjusts itself.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools require manual configuration. We auto-detect the platform.
Branded “Leave a review” button
What you get
Lands at the bottom of every guide. The platform the guest booked on is the platform they’re asked to review on — no friction.
Vs. typical alternatives
Same as most
Nothing the host writes goes live until the host says it does. Preview every manual the way a guest sees it. Duplicate one as a starting point for the next. Export every word as a backup any time.
Preview-as-guest before publish
What you get
See exactly what a guest sees — phone view, your brand, your photos. Tweak the bits that don’t read right, then publish when it feels good.
Vs. typical alternatives
Some tools force you to publish to preview. We separate “what I’m drafting” from “what’s live”.
Save indicator on every change
What you get
A small “Saved” pill tells you what’s safe. No anxiety about whether your last edit got kept.
Vs. typical alternatives
Same as most
Rename the slug
What you get
Your guide’s public URL ends in a slug (e.g. /guide/casa-lisboa). Rename it any time — the printed QR follows automatically.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools force a fixed URL forever. We let you rename.
Duplicate as new draft
What you get
Have a manual you love? Copy it as the starting point for the next property — sections, contacts, branding all carry across. Photos don’t (every property needs its own).
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools have nothing similar. We add it because most multi-property hosts ask for it.
Export the whole manual
What you get
Download every word as a plain-text file any time — useful for backups before a big rewrite, or for moving to another tool. Your words are always yours.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools lock your content in. We give you the exit door from day one.
Archive without losing
What you get
Stop renting a property? Archive it. Manual, photos, contacts — all kept. Unarchive when you’re ready again.
Vs. typical alternatives
Same as most
Whether you’re a host with two units or a small operator with a portfolio, the dashboard scales with you. Same flat fee from 2 to 50 properties; same features on every one.
Dashboard search and filter
What you get
Type a property name or slug — the dashboard filters as you type. No scrolling through fifty cards to find the one with a bad WiFi password.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools force you to scroll or paginate. We add search from the second property onwards.
Last-edit indicator per card
What you get
Each property card shows when you last edited its manual. Easy to spot which guides have gone stale.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools have no staleness signal. We surface it without you having to ask.
Status badges at a glance
What you get
Live, Draft, Archived, Locked, Private — each property card carries small badges so you can triage a portfolio in seconds.
Vs. typical alternatives
Same as most
Bulk QR print sheet
What you get
Print every active property’s QR on one A4 page. Cut, tape up, done.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools force property-by-property printing. We include the bulk sheet free.
Live announcement chip per card
What you get
Spot which guides are running a live banner and which have one scheduled — all from the dashboard, without opening each one.
Vs. typical alternatives
Same as most
90-day grace before anything archives
What you get
If your subscription lapses or you take a break, properties stay editable for 90 days before anything goes into the archive. Plenty of time to come back.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools lock you out the moment a card fails. We give you a window.
The stuff that doesn’t make a marketing video but does decide whether you’d trust a tool with your guests.
Guests never sign in
What you get
Your manual lives at a public URL the guest scans into. No account, no password, no email collection on their side.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools either force a guest sign-up or capture an email. We don’t.
Guests never install an app
What you get
It’s a web page. Works on every iPhone and Android. Camera scan opens it; nothing to download.
Vs. typical alternatives
A few tools push a custom app. We won’t.
Flat fee, regardless of portfolio size
What you get
Free for 1 property. $15 a month (or $144 a year, saving 20%) for anything from 2 to 50. Your bill stays the same whether you’ve got 2 listings or 50.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools charge per property per month. At ten properties you typically pay 6–10× more elsewhere for the same feature set.
No per-guest fees
What you get
No scan fee. No view fee. No “per-guest” anything. The price you see is the price you pay.
Vs. typical alternatives
Some tools charge per guest interaction. We never will.
No cut of bookings
What you get
We never take a percentage of what your guests pay you. Bookings happen on Airbnb / Vrbo / wherever, not here.
Vs. typical alternatives
Some hospitality tools quietly take a commission. We never will.
Your manual lives at your own URL
What you get
staymanual.app/guide/your-slug — a real web address you can share, print, deep-link to. Not locked inside an app.
Vs. typical alternatives
Some tools keep the manual inside their app or a captive portal. We keep it on the open web.
Markdown export any time
What you get
Download every word as plain text. Your content is yours, on day one and on day a thousand.
Vs. typical alternatives
Most tools lock content in. We give you the exit door from the start.
Manual stays live for guests even if you lapse
What you get
If your subscription stops, your manual stays visible to guests with the QR — we don’t pull it the moment a card fails. You just can’t actively edit beyond the free slot.
Vs. typical alternatives
Some tools cut the manual the day a card declines. Mid-stay guests get a broken QR. We don’t do that to your guests.
PMS booking sync — by design, no
What you get
We’re a guest-manual tool, not a booking engine. We do one job well rather than ten jobs adequately.
Vs. typical alternatives
If you need PMS booking sync, a full property-management system is the right tool. We complement those tools — we don’t replace them.
Every release adds the new rows to this page on the same day. We won’t list features we’re “going to build” and we won’t inflate the comparison column. If the wording on this page made you sign up, we owe you a list that still matches reality six months from now.
Last refreshed 15 May 2026
Your first property is free — every feature on this page included. No card on file. About twelve minutes from sign-up to printed QR.
Looking for pricing or field notes for hosts?