OnboardGuest vs Touch Stay: A Direct Comparison
Touch Stay and OnboardGuest solve the same core problem — replacing a paper welcome book or house manual with a digital guide guests can access from their phone. Both cover house rules, wifi, check-in instructions, and local recommendations. Where they differ is pricing model, who they're built for, and how much you can do before paying anything.
This is a factual, non-marketing comparison of what each platform actually offers, so you can pick based on your situation rather than a sales page.
At a glance
| OnboardGuest | Touch Stay | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes — 1 property, all sections, no card required | No permanent free plan; free trial only |
| Entry price | €10/month (hotels) or €5/month (short-term rentals) | Reported to start around $8–13/month for a single property, scaling with portfolio size and guidebook type |
| Property types | Hotels and short-term rentals, same product | Short-term rentals, B&Bs, glamping sites, campsites |
| AI features | — | AI guidebook generator and AI chatbot available on higher tiers |
| Setup | Self-serve, publish same day | Self-serve, with AI-assisted guide generation |
Touch Stay's exact pricing varies by portfolio size and property type, and is worth checking directly against your specific case — the ranges above come from third-party pricing trackers, not Touch Stay's own page.
Where OnboardGuest is the better fit
- You want to try it without a trial clock running. OnboardGuest's free tier doesn't expire — it's limited to one property, not a countdown.
- You manage both a hotel and short-term rentals, or expect to, and want one tool instead of switching platforms as your portfolio changes.
- You want flat, predictable pricing rather than pricing that shifts with guidebook type or portfolio size.
Where Touch Stay is the better fit
- You want AI-assisted guide generation to draft a guidebook automatically from existing content.
- You run a campsite, glamping site, or B&B specifically, where Touch Stay has more established, purpose-built templates.
- You're an established host already comfortable with Touch Stay's ecosystem (it has integration partnerships, including with Lodgify) and don't need a free tier.
What actually matters when choosing
Skip which platform has the longer feature list and check:
- Does the free or trial tier let you actually publish a working guide, or just preview the interface?
- Does pricing stay predictable as you add properties, or does it scale in ways that surprise you later?
- Does it support every language your guests need, not just the languages the marketing site is translated into?
- Can you set it up yourself in under an hour, without booking a demo call first?
Both platforms are legitimate choices for replacing a paper guidebook. If you want to start free with no time limit and keep pricing flat as you grow, OnboardGuest is built for that. If AI-generated guides and purpose-built templates for campsites or glamping matter more to you, Touch Stay is worth trying.
Sources: Touch Stay pricing — G2, Touch Stay pricing — SpotSaaS
