HostelMate vs Cloudbeds for hostels
Cloudbeds is the bigger platform and the most recommended system among hostels on HotelTechReport. HostelMate is built only for hostels, costs a fraction as much and publishes its price. If you run one or two hostels and sell mostly dorm beds, HostelMate is the cheaper fit. If you run large properties with a revenue team or need a long list of integrations, Cloudbeds is.
| What we compared | HostelMate | Cloudbeds |
|---|---|---|
| Price a month | $19 up to 30 beds, $45 with no bed limit, per property | Not published. Costbench reports $200 to $1,000; we were quoted $176 |
| Setup fee | None | $160 in the quote we were given |
| How the price is published | On our pricing page | As a quote, after a sales call |
| What it sells | The bed: every dorm bed is sold and assigned on its own | Rooms, with dorm rooms split into beds; a room can switch between dorm and private |
| Channels | Hostelworld, Booking.com, Airbnb, Expedia, Agoda and 100+ more | Hostelworld, Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb, Agoda, Google and 300+ more |
| Integrations | A short list: Stripe, WhatsApp, Telegram and an open API | Hundreds, through its marketplace |
| Built for | Hostels, from one small hostel to a small group | Hotels, hostels and multi-property groups |
HostelMate prices are from our pricing page. Cloudbeds publishes no price: the range is Costbench's report, and $176 a month plus $160 setup is the quote we were given. Cloudbeds' channel and integration counts are from its own website. Checked 6 October 2026.
Where Cloudbeds is the better choice
Cloudbeds is the bigger platform. It has a few hundred integrations where we have a short list, native split inventory for rooms that are sometimes dorms and sometimes privates, and it's the top-rated system among hostels on HotelTechReport. If you run 200 beds across two cities with a revenue manager, look at it first.
- You run several large properties and someone's whole job is revenue.
- You rely on tools in Cloudbeds' marketplace that we don't connect to.
- You run hotels as well as hostels and want one system for both.
Built by people who ran hostels
HostelMate was sketched on a surf-wax box in Bali by two hostel managers who couldn't find software that treated a bunk as something you sell.
That's still the brief: the bed is the unit, and the price is on the website.
What HostelMate does day to day
- Change dorm prices for a whole season at once, by date range, weekend or event.
- Let prices move with demand through the day, if you switch it on.
- Send pre-arrival messages by email or WhatsApp with directions, check-in times and house rules.
- Give staff their own permissions, so the night shift and the owner see different things.
- Keep Booking.com, Hostelworld, Airbnb and the rest on one calendar, with each bed sold once.
- Let guests check in online before they arrive.
- Open smart lockers by Bluetooth from an app, with a PIN as backup.
- Hold unpaid bookings on a waitlist for your OK, while the bed stays on sale.
- Put a group on one booking, with each guest able to pay their own share.
Where HostelMate is the better choice
If most of what you sell is dorm beds and you'd rather read a price than book a demo, these are the cases where we fit better.
Under 30 beds
Lite is $19 a month with the channel manager and booking engine included. At that size, a Cloudbeds quote is several times more.
Mostly dorms
Every bed is its own unit for selling, pricing and assignment, so mixed, female and male dorms stay apart.
You want the price first
Both plans are on the pricing page. No call, no quote and no setup fee.
Hostelworld matters
HostelMate is on Hostelworld's list of connected channel managers, and its bookings land bed by bed.
Direct bookings
The booking engine on your own website takes no commission and shares one calendar with every OTA.
Moving over
Send us your export as it is. It's usually loaded within the day, often within the hour.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. It's the top-rated system among hostels on HotelTechReport and handles dorms properly. For a small hostel the trade-off is price: it's quote-only, and reported prices start around $200 a month.
It depends on the quote, and that is the problem: Cloudbeds publishes no price, and third parties report the entry tier at around $180 to $220 a month with a per-property minimum. HostelMate is $19 or $45 a month, published, with no per-booking fee. If price is the sticking point, our list of Cloudbeds alternatives for hostels puts eight systems side by side with every published price.
Yes, for the ones hostels use most: Booking.com, Hostelworld, Airbnb, Expedia and Agoda. Cloudbeds lists more channels in total.
Less than people expect. Export your reservations and guest data from Cloudbeds, email the files as they are to contact@hostelmate.co, and they are usually loaded within the day, often within the hour for a smaller property. You keep taking bookings the whole time, and channels move across one at a time. The full order of operations, contract notice period included, is in our guide to switching from Cloudbeds.
Yes. If you switch it on, dorm prices move with demand, the day of the week and local events, checked every hour.
A group goes on one booking across as many beds or dorms as it needs, and each guest can pay their own share.
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Competitor information comes from public sources and the quote we were given, checked on 6 October 2026. Prices, features and trademarks belong to their owners and may change. HostelMate is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cloudbeds.