The comparison
Better than by hand.
Better than the big platforms.
There are four ways to run a vacation rental: a spreadsheet, a big platform, a bookkeeping app, or Downwind. Here they are side by side on the three things that matter to an owner: what it costs, who your guests belong to, and how much of your week it takes.
The spreadsheet and the inbox
By hand
- What it costs
- Free on paper. You pay in evenings spent chasing deposits, nudging guests about the balance, and waiting on mailed checks.
- Your guests
- Yours, but everything about their stay lives scattered across your inbox and a spreadsheet only you can read.
- Your time
- Every booking gets typed out by hand: the dates, the deposit math, the reminder emails, the calendar entry.
Airbnb, Vrbo, and the rest
On a big platform
- What it costs
- Around 3% from you and up to 14% from your guests, on every booking, every year.
- Your guests
- Theirs. Messages go through the platform, and next summer’s booking goes back through them too.
- Your time
- Less typing, but you run your rental by their rules: their fees, their policies, their search ranking.
The desktop finance tracker
On a bookkeeping app
- What it costs
- You pay for software that never collects a dollar. Every deposit and balance is still yours to chase, all season long.
- Your guests
- A list you can export, and nothing more. It never emails a guest or takes a booking for you.
- Your time
- It only tidies the numbers after the money is in. The deposit requests, balance reminders, and calendar entries are all still on you.
Direct bookings, busywork handled
With Downwind
- What it costs
- $20 a month, flat. No cut of your bookings, no fees on your guests.
- Your guests
- Yours. Their contact info, their repeat stays, and the relationship stay with you.
- Your time
- Paste the email thread and the booking builds itself. Deposits, balance reminders, and calendar sync run on their own.
Keep your guests.
Skip the fees.
14 free days to see if Downwind
fits the way you host.
Two weeks free · no platform ever takes a cut