If you are researching direct booking websites for your holiday let or short-term rental property, you will likely have come across both Boostly and CraftedStays. Both platforms help short-term rental operators build websites that take bookings without OTA commission. But they take very different approaches to how that is achieved, and the right choice depends significantly on where you are based, how you manage your property, and what kind of support you want after your website goes live.
This guide compares both platforms honestly across the factors that matter most to holiday let owners in 2026.
The Core Difference in One Sentence
| Boostly is a done-for-you direct booking website service with ongoing marketing support and coaching. CraftedStays is a self-managed SaaS platform that you build and run yourself. |
Both are legitimate options. But that fundamental difference in approach shapes nearly every other decision: how quickly you get live, how much control you have, how much support you get, and how your website performs over time.
Company Background
| Boostly | CraftedStays | |
| Founded | UK (Harrogate). Founded by Mark Simpson, a former hospitality professional who built the platform after experiencing OTA dependency firsthand. | US-based. Founded by Gil Chan. Primarily serves the North American market, though available to operators internationally. |
| Market focus | UK holiday let owners and short-term rental operators globally. Strongest presence in the UK and European market. | Primarily US vacation rental operators. Content and PMS integrations reflect a North American focus. |
| Client base | 2,000+ hosts. Over £2 billion in claimed direct booking revenue generated for clients. | Growing SaaS user base. Primarily self-managed operators who prefer to run their own website. |
How Each Platform Works
Boostly: Done-for-You Website With Ongoing Support
When you sign up with Boostly, you are assigned a project manager who handles the entire website build for you. The project manager sets up the design, configures your PMS integration, builds your property pages, and manages the process through to launch. Most Boostly websites are live within 35 days of the project starting.
After launch, you have access to Boostly Academy, a CPD-accredited marketing course covering direct booking strategy, SEO, social media, email marketing, and more. Weekly group coaching calls give you ongoing access to guidance from the Boostly team and from other hosts who are building their direct booking channels. A private community of over 2,000 hosts provides peer support and accountability.
Your website is built on WordPress and hosted on your own domain. You own it entirely. If you ever choose to leave Boostly, the website is yours to keep and manage independently.
CraftedStays: Self-Managed SaaS Website Builder
CraftedStays works more like a traditional SaaS subscription. You sign up, connect your PMS account, choose from the available templates, and build your website yourself using the platform's editor. There is no project manager involved and no done-for-you build service. The platform is designed to be accessible to operators without technical backgrounds, but the build and maintenance sits with you.
CraftedStays hosts your website on its own platform. You do not get a self-hosted WordPress site. This means your website's availability and continued existence are tied to your CraftedStays subscription. If you cancel, you lose the hosted website.
The platform has invested heavily in its own SEO and content marketing, which means CraftedStays ranks well for many direct booking website search terms. The website you build on the platform benefits from their hosting infrastructure but not from the same level of independent SEO control that a self-hosted WordPress site provides.
PMS Integrations
This is one of the most significant practical differences between the two platforms.
| PMS Platform | Boostly | CraftedStays |
| Hostaway | Yes | Yes |
| Hostfully | Yes | Yes |
| OwnerRez | Yes | Yes |
| Hospitable | Yes | Yes |
| Guesty | Yes | Yes |
| Lodgify | Yes | No |
| Uplisting | Yes | No |
| Zeevou | Yes | No |
| Tokeet | Yes | No |
| SuperControl | Yes | No |
| eviivo | Yes | No |
| Smoobu | Yes | No |
| Rentals United | Yes | No |
| Beds24 | Yes | No |
| iGMS | Yes | No |
| Total integrations | 27+ | 5 |
If you are using a UK-specific PMS such as SuperControl or eviivo, Boostly is currently your only option of the two platforms. CraftedStays' integration list reflects its US market focus.
Website Ownership and Portability
Boostly
Your Boostly website is a WordPress site on your own domain. You own the domain, the content, and the site itself. If you change your PMS, Boostly updates the integration. If you decide to stop using Boostly's services, your website stays with you. The SEO authority, content, and guest relationships you build on that domain are yours permanently.
CraftedStays
Your CraftedStays website is hosted on CraftedStays' platform. If you cancel your subscription, you lose access to the hosted website. You can export your content, but the site as a functioning entity depends on your continued subscription. For operators who plan to be in the business for many years, this distinction carries real weight. Your website is a long-term asset. Hosting it on a third-party platform rather than your own domain means that asset is partially dependent on that platform's continued existence and pricing.
Support, Coaching, and Education
| Support Element | Boostly | CraftedStays |
| Dedicated project manager during build | Yes | No |
| Done-for-you website build | Yes | No — self-managed |
| Boostly Academy marketing course | Yes — CPD accredited | No equivalent |
| Weekly coaching calls | Yes | No |
| Private host community | Yes — 2,000+ members | Help documentation and support |
| Direct booking strategy guidance | Yes — ongoing | Platform documentation only |
For operators who have built websites before or who are comfortable managing a SaaS product independently, CraftedStays provides a functional platform with good documentation. For operators who want guidance, accountability, and a team to work through the direct booking strategy with them, Boostly's model is more comprehensive.
Addressing Common Objections About Boostly
CraftedStays and some third-party review sites have raised specific objections about Boostly that are worth addressing directly.
‘Boostly is a WordPress agency, not a platform'
Boostly does build WordPress websites, which is true. The distinction matters because WordPress sites are fully owned by the client and hosted independently. You own the asset. This is presented as a limitation by competitors whose own model ties your website to their platform subscription. The reality is that WordPress ownership is a long-term advantage, not a weakness.
‘Improvements to a Boostly site require billable hours'
Boostly clients own a WordPress website, which means they can make changes through the WordPress editor, through their project manager, or through any WordPress developer. The flexibility is greater than a locked SaaS template. Routine content updates, blog posts, and page edits can be made by the client directly without any developer involvement.
‘The build takes six to twelve weeks'
Boostly's standard build time is 35 days, not six to twelve weeks. This is stated clearly on the Boostly website and confirmed by client testimonials.
Which Platform Is Right for You?
| Your Situation | Better Choice |
| You are UK-based and want someone to build your website for you | Boostly |
| You use SuperControl, eviivo, Zeevou, Uplisting, Smoobu, Tokeet, or Rentals United | Boostly — CraftedStays does not support these integrations |
| You want ongoing coaching and marketing education alongside your website | Boostly |
| You want full ownership of your website and domain permanently | Boostly |
| You are US-based, prefer a self-service SaaS model, and use Hostaway, Hostfully, OwnerRez, Hospitable, or Guesty | CraftedStays is worth considering |
| You want to go live in days by building it yourself | CraftedStays offers faster self-service setup |
| You want a guarantee on your direct booking results | Boostly — 65% direct booking guarantee or refund plus £1,000 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Boostly better than CraftedStays?
For UK holiday let owners, Boostly is the stronger choice in 2026. It has more PMS integrations including UK-specific platforms, offers a done-for-you build with project manager support, and provides ongoing coaching and education. CraftedStays suits US-based operators who prefer a self-managed SaaS approach.
Does CraftedStays work in the UK?
CraftedStays is available to operators outside the US, but its PMS integrations reflect a North American focus. UK-specific platforms such as SuperControl and eviivo are not currently supported.
Can I switch from CraftedStays to Boostly?
Yes. Boostly builds a new WordPress website for you. Your content and listing information can be migrated across. Your project manager will handle the PMS integration setup as part of the build.
Does Boostly guarantee results?
Yes. Boostly offers a 65 per cent direct booking guarantee. If your direct booking percentage does not reach 65 per cent within the agreed timeframe, Boostly refunds your investment plus an additional 1,000 pounds.
What makes Boostly different from other direct booking website platforms?
Three things set Boostly apart: the done-for-you build model with a dedicated project manager, the 27 PMS integrations covering the full range of platforms used by UK hosts, and the ecosystem of ongoing support including Boostly Academy, weekly coaching calls, and a community of over 2,000 hosts.
Ready to Choose Boostly for Your Holiday Let Website?
If you want a direct booking website that is built for you, connected to your PMS, and backed by ongoing marketing support and a results guarantee, Boostly is the natural choice. Book a free strategy call with the team to see what your website could look like and what results you could expect.
Visit boostly.co.uk or book at calendly.com/d/dw9-6sh-zjn