What is a channel manager, and is there a free one?

What does a channel manager do?

If you rent out your property on several platforms, every booking needs to block the nights on all of them. Otherwise, a second guest could book the same nights. A channel manager reads the calendars on all your platforms, combines them and sends each platform the latest availability from the others.

Calendar link or API: what’s the difference?

A calendar link (iCal) is an address that usually ends in .ics. Each platform provides a link showing its booked nights and reads links from other systems. It’s free and works with Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo and atraveo by Interhome. But the link only shows whether nights are booked or free. Prices, guest details and payments aren’t included.

Each platform checks other calendars at its own intervals. According to its help pages, Airbnb updates every three hours and Booking.com imports every two hours. On Vrbo, imported entries can take up to 20 minutes to appear. During that time, a night may still look available on one platform even though it’s already booked elsewhere.

An API connects the software directly to the platform. Availability, prices and bookings with guest details are exchanged in seconds. The software provider needs approval from the platform. According to its Connectivity Portal, Booking.com is not currently accepting new providers.

What does Stovita do today?

• Both ways: Stovita reads each platform’s calendar every 15 minutes and gives you a separate Stovita link for each platform to add there.
• Everything in one link: Your Stovita link includes your direct bookings, open enquiries, blocked dates and bookings from other platforms. It doesn’t send a platform’s bookings back to that platform.
• Protection against double bookings: If two entries overlap, Stovita saves both, shows a conflict and emails you. You decide who gets to stay. If a reservation is affected, guests can’t book the affected nights, or the night before or after them, on your website until then.
• Nights aren’t marked free too soon: If a booking suddenly disappears from a platform’s calendar, Stovita only marks the nights as free if a second sync at least 10 minutes later still can’t find it. A cancellation explicitly reported by the platform takes effect immediately.
• Empty calendars are paused: If a calendar suddenly becomes empty or many bookings disappear at once, Stovita pauses the sync, doesn’t mark any nights as free and emails you. You check the dates and mark them as free yourself.
• You can see the reverse sync: For each connection, you can see when the platform last fetched your Stovita link.

What do other channel managers cost?

Prices are shown in the providers’ currencies, as listed on 6 November 2026. Figures taken from an FAQ or blog are marked.

We couldn’t find a Swiss feature for guest registration forms or tourist tax for most of these providers. Smoobu sends guest registration forms to feratel where the destination uses feratel.

Is there a free channel manager for Switzerland?

Yes. Stovita syncs your calendars for free via calendar links. Registration is free, the basic plan remains free, and direct bookings incur 0% commission. Plus, everything Swiss hosts need: tourist tax according to your municipality’s rules, the online guest registration form and your own booking website in German, French, Italian and English.

Other providers also offer free tiers. Tokeet has a free plan. Holidu doesn’t charge a subscription, but adds a 6% Holidu fee per booking on top of the booking portal’s commission. If you need real-time prices and guest data across all platforms, a paid channel manager with an integration is a better fit. Compare: Smoobu alternative and Lodgify alternative.

How do you connect your platforms?

There’s a guide for each platform, with the menu names used in the platform’s own help pages:

• How do you sync your Airbnb calendar via iCal?How to connect your Airbnb calendar to Stovita using an iCal link: where to find the link, how often Airbnb syncs and which mistakes to avoid.
• How do you sync your Booking.com calendar via iCal?Step by step: export your Booking.com calendar in the Extranet, import the Stovita link, two-hour interval, requirements and common errors.
• How do you sync your Vrbo calendar via iCal?How to export your Vrbo calendar in the Owner Dashboard, import the Stovita link and avoid common mistakes. Includes timings and limits according to Vrbo Help.
• How do you connect the e-domizil (atraveo by Interhome) calendar?e-domizil is now called atraveo by Interhome. Here’s how to find the iCal link in the owner portal, add Stovita and replace old e-domizil links.