COMPARISON: Escapia and Vrbo are both owned by Expedia Group, so Escapia understandably focuses on integrations with Expedia Group owned properties.
Escapia’s pricing is not really transparent. You must speak with an Escapia sales representative to receive a custom price quote. Our online research found Escapia’s pricing for one hundred units on a software referral site***. They reported the basic monthly fee is $9.00 per unit for 100 units. Since that is the only pricing we could find, we are using that number in our comparison.
BrightSide includes ALL of our features in our subscription fee. This chart does not include all BrightSide’s or Escapia’s features. The purpose is to show some of the differences and the similarities.
EscapiaConnect Add-on
In order to integrate with Google Vacation Rentals, Airbnb, and Booking.com, Escapia utilizes a channel manager called EscapiaConnect. This integration allows you to accept bookings on those platforms and integrate with their messaging systems. BrightSide doesn’t need a channel manager since we integrate with these platforms via direct API.
Escapia users must pay an additional $5.00 per unit, per month, for this service. EscapiaConnect is required if you want to connect to any of the non-Expedia owned OTAs listed above and others. In our chart below, we include EscapiaConnect since it is needed to provide the best side by side comparison.
NOTE: If you do not want to connect to Google Vacation Rentals, Airbnb, or Booking.com, you do not need EscapiaConnect, just Escapia’s basic service.
BrightSide Fees
Comparison uses one hundred (100) active properties.
- Subscription Fee – $1,200.00
BrightSide Total = $1,200.00
Escapia Fees
Comparison uses one hundred (100) active properties.
- Subscription Fee – $900.00
- Escapia Connect – $500.00 ($5.00 x 100)
Escapia Total = $1,400.00
BrightSide (100 Units)
- ✔ True Cost | $1,200.00
- ✔ Price Based on 100 Active Units
- ✔ All Features Included
- ✔ Email and Phone Support
- ✔ Google Vacation Rentals Direct Integration
- ✔ Airbnb Direct Integration
- ✔ Booking.com Direct Integration
- ✔ Direct API Channel Manager
- ✔ Custom Automated Emails
- ✔ Built-In Dynamic Pricing Tool
- ✔ Dynamic Pricing Integrations
- ✔ Cleaning Management
- ✔ Maintenance Management
- ✔ Built-In E-Signatures
- ✔ Multiple Rental Agreements
- ✔ Automated SMS Texts
- ✔ OTA Message Integration
- ✔ Open API
- ✔ Google Reviews Integration
- ✔ Airbnb Reviews Integration
- ✔ Booking.com Reviews Integration
- ✔ Built-In Review System
- ✔ iCal Link Support
- ✔ Guests – Adults and Children
- ✔ Bed & Bathroom Allocation
- ✔ Owner Reports
- ✔ Owner Portal
- ✔ Owner Statements
- ✔ In-House Website Design
- ✔ Website Expert Partners
- ✔ Free Ongoing Training
- ✔ Supports Multiple Taxes by Unit
Escapia + EscapiaConnect (100 Units)
- ✔ Base Cost | $900.00
- ✔ Price Based on 100 Active Units
- ✔ Requires EscapiaConnect (+$500.00/month*)
- ✔
- Requires EscapiaConnect*
- Requires EscapiaConnect*
- Requires EscapiaConnect*
- ✔ Expedia Owned Channels*
- ✔ Custom Automated Emails **
- ✔
- ✔
- ✔
- ✔
- Requires Adobe Sign Account
- ✔
- ✔
- Requires EscapiaConnect**
- ✔
- No
- No
- No
- Expedia & Vrbo Only
- No
- No
- ✔
- ✔
- ✔
- ✔
- No
- ✔ Website Expert Partners
- Free One Hour Training Per Month****
- Limited Tax Support
SUMMARY: Escapia and Vrbo are both owned by Expedia Group, so Escapia understandably focuses on integrations with Expedia Group owned properties.
Escapia’s pricing is not transparent. You must speak with one of their sales representatives to receive a custom price quote. Our online research found Escapia’s pricing for one hundred units on a software referral site***. They reported the basic monthly fee is $9.00 per unit for 100 units. Since that is the only pricing we could find, we are using that number in our comparison.
BrightSide includes ALL of our features in our subscription fee. This chart does not include all BrightSide’s or Escapia’s features. The purpose is to show some of the differences and the similarities.
EscapiaConnect Add-on
In order to integrate with Google Vacation Rentals, Airbnb, and Booking.com, Escapia utilizes a channel manager called EscapiaConnect. This integration allows you to accept bookings on those platforms and integrate with their messaging systems. BrightSide doesn’t need a channel manager since we integrate with these platforms via direct API.
Escapia users must pay an additional $5.00 per unit, per month, for this service. EscapiaConnect is required if you want to connect to any of the non-Expedia owned OTAs listed above and others. In our chart below, we include EscapiaConnect since it is needed to provide the best side by side comparison.
NOTE: If you do not want to connect to Google Vacation Rentals, Airbnb, or Booking.com, you do not need EscapiaConnect, just Escapia’s basic service.
BrightSide Fees
Comparison uses one hundred (100) active properties.
- Subscription Fee – $1,200.00
BrightSide Total = $1,200.00
Escapia Fees
Comparison uses one hundred (100) active properties.
- Subscription Fee – $900.00
- Escapia Connect – $500.00 ($5.00 x 100)
Escapia Total = $1,400.00
BrightSide (100 Units)
- ✔ True Cost | $1,200.00
- ✔ Price Based on 100 Active Units
- ✔ All Features Included
- ✔ Email and Phone Support
- ✔ Google Vacation Rentals Direct Integration
- ✔ Airbnb Direct Integration
- ✔ Booking.com Direct Integration
- ✔ Direct API Channel Manager
- ✔ Custom Automated Emails
- ✔ Built-In Dynamic Pricing Tool
- ✔ Dynamic Pricing Integrations
- ✔ Cleaning Management
- ✔ Maintenance Management
- ✔ Built-In E-Signatures
- ✔ Multiple Rental Agreements
- ✔ Automated SMS Texts
- ✔ OTA Message Integration
- ✔ Open API
- ✔ Google Reviews Integration
- ✔ Airbnb Reviews Integration
- ✔ Booking.com Reviews Integration
- ✔ Built-In Review System
- ✔ iCal Link Support
- ✔ Guests – Adults and Children
- ✔ Bed & Bathroom Allocation
- ✔ Owner Reports
- ✔ Owner Portal
- ✔ Owner Statements
- ✔ In-House Website Design
- ✔ Website Expert Partners
- ✔ Free Ongoing Training
- ✔ Supports Multiple Taxes by Unit
Escapia + EscapiaConnect (100 Units)
- ✔ Base Cost | $900.00/month
- ✔ Price Based on 100 Active Units
- Requires EscapiaConnect (+$500.00/month*)
- ✔ Email and Phone Support
- ✔ GVR Integration (Requires EscapiaConnect*)
- ✔ Airbnb Integration (Requires EscapiaConnect*)
- ✔ Booking.com Integration (Requires EscapiaConnect*)
- ✔ Expedia Owned Channels Manager*
- ✔ Custom Automated Emails **
- ✔ Built-In Dynamic Pricing Tool
- ✔ Dynamic Pricing Integrations
- ✔ Cleaning Management
- ✔ Maintenance Management
- ✔ E-Signatures Requires Adobe Sign Account
- ✔ Multiple Rental Agreements
- ✔ Automated SMS Texts
- ✔ OTA Messaging (Requires EscapiaConnect**)
- ✔ Open API
- No Google Reviews Integration
- No Airbnb Reviews Integration
- No Booking.com Reviews Integration
- Review System for Expedia & Vrbo Only
- No iCal Link Support
- No Guests Tracking – Adults and Children
- ✔ Bed & Bathroom Allocation
- ✔ Owner Reports
- ✔ Owner Portal
- ✔ Owner Statements
- No In-House Website Design
- ✔ Website Expert Partners
- Free One Hour Training Per Month****
- Limited Tax Support
SUMMARY
Pricing
BrightSide and Escapia are comparably priced, although BrightSide is less expensive by $2,400.00 a year in our comparison. If you do not need or want to utilize Google Vacation Rentals, Airbnb, Booking.com, or any other non-Expedia owned OTA, you may stick with their basic subscription. BrightSide does not charge extra for any of these integrations.
Features
The bottom line is BrightSide provides value by offering more built-in features than Escapia for a lower price.
* The EscapiaConnect channel manager is required to connect to Google Vacation Rentals, Airbnb, and Booking.com. The fee is $5.00 per unit, per month, for this add-on.
** You must have EscapiaConnect in order for the messaging system to work with Airbnb and Booking.com messaging. The fee is $5.00 per unit, per month, for this add-on.
*** SoftwareFinder.com. Accessed on 10/08/2024.
**** Escapia’s Vrbo Optimization training is not subject to the monthly limit.
COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: The Escapia logo is used under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976 where allowance is made for “fair use” when used for criticism, comparisons, commentary, teaching, and other purposes. The Escapia logo belongs to its respective owner and this website does not claim any rights over it. The data from Escapia was accessed from their website on 10/5/2024. While we do our best to provide up-to-date information, it may have changed over time, so we cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data.
