In this review
In this review
Short-term rental (STR) hosts who use dynamic pricing tools earn up to 40% more revenue than those who set rates manually.¹ But with dozens of tools on the market, picking the right one is harder than it sounds - and the wrong platform can cost you more in fees and lost bookings than it saves.
That’s why we tested the top dynamic pricing tools that claim to outearn manual pricing - Beyond, PriceLabs, and Wheelhouse. We personally tested each + enlisted the expertise of David Scott, Certified Hospitality Strategist, to evaluate them on pricing algorithms, revenue performance, ease of use, and value. Read on to find out the winner.
What to Look For in a Dynamic Pricing Tool
Dynamic pricing tools are software platforms that automatically adjust your nightly rates based on real-time market data: demand trends, competitor pricing, local events, and booking pace. Instead of setting a flat rate and hoping for the best, hosts who use them can capture peak-season premiums and fill slow nights - without leaving money on the table. But not all tools do this equally well.
According to Scott, our Hospitality Strategist, the key factors when evaluating pricing tools are:
- Pricing algorithm. "Tools that only look at what's already been booked are pricing with a rearview mirror," says Scott. "Hyper-local intelligence is the single biggest factor in pricing accuracy."
- Revenue performance. The whole point of a dynamic pricing tool is making you more money. "Maximizing yield per available night is often more important than occupancy rates alone,” says Scott. “Mosts hosts never run that math.”
- Ease of use. "An operator with fifteen properties across three markets simply cannot process the variables fast enough," says Scott. Look for a tool that simplifies strategy.
- Value. Flat per-property fees add up fast and don't align the tool's incentives with your performance.
So how do Beyond, PriceLabs, and Wheelhouse compare? Let's find out.
Pricing Algorithm: Beyond Wins
According to Scott, a dynamic pricing algorithm needs to do two things: respond to real-time demand signals, and tailor recommendations to the specific characteristics of each listing and market. Our tester Marcus, host of 8 properties, tested each tool across his portfolio:
🥇 Beyond wins with the most personalized, data-driven algorithm we tested. Beyond’s algorithm is the only one we tested that includes real-time consumer search data - in addition to completed booking data - to generate nightly price recommendations. During Marcus’ test period, Beyond automatically surfaced a demand spike tied to a regional festival 45 minutes from one of Marcus's properties - a detail he hadn't manually flagged. He secured two bookings at rates he wouldn't have set on his own. "The recommendations felt like they were ahead of the market, not reacting to it," Marcus noted.
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🥈 PriceLabs comes in second with rule-based customization - but less personalization. Base prices, seasonal adjustments, last-minute discount curves, and orphan day logic are all configurable at a granular level. This level of control can be powerful, but it relies on the manual base price the host sets - limiting effectiveness for hosts managing multiple markets, or those without deep revenue management experience. For Marcus, “it felt like I was constantly adjusting settings to keep up with what a dynamic pricing tool should be doing automatically.”
❌ Wheelhouse is last with the weakest algorithm. Despite its claims of a self-learning algorithm using booking probability curves and expected revenue estimates, recommendations consistently fell short of maximizing revenue - underpricing during high-demand windows and failing to account for competitive positioning in Marcus's specific submarkets. “The ‘learning phase’ never showed in practice,” said Marcus.
Real-World Performance: Beyond Wins
The best algorithm is only useful if it actually improves booking revenue. Marcus tested each for 4 weeks across his property portfolio:
🥇 Beyond delivered the strongest revenue performance of the three tools. Beyond outperformed Marcus's historical manual pricing baseline by 18% on revenue per available night. Marcus identified two recurring weekend periods where he had historically left money on the table, and adjusting those dates alone accounted for a significant share of the lift. Beyond's pricing recommendations were also notably stronger during shoulder seasons, where both competitors tended to underprice.
🥈 PriceLabs also drove improved revenue - but required more manual work. Revenue came in roughly 10% above Marcus's manual baseline, but required nearly two full days of rule configuration across the portfolio, plus ongoing adjustments throughout the test.
❌ Wheelhouse was the weakest revenue performer. Recommendations consistently underpriced during Marcus's highest-demand windows - the same periods where Beyond drove the highest increases.
Ease of Use & Customer Support: Beyond Wins
The best dynamic pricing tool should earn hosts more money and save time. That’s why we compared ease of use and customer support for each:
🥇 Beyond wins with the fastest to set up and best support. Beyond connected to Marcus's property management system almost instantly. The onboarding flow walked through base price calibration for each listing, and the algorithm handled the rest - all eight properties had active pricing recommendations by end of day one. Beyond also has dedicated revenue management experts on staff; Marcus found their help significantly reduced setup time.
🥈 PriceLabs came in second with more complex setup - requiring nearly two full days of configuration across Marcus's portfolio. The ongoing rule maintenance added further time throughout the test. Support options were also more limited: a library of help articles and a community forum, but less responsive support chats than Beyond.
❌ Wheelhouse came in last with the weakest customer support. Setup was faster than PriceLabs but Marcus ran into OTA integration issues that took several days to resolve. Multiple support tickets submitted during the test averaged over 48 hours before a resolution.
Price & Value: Beyond & Wheelhouse Tie
It’s important to balance revenue upside with cost of using the tool. How do Beyond, Pricelabs, and Wheelhouse pricing structures compare?
🥇 Beyond wins with a pricing structure that incentivizes growth. Beyond charges 1% of booking revenue - no flat monthly fee - meaning it only earns when your properties do. For Marcus, the revenue increase significantly offset the monthly cost.
🥇 Wheelhouse is also priced at a 1% of booking revenue model. However, the cost was harder to justify given the limited revenue upside. Wheelhouse also offers a fixed plan of $19.99/property monthly.
❌ PriceLabs charges a fixed cost per property, starting at $19.99/property each month. On high-demand periods the cost can be offset, but Marcus felt less comfortable committing to a fixed-cost structure knowing that it could cut into profits when demand was lower.
Final Verdict: Beyond Is the Best Dynamic Pricing Tool for STR Hosts
Which dynamic pricing tool is best? After testing each across an STR portfolio, we recommend the tool that delivers the strongest revenue lift, features the quickest setup and best algorithm, and offers a compelling pricing model. And that’s Beyond.
Our Hospitality Strategist Scott agrees: "Beyond gives you the best data inputs and the strongest algorithmic foundation in the market right now."
Ready to try Beyond? With TCD, Beyond will waive fees on your first $5,000 in bookings:
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