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Alternatives · guest communication

Akia alternatives

Looking for an alternative to Akia (5/10)? We've paid for and run it and 10 other guest communication tools at our own hotels. Below is an honest side-by-side of the alternatives, ranked by how we rated them. For the full story on any one, read its review. If the sticking point is cost, our Akia pricing breakdown lays out what you'd actually pay.

Tools we'd consider instead

  1. 8/10

    askng.it

    askng.it is, for all practical purposes, a new product: the February 2026 rebuild of Lacoly, which I ran for a year and rated a 4. I tested the new one in March at my 80-room Amsterdam hotel. It is a different animal, and it earns an 8.

    Best for
    Small and mid-size hotels wanting WhatsApp-led guest messaging with named PMS and door-lock integrations
    HQ
    Netherlands
    Pricing
    Free tier; Standard €4.50/room/month (min €80); Premium €7.50/room/month (min €120)

  2. 8/10

    Bookboost

    I reviewed Bookboost previously and liked the data handling. Coming back to it, the privacy fundamentals haven't slipped, and the WhatsApp integration has turned it into a proper messaging platform.

    Best for
    Privacy-conscious European hotels
    HQ
    Sweden
    Pricing
    Modular per-room model: required Customer Data Platform ~€2.20/room/month plus optional modules (Journey ~€2.80, Broadcasts ~€1.80, Inbox ~€2.80 per room/month); ~€399/month minimum

  3. 7/10

    chatlyn

    chatlyn is Austrian, EU-hosted, and does omnichannel messaging with a privacy posture that holds up under scrutiny. The product is young, and it shows in places. But the foundations are right.

    Best for
    European hotels wanting privacy-first omnichannel messaging
    HQ
    Austria (Vienna)
    Pricing
    Flat tiers from ~€61/month (Light) to €311 (Advanced), plus WhatsApp message costs

  4. 7/10

    Duve

    A second season with Duve and the rating goes up. WhatsApp changed everything for how we talk to guests, and Katerina can now train new hires on it herself. Still not simple, but no longer unmanageable.

    Best for
    Larger hotels with dedicated tech staff wanting a full guest platform
    HQ
    Israel (Tel Aviv)
    Pricing
    From about $6/room/month

  5. 7/10

    HiJiffy

    I didn't think my smallest property, a 45-room boutique in the Cotswolds, was the right place to trial an AI chatbot on WhatsApp. Three months later, my front desk staff disagree with me less often than they used to, which is how I know it's working.

    Best for
    Mid-to-large European hotels wanting WhatsApp automation
    HQ
    Portugal (Lisbon)
    Pricing
    Published tiers from €99/month (Basic); roughly €3–5/room/month, Enterprise custom

  6. 7/10

    LIKE MAGIC

    After Duve made me say 'oh no' out loud, I went looking for something my seasonal staff could learn before the first guest arrived. LIKE MAGIC came close. Not all the way, but close.

    Best for
    Design-conscious hotels wanting a modern guest journey
    HQ
    Switzerland (Zurich)
    Pricing
    Custom pricing, mid-range

  7. 6/10

    Quicktext

    Quicktext's chatbot still converts direct bookings and still handles multilingual queries well. They've added WhatsApp and a new brand name. Neither fixes the integration problems I flagged previously.

    Best for
    Hotels wanting a European AI chatbot with direct booking conversion
    HQ
    France (Paris)
    Pricing
    Custom pricing, from approximately €250/month

  8. 6/10

    SuitePad

    SuitePad makes the best in-room tablets on the market, and I still could not get a straight price out of them. I ran the tablets on one floor of my 80-room Amsterdam hotel for nine weeks. Here is what they earned, and why your guest profile decides everything.

    Best for
    Service-rich, longer-stay properties (resort, spa, luxury, boutique) where guests spend real time in the room
    HQ
    Germany (Berlin)
    Pricing
    Quote-only. Subscription from around $450/month, or a performance-based model with no upfront hardware cost and an agreed annual ceiling.

  9. 6/10

    Runnr.ai

    Runnr.ai built their product around WhatsApp from day one instead of adding it later. The difference is visible in the API design, the message flow, and the integration quality. It's what I wished Quicktext had done.

    Best for
    Hotels wanting WhatsApp-native guest communication with good integrations
    HQ
    Netherlands (Utrecht)
    Pricing
    From €100/month platform fee + WhatsApp costs per conversation

  10. 5/10

    Canary Technologies

    Canary Technologies has raised $175 million, built a strong guest management platform, and is now eyeing Europe. The product is good. The question is whether European hotels should care.

    Best for
    Large US hotel chains wanting a full guest management suite
    HQ
    United States (San Francisco, CA)
    Pricing
    Custom pricing, starting around $99/month for basic modules