FrontDesk vs Octorate
Octorate started as a channel manager and added a PMS. FrontDesk started as a PMS and doesn't do channel management. That's the real choice, more than price.
How we compare: we receive no commission from Octorate and have no commercial relationship with them. Information about Octorate comes from its official public pages, checked on September 19, 2026 (link below). Prices change: always check the official source before you decide. FrontDesk's gaps are written on this page just as plainly as its strengths.
How you pay, on each side
Octorate
Per-room pricing for the base plan; higher tiers by quote.
- • Basic plan: "from €8 / room per month" — channel manager, booking engine, onboarding support and 7-day-a-week support.
- • Pro plan (price on request): adds PMS Cloud, Web Concierge AI and metasearch.
- • Ultimate plan (price on request): adds website builder, WhatsApp Business and business intelligence.
- • 14-day free trial; the quote depends on active modules, number of units, connected channels and support level.
FrontDesk
One plan, public pricing, no quotes
- • 14-day free trial of every feature, no credit card.
- • €39/month per property — not per room — with a managed cloud database and multi-device sync.
- • No minimum term, no setup fee, cancel anytime yourself from Settings.
- • Planner, folio, housekeeping, reports and local compliance modules (e.g. Italy's tourist tax and Alloggiati Web export) included.
Example: a 10-room property
Octorate
from €80/month for the Basic plan alone (10 × €8) — and the actual PMS is in the Pro plan, by quote
FrontDesk
A flat €39/month per property, no per-room fees, 14-day free trial
The honest comparison isn't "80 vs 39": with Octorate's Basic plan you're mostly buying the channel manager, which FrontDesk doesn't have. The right comparison is between what you actually need and what you're paying for.
Feature by feature
FrontDesk comes with a 14-day trial of every feature, no credit card asked: you only pay if you keep it.
FrontDesk Pro costs €39/month per property, not per room: your bill doesn't grow as you do.
In Italy these are legal requirements, so any PMS sold there covers them. In FrontDesk they're included in the single plan, no add-on.
This gap is real and worth saying plainly: FrontDesk only syncs via public iCal feeds (Booking.com, Airbnb, VRBO), with no certified two-way connection. If you sell on many OTAs and need automatic rate push, a commercial channel manager does a job FrontDesk doesn't do today.
FrontDesk gives every property a public direct-booking page (real availability, prices, and requests that land in your quotes) that you can link from your website or social profiles. It isn't yet a widget you embed on your own site, and guests can't pay online yet: those come later.
The FrontDesk demo is online with sample data and asks for nothing: /demo. No forms, no calls.
Octorate publishes the price of its Basic plan; PMS Cloud sits in the Pro and Ultimate plans, both "price on request". FrontDesk has one price, and it's on /pricing.
Octorate includes 7/7 support even on its base plan. FrontDesk currently offers email support only.
When Octorate makes sense
- • Your priority is selling on many OTAs, with direct connections and a linked booking engine.
- • You want phone support that's staffed every day.
- • You need add-on modules — metasearch, website, business intelligence — under a single contract.
When FrontDesk makes sense
- • Your problem is running the property (planner, folio, housekeeping, compliance), not distribution.
- • You want to know what you'll spend before asking for a quote, and you want it to stay the same as you add rooms.
- • You want to start free, today, with no time-limited trial and no credit card.
Frequently asked questions
Does Octorate really cost €8 per room?
€8 per room per month is the public price of the Basic plan, as shown on the official pricing page on September 19, 2026. The plan that includes PMS Cloud (Pro) is listed as "price on request": you need a quote for it, and it depends on modules, units and connected channels.
Can I use FrontDesk alongside a channel manager?
Yes. FrontDesk imports and exports iCal calendars, so it works alongside any tool that exposes an iCal feed. It isn't the same as a certified two-way connection, but for many small properties selling on two or three channels it's enough.
How is their trial different from FrontDesk's?
FrontDesk also comes with a 14-day trial, with every feature and no credit card. At the end you choose whether to continue at a flat €39/month per property; there is no automatic charge, because we never asked for a card.
See it before you decide
The demo is online with a sample hotel's data: no forms, no sales calls, no credit card.