TapStay vs Duve: Which Guest Experience Tool Fits Your Vacation Rental?
Duve is a hospitality guest-experience platform with online check-in, a communications suite and upsells, published with monthly package minimums. TapStay is a lighter guest layer that is free during its Early Pilot.
Last reviewed: August 22, 2026
TapStay vs Duve: quick answer
Duve is a hospitality guest-experience platform: its Basic package covers online check-in and a branded web guest app from a $120/month minimum, Pro adds a communication suite from $150/month, and Premium adds upsells and ecommerce from $200/month, with Enterprise on request. It also advertises DuveAI, mobile keys, room directories and digital menus. TapStay is a narrower guest layer — a mobile-first portal with the digital guidebook and an AI Concierge inside it — and it is completely free during its Early Pilot, with full access and no credit card required. Duve fits operations that need check-in and communications workflows; TapStay fits hosts who want the in-stay layer without package minimums.
Which one fits the job you need done?
Choose TapStay if…
You want the guest information layer free during the Early Pilot, with tap access via an official NFC plaque after the pilot.
Choose Duve if…
You need online check-in, a communications suite across SMS and WhatsApp, mobile keys, digital menus or upsells across a hotel-style operation.
Biggest difference
Duve is a broad hospitality platform priced as monthly packages with minimums. TapStay is a focused guest layer that is free during the Early Pilot.
What each one actually costs.
TapStay during the Early Pilot
Free during the Early Pilot
Full access. Unlimited properties. No credit card required. Free through January 1, 2027.
No feature tiers, no per-booking fees, no guest fees and no AI-question fees.
TapStay is completely free during the Early Pilot. No credit card is required. After the pilot, you’ll choose which properties stay active; your first active property will remain free forever. We’ll give hosts advance notice before any paid pricing takes effect.
Duve pricing
Duve: Basic from $120/mo, Pro from $150/mo, Premium from $200/mo
- Basic — online check-in and Guest App, minimum package $120/month.
- Pro — Basic plus the communication suite, minimum package $150/month.
- Premium — Pro plus upsells, minimum package $200/month.
- Enterprise — contact Duve.
- TapStay at 25 active properties costs nothing during the Early Pilot — unlimited properties, full access, no credit card.
Reviewed August 22, 2026; Duve pricing can vary by region and quote. The scopes differ — Duve includes check-in, communications and hotel workflows that TapStay does not.
TapStay vs Duve, feature by feature.
Where a capability has nuance we describe it rather than reducing it to a tick. Where a vendor does not publish something, we say so instead of guessing.
| Capability | TapStay | Duve |
|---|---|---|
| Product shape | ||
| Primary product focus | Guest-experience layer: guest portal, digital guidebook and AI Concierge | Hospitality guest-experience platform (hotels and short-term rentals) |
| Guest-facing portal / app | Yes — mobile-first web portal per stay | Yes — branded web Guest App, one link, no app store or password |
| Dedicated digital guidebook | Yes — the guidebook is the knowledge layer of the portal | Partial — room directory and guest information rather than a named guidebook product |
| Browser-based / no guest app install | Yes — no app, no guest account | Yes — web app, no app store install |
| AI | ||
| AI guest Q&A / concierge | Yes — in-portal AI Concierge grounded in the host's saved content | Yes — DuveAI advertised |
| AI messaging / inbox automation | Not currently a core feature | Yes — communication hub and automations on Pro |
| Operations | ||
| Host unified inbox | Not currently a core feature | Yes — communication hub on Pro |
| Online check-in / guest verification | Partial — time-gated arrival and access details; no ID verification | Yes — online check-in is a Basic feature |
| Smart-lock / mobile-key integration | Not currently a core feature | Yes — mobile keys advertised |
| PMS / channel management | Not currently a core feature — TapStay sits alongside your PMS | Not sold as a PMS; integrates into hospitality stacks |
| Guest content | ||
| Local recommendations | Yes — nearby places in the portal alongside host picks | Not specifically stated in reviewed pages |
| Multilingual guest content | Partial — guest portal interface adapts; host content is written by the host | Not specifically stated in reviewed pages |
| Custom branding | Partial — property cover, gallery and theme; TapStay-branded shell | Yes — hotel branding and branded guest app |
| Access | ||
| QR access | Yes — share by link or printable QR | Not specifically stated in reviewed pages |
| Native NFC physical plaque | Yes — official NFC plaque; ordering opens after the Early Pilot | No native physical plaque found in current public product documentation |
| Revenue | ||
| Upsells / ecommerce | Not currently a core feature | Yes — upsells and ecommerce on Premium |
| Pricing | ||
| Pricing transparency | Yes — completely free during the Early Pilot; hosts get advance notice before any paid pricing takes effect | Yes — published package minimums, quote may vary |
| Starting recurring cost | $0 — free during the Early Pilot: full access, unlimited properties, no card | From $120/month minimum package (Basic) |
| Per-booking / transaction fees | None — no per-booking, guest or AI-question fees | Not publicly stated in reviewed pages |
| Hardware included | Official NFC plaque — ordering opens after the Early Pilot | No native physical plaque found in current public product documentation |
Scroll the table sideways on a phone. Product capabilities and pricing change — check each vendor’s current documentation before deciding.
Where Duve is stronger
- Online check-in and checkout coordination as core, first-class features.
- A communication hub with automations, workflows, SMS and WhatsApp on Pro.
- Upsells and ecommerce on Premium.
- Mobile keys, room directory and digital menus / mobile ordering for hospitality operations.
- Segmentation, analytics and hotel-grade branding.
Where TapStay is stronger
- A guest-experience layer instead of a full PMS — there is very little to configure before guests benefit.
- Completely free during the TapStay Early Pilot: full access, unlimited properties, no credit card required.
- After the pilot, your first active property remains free forever, with the complete feature set and no credit card.
- No per-booking fees, no guest fees and no AI-question fees.
- Tap, QR or link access to the same portal — nothing for guests to install.
- An official NFC plaque as the physical way in — ordering opens after the Early Pilot.
- An in-portal AI Concierge grounded strictly in the host's own saved content, which says it does not know rather than inventing a policy.
More detail on each piece: the guest portal, the digital guidebook and the AI Concierge.
Match the tool to how you actually host.
Pick TapStay when…
- You are a vacation-rental host, not a hotel operation.
- You want no package minimum — TapStay is free during the Early Pilot.
- You want the guest layer free on every property during the Early Pilot.
- You want physical tap access via an official NFC plaque — ordering opens after the Early Pilot.
Pick Duve when…
- Online check-in is a requirement, not a nice-to-have.
- You need guest messaging across SMS and WhatsApp with workflows.
- You sell upsells or run mobile ordering in-property.
- You operate at a scale where a $120+/month package minimum is normal.
Still deciding on the category rather than the vendor? Read digital guidebook vs guest portal and whether a PMS covers guest communication, or browse all TapStay alternatives.
Sources & methodology
Competitor information reviewed from official public product and pricing pages on August 22, 2026. Product capabilities and pricing can change.
TapStay is an independent product. Duve is referenced for comparison only; no affiliation or endorsement is implied.
TapStay vs Duve: common questions.
Start with your first property free — forever.
The complete feature set — guest portal, digital guidebook and AI Concierge — on your first active property, with no credit card.
