Airbnb Bookkeeping Software 2026: Baselane vs. Stessa
Host Camp has a referral partnership with Baselane. If you sign up through our links, Host Camp may earn a commission at no cost to you.
If you run 1 or more Airbnb listings and want books that produce a Schedule E report, 2 of the 4 tools below publish that report on their own pricing pages. Baselane includes it on its free Core plan. Stessa includes it on its Manage plan at $12 a month, paid annually. QuickBooks Online does not list a Schedule E report on its pricing page, and Tallybreeze is a connector that sends Airbnb data into QuickBooks or Xero. The tools differ most on how they bring in Airbnb data.
Why the Books Have to Split by Property
The 2025 Schedule E instructions tell you to “Use a separate column (A, B, or C) for each rental property.” Every dollar of rent and every expense has to be assigned to 1 property before it reaches the form. The same instructions say: “You must keep records to support items reported on Schedule E in case the IRS has questions about them.” Without those records, the instructions say, you may owe additional tax and penalties.
A bookkeeping tool has 3 jobs: Bring in your income and expenses, tag each one to a property, and keep the receipt that supports it. Without property tagging, you split the totals by hand at tax time.
Schedule E is the default form for a rental. Some short-term rentals (STRs) go on Schedule C instead. Our Schedule E vs. Schedule C post explains the test. A Schedule E report helps only if your rental goes on Schedule E.
The Comparison Table
Listed alphabetically, each figure from the vendor’s own page. “Not published” means the page does not state it.
Tallybreeze was formerly Bnbtally. It does not replace an accounting system. It sends each reservation’s figures into QuickBooks or Xero, which its page calls the “supreme record of truth.”
What the Airbnb Connection Does in Each Tool
Baselane’s short-term rental page says you can “Connect Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com for next-day payouts organized by listing.” The page groups payouts by listing. Baselane does not publish a reservation-level split of a payout into its parts.
Tallybreeze works at the reservation level. Its page says it will “allocate revenue, taxes, host fees, cleaning fees, commissions, trust accounts and more” and “Automate payout reconciliation.” That is the only tool of the 4 that publishes a fee-by-fee split of Airbnb data. It costs a QuickBooks or Xero subscription on top of its own.
Stessa and QuickBooks publish no Airbnb import. Stessa lists automated bank data feeds, so an Airbnb payout arrives there as a deposit like any other.
Baselane also provides the bank accounts, through Thread Bank, and our Baselane partner page describes the partnership. We compare it with other banks for hosts in the best banks for Airbnb hosts.
The Running Example
As an example only, take a host with 2 Airbnb cabins who wants a per-property report and a Schedule E report at tax time. Here is the published subscription cost for a year:
- Baselane Core: $0. Smart, which adds auto-tagging and receipt matching, is $240 on the annual plan.
- Stessa Manage: $144 paid annually, or $180 paid monthly.
- QuickBooks Online Plus, the first tier that lists class tracking: $1,680 at list price.
- QuickBooks Online Plus with Tallybreeze for 2 listings: $1,680 plus $384, or $2,064 at list price.
The gap is $2,064 between the cheapest and the most expensive. QuickBooks with Tallybreeze is the only priced setup here that publishes a split of each reservation into revenue, taxes, and fees. Tallybreeze also works with Xero, but this post does not price Xero. Baselane and Stessa leave that split to you or your accountant.
Pick by Situation
- Pick Baselane Core if you want a Schedule E report and property-level tracking for $0 and you are willing to tag transactions yourself. Auto-tagging needs Smart.
- Pick Stessa Manage if you want a Schedule E report and already bank elsewhere. Stessa’s banking page also offers accounts, but its software brings in transactions from banks you connect.
- Pick QuickBooks Online Plus if your accountant already works in QuickBooks, or you run other business activity through the same books.
- Add Tallybreeze to QuickBooks or Xero if you have several listings, or a PMS such as Guesty or HostAway, and want each reservation split into revenue, taxes, and fees.
Host Camp partner: Open a Baselane account through Host Camp.
Before You Sign Up
- Ask your accountant which format they want. A Schedule E report helps only if your rental goes on Schedule E, and some accountants prefer a QuickBooks or Xero file.
- Check how many receipts you capture a month. Stessa’s Essentials and Manage plans scan 5 a month.
- Confirm the price on the day you sign up. Baselane publishes Smart’s price only on an annual plan, and QuickBooks shows a 3-month discount whose terms its pricing page does not print in full.
For related reading, see Airbnb Tax Deductions and Should Your Airbnb Be in an LLC?.
What to Decide Before You Pay
Schedule E wants 1 column per property, so the tool you pay for has to tag every transaction to a property. In our example, the free Baselane plan and the $144 Stessa plan both publish a Schedule E report, and the $2,064 QuickBooks setup is the only one that splits each reservation. Before you compare prices, decide whether you need that reservation-level split or a property-level total. Book a free strategy call and we will look at your numbers with you.
Host Camp is not a licensed tax, legal, or financial adviser. Confirm figures for your situation with a professional.
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