The Stessa alternative built for STR hosts.
Stessa is solid for basic rental tracking, but it was built for long-term landlords, not short-term rental operators. If you manage turnovers, coordinate cleaners, and deal with nightly rates, Stessa leaves too much on the table.
Stessa was built for landlords. Not for you.
Stessa does a decent job tracking rental income and expenses for buy-and-hold investors. If you operate short-term rentals, here’s what you’re missing.
No property operations
Stessa tracks finances but nothing else. No service tracking, no contractor management, no document storage, no maintenance logs, no inventory. Your STR operations still live in texts and spreadsheets.
No real AI receipt scanning
Stessa uses third-party Veryfi for receipt scanning, but it lacks the built-in AI categorization that maps expenses directly to Schedule E line items. Lodgic’s AI reads any receipt in seconds and suggests a suggested IRS category automatically.
No monthly book closing
Stessa has no concept of closing a period. Books stay open indefinitely and there’s no guided process to review and lock your numbers month by month. You’re always in reactive mode.
Long-term rental focus
Stessa’s categories, workflows, and reporting are designed around long-term rental investors. Nightly pricing, turnover costs, OTA fee splits, and STR-specific tax treatment aren’t first-class features.
Everything Stessa tracks, plus the back-office it doesn’t.
Lodgic Books covers all the financial tracking Stessa does. But Lodgic Manage adds the operational layer Stessa completely ignores: contractors, maintenance, documents, loans, inventory, and a knowledge base per property.
- ✓Service & maintenance history per property
- ✓Contractor contacts, ratings, and service records
- ✓Document storage with automatic expiry alerts
- ✓Loan and mortgage tracking with amortization
- ✓Inventory and furnishings log per property
Snap a photo. Done. Stessa can’t do this.
Stessa uses third-party Veryfi for receipt scanning. Lodgic’s built-in AI is purpose-built for STR expenses and auto-suggests IRS Schedule E categories specific to rental hosts. Lodgic’s AI reads any receipt in seconds: vendor, amount, date, and a suggested IRS category extracted automatically. Log a Home Depot receipt from the parking lot before you drive home.
- ✓AI extracts all receipt details in seconds
- ✓Automatic IRS Schedule E category suggestion
- ✓Digital archive, every receipt always searchable
- ✓Unlimited scans on all paid plans
Lodgic vs. Stessa.
A direct feature comparison across the things that matter most to STR hosts.
| Feature | ✦ Lodgic | Stessa |
|---|---|---|
| Bookkeeping | ||
| STR-specific IRS Schedule E categories | ✓ Built in | General rental |
| AI receipt scanning | ✓ Full AI | Third-party (Veryfi) |
| Per-property P&L reports | ✓ | ✓ |
| Monthly book closing checklist | ✓ Guided | ✕ |
| Transaction auto-categorization | ✓ | ✓ |
| CPA-ready reports | ✓ | ✓ |
| Schedule E tax worksheet | ✓ | ✕ |
| Property Operations | ||
| Service & maintenance tracking | ✓ | ✓ Basic |
| Contractor management | ✓ | ✕ |
| Document storage with alerts | ✓ | ✕ |
| Loan & mortgage tracking | ✓ | Basic |
| Inventory & furnishings log | ✓ | ✕ |
| Knowledge base per property | ✓ | ✕ |
| Manage includes all Books features | ✓ | ✕ |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | ✓ Forever | Limited |
| Starting paid price | $8/mo | $12/mo |
| No credit card to start | ✓ | ✓ |
| Built specifically for STR hosts | ✓ 100% | General rental |
Who should use which.
We’ll be straight with you. Stessa isn’t bad software. It’s just not built for STR hosts.
Choose Lodgic if you…
- Operate short-term rentals on Airbnb, VRBO, or direct booking
- Want bookkeeping AND property operations in one platform
- Need AI receipt scanning from your phone in the field
- Want IRS Schedule E categories built in from day one
- Want guided monthly book closing to stay organized year-round
- Manage contractors, maintenance, and documents per property
Stessa might work if you…
- Primarily manage long-term rentals with stable monthly income
- Only need basic income and expense tracking
- Already have a separate property management system you’re happy with
- Don’t need receipt scanning or property operations tools
- Are a passive investor who doesn’t self-manage
See how Lodgic compares to others.
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