In short: two routes to a cloud PMS
Apaleo describes itself as an “API-first” platform for the hospitality industry. The core covers inventory, reservations, rate management, accounting and payments. Everything else, such as a channel manager, booking engine or guest app, you choose from the Apaleo Store, which according to the pricing page offers more than 200 apps and integrations. Apaleo names hotel chains and groups, independent hotels and serviced apartments as its target groups.
STRYK takes the opposite route: the key building blocks of a small or mid-sized hotel are already built in and share one room inventory, one guest database and one invoice. If you have little time for selecting systems and coordinating between vendors, you work in one program from day one.
| Criterion |  STRYK | Apaleo |
|---|---|---|
| Head office | Salzburg | Munich |
| Target group | Hotels, guesthouses and aparthotels with roughly 5 to 80 rooms | Hotel chains and groups, independent hotels, serviced apartments |
| Public price | €59 base price plus €6 per room per month, net, billed annually | €8 per room per month, from €400 per month |
| Set-up fee | None | No set-up, licence, maintenance or integration fees |
| Channel manager | Yes, in the core price | Via partner apps from the Apaleo Store |
| Booking engine | Built in, in the core price | Via partner apps from the Apaleo Store |
| Online check-in and kiosk | Both separate modules, included in the core price | Via partner apps; not mentioned for the core |
| Payments | Online payments | Own payment processing Apaleo Pay, online from 0.6% |
| Interfaces | Documented POS interface, no general open PMS API | Extensive public APIs at no extra charge |
| Languages | Interface, booking engine, guest pages and documents in 18 languages | Invoice language adjustable; interface languages not publicly stated |
| Trial and contract | 14-day free trial | Free trial with no stated length; full version at least 12 months according to the terms and conditions |
What a hotel with 10, 25 and 50 rooms pays
Both vendors publish their price, so an honest calculation is possible here. Apaleo charges €8 per room per month, but at least €400 per month. The minimum charge therefore applies to every property with up to 50 rooms. STRYK charges a €59 base price plus €6 per room per month, excl. VAT, billed annually; billed monthly, both amounts are 20% higher.
What matters is what the amount includes. With STRYK, the booking engine, gift voucher sales and POS interface are included, online check-in and kiosk as separate modules; the channel manager is included in the STRYK core price. With Apaleo, the channel manager, booking engine and guest functions are added as partner apps at their own prices. These prices are not on the Apaleo pricing page, so we do not include them here and do not estimate them either.
| Rooms | STRYK, billed annually | STRYK, billed monthly | Apaleo according to pricing page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | €119 | €142.80 | €400 (minimum charge; 10 × €8 = €80) |
| 25 | €209 | €250.80 | €400 (minimum charge; 25 × €8 = €200) |
| 50 | €359 | €430.80 | €400 (50 × €8) |
Where Apaleo is strong
Apaleo’s greatest strength is openness. According to the pricing page, booking, finance, payment, distribution, profile, inventory and rate APIs, webhooks and UI integration are included at no extra charge. If you have your own IT or an integration partner, you can connect your own applications and choose whichever app you like best for each task.
For groups, Apaleo offers a single login for all properties, creation of new properties from templates and a shared view of the data across all properties. According to the vendor, accounting works in real time with double-entry bookkeeping, and besides rooms you can also sell long stays, meeting rooms, beds or parking spaces.
Apaleo is early on AI: the “Copilot” handles tasks such as checking arrivals, assigning rooms or planning housekeeping through a chat window, the “Agent Hub” collects AI solutions from partners, and an MCP server gives AI agents direct access to hotel data. Add to that its own payment processing and a pricing model without set-up, licence or integration fees.
Where STRYK is strong
STRYK is complete hotel software for reception, direct booking and invoicing from day one. Connect Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb and other channels to STRYK. Manage rates and availability centrally and handle OTA reservations in the calendar. Bookings from connected OTAs land directly in the calendar, and overbooking protection covers every route through which bookings come in.
The booking engine runs on your own subdomain or domain, with extras, online payment and confirmation including PDF. Online check-in and the self check-in kiosk capture registration details, ID and signature; the kiosk shows the room number or a stored key safe code. For Austria, STRYK monitors the 24-hour deadline for guest registration and creates the export for the registration system.
In finance, invoices are created directly from the booking, numbered without gaps and unchangeable once issued, along with credit notes, a tourist tax return, e-invoicing, bank import via CAMT or CSV and a tax advisor package (DATEV, BMD, CSV, Excel). The interface, booking engine, guest pages and documents are available in 18 languages, and users are unlimited.
Hotel software should feel good to use. STRYK pairs a modern, clear interface with everyday reception tasks: editing calendar bookings, checking room status and opening guest details directly. Consistent controls across pricing, housekeeping and billing make moving between departments feel familiar.
How to switch from Apaleo to STRYK
A switch can be planned if you tie it to a cut-over date and test thoroughly beforehand. STRYK takes over data from structured CSV, Excel or ZIP packages and provides its own Excel templates. Every import first runs as a test run with a check report that names the row, field and problem. Also think about the apps you use with Apaleo: for each one, clarify whether STRYK handles the task itself or whether you still need it.
The process in six steps
- 01Take stock
List rooms, categories, rates, active portals and every app from the Apaleo Store you use today. Check the notice period of your Apaleo contract.
- 02Export data
Export rooms, guests and future bookings from Apaleo. Agree the best route with Apaleo or your integration partner, for example via the APIs.
- 03Test run in STRYK
After accepting the terms and the data processing agreement, import the data in a test run first. The check report shows duplicates, missing fields and incomplete bookings before anything goes live.
- 04Check in parallel
During the 14-day trial, run through typical cases with sample data: arrival, room move, invoice and end-of-day closing.
- 05Set the cut-over date
Choose a quiet day. On the cut-over date, future bookings are finally taken over and the portals confirmed for your property are activated in the STRYK channel manager.
- 06Close out the old system
Archive your previous data and invoices for the retention requirements, and cancel apps you no longer need.
The questions that decide
In the end, it is not the longer feature list that decides, but the question of who holds your system together. With Apaleo, that is you, your IT or a partner. With STRYK, it is the vendor.
No general, publicly documented PMS API; what is publicly described is the POS interface for restaurant, bar or spa
Checklist for your decision
- Do you have your own IT or an integration partner who selects, connects and maintains apps?
- Do you want to choose a specialised vendor each for the channel manager, booking engine and online check-in, or have everything in one system?
- How many rooms do you have? Below 50 rooms, you pay Apaleo’s minimum charge of €400 per month.
- What share of your revenue do guests pay online, and what payment fees apply in each case?
- Do you need features for several properties with a shared view of the data?
- Which contract term and notice period fit your planning?
- Do you need Austrian guest registration and a tourist tax return directly in the system?
