Here's the unusual part of this comparison: Staykey runs on Home Assistant. So this isn't "our platform vs Home Assistant" — it's "do you want to build and maintain your own access automations on Home Assistant, or run Staykey as the maintained layer on top of the same platform?" If you're a tinkerer with one or two properties and you enjoy the build, rolling your own is genuinely a great option. If you'd rather the booking sync, guest portal, cleaner access, and ongoing upkeep be someone else's job, Staykey is the layer that saves you the maintenance. This guide is an honest build-vs-buy.
DIY Home Assistant vs Staykey at a glance
| DIY Home Assistant | Staykey (on Home Assistant) | |
|---|---|---|
| Software cost | Free, open-source | Flat per-property: $15/mo (ProHost $25/mo) |
| Runs on | Home Assistant + your hub | Home Assistant + your hub (same stack) |
| Booking sync | You build it (iCal parsing, edge cases) | Built-in Airbnb / VRBO calendar sync |
| Per-stay codes | You script the logic and schedules | Automatic from each booking |
| Guest portal | You build and host it | Single guest link per stay, no app/account |
| Cleaning/turnover | You build it | Booking-aware cleaner access; ProHost adds crew mgmt |
| Maintenance | Yours — firmware, API, feed changes | Maintained for you |
| Reliability | Local-first (you configure it) | Local-first, configured and tested |
| Best for | Tinkerers who enjoy the build, 1–2 properties | Hosts who'd rather not maintain it; growing portfolios |
The honest point: both run on the same engine. The difference is who does the work.
What "DIY Home Assistant" actually involves
Home Assistant is powerful and free, and for a capable tinkerer you can get a long way. But it's worth being clear-eyed about the full scope of a real DIY access setup:
- Booking ingestion. You parse the iCal feed from Airbnb and VRBO, handle timezone and check-in/checkout-hour edge cases, and deal with bookings that move or cancel.
- Code lifecycle automations. You script code creation at the right offset before check-in, removal after checkout, and cleanup of stragglers — per lock, per property.
- A guest experience. If you want guests to see their code and check-in info, you build and host that yourself (a Lovelace view, a custom page, or a third-party add-on you then maintain).
- Cleaner access. Recurring or booking-triggered codes for turnover staff, which you also script.
- Ongoing maintenance. Lock firmware updates, integration changes, and Airbnb feed quirks break things periodically. With DIY, you're on call for all of it.
If that list sounds like a fun weekend project, DIY is for you. If it sounds like a second job, keep reading.
Cost: free software vs your time
The software is the easy part of the cost conversation. Home Assistant is free and open-source, and you buy a hub once either way — Staykey uses the same hardware.
The real cost of DIY is your time: the hours to build the automations, plus the recurring hours to keep them running when something upstream changes. Staykey is a flat $15/mo per property ($25/mo for ProHost) precisely to absorb that. You're not paying for Home Assistant — you already have it. You're paying so the booking sync, guest portal, cleaner access, and maintenance aren't your problem. For one property where you enjoy the tinkering, that may not be worth it. Across a growing portfolio, the time saved usually clears $15/month easily. See the pricing page.
Reliability: same foundation, different effort
Both approaches are local-first, because both run on Home Assistant — codes live on the lock and automations execute on the hub in the property, surviving internet and cloud outages. That's the architecture we chose Home Assistant for, explained in why we built Staykey on Home Assistant.
The difference is who makes sure it stays that way. With DIY, you configure the local execution, test the failure modes, and confirm a guest can still get in when the Wi-Fi drops. With Staykey, that local-first behavior is configured and tested for you. Same foundation, very different amount of effort to trust it.
Ecosystem: identical underneath
There's nothing to separate here, and that's the point. Both give you the full Home Assistant ecosystem — Z-Wave, Zigbee, Matter, most Wi-Fi locks, and 1,000+ integrations for thermostats, sensors, and more. There's no lock-in either way: the hub and integrations are yours. Because Staykey sits on the same stack, you can start DIY and adopt Staykey later (or vice versa) without throwing away hardware or integrations.
When DIY Home Assistant is the better choice
We genuinely recommend rolling your own when:
- You enjoy the build. If configuring automations is a hobby, not a chore, that changes the whole calculation.
- You have one or two properties. The maintenance load is small enough to absorb yourself.
- You want total control over every automation and aren't bothered by maintaining it.
- Your needs are simple and stable — a couple of locks, no turnover crew, no guest-portal requirement.
- You have the time to fix things when a firmware update or feed change breaks an automation.
If that's you, Home Assistant is a fantastic platform and you'll have a great setup. Staykey will still be here on the same stack if the maintenance ever stops being fun.
When Staykey is the better choice
Staykey is the better fit when:
- You'd rather not maintain it. The booking sync, guest portal, and integration upkeep become someone else's job.
- Your portfolio is growing. Per-property automation and a guest portal at scale is a lot to hand-roll.
- You want a guest portal out of the box — one link per stay, no building or hosting.
- You manage turnovers and want booking-aware cleaner access without scripting it (ProHost adds crew management).
- Your time is worth more than $15/month spent rebuilding what already exists.
If you recognize yourself there, Staykey is the layer that lets you keep Home Assistant's openness without the upkeep. For related build-vs-buy angles, see Staykey vs Seam and Staykey vs RemoteLock.
Try it before you commit
Because Staykey runs on the same Home Assistant you'd DIY on, trying it costs you nothing but a connection. Staykey offers a free 30-day trial — point it at your existing hub and locks, connect a calendar, and see the booking sync, guest portal, and per-stay codes work without you scripting a thing. No surprise charges, cancel anytime, and your hardware stays yours. When you're ready, start your trial.