Best PG Management Software in India: Fees, Limits, WhatsApp and Payments Compared

Most “best PG software” lists are written by a vendor and end with that vendor at number one. This one is also written by a vendor, so instead of a ranking it gives you the evidence: the same criteria for every product, filled from official pages, and a short test you can run before you move real tenants. If you are still deciding whether you need an app at all, start with PG management app vs Excel.

How we compared PG management software

These criteria were fixed before any product was filled in. They are the questions that decide whether a PG, hostel or co-living owner can actually run the property on the software.

The seven options in this comparison

• EasyAavaas: free Android and iOS app for PG, hostel, co-living and shared rental rooms; tenants pay owners directly.
• ManagR (managr.in): free web and WhatsApp software for PGs, hostels, co-living and rental flats, built by BedR India.
• RentOk (rentok.com): subscription software for co-living, hostels, PGs, flats and studios, with many add-on services.
• PGTracker (pgtracker.in): tiered plans for PG and hostel operators, with a free plan for one small property.
• KwikPG (kwikpg.com): one flat monthly plan for PGs, hostels and co-living, with mess tools.
• HostOps (hostops.in): per-property plans across hotels, hostels, guest houses, PGs, co-living and more.
• 1Stay PMS (pms.1stay.in): free to start, with flat paid plans later, for PGs, hostels and co-living.

We left out tools whose terms were not yet settled. For example, PGly’s site says its dashboard is in early access and “pricing hasn’t been finalised yet” (pgly.in). We also left out hotel systems and college ERPs, which solve different problems.

Owner fees and free-plan conditions

“Free” means four different things in PG software. A free owner subscription stays at ₹0 with no time limit. A restricted free plan is ₹0 until you cross a cap on beds or properties. A free trial is full access for a fixed period, after which you pay. Free to start lets you begin at ₹0 with an upgrade whose price may not be published. The table shows which one each product offers.

To turn these prices into a yearly figure for your own beds, including GST, payment charges and message packs, use the worksheet in free vs paid PG management software. Everything EasyAavaas includes at ₹0 is on the pricing page.

How rent is paid: direct to the owner or through a payment link

This is the difference owners notice most after switching. In one model, tenants keep paying you directly and the software keeps the record. In the other, the software sends a payment link, a payment gateway processes the money and the app marks the rent paid on its own.

Who benefits from a payment link? Owners whose tenants mostly pay online and who want payments marked automatically, without typing them in. Ask who pays the gateway charge, when money reaches your bank, and what happens on a chargeback. Who benefits from direct payments? Owners with cash-paying tenants, owners who do not want a gateway between tenant and bank, and anyone who wants tenants to keep paying the way they do today. The cost is that someone confirms each payment. The rent management page shows how EasyAavaas handles that.

WhatsApp: reminders, assistants and message charges

Almost every PG tool now mentions WhatsApp, but it can mean three different things: automatic reminders sent to tenants, a chat assistant the owner can question, or templates you send yourself. Message charges also differ.

For the full list of what the EasyAavaas assistant answers and changes, with chat screens, see WhatsApp PG management. To get it, set up your property in the app and message the team on WhatsApp at +91 78787 65818; automatic reminders work without it.

Devices, staff access and setup

Property types and modules beyond the basics

Where each option fits

• EasyAavaas may suit a solo owner or small team running PGs, hostels or co-living from their phones, whose tenants pay directly (including cash), and who want ₹0 with no bed cap, WhatsApp reminders and staff permissions.
• ManagR may suit owners who want ₹0 software and online UPI collection with automatic matching, prefer a web dashboard or WhatsApp, or want portal leads and digital agreements.
• RentOk may suit operators who want one paid suite covering leads, a property website, autopay, attendance and food menus, and are comfortable agreeing a subscription with sales.
• PGTracker may suit a single PG of up to 30 beds that wants a free plan with a daily priority list, with published tiers to move up to.
• KwikPG may suit hostels and co-living operators who want mess tools, WhatsApp bills and receipts, and data entry done for them, at one flat price.
• HostOps may suit owners running several kinds of property, or wanting a booking website and Excel import, at a per-property price.
• 1Stay PMS may suit student hostels that need gate and mess modules, offline use or DigiLocker KYC.

Test any PG management app with your own records

A feature list cannot tell you how an app feels on a busy rent day. Before moving all your tenants, run this test on a copy of one floor, with invented tenant names. It takes about half an hour per app.

1. Create the property with floors, rooms and a mix of single and shared beds.
2. Add one tenant with rent, deposit and joining date, and upload an ID document.
3. Record a part payment in cash, then submit a UPI payment with a screenshot as the tenant would.
4. Send a rent reminder and read the exact WhatsApp message the tenant receives.
5. Raise a complaint with a photo, assign it, and close it.
6. Add a manager or warden with limited access, log in as them and check what they can see.
7. Pull a month-end report and check the totals against your own register.
8. Find out how you would get your data out if you leave.

Where EasyAavaas fits, and where it does not

EasyAavaas is PG management software built for the owner who runs 10 to 60 beds alone and grows into staff and more buildings. It is free forever for owners, staff and tenants, with no limit on properties or beds. It keeps rooms and beds, tenant records and documents, rent records with payment proof, automatic WhatsApp reminders, complaints, notices, deposits and move-out checks in one Android and iOS app.

It is not the right fit if you need online rent collection through a gateway, rent receipt PDFs, an owner web dashboard, Excel import, mess or attendance tools, or a lead inbox. Two side-by-side pages go deeper: EasyAavaas vs ManagR and EasyAavaas vs RentOk.