- What the Free Scan Includes
- How a StayMatch Scan Actually Works
- What the Free Scan Doesn't Include
- When to Upgrade (and Which Plan Fits)
- Why StayMatch Works Differently Than Platform Search
- Who Gets the Most Out of It
- FAQs
You already know where you're going. You just need the right place to stay. The problem is that Airbnb and Booking.com hand you 200 results, a handful of blunt filters, and a star rating that tells you almost nothing about whether the desk is actually usable or the street goes quiet before midnight.
That's exactly what StayMatch was built for. Here's what the free scan includes, how the whole process works, and how to figure out whether a paid plan makes sense for how often you travel.
What the Free Scan Includes
This isn't a stripped-down preview. The free scan is the full product — one scan, no credit card required.
Here's what it does:
- Scans Airbnb and Booking.com at the same time. One query, two platforms. No tab-switching.
- Reads guest reviews for the signals that matter. Noise complaints, workspace feedback, cleanliness patterns — the stuff that gets buried under a 4.7-star average.
- Inspects listing photos. The AI goes through gallery images and captions looking for details standard filters miss, like whether the "desk" is a real work surface or a decorative side table pushed against a wall.
- Applies your filters. You get access to 18+ smart filters built around how travelers actually think: quiet, natural light, walkable to a gym or supermarket, desk quality, and more.
- Returns a ranked shortlist. Not 200 results. A curated list of top matches based on your priorities, with tradeoffs surfaced so you can compare with confidence.
The free scan pulls from the same 400,000+ listings across 190+ countries that paid plans access. You're not searching a reduced dataset.
How a StayMatch Scan Actually Works
The whole process takes a few minutes, not a few hours.
Step 1: Set your priorities
You tell StayMatch what matters to you. This isn't a keyword search box — you're selecting filters that reflect real stay-quality criteria: how quiet you need it, whether you need a proper desk, how close to a supermarket, what kind of natural light you want. These are the things that actually make or break a stay.
Step 2: StayMatch reads the evidence
This is where it does the work you'd otherwise spend an hour doing yourself. It mines guest reviews for signals that don't show up in star ratings — things like "the street was loud until 2am" or "the desk was tiny and wobbly." It also inspects listing photos to check what the host claims against what past guests actually experienced.
Review confidence scoring adds another layer. If a listing has 4 reviews and one mentions noise, that's a very different signal than 80 reviews consistently flagging the same issue. StayMatch surfaces how reliable the evidence is, not just what it says.
Step 3: You get a shortlist, not a feed
Instead of scrolling a ranked feed optimized for platform conversion, you get 5 to 10 curated matches that already reflect your priorities. Each result shows you the tradeoffs, so you're comparing real fits — not opening tabs to figure out why a listing looked good on paper but doesn't actually work for you.
What the Free Scan Doesn’t Include
One scan means one query. Comparing two cities, adjusting your filters and searching again, or running a different date range each uses another scan.
The free tier gives you enough to see exactly how the product works and whether it saves you time. It's not built for ongoing use across multiple trips — that's what the paid plans are for.
When to Upgrade (and Which Plan Fits)
If you travel more than once or twice a year, the math on a paid plan is pretty simple.
| Plan | Price | Scans | Matches per Scan |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-Day Pass | $10 | 3 scans | Up to 10 |
| Explorer | $20/month | 6 scans | Up to 5 |
| Traveler | $30/month | 12 scans | Up to 10 |
| Power Planner | $50/month | 25 scans | Up to 10 |
One-Day Pass is the right call if you're planning one trip and want to run a few variations without committing to a monthly plan. Three scans in 24 hours, no recurring billing.
Explorer suits leisure travelers booking 3 to 6 trips a year. Six scans per month covers most planning cycles, and annual billing saves 58%.
Traveler is where most digital nomads land. Twelve scans per month gives you room to search multiple cities, adjust criteria mid-trip, and re-scan when plans shift. At 44% annual savings, it's the most practical option for anyone relocating monthly or quarterly.
Power Planner fits frequent movers, travel planners, or anyone managing accommodation search for a group. Twenty-five scans per month, up to 10 matches each.
Every paid plan includes the full 18+ smart filter set, AI review analysis, AI photo analysis, and review confidence scoring.
Why StayMatch Works Differently Than Platform Search
Airbnb and Booking.com both added AI features in 2025 and 2026. But each is structurally limited to its own inventory, and both rank results partly on commission levels and ad spend. What you see is optimized for their conversion goals, not your stay quality.
StayMatch doesn't have a platform to protect. It scans both Airbnb and Booking.com in a single query and ranks results against your priorities — not anyone else's revenue targets.
That difference matters most when you're searching for something specific: a quiet apartment in Lisbon with a real desk and a supermarket within walking distance, or a place in Medellín where past guests consistently mention good natural light. Those aren't things a standard filter can find. They're buried in reviews and photos — and StayMatch reads them so you don't have to.
Who Gets the Most Out of It
The free scan is worth running if you've ever spent an hour opening Airbnb tabs only to realize most of them don't actually match what you need.
The paid plans make sense if:
- You're a digital nomad or remote worker booking stays every month or two
- You've been burned by listings that looked fine but had a noisy street, a broken desk, or a bathroom that didn't match the photos
- You treat accommodation research as a real time cost and want to cut it from hours to minutes
- You're comparing multiple cities or neighborhoods and need more than one scan to make a confident call
StayMatch is built for travelers who already know their destination and need the right stay matched to their exact priorities — not a full trip plan.
FAQs
Does the free scan require a credit card?
No. One free scan, just an email address. You won't be automatically enrolled in anything.
How many results does a free scan return?
A curated shortlist of top matches based on your filters. Paid plans specify match counts per scan — up to 5 on Explorer, up to 10 on Traveler and above.
Does StayMatch search Airbnb and Booking.com at the same time?
Yes. Every scan covers both platforms in a single query. No need to run separate searches on each site.
What makes StayMatch's filters different from Airbnb's built-in filters?
Airbnb's filters handle the basics: bedrooms, price, amenities. StayMatch's 18+ smart filters are built around qualitative stay-quality criteria — noise level, desk usability, natural light, walkability to specific types of places. These signals come from reading reviews and inspecting photos, not just checking amenity boxes.
What is review confidence scoring?
It tells you how much to trust the evidence behind a listing, not just what the reviews say. Eighty reviews consistently mentioning quiet nights carries more weight than four reviews with a single noise complaint. StayMatch surfaces that distinction so you can judge reliability, not just sentiment.
Can I use StayMatch for long-term stays?
Yes. The platform has a dedicated use case for long stays, and the filters are especially useful when you're committing to a place for a month or more and need to be confident about workspace quality, noise, and neighborhood walkability before you arrive.
What happens after I use my free scan?
You can keep browsing your results. To run another scan with different criteria or a different city, you'll need to upgrade. The One-Day Pass at $10 for 3 scans is the lowest-commitment option if a monthly subscription isn't the right fit yet.
The free scan is the fastest way to see whether StayMatch actually saves you time. Run one before your next trip and compare what it surfaces against what you'd find after an hour of tab-opening on your own. The difference tends to be obvious within the first shortlist.