RentalBeam vs Rental Calendars Direct: two free availability calendars
Rental Calendars Direct is a genuinely free, embeddable availability calendar that has been around since 2014, with single-unit and multi-unit views you paste onto your site. It is made by the team behind Lodgix, a paid property management system, and it is display only: when you want to take bookings, it points you to Lodgix. RentalBeam is also free to start, but it imports your Airbnb and VRBO availability automatically, keeps direct bookings in-house on Pro, and adds a location map. Here is the honest split.
How RentalBeam compares to Rental Calendars Direct
RentalBeam next to Rental Calendars Direct - publicly available information as of 2026.
What it is
RentalBeam
(Us)
Rental Calendars Direct
Cost
RentalBeam
(Us)
Rental Calendars Direct
Automatic iCal import from Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com
RentalBeam
(Us)
Rental Calendars Direct
Direct booking form and guest payments
RentalBeam
(Us)
Rental Calendars Direct
Location map widget
RentalBeam
(Us)
Rental Calendars Direct
Single and multi-rental views
RentalBeam
(Us)
Rental Calendars Direct
Customize the calendar
RentalBeam
(Us)
Rental Calendars Direct
Stays on one platform (no PMS upgrade to book)
RentalBeam
(Us)
Rental Calendars Direct
Best suited for
RentalBeam
(Us)
Rental Calendars Direct
| Feature | RentalBeam(Us) | Rental Calendars Direct |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Availability calendar, booking, and map widgets | Free embeddable availability calendar (display) |
| Cost | Free plan + paid tiers | Free |
| Automatic iCal import from Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com | Included | Not indicated; a managed display calendar |
| Direct booking form and guest payments | Yes, on Pro | Requires upgrading to Lodgix |
| Location map widget | Included | Not included |
| Single and multi-rental views | Included | Included |
| Customize the calendar | Included | Included |
| Stays on one platform (no PMS upgrade to book) | Included | Not included |
| Best suited for | A synced calendar plus direct bookings and a map | A simple free availability display |
RentalBeam or Rental Calendars Direct?
Rental Calendars Direct is a free, embeddable availability calendar for rental websites, made by the team behind the Lodgix property management system. Here is the honest split.
Pick Rental Calendars Direct
Choose Rental Calendars Direct if you want a simple, genuinely free availability calendar to display your open dates, especially the multi-unit view, and you are comfortable managing availability yourself. It has served thousands of owners for years and does that one job well.
Pick RentalBeam
Choose RentalBeam if you want your calendar to keep itself current and to grow into bookings. RentalBeam imports Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com over iCal so availability updates automatically, adds a direct booking form and guest payments on Pro without moving to a separate PMS, and ships a location map widget. It is free to start, too.
Where RentalBeam differs
It syncs your channels
RentalBeam imports Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com over iCal so availability updates on its own. Rental Calendars Direct is a display calendar you manage yourself.
Bookings stay in-house
RentalBeam adds a direct booking form and guest payments on Pro. Rental Calendars Direct points you to Lodgix, a separate paid PMS, to take bookings.
A location map widget
RentalBeam ships a single-property map widget with privacy modes. Rental Calendars Direct is a calendar only.
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Rental Calendars Direct is a trademark of its respective owner and is not affiliated with RentalBeam. This comparison reflects publicly available information as of 2026.