PG management software is an app that runs the day-to-day work of a paying guest (PG) house or hostel: beds, tenants, rent, complaints, staff and accounts. If you still use a register, a notebook of cash entries and a dozen WhatsApp chats, it replaces all of them with one screen on your phone.
This guide explains what the software does, which features are worth paying for, what the main options in India cost as of October 2026, and how to choose.
What PG management software does
Think of it as four registers joined together.
- Bed register. Every room and bed, who is in it, who is leaving and which beds are empty today.
- Tenant register. Name, phone, ID, emergency contact, rent, deposit and agreement for each tenant.
- Money register. Rent due, rent paid, cash received, late fees, electricity, expenses and profit for each property.
- Complaint register. Every complaint, who is fixing it and how long it took.
Because these are connected, the software can do things a paper register cannot. It sends rent reminders by itself, adds a late fee on the right day, splits an electricity bill between roommates and shows you which PG is making money.
Signs you need it
You probably need software if two or more of these sound familiar:
- You spend the first ten days of every month chasing rent on calls and WhatsApp.
- You are never fully sure how much cash your warden collected.
- Tenants argue about deductions from their deposit when they leave.
- You run more than one PG, or you live in a different city from your PG.
- You only find out a bed was empty for two weeks when you count the month's collection.
Features that matter (and why)
Not every feature is equally useful. This is the list we would check first for a typical 20 to 200 bed PG.
| Feature | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Live bed status | You see empty and soon-to-be-empty beds at a glance, so you can fill them faster. |
| Automatic monthly dues | Rent, food and extras are added to every tenant's account on the same day each month. |
| WhatsApp rent reminders | Tenants read WhatsApp. Reminders before and after the due date mean fewer late payments to chase. |
| UPI collection with receipts | Tenants pay from any UPI app and get a receipt, and the payment is marked as paid without you typing it in. |
| Automatic late fee | The rule is applied the same way to everyone, so there is no argument about who was let off. |
| Cash recording with owner approval | Cash still happens. Each cash entry should need your approval before it counts. |
| Electricity billing | Meter readings split fairly between roommates, by days stayed. |
| Security deposit ledger | Every deduction is recorded with a reason, so the final refund is not a fight. |
| Complaints with status | Tenants raise a complaint with a photo, and you can see what is still open. |
| Multi-PG dashboard | One screen for all your properties, with occupancy and collection for each. |
| Staff logins | Your warden gets limited access. They cannot see your profit or delete entries. |
How the main options compare
We looked at the public websites, price pages and app listings of the PG management apps owners most often ask us about. The table shows what each one says it offers, as of October 2026. "Not listed" means we could not find it in that company's public material, not that it definitely does not exist. Prices change, so please check with each company before you decide.
| HostelKeeper | RentOk | PG Manager | GoPGMS | HarGharPG | SpaceBasic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Published price | ₹25 per bed per month + GST | ₹49 (Silver) or ₹79 (Gold) per bed, as listed | ₹3,600 per PG per year up to 75 beds, then ₹30 per extra bed per year | ₹9 per bed per month, ₹7 on the annual plan | ₹1,910 a year for 1 PG (Starter) | Shared on a demo |
| Free period | 3 months | "Try for free" | 3 months | Free demo | 7 days | Trial, length not stated |
| WhatsApp rent reminders | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not listed | Paid add-on (₹799 a year) | Partly |
| UPI collection and receipts | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partly | Yes |
| Automatic late fee | Yes | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Electricity bill split | Yes | Not listed | Partly | Not listed | Partly | Yes |
| Cash entries need owner approval | Yes | Partly | Yes | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed |
| Security deposit ledger | Yes | Not listed | Partly | Partly | Partly | Not listed |
| How tenants use it | Opens from a link, nothing to install | App | App | App | Not listed | App |
| Student hostel features (attendance, parent app) | Planned | Yes | Not listed | Outpass | Not listed | Attendance and outpass |
| Regional languages | Planned | Not listed | Not listed | Not listed | Yes | Not listed |
Where others are stronger. RentOk has the widest set of extras, including autopay, a parent app, a tenant marketplace and legal services, and it charges more per bed for that. HarGharPG and PG Manager are the cheapest for a single PG, and HarGharPG offers regional languages. SpaceBasic is built for large college and university hostels.
Where HostelKeeper fits. We built HostelKeeper for owners who run one or more PGs, often from a distance. That is why it has owner approval for cash, a deposit ledger, electricity splitting and a daily summary. Tenants never have to install anything.
8 questions to ask before you choose
- Is the price per bed, per PG or per year? Per-bed pricing is fair for small PGs. A flat price per PG gets cheaper per bed as you grow. Work out your actual yearly cost for your bed count.
- Where does the rent money go? It should go straight from the tenant's UPI app to your bank account. Avoid systems that hold your money and pay it out later.
- Do tenants need to install an app? Many tenants will not. A link that opens in the phone's browser gets far more people using it.
- How does it handle cash? If your warden collects cash, the app should record who collected it and let you approve it.
- Can it import your existing data? Typing 80 tenants in by hand is a weekend gone. Ask if they will import your Excel sheet.
- Does it send reminders on WhatsApp, or only SMS? WhatsApp gets read. SMS often does not.
- What happens at move-out? The app should calculate the final settlement: pending rent, electricity, deductions and the deposit refund.
- How long is the free period, and is it really free? Three months is long enough to see one full cycle of rent, move-ins and move-outs.
Is there free PG management software?
Free plans that last forever are rare, and usually they limit the number of beds or leave out WhatsApp reminders. Free trials are more common: HostelKeeper and PG Manager offer 3 months, and HarGharPG offers 7 days. Use the trial period to run your real PG on the app for at least one full month before you pay.
Excel or software?
Excel works for one small PG if you are on site every day and disciplined about updating it. It breaks down when someone else collects rent, when you have more than about 30 beds, or when you run more than one property. Excel cannot remind tenants, collect UPI payments or show you a complaint photo.
The short answer
Pick the app that solves your biggest monthly pain at a price that makes sense for your bed count. For most PG owners that pain is rent collection (see our rent collection app comparison), then cash control, then empty beds. Try it on your real property for a full month before you commit.
If you want to see how HostelKeeper handles your PG, book a free demo. We will set it up with your rooms and rents on the call.
Competitor details are from each company's public website, price page and app listings as checked in October 2026. Features and prices change; please confirm with each company.