StaySTRA vs Chalet: Free STR Calculators Compared

StaySTRA and Chalet both offer free short-term rental analysis tools, but they take very different approaches. Chalet is 100% free with no paid tiers, while StaySTRA offers a free tier plus an affordable Pro plan. This comparison breaks down exactly what each tool does, how they make money, and which one fits your investment workflow.

Quick Comparison: StaySTRA vs Chalet

What Is Chalet?

Chalet (getchalet.com) is a San Diego-based platform founded around 2021 by CEO Ashley Durmo. It positions itself as an all-in-one hub for short-term rental investors, combining market analytics, an Airbnb calculator, regulation guides, and a network of STR-focused service providers including real estate agents and DSCR lenders.

Chalet covers 3,080 US cities with ZIP-level market data pulled from sources including Zillow, BLS, Google Trends, and proprietary Airbnb scraping across 1 million+ rentals. The platform also publishes quarterly market reports and city-by-city STR regulation guides, making it a useful starting point for market research.

The Free Model: How Chalet Makes Money

Chalet's biggest selling point is that everything is free. There are no paid tiers, no premium features behind a paywall, and no subscription fees. So how do they sustain the business?

Chalet earns revenue through referral fees from its partner network. When you use their platform and connect with one of their recommended real estate agents, DSCR lenders, or cost segregation providers, Chalet receives a referral commission. The free tools and market data serve as lead generation, attracting investors who may then use Chalet's partner services.

This is worth understanding because it creates a structural incentive. A platform that earns money by connecting you with agents and lenders has a built-in motivation to present markets in a favorable light. That doesn't mean Chalet's data is wrong, but investors should be aware of how the business model could influence the information they see.

StaySTRA takes a different approach. The free tier gives you 3 property analyses per month with full investment metrics. The Pro plan at $7/month (or $59/year) unlocks unlimited analyses and PDF reports. Because StaySTRA earns revenue from subscriptions, the incentive is to provide accurate data that keeps investors coming back.

Where Chalet Wins

Completely Free Access

If you want unlimited access to market-level data without spending anything, Chalet delivers. There are no usage limits, no feature gates, and no credit card required. For investors in the early research phase who just want to browse markets and compare cities, this is genuinely useful.

STR Regulation Guides

Chalet offers city-by-city regulation guides covering permit requirements, zoning restrictions, and local STR rules. This is a standout feature that most STR analysis platforms skip entirely. Understanding regulations before you buy is critical, and Chalet makes this research significantly easier.

Broad Market Screening

With 3,080 cities and ZIP-level data, Chalet works well as a first-pass screening tool. If you want to compare dozens of markets side by side to narrow your search, the dashboard makes that process straightforward. The quarterly market reports add helpful context for tracking trends.

Clean User Experience

Chalet's interface is well designed and easy to navigate. The market analytics dashboard presents data clearly, and the overall experience is polished for a free platform.

Where StaySTRA Wins

Property-Level Analysis

This is the most significant difference between the two platforms. Chalet provides ZIP-level market averages, which tell you how a general area performs. StaySTRA analyzes specific properties at the address level, pulling comparable rental data for that exact location, bedroom count, and property type.

Market averages can mask wide variation within a single ZIP code. A lakefront property and a property near a highway interchange in the same ZIP will perform very differently. StaySTRA's property-level approach gives you projections that actually reflect the property you're evaluating.

Deeper Investment Metrics

StaySTRA Pro delivers 20+ investment metrics including net operating income, cap rate, debt service coverage ratio, and cash-on-cash return. These are the numbers that matter when you're making a purchase decision or presenting a deal to a lender. Chalet offers ROI and DSCR calculators, but StaySTRA provides a more comprehensive financial picture in a single report.

No Referral Bias

Because StaySTRA earns revenue through subscriptions rather than partner referrals, there is no structural incentive to present properties or markets more favorably than the data supports. The tool exists to give you accurate numbers, and accuracy is what drives retention and subscription renewals.

PDF Reports and Data Export

StaySTRA Pro generates downloadable PDF reports that you can share with partners, lenders, or use in your own deal analysis workflow. Chalet does not offer data export or downloadable reports, which limits how you can use the information outside the platform.

Who Should Use Which Tool?

Use Chalet If:

• You are in the early research phase and want to screen markets at no cost
• You need STR regulation information for specific cities before investing
• You want a broad overview of market trends across many cities
• You are comfortable with ZIP-level averages rather than property-specific projections

Use StaySTRA If:

• You are evaluating a specific property and need address-level revenue projections
• You want comprehensive investment metrics (NOI, cap rate, DSCR, cash-on-cash) in one place
• You need PDF reports for lenders, partners, or your own records
• You prefer a subscription model with no referral-driven incentives

Use Both Together

Many investors get the best results by using both tools at different stages. Start with Chalet to screen markets, check regulations, and build a shortlist of target areas. Then use StaySTRA to run property-level analysis on specific listings in those markets. This gives you broad market context plus precise deal-level numbers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Chalet really completely free?

Yes. Chalet has no paid tiers or premium features. All tools and data are free to use. The company earns revenue through referral fees when users connect with partner agents, lenders, and service providers through the platform.

Can I use StaySTRA without paying?

Yes. StaySTRA's free tier includes 3 property analyses per month with full investment metrics. No account or credit card is required. The Pro plan at $7/month adds unlimited analyses, PDF reports, and access to 2,600+ US markets.

Which tool has more accurate revenue projections?

Accuracy depends on the level of analysis. Chalet provides ZIP-level market averages based on Airbnb scraping data, which gives a general sense of market performance. StaySTRA provides property-level projections using comparable rentals near the specific address, which typically produces more relevant estimates for individual investment decisions. Neither platform publishes independent accuracy benchmarks.

Does Chalet cover international markets?

No. Both Chalet and StaySTRA are US-only platforms. Chalet covers 3,080 US cities, and StaySTRA covers 2,600+ US markets.

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