Comparison

Thon Hotels vs InStay

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Thon Hotels

Book hotel stays quickly and easily, with exclusive discounts and a best price guarantee. Features include mobile check-in/out, room key access, and convenient payment options. Stay informed with notifications about your trip.

Highlights
  • Exclusive THON+ membership discounts
  • Best price guarantee on direct bookings
  • In-app mobile check-in and check-out
  • Phone as room and elevator key
  • Multiple payment options including Vipps and Apple Pay
  • Overview of past and upcoming stays
  • Notifications for pre-stay and during-stay updates
Features
Read full description

Our app helps you book your hotel stay in a quick and easy way. Save money – up to 12% off with THON+ membership Best price guarantee – always the lowest price when booking direct Skip the queue – check in and out in the app Your phone is your key – unlock your room and access elevators Easy payments – Vipps, Apple Pay, cards or bonus points Full overview – see all your past and upcoming stays Stay updated – get notifications before and during your stay Exclusive deals – special rates via work or organizations Search & compare – hotels in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands

About

InStay

Features
Read full description

Invite InStay is the ultimate tool that combines and integrates booking information with digital keys, information, and sales in one system. Invite InStay lets you have a 24-hour reception – right on the guest's smartphone. Reach guests with updated and correct information at the right time. Replace waiting time at reception with flexible stays and a complete digital guest journey. Additionally, Invite InStay communicates with smart IOT components, allowing you as an administrator to control the temperature in your rental units from one central system. Connect to smart components and control the temperature in all your rental units. Save up to 30% on energy consumption. Save time. Save personnel resources. Increase the bottom line. Invite InStay is integrated with most booking systems and a large portfolio of IOT brands, making it one of the most reliable and flexible modular systems.

Screenshots

Thon Hotels4 screens
InStay4 screens

Verdict

The call

Thon Hotels and InStay are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Thon Hotels ships an update monthly, InStay every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Thon Hotels versus InStay: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThon HotelsInStay
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (22 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews57.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings22 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.416.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size121 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThon Gruppen AsInvite Guest Technology AS

In-app purchases

None

Thon Hotels

No in-app purchases

None

InStay

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Thon Hotels free?
Thon Hotels is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is InStay free?
InStay is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Thon Hotels or InStay have ads?
Neither Thon Hotels nor InStay shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Thon Hotels or InStay?
Thon Hotels ships an update monthly, and InStay every 3 weeks. Most recently, Thon Hotels was updated on November 4, 2026 and InStay on October 30, 2026.

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