STR Rule Watch vs STR Comply: which STR compliance tool is right for you? (2026)
Both check an address against local STR rules. STR Rule Watch publishes every market as an open, human-verified page with a real last-verified date and cited official sources for $5/mo — where STR Comply keeps its claimed 100+ cities behind a checker form (one free summary, then $14.99/mo) with no visible verification dates.
At a glance
| STR Rule Watch | STR Comply | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Verified STR regulation database | address-checker STR compliance service |
| Coverage | 176 US markets (116 cities, 10 counties, all 50 statewide summaries), each field human-verified against official sources with a per-page 'last verified' date | '100+ US cities' claimed; '2M+ US listings' tracked |
| Pricing | Free tier; Host $5/mo; Pro $39/mo | Free single-address check; Host $14.99/mo (up to 5 properties); Pro Host $39.99/mo (up to 15) |
| How rules are verified | Human-verified from cited official sources, with a real last-verified date on every page | As observed 2026-07-20, its sitemap lists just 5 URLs plus a blog — there are no per-city rule pages, so its claimed 100+ cities exist only behind the checker form |
What STR Comply does well
- A free address check that returns a single-property compliance summary in about 30 seconds
- A document vault with 90/60/30-day permit-expiration reminders and step-by-step permit application guides
- A near-daily blog cadence (posts dated daily from late June through July 6, 2026), including 'alternatives' listicles targeting STRWatch, Comparent, and others
Where STR Rule Watch is different
- As observed 2026-07-20, its sitemap lists just 5 URLs plus a blog — there are no per-city rule pages, so its claimed 100+ cities exist only behind the checker form
- It says data is researched from official .gov sources, but the report examples shown display no per-market verification dates and no user-visible source citations
- Data refresh is tiered by plan — twice-monthly on Host, weekly only on Pro Host — despite marketing copy about continuous monitoring
- The homepage names only a handful of major covered cities 'plus 95 more', with no published list of all covered markets to check before paying
Where STR Comply wins
STR Comply's free 30-second address check is a genuinely low-friction way to get a first compliance summary, and its multi-property plans (5 and 15 listings with a portfolio dashboard) fit small property managers better than our single-market framing; its content team also ships new guides almost daily.
Competitor details were verified from STR Comply’s website on July 20, 2026 and may have changed since — confirm current features and pricing on their site. This comparison is informational only and is not legal, tax, or financial advice.
See STR Rule Watch for your markets
Look up verified, dated short-term rental rules for any covered US market — free.