Airbnb is one of the most recognizable names in the vacation rental industry. But it’s not the only way to get your property booked and busy. That’s why we suggest looking into an Airbnb alternative.
Millions of services are out there, ready to help you with your specific rental properties. From specialized services for unique stays to massive marketplaces with vast exposure, you’re sure to find the right booking option.
Need a little help weeding through all of the competitors? We’ve got recommendations to guide you through the best alternatives to Airbnb. Whether you’re a first-time host, an Airbnb regular, or looking for a vacation spot, this is your one-stop shop. Read on for our take on which alternatives to Airbnb are worth your time and why.
Why Look for Airbnb Alternatives for Hosts?
You should look for Airbnb alternatives for hosts to ensure you’re putting your property (and yourself) in the best position. You want to play the field to find what site for home rentals gives you the best deal.
What makes a rental service a good fit for you? It varies, but in general, you want:
- Maximum profit
- A high volume/steady flow of guests
- Quality customer service
Airbnb is a trusty starting point for people looking to enter the rental marketplace. But it’s not the end-all-be-all. We recommend spreading your wings and checking other online rental companies.
We’re not suggesting that you should drop Airbnb altogether. Far from it, their resilience during the pandemic reveals how strong of an instant booking company they are. While many businesses shuttered, Airbnb came out on the other side more vital than ever.
Plus, Airbnb’s continued success shows travelers and property managers that they don’t have to give in to the hotel industry.
Since its launch in August 2008, Airbnb has grown to process nearly 200 million bookings yearly. But as a result, plenty of alternatives have sprung up, and they’re worth a look. Especially since some of these vacation rental program services might better suit your needs.
For example, perhaps you want to get in on apartment rentals specifically. Or you have a batch of luxury private villas to market to a more high-brow clientele. Using a suitable Airbnb alternative can get you there.
Are Airbnb Alternative Vacation Rental Sites Safe?
Yes, using an alternative to Airbnb is safe. Most long-term and short-term rental sites are safe and easy to use.
Of course, anytime you use online services, there’s the risk of something going wrong. This could mean damage to your property or opening yourself up to an online scam. Here are a few tips on how to spot safe Airbnb competitors.
1. Check the Reviews on All Airbnb Alternatives
Fire up your search engine of choice and see what people are saying. Look for alternative sites to Airbnb with the best ratings. If a vacation rental platform has an app, visit the Google Play or App store to see what users think.
You can rest easy if you see a service with consistently positive reviews. Be wary if you repeatedly see complaints about hefty host fees or lousy customer support.
2. Read the Fine Print
Don’t sign up for the first site like Airbnb, without reading the fine print. At the end of the day, all of these sites are businesses. They’re here to make money, just like you.
But you don’t want them making a buck at your expense.
Before adding your vacation properties to a site, check for hidden host fees. Like a service fee that doesn’t quite make sense or penalties on things you can’t control.
In addition to fees, research the service’s approval process for those staying in your home or property. Letting someone into your home is pretty personal. If you’re worried about safety or damage, confirm that the rental platform you use is also.
3. Play it Safe When Using an Airbnb Alternative
Even if you’re using one of our favorite alternatives to Airbnb, you still want to exercise caution. This means not putting your personal or financial information anywhere it doesn’t need to be.
You wouldn’t leave private details lying around one of your holiday homes, right? Follow that same rule for your holiday listings and rental service accounts.
15 Airbnb Alternatives To Try Out
There are far more sites like Airbnb out there than you might think. You could spend hours scouring the internet for the best property listings. But don’t worry. We’re not going to leave you hanging.
To save you time, we’ve sniffed around and picked out the 15 best options for vacation rentals.
1. VRBO: An Airbnb Alternative for Whole Property Rentals
Once known as HomeAway, Vrbo tells its audience that it’ll help them “travel better together.” It does this by focusing on family-friendly destinations and hosts.
What sets Vrbo apart from Airbnb? The main difference is that Vrbo only allows renters to list full properties. Therefore, unlike Airbnb, hosts can’t advertise availability for single private rooms or annexes. There’s no such thing as sharing when it comes to a Vrbo property.
This makes Vrbo an ideal spot for larger parties, families or vacationers seeking privacy. If you can rent out an entire property and don’t mind big get-togethers, Vrbo is the Airbnb alternative for you.
2. Casamundo: Online Rentals Best-kept Secret
Never heard of Casamundo? While it’s flown under the radar in the US for a few years, all that is changing. Casamundo is a huge booking platform that brings together around 400,000 vacation homes from across the globe.
Founded in 2003, Casamundo has been around the block longer than Airbnb. Since then, Casamundo has established itself as one of Europe’s leading providers of personal vacation rentals. The site is a tremendous player in Germany, in particular.
So why is Casamundo a firm fixture in the market? For one, it has broad international appeal. Their listings get over 5 million views per month.
On top of that, it also works hard to provide personalized holiday recommendations. If you have consistently positive reviews, your property gets an extra marketing boost to Casamundo’s long list of regulars.
3. Wimdu: Europe’s Go-to Airbnb Alternative
If you’re looking for a fierce Airbnb competitor, look no further than Wimdu.
With over 350,000 properties and a massive user base of over one million registered guests, it deserves any host’s attention. Wimdu successfully focuses on a smaller market subset by establishing itself as Europe’s go-to holiday rental option.
Even in their recent expansion to the US, they’ve kept a selective focus. Instead of expanding to all 50 states, they cherry-picked top destinations like Florida and California.
It’s an excellent option for short term rentals if you prefer to rent out your space in smaller chunks. Plus, you don’t have to worry about losing potential guests because of a long booking process. Wimdu keeps it simple, so you’ll be booked up in just a few clicks.
4. Onefinestay
Offering an exclusive retreat? Then your vacation rental should be on onefinestay. This platform will provide more guests than Airbnb if that’s your market positioning.
Based in London and owned by AccorHotels Group, onefinestay boasts around 10,000 luxury holiday rental homes in major cities worldwide. This is for folks who want their next vacation to stand out.
Onefinestay even offers a ‘Higher Living’ concierge program that provides personalized guest services. If you’re in the luxury game, list your property on onefinestay as soon as possible.
5. Tripping: An Airbnb Alternative for Long-term Rentals
Tripping.com is among the leading Airbnb alternatives for vacation rentals in New York, Berlin, San Francisco and Rio de Janeiro. If you own a holiday home in one of these exclusive tourist spots, consider moving to Tripping.
It has approximately eight million properties listed across 150,000 destinations in over 190 countries. Now that’s what we call range.
Tripping.com boasts a team that knows its stuff, too. The website recently partnered with Booking.com, TripAdvisor and FlipKey to increase its offerings.
6. FlipKey
Owned by TripAdvisor vacation rentals, FlipKey is among the most prominent Airbnb competitors.
FlipKey’s multiple properties are very similar to Airbnb’s. For one, both sites offer domestic and international listings. Their “free to list” option enabled the site to amass a collection of over 300,000 properties quickly.
It also has an advantage, thanks to TripAdvisor. The two companies partnered up, so when you list with them, you’re getting maximum exposure. Around 340 million, to be exact.
Providing you can keep your TripAdvisor listing in good shape, FlipKey could become one of your key bookers.
7. Booking.com
Looking for a great Airbnb alternative with professional management? Then Booking.com is right up your alley.
This vacation rental site is for property owners with an extensive portfolio and established businesses. Airbnb works more with private hosts or smaller owners. Booking.com is for the renter looking to upgrade their listings.
Another advantage of the site is that it’s done a better job at marketing itself around the world. If you have international properties, you’ll have more luck attracting folks traveling abroad on Booking rather than Airbnb.
8. Hipcamp: Airbnb Alternatives for Boho Renters
Don’t have traditional vacation homes or apartments to rent out? Check out Hipcamp to turn your yurts, glamping tents, or airstreams into the ultimate destination for solo travelers.
Out of all sites like Airbnb, this is the only one that allows hosts to rent out more “unconventional” properties. Picture turning a plot of land into a rustic campground or renovating an old trailer into an artsy escape.
Just like the laidback clientele Hipcamp attracts, it also has a relaxed policy for hosts. You set the rental details, prices and offers for all your accommodation options. Pretty chill, right?
9. Agoda Homes
What if you have a small property but not tent-level small? Like a cozy cabin or a charming tiny home. You may even have a few serviced apartments in a desirable location. For those intimate vacation rental properties, Agoda Homes is the answer.
This is a great alternative to Airbnb for hosts wanting the reach of a major company with the personalization of a boutique business.
Booking.com powers Agoda Homes, meaning the site reaches 2.3 million travelers from over 60 countries.
Lastly, if you’re looking to book vacationers or business travelers in the Asian market, Agoda is a must. Agoda Homes originally started in Singapore and remains popular in Asia to this day.
10. Hopper: The On-the-Go Airbnb Alternative
Once upon a time, booking a vacation rental space was something you had to plan way in advance. That meant that property owners missed out on all the last-minute trip-makers and travelers. Not anymore, thanks to Hopper.
Hopper is an app-only rental company. Unlike other Airbnb competitors, there’s no website or desktop version. It’s all on your phone. Why? For one, it’s built to attract folks on the move.
Secondly, Gen Z is Hopper’s audience. They know younger people don’t use computers nearly as much as they do their phones. By keeping everything to an app, Hopper appeals to Zoomers.
If you don’t mind your properties functioning more like casual hotels rather than a ritzy getaway, download Hopper.
11. Vacasa
Renting out your vacation home doesn’t have to feel like a chore. Not with Vacasa, anyway. Like Airbnb, Vacasa is a rental site. Or at least, that’s all it seems like to people looking to book an upcoming trip.
But if you’re a property owner, Vacasa is also a property management company. What makes this site one of the best Airbnb alternatives? It has an all-inclusive approach to marketing and renting out your space.
When you open an account with Vacasa and pay a fixed rental management fee, you get (among other services):
- 24/7 guest support, so you don’t have to deal with pesky late-night calls.
- Wide-reaching, customized marketing to put your property in front of the right people.
- Local teams to keep your home clean and safe.
- A dedicated homeowner app to make vacation rental smooth.
All this and more at no extra cost. From beginning to end, Vacasa is here for hosts who could use a little TLC.
Not everybody wants to rent out their space and call it a day. Sometimes, you wish to have your own adventure too. If this sounds like you (or you loved the movie The Holiday), HomeExchange is a dream come true.
With HomeExchange, there’s no renting out a private room. Or leaving hosts home. Instead, you and another person swap houses. They live in your space, and you in theirs.
HomeExchange is available in most major international cities, making it a great alternative to platforms like Airbnb.
Since the company knows people are hesitant to open their houses to others, they also have many support options. When you use HomeExchange, you get theft protection up to $1,000,000. You can also access 24/7 customer support and a refund if the other host cancels.
For your next trip, consider a house exchange for enjoying all these fantastic features.
13. Welcome Beyond
Of all the alternatives to Airbnb, Welcome Beyond is a true original. What we mean is that this platform focuses on unique and beautiful stays only.
Welcome Beyond finds home rentals and hotels you can’t find anywhere else. Think of the most Instagram-worthy vacation rentals. We’re talking stunning architecture and interior design, along with idyllic locations.
Because this site approaches the OTA industry differently, the partnering process is also different. Unlike the other alternatives to Airbnb, you can’t open an account at will. Instead, you fill out an application to work with Welcome Beyond.
Their team then carefully combs through your information before deciding whether you can join their offerings. If you’re one of those part-time property managers, this might sound like a pain. But if you take renting seriously, the legwork is worth the reward.
With a luxury service comes luxury prices. You’re sure to make good money back on your investment.
14. Plum Guide: Airbnb Alternative
Let’s keep the luxury train going. Plum Guide is a newcomer on the list of best sites like Airbnb, but it’s making a splash.
Unlike other alternatives to Airbnb, Plum Guide hand-picks only the top luxury stays for its users. You can’t put up any old vacation rentals here.
Instead, you have to pass “The Plum Test.”
First off, Plum Guide has to open up your area to hosting. Once they add your city, they go through every home and select a shortlist that meets their initial requirements. After that, they interview the hosts.
Did you make it through the interview? Then your last hurdle is to “delight a Plum Guide guest” and pass “The Plum Home Test.”
It’s a tricky process. But if you qualify, you know you’ll get your property listed at a high price and attract the best customers.
15. Expedia
You may only know the Expedia group as a way to book flights and hotels. But did you know they’re also one of the best sites to use instead of Airbnb? That’s right. Expedia has entered the vacation rental industry.
Like the rest of the Expedia experience, posting a listing is easy. All it takes is four steps:
- Tell them about your property, and their expert staff will set up your account.
- Log in.
- Prep your listing and add details like photos.
- Wait for guests to start booking a stay at your property.
The whole process usually takes less than an hour. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.
What Is the Best Airbnb Alternative? Going Direct
Of course, all of these companies take their cut of the profits in return for using their platforms and marketing. The best Airbnb alternative is going direct to avoid an annoying booking fee or other expenses.
Once a customer has booked with you using one of the above services, capture their data. That way, they can rebook directly through you. They can even refer their friends and family. Additionally, you can offer a discount to incentivize vacation rental.
Another way to ensure your guests want to book with you again is by offering quality, free WiFi with Beambox. Complimentary WiFi, is a great way to grow your business because it makes your customers feel more at home. They can watch their favorite shows, stay connected with their loved ones and search nearby attractions with ease. Ready to learn more? Start your Beambox free trial today.
