I’m not going to lie, we’ve used AirBnB a lot. We’ve found it to be an excellent way to find accommodation all around the world in lodgings that range from quirky to palatial, from budget to princely. But that doesn’t mean we don’t also keep the various AirBnB alternatives in mind when travelling and booking accommodation, and in this post we’re going share our favourite alternatives with you.
If you’re new to the world of peer to peer accommodation, take a look at Jess’s guide to using AirBnB, which will answer all your questions about both AirBnB, and the majority of other peer to peer accommodation sites like AirBnB.
So why would you want an alternative to AirBnB? Well, the thing is, AirBnB has become somewhat a victim of its own success. There’s plenty of choice, but prices (and AirBnB’s fees) have definitely started to increase since we started to use the platform in 2012. In fact, often AirBnB works out more expensive than getting a reasonable hotel. In addition, at busy times, properties can book out a long time in advance.
In some cases, it’s also become quite the industry, losing the personal touch as landlords cash in, meaning the only human interaction you get is when you get your keys at the beginning of your stay, often from an apartment concierge rather than the actual host or owner.
With this in mind, we thought a handy guide to some of the best AirBnB alternatives would be helpful. There’s a lot of choice out there, and if you’re finding AirBnB to be a bit more expensive, or not quite the experience you remember it to be, we’ve got you covered.
AirBnB Alternatives
AirBnB is not the only accommodation game in town. Here are some of our favourite sites like AirBnB to get you started, which includes a couple of curveballs you might not have expected.
Many of these sites also have their own apps, like AirBnB, so if you prefer to use an app for apartment rentals that’s also an option.
If you’re looking for holiday accommodation in the UK and Ireland, we can also recommend reading our guide to the best websites for booking holiday homes in the UK, which has a lot of UK and Ireland specific websites, tips and advice.
1. Vrbo
First up in my list of AirBnB alternatives is Vrbo (UK version here), or Vacation Rentals by Owner. Whilst perhaps not as well known as AirBnB, these guys have over a million properties on their books and have been operating since 1996, a full 12 years longer than AirBnB.
The Vrbo model is a little different though, as they only rent out vacation properties. This means it’s not a hosted experience, and generally works best for families or groups of four or more looking for a slightly longer stay – although there are certainly many properties suited to couples. Originally, Vrbo didn’t charge guests a service / booking fee, passing this to the host instead, but they changed that in 2016, adding a booking fee to bookings.
Otherwise, the products are fairly similar. AirBnB offers a slightly slicker user experience, but it is much more popular. If you can’t find what you’re looking for on AirBnB, then definitely give Vrbo / Vrbo UK a try.
If you’re a property owner Vrbo have two different models – either you can pay an annual fee, or you can list for free and pay a fee per booking. Sign up as an owner on Vrbo USA here, or Vrbo UK here.
2. Booking.com
Like I said, a couple of curveballs. Remember when people stayed in hotels, and someone would come to make your bed and clean your room? Sure, we love apartments, but every now and then, you just want a hotel. And the best place generally, we’ve found, for getting a great deal in any hotel anywhere in the world, tends to be booking.com.
But, what you might not have realised, is that Booking.com also list homes and apartments. So if you’re already a fan of the site and want to keep using it for your apartment booking, you can.
They are normally our go-to choice for hotel bookings when we travel – we find they have a great choice, the site is easy to use, and the prices are usually the best. So definitely worth trying for your apartment hunt too!
For property owners, it’s free to list on Booking.com, with a fee applied per booking. You can sign up as an owner using this link.
3. The Plum Guide
If you like the idea of AirBnB but are worried that such a variety of choice means there could be a lack of quality, then you will want to check out the Plum Guide.
The Plum Guide accept less than 5% of the properties that apply to be on their site, and they personally vet every single one against over 150 criteria. Everything from shower pressure to the quality of the linen is tested. So you know the quality of every property will be high.
Of course, this does mean that there is a reduced choice, but the good news is that they still have plenty of homes to choose from in destinations around the world, across a range of budgets.
You can read our detailed Plum Guide review to learn more about this service and our experiences using it.
If you’re a property owner, it’s free to apply to list your property on The Plum Guide, however you do have to get through a stringent vetting process first. Once approved, there’s a one-time membership fee due on your first booking, which covers the cost of the vetting process, and then there’s a small commission charged on bookings. If you think your property has what it takes, you can register here.
4. Agoda Homes
Agoda is a well known portal for hotel bookings, but they also have an apartment rental offering known as Agoda Homes.
This lists apartments, vacation rentals, private villas and bungalows, and there are almost a million properties to choose from. So you’ll have plenty of options to choose from.
If you’re a property owner, it’s also free to list your property on Agoda, which will put your property in the Agoda search engine. Property owners can register here.
5. Homestay
For me, Homestay is what AirBnB was supposed to be. It’s a genuinely hosted experience, meaning you always stay in a hosts home. This means you get a genuine, local experience, with the feeling of living with a local. We’ve used Homestay in locations around the world, including Paris, Savannah and London, and have always had a wonderful experience.
It is worth mentioning that there are a few downsides to Homestay – the main one being availability. Whilst they have properties in over 150 countries, they don’t have the choice of somewhere like AirBnB (although the same can be said for nearly every AirBnB alternative on this list!).
For example, we tried to find accommodation in New Orleans on our recent trip there, and there were hundreds of locations on AirBnB, and less than ten on Homestay.
Of course, the number of properties available is always growing, and there are a great many listed on Homestay that you just won’t find anywhere else, like this place we stayed at in London. So if you want a truly hosted experience, this is definitely the place to start your search. In addition, all Homestay properties include breakfast, which is a serious win in my book.
If you’re a property owner, it’s free to list on Homestay. Do bear in mind that Homestay is a hosted experience, so is by definition a bit more hands on. If that sounds good to you, you can sign up as a Homestay host here.
6. Sonder
Sonder is different from AirBnB in that they actually lease or own every property they list, and manage them directly.
This means that they have full control over the standard of every apartment, and can ensure every property they list meets their standards. They also guarantee certain amenities and services, such as WiFi, towels and bedding, high quality coffee and contactless check-in.
Sonder also offer both short term rentals and longer term stays, meaning they are a good option if you are looking for a longer term apartment rental option.
Sonder have properties in 27 cities around the world, with over 8,500 options to choose from. They range from the mid-range to the luxury, and basically offer the convenience of cleanliness of a good hotel stay, with the flexibility of an apartment rental.
For property owners, Sonder do accept applications if you want a hands-off approach to renting your property. They will lease your property from you, so you don’t have to worry about bookings, cleaning or anything else. It’s a good option if you just want a consistent income. You can find out more at this link.
7. Blueground
Another option to consider if you’re looking for longer term apartment rental is Blueground. They specialise in stays of 30 days or longer for folks looking for fully furnished apartments.
They don’t actually own the apartments, but they do handle all the furnishings and interior design of the properties they offer so you can be assured of the quality. Properties come ready to go with WiFi, linens/towels, fully equipped kitchen and toiletries.
This is a great option if you’re between properties, thinking of the digital nomad life, or simply want to skip the hassle of buying furniture somewhere you don’t know if you’ll be staying forever.
Blueground have over 5,000 properties in 18 cities around the world in North America, Europe and the Middle East. Definitely worth checking out if you want a longer vacation rental.
For property owners. Blueground will rent your property from you for a fixed monthly income, which is a great option if you want to skip the hassle of finding tenants or handling a high turnover of guests. You can sign up as a host here.
8. House Sitting
Paying to stay somewhere is all well and good, but what if you could live all around the world, entirely for free? Sounds impossible? Well, it isn’t, thanks to the concept of house sitting.
The way this works is that people who own houses occasionally want to leave them and go on trips. These can be for any length of time from a few days to weeks or even months. Rather than their houses sitting empty, they offer them up to people to stay in, usually entirely for free, in return for looking after the property, tending the garden, and generally keeping in in order. In many cases, they will also have pets that they want looking after – putting a pet into a boarding house for a prolonged preiod of time can be expensive, so house sitting is a win-win situation.
There are lots of house sitting options out there – one of the biggest and most popular communities to join is TrustedHousesitters. There is a fee to join, but once you’re in, you’ll have a world of choice when it comes to free accommodation around the world! Pretty cool.
For property owners, there’s an annual subscription required to list your home, and you have to be a member of the TrustedHouseSitter community. Sign up as an owner using this link.
9. Homes and Villas by Marriott International
Marriott are one of the more well known international hotel brands, with properties all around the world. They also operate their own vacation rental platform, Homes and Villas by Marriott International, which has private properties available for rent in over 45 countries worldwide.
All the homes which are listed are managed by a premium property management company. The homes all come with fast WiFi, professional cleaning, 24/7 support for any issues and premium linens and amenities. Another benefit is that if you are a Marriott Bonvoy member you can earn and redeem Marriott points on stays at their vacation rental properties.
So if you were looking for a vacation rental where you can earn reward points, this is a great option!
For property owners, in order to be listed on the Homes and Villas site you need to be registered with one of the home management companies Marriott works with. You can contact Marriott to find the appropriate company for your area.
10. RV Sharing Sites
This one’s a bit off the wall, but have you considered a campervan / RV rental instead of an apartment? This will give you the flexibility to sleep in various locations, cook for yourself and generally have a flexible approach to your trip.
If this sounds good, we recommend you try out a company like RVShare. This is a peer to peer rental agency. This means you are renting from people who own an RV, and who are letting it out when they aren’t using it. Basically, they’re like the AirBnB of RV rental!
As well as RVSjare, you can also look at PaulCamper, RVEzy, GoBoony and Outdoorsy. These offer a similar concept, but they cover different regions and have different inventory, so are all worth a look.
Of course, you might prefer a traditional camper rental option. In that case we recommend Motorhome Republic, who compare prices across a range of rental companies around the world to find the best price. See their options here.
For RV owners: If you have an RV that you want to make some money off when you’re not using it, you can list it for free on RVShare here, on PaulCamper here, on RVEzy here, on GoBoony here, and Outdoorsy here.
11. TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals
When it comes to travel related reviews, TripAdvisor is probably the first website you think of. However, TripAdvisor offers more than just reviews!
TripAdvisor Rentals have over 800,000 properties listed in 200 countries worldwide, so you will certainly have plenty of options to choose from. Plus obviously there are lots of reviews to read through!
For property owners: If you own a property and want to list it on TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals, you can sign up here.
12. Locally Focused and Specialist Websites
All the entries on our list so far offer fairly global coverage with properties all around the world.
However, it’s also worth checking some more locally focused websites which may offer a wider selection, or properties that aren’t available anywhere else. There are also websites which focus on particular types of accommodation.
If you’re planning a trip in the UK for example, there are a number of specialist holiday accommodation providers which primarily focus on properties in the UK and Ireland. Some examples in the UK include:
- Snaptrip – searches a wide range of UK and Ireland specific properties, with over 60,000 to choose from
- Sykes Holiday Cottages – specialize in holiday cottage accommodation across the UK
- Rural Retreats – they have less than 1000 properties on their books, but they have a strong focus on rural locations
See our guide to holiday accommodation booking websites in the UK and Ireland for some more specific examples in the UK and Ireland.
There are more options of course across a range of countries. Top Villas is an example that focuses primarily on the state of Florida for example, whilst Vintage Travel offers villas across Europe, all of which include a pool. Evolve offer apartments across the US primarily, with around 20,000 properties to choose from.
13. Our favourite AirBnb Alternative?
Of all the above, the first place we usually go to when planning a trip is booking.com. We have found that they have the best choice of properties, the search engine is easy to use, and you can filter by all sorts of categories and property features.
The fact that they cover apartments, hostels and hotels, as well as a number of other lodging options, means we nearly always find what we’re looking for at a good price. Definitely worth checking out.
If you’re looking for a platform more like AirBnB but with a focus on something a bit special, check out the Plum Guide. They don’t have quite the worldwide coverage of other providers, but we always check to see if they cover where we are going, as the properties they do have are excellent. We’ve used them a number of times and always had a positive experience. See their listings here.
Well, that about wraps up our guide to some of the best AirBnB alternatives. Hopefully we’ve given you lots of sites and apps like AirBnB to choose from for your next vacation rental.
For more AirBnB alternatives, check out Jess’s list of even more sites like AirBnB if the above weren’t enough!
Further Reading
We hope our guide to some of our favourite alternatives to AirBnB has helped you find the perfect property for your next trip! Before you head off on your adventure though, we wanted to share some other content we think you’ll find useful.
- If you’re planning a trip in the UK, see our guide to the best holiday cottage websites in the UK and Ireland.
- We have a comprehensive list of vacation rental websites for worldwide travel too
- We have a lot of content on travel in the UK to inspire your next trip. Check out our 2 week UK road trip itinerary, 1 week UK road trip itinerary, 7 day North Coast 500 road trip itinerary, and Highlands and Skye itinerary to get you started
- Visitors to the UK will likely want to know the cost of travel in the UK, as well as some tips for driving in the UK
- We have multiple city guides, including things to do in Edinburgh, how to spend 3 days in London, things to do in Portsmouth, things to do in Cambridge, things to do in Bristol, things to do in Aberdeen, things to do in Glasgow, things to do in Belfast and a 2 day Dublin itinerary
- Those of you travelling in the USA might enjoy our California Road Trip itinerary, Route 66 itinerary, Deep South itinerary and tips for driving in the USA.
And that’s it for our guide to our favourite AirBnB alternatives! We hope you found it useful. As always, we’re open to your feedback and questions – just pop them in the comments below. Safe travels!
Bjorn Nielsen says
Hi
I have been an Airbnb host for 5 years with many nice experiences. In november last year Airbnb announced their Covid concept and started to push hosts to agree. It is quite a bit overkill, like you need full cover to clean so it becomes very time intensive and you agree to have mask in all shared areas in your house. This is not the way you like to live. Now Airbnb have started to lock calenders for non agreeing hosts and make it hard for them to log in. So many hosts that offered shared living have left and the price level on the extisting stays are much higher as it is own apartments or houses. Now Airbnb is not offering shared living where you have your private room to sleap. The difference between them and booking.com, hotels.com is very small. They are just a bit more expensive as they charge more
/Bjorn
Laurence Norah says
Hi Bjorn,
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. We too have started using AirBnB less, there are so many other options out there now, many of which offering better value as you say!
Have a good 2021
Laurence
Benjamin Bot says
I’ve been renting short term for 2 years on Airbnb and VRBO and been really enjoying the experience and meeting wonderful ppl. I was recently permanently banned by Airbnb because a few guest didn’t rate above 4 stars. I host in a very rural area not really known for vacations, but ppl come here or are brought here because of family or manufacturing jobs are plenty here and there is a shortage of hotels. I had no issues with VRBO, I would have about equal bookings from both sites. It just really hurts to be dropped all of a sudden when you thought you had a partner. Your article really helped me to find other sources for host and guests to be able to find each other, and I feel better moving on, thank you so much
Laurence Norah says
Hey Benjamin,
Sorry to hear about your experience with AirBnB. Honestly, their rating system seems really messed up to me. I don’t know the point of having a 5 star system if anything under a 5 is considered bad. They might as well replace it with a binary good/bad option! Guests often don’t understand the important of the 5* rating, and how badly a 4* rating can impact a host. I’ve heard stories of guests conflating it with the hotel rating system – thinking the AirBnB was like a 3* hotel, so they give it three stars!
I am at least pleased to have been able to help you find alternatives. There are lots of other great options out there, and I hope you continue to enjoy hosting and doing well with your property 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experience.
Laurence
Karen Garner says
Hi there, was looking for 2021 Mardi Gras info. Got to your site. Really wonderful. I was so enthralled, I read for about 2 hours, not complaining, just complimenting! Great stuff, a myriad of perspectives & options, you guys are Tres Bonn (sp?) ! Thank you for finding such a delightful way to share your talents & your obvious love of the world and ways to see it. Reading your missives, it feels like we are long time friends! With much gratitude, Karen
Laurence Norah says
Hi Karen!
Thank you so much for your kind comment – it really means a lot to hear we have connected so well with you 🙂 We sure do love the world an I am thrilled it came through to you in our writing. I hope you found everything you were looking for, and we’re always here if you have any questions! You’re also welcome to come hang out with us in our Facebook group as well 🙂 https://www.facebook.com/groups/travelloversandphotography
Happy travels!
Laurence
PAC-MAN says
AirBNB and VRBO are the same. They are owned by the same company, operate on the same platform with the same policies and poor customer service.
Unfortunately, the risk for scam and high fees are the same with both websites.
Laurence Norah says
Thanks for your comment. This isn’t actually true though – VRBO is owned by the Expedia Group. AirBnB is an entirely separate company. They don’t share the same platform. It’s possible you are confusing VRBO with the other brands also owned by Expedia, like Homeaway, Orbitz, and Trivago, but AirBnB is definitely not connected to VRBO at the moment.
Sara G says
Vrbo/Homeaway fees just keep climbing. They are a behemoth and are making it more and more expensive for owners and travellers. Such a shame.
Laurence Norah says
Hi Sara,
Thanks for your comment. This certainly seems to be a common trend, once a platform gains a certain level of market dominance the prices invariably rise. We have certainly observed this with AirBnB, and VRBO appear to be following the same pattern. Thankfully there are still lots of other options out there 🙂
Best
Laurence
James says
Another great alternative is SabbaticalHomes.com they are a home sharing/swap/rental site with listings in 57 countries world wide. Because it is specifically designed for academics and scholars they have a great community of homeowners and renters, and is available for anyone to use, academic or not!
Laurence Norah says
Thanks for sharing James 🙂
Renai says
I am a former airbnb host in Australia. When it first started we were fortunate to host some incredible people from all over the world then the Airbnb positive guest profile started to decline rapidly the more popular it became. I quit Airbnb a few years ago here in Australia for a few reasons;when the platform started comparing in same suburb a private room in a shared house to our 2 bedroom house for guests sole use! It bought down the medium recommended price to $85AUS per night for 2 guests! It was going to cost us money. This move was attracting a “backpackers”crowd who would upon checkout would take everything that was not nailed down! Combined with the lack of any negative comments submitted about disrespectful guests that stole items from our house (or guests whom let their kids ride through the house and left tyre marks and handlemark scrapes down our freshly painted hallway) being totally disregarded so other hosts properties would then be open to the possiblty to be abused by said guests ( no accountability) I left them to their cash extracting exercise and gave up! I have since bought a fabulous Beach house on The Great Ocean Rd and am looking for a new platform that allows me to welcome future guests AND offer me some choice on whom I host. Your suggestions are good. I would never of thought to list on Booking.Com – thankyou!
Laurence Norah says
My pleasure Renai, and for sure, the comments you have made are very similar to what we have heard from many other hosts unfortunately. Luckily, there are some great alternatives to AirBnB out there, and we hope your new property does well on booking.com!
Sanya says
I am really sorry to hear your bad experience Renai.
I count myself lucky as after 7 years of Airbnb we had nothing but superb experience. Guests from all around the world, the dining table full of delicious from any country you could name…. I miss those days dearly. We live in Surrey UK and predominantly our guests were young professionals who moved for work purposes and we had amazing time hosting them. From the moment Brexit was announced back in 2016 ( or was it 2017) Airbnb died out in our area. We host via booking.com now and it is totally different experience, most guests stay one/two nights and hosting is not as personal as via Airbnb.
I think pricing it correctly would attract certain clientele and by so demand certain standard vice versus. Best of luck and I can not wait for Airbnb to become active in my area again.
Sanya
Amanda Ganna says
Great article and also great comments. What has brought me to this awesome site is that we are planning a trip to Colorado for Christmas we are staying 12 nights and bringing our family 8 adults and 3 children. We stayed with Airb&b last Christmas in Estes Park Colorado and had an amazing Christmas we also used them this summer in Greece and in Italy with good experiences. So as I’m searching Airb&b we come across a perfect for us property so it says 1493.58 per night ok so I click further and somehow it’s now $22,550. There is a cleaning fee of $369.00 ok I get it not that bad . Taxes $1898.0 ok (should be in the total from the start) but ok . THEN there is a fee of $2360.00 ?? For service fee ?? Really?? So now I am like doesn’t seem right I’ll just move on . I now go to Expedia just to see what the have I put all my criteria in and press search . Boom low and behold there’s the house . The SAME house but here it’s only $1275.00 per night and the total comes to $17,776.03 there’s an almost $5000.00 difference?? I am completely mind blown at this moment So I research the site that’s the property management company listed on Airb&b and go to their site . All my criteria in and there’s the same house but a different price !!! It’s 2000.00 less then Airb&b but still more then Expedia (Homeaway) I have emailed the “host” on Airb&b and waiting for the reply, we really want the home but I seriously feel like something is just off about this whole situation. Has anyone else experienced this ?
Laurence Norah says
Hi Amanda!
This is something we’ve not personally experienced at this level. Certainly prices vary from site to site, but this variation just seems mad. We have definitely noticed all the fees on AirBnB have increased over our years of using it, hence we decided to come up with this list.
We hope you find a great property at the right price for you!
Laurence
Hayley says
We (three adults) will only have 2 full days in Paris. We arrive on a Thursday afternoon and depart early afternoon on a Sunday. Could your recommend the best neighborhood to stay in please that is of course close to the metro. We definitely want to go to the Louvre, take a Seine River Cruise and see the most we can in the two full days.
How is the weather generally during the end of October.
Thank you,
Hayley
Laurence Norah says
Hi Hayley,
The metro is quite widespread in Paris so most areas you stay should be within easy walking distance of the metro. One of my favourite areas to stay is Le Marais, which is easy to get to and from by metro 🙂
In October, the weather in Paris will be cooler, but good for sightseeing. Of course rain is a possibility, and I’d recommend bringing some warmer layers so you can dress appropriately. However, it will also be less crowded compared to the summer months.
Have a great trip!
Laurence
Hayley says
Laurence,
Thank you for your quick response.
Hayley