12 Airbnb Alternatives to Consider For Your Next Trip! [2024]

There's no doubt that Airbnb caused considerable disruption in the travel industry. The peer-to-peer marketplace has widened our choices for accommodation, suiting both our budget and preferences.

No longer are the days where you're forced to choose between an expensive resort and hotel to a mid-range hotel/hostel/motel. If you're a digital nomad, you're also no longer forced to choose between living in a hotel or committing to a longer-term rent-based living situation.

But, as with every other vacation rentals website, Airbnb is far from perfect with issues related to bookings, reliability, and safety. In this case, you might want to consider other vacation rental websites too.

Why not Airbnb?

Airbnbs are generally an easy, cost-effective accommodation option for travelers across the world. Airbnbs also offer more options for specific travelers looking for more local and cozier experiences than hotels.

I'm personally a big fan of Airbnbs and how they work. However, with Airbnb's rising clean fees and problematic hosts, I'm always forced to look for alternatives.

Here's a list of the best Airbnb alternatives that are worth your attention. Regardless of where you're traveling, make sure to consider these alternatives! You will find a choice for everyone from budget travelers to families and every type of accommodation, from homestays to luxury apartments!

Without further ado, let's get started on the first Airbnb alternative, Vrbo.

Top 10 Airbnb Alternatives for you to consider!

1. Vrbo - Best Overall Airbnb Alternative

Vrbo is one of the biggest vacation rental sites today, with over 2 million listings in 190 countries. It primarily provides entire properties ranging from treehouses to beach cottages to luxury villas.

With over 25 years in experience offering rental properties, Vrbo is great for families or large group of friends who's looking for villas, private cabins, or other similar more luxury stays. If you're looking for budget apartment rentals, this might not be the best option for you.

Unfortunately, a drawback for Vrbo is that they charge a booking fee to all booking, which was initially charged to the hosts.

Vrbo doesn't offer shared spaces as a choice, unlike Airbnb. For this reason, it's ideal for families or group travelers looking for large, traditional, or fully-fledged properties. Its wide range of choices at varying prices makes it a popular Airbnb alternative.

All you have to do is, enter the destination, check-in and check-out dates, and the number of guests (adults, kids, and pets), and search for rentals. You can narrow the search results by specifying the accommodation type, price, rooms, features, amenities, house rules, etc.

You can also save your favorite places under Trip Boards and book them later. Vrbo mobile app is available for both Android and iOS devices.

Pros:

• Wide choice
• Ideal for families
• Useful filters
• Simple and secure booking process

Cons:

• No shared spaces or homestays
• Booking fees
• Accommodation options are a bit pricier than others

2. Tripadvisor Rentals - All-in-one booking platform

Tripadvisor is one of the most popular travel guide websites. Tripadvisor Rentals features vacation rentals within Tripadvisor with nearly a million listings. Accommodation choices include but are not limited to single bedrooms, beach cottages, city lofts, and luxury villas. So, it's ideal for solo travelers and families alike.

Once you specify the destination under the "Rentals" section, a list of relevant search results will appear. Use the filters if you are looking for a specific accommodation type, facility, or any other feature.

The number of reviews, bedrooms, bathrooms, and guests are given to help you compare the options in list form. But, you have to click on each to check prices, availability, and other rental details.

One of the strongest features of Tripadvisor Rentals is the massive number of user reviews. Unfortunately, the vacation rentals on TripAdvisor are affiliated with Flipkey. You can also download the mobile app to manage your bookings easily.

Pros:

• Easy and convenient to use site
• Wide variety of choices
• A large number of user reviews
• Ideal for all types of travelers

Cons:

• Paid non-authentic recommendations
• Biased/fake reviews

3. Plum Guide - Quality picks

Plum Guide is a recent addition to vacation rental sites launched in 2016. Plum Guide's specialty includes a limited and handpicked collection of accommodation options for vacationers. They represent the top 3% of accommodations in each destination.

Unlike peer-to-peer sites like Airbnb, these rentals are selected through an expert-vetted process to ensure they look as described. Plum Guide features rentals in the U.K, Europe, and the U.S.A.

On the homepage, enter your destination, duration of stay, and the number of guests. You will get a list of vacation accommodations with details on price, beds, bathrooms, and guest count.

If you are a traveler who prioritizes quality and hunts for places that are at convenient locations and high-standard amenities, this alternative to Airbnb is for you. However, the prices are on the high-end comparatively.

Pros:

• High-quality accommodation options
• Assurance of the state of rentals matching the description and photos
• Easy booking process

Cons:

• Expensive options
• Limited choice

4. Booking.com - Incumbent Accommodation Platform

Booking.com is another marketplace that connects travelers with holiday rental owners. As with hotels, car rentals, and flights, Booking.com exists pretty much everywhere in the travel booking journey.

With millions of active listings worldwide, it certainly is one of the leading Airbnb alternatives today. You can find anything from a cheap hostel to a 5-star resort here.

You can search for accommodation by entering the trip details and specifying traveling for work. The search results can be narrowed down further using filters such as the budget range, property type, facilities, neighborhood, etc.

In the list view, you can get an idea of the price, the number of bedrooms, and a few other major details. We think the platform is great for travelers with special needs as there are many filter options for accessibility needs.

Booking also offers exclusive discounts or perks for its members, but they're not always available. Booking.com mobile app is available for both Android and iOS devices.

Pros:

• Wide choice of accommodation options
• Ideal for all types of travelers
• Loads of useful filters to narrow search results
• Deals and discounts for advance bookings

Cons:

• Complains about faulty bookings
• Unreliable customer support

5. Agoda - Asian-based Vacation Rental

Agoda is a Singaporean-based vacation rental booking website initially focused on the Asian market. It's the best Airbnb alternative for travelers heading to Asian countries. It has over 2.5 million property listings globally, ranging from hotels to inns to hostels.

Enter the destination and other required details to get the listings available there. You can filter by price, star ratings, property facilities, and property types. There's also a section called 'Secret Deals' if you want to check for discounted listings or last-minute deals.

You can download the Agoda app to search and manage your bookings easily. It is available for both Android and iOS devices.

Pros:

• Frequent deals on bookings
• Good choice of accommodation
• Simple booking process

Cons:

• Issues related to booking, although not frequent
• Varied experiences

6. Homestay - Tailored for private rentals or homestays

As the name suggests, Homestay is a website geared toward travelers looking for homestays or private rentals. They're a one of the best local rental companies that promotes homestays specifically.

You can book a room in a resident's (host) house and stay with them for the predefined period. Homestay offers short-term and long-term rentals and is different from other vacation home rental agencies.

Homestay aims to provide quality accommodation at budget-friendly prices. We think it's great for solo travelers and students because you book the host's spare room(s) for use most of the time. The website has a selection of over 63,000 rooms in 176 cities worldwide.

With Homestay, you can also learn about local life, enjoy their meals, and learn about their culture and traditions. In the list form, you get a short overview of each rental along with the number of reviews, min/max number of days allowed, and price.

Filters about meals, types of travelers host welcomes, hobbies, amenities, and accessibility help you narrow the search results. The 'host welcomes' filter is particularly useful for finding female-friendly homestays. Homestay mobile app is available for Android devices.

Pros:

• A local experience
• Budget-friendly
• Ideal for long-term stays
• Simple booking process

Cons:

• Might not have full privacy
• Limited choices
• App is only for Android

7. Vacasa - Alternative for Vacation home rentals

Vacasa is a vacation rental service company with over 30,000 rental listings in the U.S, Canada, Mexico, Belize, and Costa Rica. Unlike Airbnb, it ultimately manages the properties on behalf of the host to ensure guests receive a high-standard experience.

Also unlike airbnb, Vacasa focuses on vacation homes for bigger groups, like families or bigger groups of friends. This also means that their price-point might be higher than Airbnb listings are.

The accommodation options include beach resorts, condos, hotel suites, and townhouses. Like Vrbo, it doesn't offer bedrooms or shared spaces. Vacasa also provides reliable customer support to assist you both on-site and off-site. So, it's an ideal choice for travelers looking for reliable and safe accommodation options.

So how do you use Vacasa? Simply enter the destination and other required details and click 'Search'! You can also use filters like wedding venues, beach access, lake view, or pool spa to help you find places with the required facilities. You can compare the prices, rating, bedrooms, baths, and number of accommodated guests in each property in list view.

Vacasa app is available for both Android and iOS devices. Read our full Vacasa review for a more detailed review.

Pros:

• Compare the availability of each property in the list form itself
• Assurance of well-maintained properties
• 3D tours of selected rentals
• Easy booking process

Cons:

• Complaints about lackluster customer service
• Covers limited destinations
• It may not be ideal for budget travelers 

8. Sonder - Hotel Amenities with Vacation Rentals

Unreliable hosts are one of the biggest reasons many look for other vacation rental websites like Airbnb.

Like Vacasa, Sonder aims to overcome this issue by taking property management into their hands. Sonder operates in over 35 cities in 10 countries, offering over 6300 modern-styled rentals.

The company maintains the interior, offers 24/7 support, and provides high-quality amenities for guests to enjoy a smooth experience. You can find hotel rooms, suites, studios, apartments, lofts, etc., ranging from mid to high prices, and it is a good option for both long-term and short-term rental sites.

The properties on Sonder are located in popular areas in big cities so they won't be very cheap. But, if your concern is the ease of access and convenience, it is one of the best vacation rental organizations. Select your city and enter the trip details to check out the rental options available.

Pros:

• Consistent service
• Short and long-term rentals
• Covers major cities
• 24/7 on-site support

Cons:

• Rentals are not very cheap
• Limited choice

9. Expedia - Booking platform with huge listings

Initially, only a flights booking service, the Expedia Group has grown into one of the strongest Airbnb competitors, not just in the rental industry, but also in the hotels and rental homes industry. It offers nearly 2 million rental listings worldwide to help travelers find the perfect staycation spot. The choice is massive, and it can be both valuable and overwhelming.

You have to enter your destination and check-in and check-out dates in the 'Stays" section on the Expedia website. You can only compare the properties using their prices in the list view. You can specify the property type, budget, meal plans, amenities, etc. You can also go through the reviews to get a good idea about the accommodation and amenities.

Expedia is a great Airbnb alternative, and it caters to all travelers with both shared spaces and entire properties. You will also find plenty of last-minute deals, helping you cut the cost of accommodation. The Expedia mobile app is available for both Android and iOS devices.

Pros:

• Good choice
• Easy booking system
• Frequent deals and discounts on rentals

Cons:

• Complains about customer support
• Hosts or property owners may not be reliable 

10. GlampingHub

GlampingHub is for people who like to spend their vacation in one-of-a-kind, nature-bound areas. It offers a wide range of accommodation options like treehouses, tipis, castles, igloos, and caves. For this reason, it's the perfect Airbnb alternative for luxury campers and outdoor enthusiasts.

You can enter the destination, check if any glamping-type properties are available, and use filters to specify the type of accommodation, amenities, price, etc. GlampingHub covers over 110 countries at present, and most of the glamping spots are in remote areas.

Like Airbnb, the site only connects you with the host/property owners and facilitates a secure booking process. Read our in-depth GlampingHub review to learn more!

Pros:

• Unique types of accommodation
• Supports eco-friendly tourism
• Simple and secure booking process

Cons:

• Limited choice
• Unreliable hosts

11. Marriott Homes & Villa - Marriott's rental platform

Marriott, an international provider and brand of hotels and resorts, is also offering their Marriott Homes & Villa if you're already in their ecosystem.

These homes & villas will come with a price tag that reflects the Marriott brand, but they're also managed by a professional company that'll make sure your stay is up to standards.

You'll also earn points towards Marriott Bonvoy rewards program, which allows you to then book more trips across their branded stays across the world.

Pros:

• Intuitive platform
• Detailed filters
• ​Gain Marriott Bonvoy points

Cons:

• Expensive price point
• Quality varies per rentals

12. Hotels.com - Verified Vacation Rentals

If you've ever searched for stays on Hotels.com, you'll know that they do way more than just hotel rooms.

Hotels.com is owned by the Expedia Group, but they differ in Expedia's Vacation Rental in the fact that they serve more verified listings, similar to Booking.com's vacation rentals do.

Hotels.com also offers its own rewards program, which you can take advantage to book hotels, vacation rentals, resorts, and more! With their vast amount of verified listings, you're also able to filter down to the nitty gritty on just which vacation rentals you'd like to stay at.

Pros:

• Hotels.com loyalty programs
• Many listing options to choose from
• Decent filters

Cons:

• Customer service issues
• Slightly pricey

So which Airbnb alternative suits me best?

All of the listings above are Airbnb competitors, so you'll be sure that their services are always trying to match Airbnbs.

So overall, it really depends on the destination you're heading to and your needs and preferences. If you're looking for luxury stays that accommodate larger crowds, give Vrbo and Vacasa a try! If you're looking for a reputable provider as an Airbnb alternative, booking.com, Agoda, or Tripadvisor Rentals might be for you. If you like to seek out unique accommodation options, give Glampinghub a try!

Regardless of which short term rental sites you try, make sure to read the details of the specific listing to make sure they've got everything you need. Don't hesitate to contact customer support or the rental owner if you have any questions!

How to find the best price for a vacation rental?

Sometimes, going through the mammoth of options in sites like Airbnb and comparing prices can be overwhelming. But, there can be price differences for the same property listed on two different sites. In this case, you can use Holidu. It will search these sites and provide the lowest price listed for a specific property on the web. You can read our Holidu review to learn more! Wimdu and HomeToGo are some other options. 

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