With over seven million accommodations in 191 countries and regions, Airbnb made it easier than ever to book a vacation property, an apartment, or even an entire home. However, the company’s been under fire in recent years over housing price hikes, allegations of racism, lack of transparency, and campaigns for relaxed rental laws.
Given these issues, it makes sense for people to seek out alternatives. Lucky for you, we’ve put together a list of the best Airbnb competitors you can use.
Also read: What are Airbnb Experiences exactly? Everything you need to know
Best Airbnb competitors:
Editor’s note: We will update our list of Airbnb competitors over time.
1. Homestay
Some will argue Homestay is what Airbnb used to be or should be. That’s because you stay in a host’s home while the host is present. This allows for a truly local experience, with the host able to give advice, help you navigate the area, and much more.
Homestay offers short- and long-term rentals, making it a good choice for tourists, students, and workers alike. It offers 33,000 listings in over 160 countries.
2. Vrbo
Standing for “Vacation Rentals by Owner,” Vrbo doesn’t provide a hosted experience — only vacation properties are available. It generally works best for large families and groups, though there are listings meant for couples or smaller groups.
Vrbo boasts over one million properties in over 190 countries.
3. Booking.com
Odds are you closely associate Booking.com with booking hotels online, and you’d be right in doing so. However, you can also stay at homes, apartments, and more. Because you can also book your flight, car, taxi, and restaurants with Booking.com, the site is perfect for those who want a truly all-in-one booking experience.
Booking.com features over 6.2 million homes, apartments, and other places. Rentals generally don’t have a host onsite, but they tend to be professionally-managed.
4. Vacasa
Offering over 23,000 homes in 17 countries, Vacasa isn’t as large as Airbnb. However, there’s a good reason: it doesn’t use the normal home sharing system. Instead, Vacasa curates properties and pays over 5,000 employees to clean and maintain homes. Each employee earns at least $15 per hour.
Also read: 10 best road trip apps for Android!
With Vacasa, you can also buy and sell vacation homes. To help with your search, Vacasa asks if you have a real estate agent, when you want to buy a vacation home, and your budget. You then provide contact information, which Vacasa will use to reach out to you. Vacasa will also offer vacation rental income projections and interior design services.
5. Wimdu
Even though Wimdu offers vacation rentals for homes, the service emphasizes city apartments. Using Wimdu’s filters, you can select the type of property, price, and included amenities. Possible amenities include washers, dryers, and an elevator.
Based out of Germany, Wimdu is a very popular option in Europe. The service lists over 350,000 properties in over 150 countries.
6. Kid and Coe
It’s not that you don’t love your kids, but it can be a pain to travel with them. Kid and Coe tries to alleviate the pressure with kid-focused amenities for its listings. Its listings state how many people a property can safely house, an age range, and descriptions of any toys, baby supplies, and beds a property includes.
Keep in mind listings can get up there in price. Also, inventory can be limited. However, this is a great choice for those traveling with kids.
7. Home Exchange
Home Exchange is unlike any other Airbnb competitor out there. The yearly $150 membership is necessary and irksome, but it lets the service validate users and properties. More importantly, you can swap homes with other travelers.
Also read: 10 best travel apps for Android!
All of this play into Home Exchange’s GuestPoints reward system. You use GuestPoints to stay at someone’s home if that person doesn’t want to stay at yours, which Home Exchange calls a non-reciprocal exchange. That means you earn a good chunk of GuestPoints if you host a traveler and don’t stay at their home. If you decide to stay at each other’s home, you don’t have to use GuestPoints.
It’s not the simplest system in the world, but GuestPoints act as a good incentive to open your home to travelers. Best of all, they don’t expire after a set amount of time.
8. TripAdvisor Rentals
With TripAdvisor, you can make a reservation at a restaurant, purchase cruise tickets, make flight reservations, and more. However, did you know you can also book a vacation rental? Boasting over 830,000 properties in 190 countries, TripAdvisor Rentals is one of the largest Airbnb alternatives available.
Thanks to its all-in-one nature, TripAdvisor Rentals makes it easy to properly plan a trip. Better yet, the service’s large travel community is more than happy to help with any question you might have.
9. Innclusive
Founded in 2016 in response to racism allegations against Airbnb, Innclusive tries to be exactly that: inclusive, regardless of your background. To that end, the service only shows you pictures once bookings are confirmed. Most of Innclusive’s listings feature instant booking, with hosts unable to deny a booking to one guest and offer the same booking to someone else.
10. BoutiqueHomes
With only 1,414 listed properties, BoutiqueHomes features an extremely limited selection of vacation rentals. However, the service makes up for the limited selection with design-driven properties. BoutiqueHomes curates each home, making sure each features eye-popping interior and exterior design. Better yet, the locations are also breathtaking and perfect for the instagrammer in your life.
The curation and eye for design come at a price, however. These are luxury vacation rentals, so make sure your wallets run deep before making the plunge.
That was our list of the best Airbnb competitors and alternatives. In the comments below, let us know if you’re planning a vacation rental through any of these services. You can also let us know any recommended alternatives you know of!
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