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The Daily Insight

Is there a better site than Airbnb?

Author

Emma Newman

Updated on February 21, 2026

1. Vrbo. First up in my list of AirBnB alternatives is Vrbo, 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.

Furthermore, what is the best alternative to Airbnb?

Get inspired for your next getaway with these 10 alternatives to Airbnb:

  • Homestay. homestaycom.
  • VRBO. vrbo.
  • FlipKey from TripAdvisor Rentals. flipkey_vacation.
  • TripAdvisor Rentals. tripadvisor.
  • TurnKey Vacation Rentals. turnkeyvacationrentals.
  • Wimdu. wimdu.
  • Couchsurfing. couchsurfing.
  • Booking.com Apartments. bookingcom.

Furthermore, which is better Airbnb or booking com? Basically, Airbnb is more short rental based, whereas Booking.com is mostly used by hotels. Because of various reasons, while Airbnb charges both guests and hosts, Booking.com doesn't charge guests any fee to book. However, many hosts take an extra step and list their homes in both sites.

Subsequently, one may also ask, is there anything cheaper than Airbnb?

For us renters, VRBO and HomeAway are fairly similar, both to each other and to Airbnb. Because of this flexibility, you'll find cheaper accommodations on Airbnb, especially for 1-2 people. VRBO and other vacation home rental sites are ideal for larger groups of 4 or more.

What is the best vacation rental website?

A Complete Guide to the Top 10 Vacation Rental Sites

  1. Airbnb. Airbnb is a top trusted vacation rental website that offers hosts the opportunity to make money from listing their rental properties, as well as, experiences.
  2. HomeAway.
  3. VRBO.
  4. Booking.com.
  5. TripAdvisor.
  6. Homestay.com.
  7. atraveo.
  8. OneFineStay.

Related Question Answers

Are there any apps like Airbnb?

Airbnb Competitors
  • Tripping.com. A leading search engine for vacation rentals, Tripping.com has got over 8 million properties in 150,000 destinations, offering travelers with more than wide variety of unique accommodations especially for the long-term.
  • HomeToGo.
  • FlipKey.
  • HomeAway.
  • VRBO.
  • HouseTrip.
  • VayStays.
  • VacayHero.

What's better Airbnb or VRBO?

The only major difference is the number of single rooms for rent on Airbnb. It's much more common to find shared, shorter-term accommodation on Airbnb than VRBO. On the latter, you'll find more long-term stays and "entire home" listings.

Why is Airbnb so expensive?

AirBnB and other similar platforms such as CouchSurfing are definitely getting more and more expensive, much to the joy and sadness of the founders because on the one hand the elevated costs are driven by a vibrant patronage of their platform, while on the other hand the original mission statement of bringing these

How is Vacasa different from Airbnb?

Vacasa. This Portland-based vacation rental company may not be as large as Airbnb—it offers around 14,000 vacation homes around the world—but it offers a few key differences. Instead of relying on the home sharing system, Vacasa curates the properties and pays over 2,000 employees to clean and maintain them.

How does Airbnb make money?

Commission from Hosts/Owners Airbnb deducts a flat 10% commission from hosts for every booking done through the platform. Hosts also have to pay a 3% fee for the processing of the payments of the guests.

What is Airbnb service fee?

Guest service fee This fee is typically under 14.2% of the booking subtotal (the nightly rate plus cleaning fee and additional guest fee, if applicable, but excluding Airbnb fees and taxes). The fee varies based on a variety of booking factors and is displayed to guests during checkout before they book a reservation.

Who owns Airbnb and VRBO?

Still, VRBO (owned by HomeAway) and Airbnb are two of the biggest vacation home rental players in the travel industry today.

How do I get Airbnb discounts?

How to Get an Airbnb Discount
  1. Ask your host for a Special Offer. Use this sparingly!
  2. Book longer stays to snag a weekly or monthly Airbnb discount. Most hosts offer weekly or monthly discounts on their listings to entice users to book longer stays.
  3. Use my referral link to get an Airbnb discount on your first stay.

How Safe Is Airbnb?

Protection for the Traveler. While Airbnb has no protections that replicate traveler's insurance, it has certain provisions in place to try to ensure guest safety and satisfaction. As the quality of hosts is based on their reviews, guests are encouraged to only book with highly-recommended providers.

Do you have to be 25 to rent an Airbnb?

More controversially, Airbnb will soon restrict the ability of guests under the age of 25 to book homes within their own communities (though they can still book private rooms within homes, according to company spokesperson Chris Lehane.)

What makes Airbnb different?

Airbnb is different because you will stay in somebody's house or private room. This means you get to interact and engage with a local person, which makes for a different experience. Sometimes Airbnb hosts will even become friends.

Is booking Airbnb last minute cheaper?

You're booking last-minute. If it's just a few days before your stay, it is very likely your Airbnb host will consider lowering the price so they can get that room filled.

Is booking com like Airbnb?

Basically, Airbnb is more short rental based, whereas Booking.com is mostly used by hotels. There are some significant differences between these two. Because of various reasons, while Airbnb charges both guests and hosts, Booking.com doesn't charge guests any fee to book.

Who are Airbnb competitors?

Traditional Airbnb competitors include HomeAway, VRBO, Flipkey, TripAdvisor and Booking.com but there are many more to explore.

Does booking com own Airbnb?

Booking.com says it's beating Airbnb at its own game of renting out homes and apartments to travelers. Since 2007, 748 million guests have stayed at homes, apartments, or unique listings like yurts and igloos listed on Booking.com, according to its parent company, Booking Holdings.

Can I list on Airbnb and booking com?

Yes, you can upload a listing both on Airbnb and Booking.com . In fact, at one time you can list all your inventory on multiple such platforms. I believe, by listing you mean inventory listing. There are many such other platforms like Expedia, Agoda and so on.

Can you edit review on booking com?

If you are a guest and you need to change or remove a review you need to: Contact Booking.com by phone (here you find the phone number for your country) or login in your account. Booking.com will send an email where you as a guest can re submit the review that will substitute the old one.

What is the commission for booking com?

15%

Does Expedia own Airbnb?

Expedia's HomeAway has 1.7 million bookable online listings, while rival Booking Holdings — formerly Priceline — and Airbnb both have around 5 million. And just this week, corporate travel platform Concur, owned by SAP, announced it has integrated listings from Airbnb into its platform.

Which is better Airbnb or Agoda?

The 10% service charge is the standard way booking platforms generate revenue for their shareholders. However, Agoda is cheaper because many AirBNB hosts charge a cleaning fee in additional to AirBNB's service charge. Overall, those extra AirBNB fees add up and Agoda is often much cheaper per night than using AirBNB.

Is vrbo safer than Airbnb?

Vrbo. However, unlike Airbnb, you can only rent entire homes on Vrbo, which means it has fewer rentals than Airbnb. (On Vrbo's website, it boasts that it has over 2 million rentals worldwide, compared to Airbnb's 4 million.)

Which vacation rental has lowest fees?

VRBO charges renters a traveler service fee of 6-12% of the rental rate (up to $499) for online bookings. AirBnB charges all renters a service fee of 5-20% of the rental rate (without limit). FlipKey charges all renters a booking fee of 8-16% of the rental rate (without limit).

Where is the best place to buy a vacation home?

These are the 10 best places to buy a vacation home, and they're not where you'd guess
  • Sevierville, Tennessee—$239,976.
  • Killington, Vermont—$208,828.
  • Davenport, Florida—$255,390.
  • Whittier, North Carolina—$178,000.
  • Kissimmee, Florida—$264,863.
  • Dauphin Island, Alabama—$345,281.
  • Myrtle Beach, South Carolina—$213,950.

Can I trust VRBO?

Is VRBO safe? Is Homeaway safe? For those of you that want the short answer, yes it is, but only if you are careful and savvy at knowing when something is fishy. For those of you that want to make sure the vacation property you rent is legit, read on.

Is HomeAway a safe site?

HomeAway is as safe to use as any other booking website that allows you to book a stay at someone's dwelling. In fact, it is perhaps safer than other websites due to their property damage protection, insurance, secure communications, fraud protection, deposit protection, and 24/7 customer service.

Is VRBO owned by Airbnb?

These days, there are many vacation rental listing sites to choose from when considering where you want to list your property. However, VRBO (which is owned by HomeAway) and Airbnb are still two of the most well-known.

What is it called when you rent a house for vacation?

A vacation rental is the renting out of a furnished apartment, house, or professionally managed resort-condominium complex on a temporary basis to tourists as an alternative to a hotel. In Europe the term villa rental or villa holiday is preferred for rentals of detached houses in warm climates.

What qualifies as vacation home?

A vacation home is a property aside from one's primary residence, that is used mainly for vacationing. A vacation home is often located some distance away from the primary residence.

What is it called when you rent someone's house for vacation?

Airbnb Plus places to stay.