Key Takeaways
Diversification is vital: Relying solely on Airbnb can leave property managers vulnerable to policy changes and market volatility. Listing on multiple platforms helps to reduce the loss of bookings and amplify audience reach.
Cater to your specific niche market: Similar sites to Airbnb like Vrbo, Plum Guide, and Houfy cater to specific audiences. This allows you to promote your property to your ideal guest.
Using management tools to help multi-platform hosting: Using tools like Avantio helps to organise reservations, sync calendars, and manage guest communications across different platforms.
Airbnb has been a dominant force in the short-term rental industry since its founding in 2007.
With over 8 million listings worldwide and about 5 million hosts hosting more than 1.4 billion guests by 2024, its popularity has altered how travellers book accommodations.
However, relying solely on Airbnb is not without challenges.
If you are a property manager looking to expand to other platforms, exploring alternatives to Airbnb is a critical strategy. Diversifying across different rental platforms can help to reduce dependence on a single source for bookings, while benefiting from their specific niches, such as luxury, family-friendly, or business travel.
But knowing which Airbnb alternatives are best, can be a challenge. Luckily, we’ve outlined the top five alternatives to Airbnb, highlighting their key features, advantages, and potential drawbacks.
Why look for Airbnb alternatives?
As a property manager in the competitive short-term rental industry, relying exclusively on Airbnb can be hindering your profit. Although Airbnb dominates the market with 20% of the global vacation rental market, reaching just under $10 billion in global revenue by the end of 2023, diversification is vital to maintaining a stable and profitable booking calendar.
💡 Did You Know? Airbnb has a diverse commission structure. This ranges from 3% for hosts to 15% with a split-fee structure for guests. This can impact a short-term rental host’s profitability.
The Benefits of using Airbnb alternatives for your short-term rental:
1. Diversification of platforms to avoid reliance
Without a doubt, Airbnb is the first choice for many travellers, but for property managers, relying on a single platform means that your business is dependent on that one tool. As the old saying goes, “Don’t put your eggs all in one basket“.
For example, during the COVID pandemic, Airbnb implemented guest refunds due to travel restrictions and bans. Of course, this left many hosts without bookings and by default, without an income.
Listing properties on multiple short-term rental platforms that cater to a variety of niches, will not only attract a larger scale of clients but also help to reduce loss if and when policy changes occur.
2. Airbnb policies and their impact on properties
Despite its popularity, Airbnb can present a few drawbacks that will impact a property manager’s reach and profit. High commission fees (up to 15%) can impact the bottom line of many hosts, while policies and restrictions favouring guests can leave hosts exposed to free last-minute cancellations or chargebacks. Exploring other alternatives gives you the ability to test out different policies and regulations that better suit your needs.
3. Expanding to niche markets
Airbnb appeals to many users, but with specific platforms, you can reach certain types of guests that suit your property best. Platforms like Plum Guide (luxury rentals) or Vrbo (family-friendly homes) cater to specific groups of holidaygoers.
4. Keeping up with competitors
Airbnb appeals to a large market, however, alternatives like Booking.com hold a bigger share of the worldwide online travel market at about 30%. As more property managers expand on different platforms, their accommodations will be more present online, in turn, generating more reservations and income.
Keep track of bookings across multiple platforms
Managing multiple booking platforms doesn’t have to be difficult or overwhelming. There are many online tools to help you manage everything in one place.
Avantio’s multi-calendar syncs bookings from Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, and more, to help avoid issues or double bookings. The Unified Inbox feature keeps all guest messages in one spot, making communication simple and efficient.
Top alternatives to Airbnb
There are many alternative sites to Airbnb to promote your properties. Several platforms offer unique features and advantages that are tailored to different markets and niche groups. Diversifying your listings on any or all of these platforms will only benefit you and your properties.
Booking.com
Booking.com is a globally recognized platform that spans its listings to include hotels, vacation homes, and short-term rentals. It has a large international customer base, which means that it provides high visibility for your properties. The platform itself provides many insights and analytics to help you manage your listing’s visibility and convert them into bookings.
Pros:
✅ Large reach: by the end of 2024, Booking.com had over 514 million visits, making it the most visited travel and tourism website in the world.
✅ Advanced marketing tools to boost property visibility.
✅ Different pricing models based on property types.
Cons:
❌ Higher commission fees compared to Airbnb, which can impact profitability.
❌ Less emphasis on unique rentals compared to Airbnb.
Vrbo
Vrbo is another great alternative to Airbnb. It specializes in holiday homes, emphasizing families and groups who prefer to rent an entire holiday home. The idea behind the platform is to provide a comfortable home away from home, where parents can have the same comforts of a kitchen, garden, and other amenities to make their holiday a pleasant experience.
Pros:
✅ Lower commission fees compared to other competitors.
✅ Has a dedicated clientele appealing to family-friendly accommodations.
✅ Vrbo has been named the best holiday rental platform for cottage rentals in the UK in 2024.
Cons:
❌ Smaller market reach due to niche appeal.
❌ Less brand recognition in the UK market compared to Airbnb and Booking.com
Tripadvisor Rentals
Being attached to the review site, Tripadvisor Rentals is an extension of the well-known platform. They provide a large variety of rental options that are integrated with user reviews. This is especially appealing to holidaygoers who like to fully research the properties and get an understanding of how previous visitors enjoyed their stay.
Tripadvisor Rentals has a large international reach and reputation, while also giving property managers plenty of integration tools to manage reservations.
Pros:
✅ The website has a long-standing reputation and presence online, making its search engine optimisation extremely strong to increase your property’s visibility.
✅ Trusted brand with reliable travel suggestions and information.
Cons:
❌ High competition because there are so many listings available on the site.
❌ Potential that any negative reviews will impact your booking rates.
Plum Guide
Plum Guide is considered a premium platform that provides a curated list of luxury rental properties that target travellers looking for high-end accommodations. There is a long vetting process to gain eligibility to list on the platform, with only a small percentage of properties accepted.
If you have a unique property that showcases exceptional design, services and amenities, then this platform is a great alternative to Airbnb.
Pros:
✅ Attracts guests willing to pay a premium for quality properties.
✅ Boosts your property’s reputation through association with this prestigious luxury brand.
Cons:
❌ Extremely limited and niche market audience.
❌ Very high standards for listing approval and guest expectations and experiences.
Homes & Villas by Marriott
Homes & Villas by Marriott is a premium vacation rental platform that features handpicked, high-end properties managed by professional hosts. Backed by Marriott’s trusted brand, it caters to travellers seeking upscale accommodations with the reliability and service standards of a globally recognized hospitality leader.
Property managers benefit from access to Marriott Bonvoy’s loyalty program, attracting a steady stream of high-value, repeat guests.
Pros:
✅ Reach millions of loyal, high-spending guests who prioritize quality and service.
✅ Property standards mean all properties must meet luxury and safety expectations, attracting premium clientele.
Cons:
❌ Only professionally managed, luxury properties are eligible, limiting access for some hosts.
❌ Strict quality and service standards may require additional investment in property upkeep and guest services.
Houfy
Houfy is a commission-free platform that was created in 2015. It aims to connect direct bookings between property managers and guests. It allows hosts to manage bookings without intermediary fees from the platform and its overall mission is to create direct relationships and trust between hosts and guests. There is a one-time registration fee of £5.99 to access the free listing plan. If you prefer premium tools and services, you can upgrade to a variety of paid plans.
Pros:
✅ No commission fees. This means that you keep 100% of the profits and guests don’t have any surprise add-ons.
✅ Manage exact pricing and policies with guests.
Cons:
❌ Smaller platform with a limited global audience.
❌ Requires property managers to actively promote properties to attract guests.
What to consider when choosing similar sites to Airbnb
Looking at alternative options or sites comparable to Airbnb isn’t about replacing Airbnb. Rather, it’s a way to boost your listing by diversifying across multiple platforms. To help you decide which one of these similar alternatives is best for your properties, use our checklist as a guide:
Identify which platform best attracts the ideal type of guests for your property.
✔ Think about booking volume and the platform’s audience size to determine if it’s worth your efforts.
✔ Review commission structures.
✔ Understand how these costs impact your profitability and if it’s worth the additional cost of using their services.
✔ Verify if their platform offers external syncing capabilities with management tools, such as Avantio, to help organise bookings effectively.
Which Airbnb alternative is best for your properties?
There’s no one-size-fits-all alternative to Airbnb. Each platform has its own strengths and at times, weaknesses. However, what is certain is that diversifying your listings will only expand your audience reach and also eliminate any vulnerabilities you might have towards one platform. Expanding beyond Airbnb is a smart strategy for long-term success.
Simplify your work day with a Channel Manager that works for you
Our Channel Manager gives you more visibility, more bookings, and more revenue without the hassle. Automate your rates, eliminate double bookings, and rank higher in search results—all while saving time and paying zero commission.
Schedule a discovery call with one of the team today
Find out how our innovative property management solutions can help you achieve your full revenue potential.
Schedule a callAbout the Author
Avantio: We are a team of seasoned short-term rental professionals behind a comprehensive property management platform dedicated to helping property owners succeed in the evolving vacation rental market.
How This Post Was Created:
This article was researched and written by our in-house experts using data points from publicly available industry reports, then reviewed for clarity and accuracy.
Disclaimer: All references to third-party products, services, or websites are provided for informational purposes and do not constitute endorsement. Always perform your own due diligence before investing in new software, platforms, or markets.
Key Takeaways
Diversification is vital: Relying solely on Airbnb can leave property managers vulnerable to policy changes and market volatility. Listing on multiple platforms helps to reduce the loss of bookings and amplify audience reach.
Cater to your specific niche market: Similar sites to Airbnb like Vrbo, Plum Guide, and Houfy cater to specific audiences. This allows you to promote your property to your ideal guest.
Using management tools to help multi-platform hosting: Using tools like Avantio helps to organise reservations, sync calendars, and manage guest communications across different platforms.
Airbnb has been a dominant force in the short-term rental industry since its founding in 2007.
With over 8 million listings worldwide and about 5 million hosts hosting more than 1.4 billion guests by 2024, its popularity has altered how travellers book accommodations.
However, relying solely on Airbnb is not without challenges.
If you are a property manager looking to expand to other platforms, exploring alternatives to Airbnb is a critical strategy. Diversifying across different rental platforms can help to reduce dependence on a single source for bookings, while benefiting from their specific niches, such as luxury, family-friendly, or business travel.
But knowing which Airbnb alternatives are best, can be a challenge. Luckily, we’ve outlined the top five alternatives to Airbnb, highlighting their key features, advantages, and potential drawbacks.
Why look for Airbnb alternatives?
As a property manager in the competitive short-term rental industry, relying exclusively on Airbnb can be hindering your profit. Although Airbnb dominates the market with 20% of the global vacation rental market, reaching just under $10 billion in global revenue by the end of 2023, diversification is vital to maintaining a stable and profitable booking calendar.
💡 Did You Know? Airbnb has a diverse commission structure. This ranges from 3% for hosts to 15% with a split-fee structure for guests. This can impact a short-term rental host’s profitability.
The Benefits of using Airbnb alternatives for your short-term rental:
1. Diversification of platforms to avoid reliance
Without a doubt, Airbnb is the first choice for many travellers, but for property managers, relying on a single platform means that your business is dependent on that one tool. As the old saying goes, “Don’t put your eggs all in one basket“.
For example, during the COVID pandemic, Airbnb implemented guest refunds due to travel restrictions and bans. Of course, this left many hosts without bookings and by default, without an income.
Listing properties on multiple short-term rental platforms that cater to a variety of niches, will not only attract a larger scale of clients but also help to reduce loss if and when policy changes occur.
2. Airbnb policies and their impact on properties
Despite its popularity, Airbnb can present a few drawbacks that will impact a property manager’s reach and profit. High commission fees (up to 15%) can impact the bottom line of many hosts, while policies and restrictions favouring guests can leave hosts exposed to free last-minute cancellations or chargebacks. Exploring other alternatives gives you the ability to test out different policies and regulations that better suit your needs.
3. Expanding to niche markets
Airbnb appeals to many users, but with specific platforms, you can reach certain types of guests that suit your property best. Platforms like Plum Guide (luxury rentals) or Vrbo (family-friendly homes) cater to specific groups of holidaygoers.
4. Keeping up with competitors
Airbnb appeals to a large market, however, alternatives like Booking.com hold a bigger share of the worldwide online travel market at about 30%. As more property managers expand on different platforms, their accommodations will be more present online, in turn, generating more reservations and income.
Keep track of bookings across multiple platforms
Managing multiple booking platforms doesn’t have to be difficult or overwhelming. There are many online tools to help you manage everything in one place.
Avantio’s multi-calendar syncs bookings from Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, and more, to help avoid issues or double bookings. The Unified Inbox feature keeps all guest messages in one spot, making communication simple and efficient.
Top alternatives to Airbnb
There are many alternative sites to Airbnb to promote your properties. Several platforms offer unique features and advantages that are tailored to different markets and niche groups. Diversifying your listings on any or all of these platforms will only benefit you and your properties.
Booking.com
Booking.com is a globally recognized platform that spans its listings to include hotels, vacation homes, and short-term rentals. It has a large international customer base, which means that it provides high visibility for your properties. The platform itself provides many insights and analytics to help you manage your listing’s visibility and convert them into bookings.
Pros:
✅ Large reach: by the end of 2024, Booking.com had over 514 million visits, making it the most visited travel and tourism website in the world.
✅ Advanced marketing tools to boost property visibility.
✅ Different pricing models based on property types.
Cons:
❌ Higher commission fees compared to Airbnb, which can impact profitability.
❌ Less emphasis on unique rentals compared to Airbnb.
Vrbo
Vrbo is another great alternative to Airbnb. It specializes in holiday homes, emphasizing families and groups who prefer to rent an entire holiday home. The idea behind the platform is to provide a comfortable home away from home, where parents can have the same comforts of a kitchen, garden, and other amenities to make their holiday a pleasant experience.
Pros:
✅ Lower commission fees compared to other competitors.
✅ Has a dedicated clientele appealing to family-friendly accommodations.
✅ Vrbo has been named the best holiday rental platform for cottage rentals in the UK in 2024.
Cons:
❌ Smaller market reach due to niche appeal.
❌ Less brand recognition in the UK market compared to Airbnb and Booking.com
Tripadvisor Rentals
Being attached to the review site, Tripadvisor Rentals is an extension of the well-known platform. They provide a large variety of rental options that are integrated with user reviews. This is especially appealing to holidaygoers who like to fully research the properties and get an understanding of how previous visitors enjoyed their stay.
Tripadvisor Rentals has a large international reach and reputation, while also giving property managers plenty of integration tools to manage reservations.
Pros:
✅ The website has a long-standing reputation and presence online, making its search engine optimisation extremely strong to increase your property’s visibility.
✅ Trusted brand with reliable travel suggestions and information.
Cons:
❌ High competition because there are so many listings available on the site.
❌ Potential that any negative reviews will impact your booking rates.
Plum Guide
Plum Guide is considered a premium platform that provides a curated list of luxury rental properties that target travellers looking for high-end accommodations. There is a long vetting process to gain eligibility to list on the platform, with only a small percentage of properties accepted.
If you have a unique property that showcases exceptional design, services and amenities, then this platform is a great alternative to Airbnb.
Pros:
✅ Attracts guests willing to pay a premium for quality properties.
✅ Boosts your property’s reputation through association with this prestigious luxury brand.
Cons:
❌ Extremely limited and niche market audience.
❌ Very high standards for listing approval and guest expectations and experiences.
Homes & Villas by Marriott
Homes & Villas by Marriott is a premium vacation rental platform that features handpicked, high-end properties managed by professional hosts. Backed by Marriott’s trusted brand, it caters to travellers seeking upscale accommodations with the reliability and service standards of a globally recognized hospitality leader.
Property managers benefit from access to Marriott Bonvoy’s loyalty program, attracting a steady stream of high-value, repeat guests.
Pros:
✅ Reach millions of loyal, high-spending guests who prioritize quality and service.
✅ Property standards mean all properties must meet luxury and safety expectations, attracting premium clientele.
Cons:
❌ Only professionally managed, luxury properties are eligible, limiting access for some hosts.
❌ Strict quality and service standards may require additional investment in property upkeep and guest services.
Houfy
Houfy is a commission-free platform that was created in 2015. It aims to connect direct bookings between property managers and guests. It allows hosts to manage bookings without intermediary fees from the platform and its overall mission is to create direct relationships and trust between hosts and guests. There is a one-time registration fee of £5.99 to access the free listing plan. If you prefer premium tools and services, you can upgrade to a variety of paid plans.
Pros:
✅ No commission fees. This means that you keep 100% of the profits and guests don’t have any surprise add-ons.
✅ Manage exact pricing and policies with guests.
Cons:
❌ Smaller platform with a limited global audience.
❌ Requires property managers to actively promote properties to attract guests.
What to consider when choosing similar sites to Airbnb
Looking at alternative options or sites comparable to Airbnb isn’t about replacing Airbnb. Rather, it’s a way to boost your listing by diversifying across multiple platforms. To help you decide which one of these similar alternatives is best for your properties, use our checklist as a guide:
Identify which platform best attracts the ideal type of guests for your property.
✔ Think about booking volume and the platform’s audience size to determine if it’s worth your efforts.
✔ Review commission structures.
✔ Understand how these costs impact your profitability and if it’s worth the additional cost of using their services.
✔ Verify if their platform offers external syncing capabilities with management tools, such as Avantio, to help organise bookings effectively.
Which Airbnb alternative is best for your properties?
There’s no one-size-fits-all alternative to Airbnb. Each platform has its own strengths and at times, weaknesses. However, what is certain is that diversifying your listings will only expand your audience reach and also eliminate any vulnerabilities you might have towards one platform. Expanding beyond Airbnb is a smart strategy for long-term success.
Simplify your work day with a Channel Manager that works for you
Our Channel Manager gives you more visibility, more bookings, and more revenue without the hassle. Automate your rates, eliminate double bookings, and rank higher in search results—all while saving time and paying zero commission.
Schedule a discovery call with one of the team today
Find out how our innovative property management solutions can help you achieve your full revenue potential.
Schedule a callAbout the Author
Avantio: We are a team of seasoned short-term rental professionals behind a comprehensive property management platform dedicated to helping property owners succeed in the evolving vacation rental market.
How This Post Was Created:
This article was researched and written by our in-house experts using data points from publicly available industry reports, then reviewed for clarity and accuracy.
Disclaimer: All references to third-party products, services, or websites are provided for informational purposes and do not constitute endorsement. Always perform your own due diligence before investing in new software, platforms, or markets.
