21 BEST Airbnb Alternatives for Your Next Trip [2024 Guide]

Short on time? My top pick for the best airbnb alternative is Vrbo.

If you’re tired of dealing with bad hosts and paying too much in fees, check out my picks for the best Airbnb alternatives.

Airbnb has changed the travel industry for better and for worse since it was established in 2008. 

Most notably, it has helped travelers get a more unique experience when visiting a new location. 

When staying in a hotel, you don’t get as full of a picture of what it’s like to live in a specific place. 

But Airbnb has also increased fees and the commoditization of housing, which has negatively affected locals in many cities. 

It has even created ghost towns in some downtown areas where locals can no longer afford to live. 

In the past, when I would travel throughout Europe or Latin America, I would always find some of the best deals on Airbnb. 

These deals coupled with staying in a new destination around other locals truly made Airbnb different than the other alternatives. 

Living like a local is how I fell in love with travel. 

However, it’s hard to find cheap deals anymore in a lot of places, and with the negative connotation that Airbnb has these days, I’m not as into using them. 

Over the years, I’ve had to use many different vacation rental sites to find the best deals while traveling. 

It can be overwhelming with the number of new websites similar to Airbnb that exist today, which is why I wrote this article. 

These are the best Airbnb alternatives so you can travel stress-free on your next vacation.

Main Pros and Cons of Airbnb

Pros

Unique experience living like a local

Unlike a hotel, you’ll get to stay in someone’s house with all of the amenities that you’d have if you were an actual resident of that area. 

This creates the feeling that you’re living in the place you’re visiting or at least in a spot that feels like home. 

Other Airbnb alternatives might not be able to give that exact same feeling.

Good deals for long-term stays

I’m in love with slow travel and you can find many great deals on Airbnb.

Last year, I stayed in a three-bedroom apartment in Medellin for $900 a month. I could’ve easily split this four ways.

Hosts usually give you an automatic discount if you’re staying for 30 days or more. 

You can also private message hosts to try to get a cheaper deal, which is often possible with how much they prefer long-term stays.

More space than a normal hotel room

One of the biggest reasons to get an Airbnb over a hotel room is the amount of extra space you get. 

This is especially great if you’re traveling with family and need that extra room for everyone to stay comfortably. 

Sometimes hosts excel at making you feel at home

My favorite stays at Airbnbs have been when the hosts go above and beyond to make you feel at home. 

They aren’t just simply a property owner but your personal tour guide. 

They’ll give you recommendations for the area and if you have any concerns, they’ll answer back in a timely manner.

Cons

Airbnb is destroying neighborhoods with rent increases 

Airbnb has become a massive business worldwide and people with money are buying up apartments for the sole purpose of renting them out. 

This has caused rent and home prices to increase in these areas, which drives out locals.

There are more people on Airbnb looking for a rental than there are rentals available for residents in some places.

May not be the cheapest option

I remember when Airbnb was always the cheapest option. 

This is usually the case with early startups when they’re trying to get a user base (case in point: Uber/Lyft), but all good things come to an end. 

Airbnb has grown in popularity so much over the years that they’ve been able to increase their fees a ton and not lose many users.

Looking for better travel deals for your next trip? Read our guide to the best travel deal sites.

Airbnb is heavily regulated by the government

To combat the issue of Airbnb taking over neighborhoods, governments have started regulating listings heavily. 

This has caused prices to increase even more over time and has made it difficult for solo travelers to afford an Airbnb on their own.

Hosts will sometimes treat it too much like a business 

The business side of Airbnb has gotten to the point where your host might not live in the location you’re staying in. 

Instead, there will be lock boxes with the key and instructions once inside the house. 

I’ve also noticed an increase in hosts who are more strict about everything. 

This could include not allowing any kind of early check-in/late check-out to hosts expecting things to be spotlessly clean while still adding on a $300 cleaning fee. 

There’s been a shift in general with hosts treating it too much like a business and less about empathizing with tired travelers who want a welcoming place to stay. 

I miss the friendly hospitality that used to come with Airbnb and the genuine feeling you used to get about staying at someone’s house.

Best Airbnb Alternatives

#1 Vrbo

Vrbo is the best Airbnb alternative as well as their biggest competitor. It was founded way back in 1995 as a way to rent out extra rooms in your apartment.

Because it has been around for over 25+ years, they clearly know what they’re doing and do a good job of it. 

They cater to large families or groups of people who are looking for a vacation rental.  

And Vrbo offers a lot of great filters to search with. You can search specifically for beachfront properties, villas, apartments/condos, or houses with a pool! 

This will help narrow down your search for the best rental properties on the site. 

Vrbo might not specialize in as many smaller accommodations as Airbnb does but that doesn’t mean you can’t still find those types of apartment rentals on the site.

#2 HomeToGo

HomeToGo is a great search engine when wanting to compare multiple vacation rental properties from around the world. 

Not only do they have their own selection of houses to choose from, but they will also search other websites such as Vrbo, Booking.com, Hotels.com, and many others.

With so many options to choose from, you can save a favorite of yours to your ‘wish list’ for future travels so you won’t forget it.

And depending on what location you search for, it will be different sites popping up for you. 

For example, when researching for my upcoming Puerto Rico trip, I received a lot of Vrbo options. 

But when looking at New York City, I get a mixture of Expedia, HomeToGo, and Agoda.

This makes me feel like it gives me the best deals by destination and highlights which sites have better options in certain destinations.

#3 Homestay

Homestay is what Airbnb first started out as. It’s a way to stay with a local and to get that local experience in a location. 

It can sometimes be harder to find places to stay on Homestay. This is due to the lack of hosts in certain areas, but it’s always worth a search. 

I have stayed at Homestays in a few Latin American countries, and the biggest benefit for me was the ability to practice more of my Spanish. 

A downside for travelers is that you’ll always be living with the host instead of having the house all to yourself, so it just depends on your style of travel.

#4 Booking.com House Rentals

A lot of people know that Booking.com is a great way to find hotels. It’s also one of the best sites if you’re looking to rent out apartments or entire properties. 

Booking tends to have the best deals for hotels and apartments, which makes it great for budget travelers. 

An added perk if you frequent Booking.com is that you’ll increase your ‘Genius Level’ with each booking on their website. 

Unlike Airbnb, this loyalty program will give you a percentage off certain stays, which helps make these affordable accommodations. 

The percentage depends on what Genius level you are at. Level 1 will unlock 10% off, level 2 unlocks 15% off, and level 3 unlocks 20% off. 

Booking.com also has hundreds (if not thousands) of reviews for many accommodations, so you can find lots of details and know you made the right choice.

#5 Agoda Homes

Agoda is a popular hotel booking website, but it’s also a player in the vacation rental marketplace as well as homes. 

There’s a new feature on their website where you can search specifically for long-term rentals. Their booking process is simple and straightforward too!

According to Agoda, they have 150k+ apartments on the site as well as 500k+ vacation rentals. 

Just note that they’re a better option if you’re planning to travel in Asia since that’s where they have the biggest footprint. 

When visiting their site, you will notice a unique tab at the top titled ‘coupons & deals’. These will change daily and is a great way to get a better price on an accommodation you’re eyeing. 

All of these features are simple and easy to figure out on your own.

#6 Facebook Marketplace/Rental Groups

Facebook can be used for more things than to solely keep up with your friends from high school.  

There’s a whole other world out there in Facebook groups and marketplace. 

I have met many people who have had a lot of success in finding great vacation homes and long-term rental properties through Facebook. 

Because of the number of people that use Facebook on a daily basis, their marketplace will always be extremely active. This helps hosts/landlords out too!

Sites like Airbnb make it more difficult to negotiate prices (although it’s still possible), but here it’s fair game. 

Facebook Marketplace is most similar to Craigslist, but with added security because people’s identities are shown (though there’s still some risk of scamming here, too).

#7 Expedia Vacation Rentals

If you’re looking for short-term rentals, Expedia Vacation Rentals is another great option. 

On this vacation rental platform, you’ll be able to choose from a variety of stays ranging from beachfront villas, mountain cabins, and apartments in your favorite cities.

Why use Expedia for vacation rentals? This is one of the most trusted rental companies on the market today. 

Since this is a 3rd party site, if a problem occurs, it can sometimes be difficult to get it resolved. But even with that fact, there are still plenty of reasons to use Expedia.

You’ll have a variety of options to choose from, as well as potential discounts from their loyalty program.

There are three different levels to Expedia’s loyalty program, which are blue, silver, and gold. Once you sign up to be a member, you’ll automatically get 10% off on select hotels. 

Once you collect 10 trip elements (one trip element per night of a booking), you’ll be upgraded to silver, and after 25 trip elements, you’ll be in the gold tier.

If you want more than a hotel room, I would suggest using Expedia Vacation Rentals for your upcoming trip.

#8 Plum Guide

Plum Guide is a great Airbnb alternative because it’s also a peer-to-peer booking site. 

What makes this site stand out from the others is its unique vacation rental market. 

Unlike other major sites, Plum Guide is very selective about who they allow to put their property up. 

So, you know you’re always going to be getting quality properties when looking at the accommodation options. In fact, each home must pass a test with over 500 data points. 

Unfortunately, this means Plum Guide is only available in more popular locations throughout the world, and their properties are definitely on the expensive side. 

It’s ideal for a romantic getaway that you want to be certain is perfect for that special someone. 

Overall, Plum Guide is a fantastic alternative to Airbnb if you’re looking for quality and not quantity. 

I would also consider it one of the best Airbnb alternatives for hosts because you’ll get high-quality guests who are willing to spend more money.

#9 Tripadvisor Vacation Rentals

Tripadvisor vacation rentals are loaded with options to choose from for your trip. 

This website started out solely as a website that gave reviews for businesses, so the new-age traveler could make educated decisions. 

Today, Tripadvisor is a great all-in-one website where you can book rentals and other activities for your trip and read through their popular forum section.

The website is also easy to navigate, and there are usually a decent amount of reviews for each accommodation. 

The one downside is that there’s a booking fee between 8% and 16% for their rentals.

Note: the vacation rentals on their site are all affiliated with Flipkey.

#10 Couchsurfing

Couchsurfing is a unique experience and a great alternative to Airbnb if you’re truly on a small budget and don’t mind shared spaces. 

Similar to Homestay, you’ll stay with a local in their home. Unlike Homestay, however, Couchsurfing is free (besides the yearly membership)!

There’s a massive community of travelers who love to Couchsurf when traveling. 

Our editor, Mimi, used Couchsurfing a lot to travel around Australia and the US as a solo budget traveler in her early 20s and found it to be a great resource. 

There aren’t as many options to choose from as some vacation rental websites; Couchsurfing has many filters that can be used when searching for spots to stay. 

These include options like wanting to stay with a family. 

Also, although the name sounds like you’d be sleeping on a couch, a lot of the stays include a guest bedroom for you to sleep in or at least an air mattress. 

I wouldn’t consider this a part of the vacation rental industry, but it can be used as a good Airbnb alternative if you’re open to other types of accommodations. 

And unlike Airbnb, Couchsurfing is great for sustainable tourism!

#11 Trusted Housesitters

Trusted Housesitters is another way to travel for cheap and meet new friends (dogs and cats) in the process! 

I’ve used this website to travel around the United States for free, and it works especially well for those who want to slow travel. 

There are multiple properties in the US, Canada, and Europe. I’ve found some places in Latin America, but those are far and between. 

The whole concept is that you get to stay in someone’s house for free in exchange for watching their house and/or pets. Sounds perfect, right?! 

Trusted Housesitters has advanced search filters that you can use to find certain houses where you don’t even have to watch pets at all. 

My favorite filter is where you can search for houses that allow you to use their car. 

What’s great about a lot of these houses compared to Airbnb and Vrbo is that they’re set up for actual living and not as a business. 

And if you choose some of the higher yearly payment plans, they have great payment protection if your host decides to cancel last minute.

#12 Hopper Homes

Hopper Homes is part of the Hopper travel app that’s extremely popular in the United States. 

If you’re traveling through the US, this is one of the best Airbnb alternatives to check out. 

Most notably because other alternatives to Airbnb don’t have the rewards programs that Hopper offers. 

With Hopper, you receive ‘Carrot Cash’ in their app. You can earn up to 5% back in Carrot Cash from your booking. 

Sites like Airbnb simply don’t offer their customers any kind of loyalty program. Hopper even gives you the opportunity to freeze a price if you aren’t ready to purchase yet.

If you’re in the United States, this is a perfect vacation rental platform that you should add to your list when doing your research.

Check out our full review of the Hopper App.

Use the promo code “theatlasheart” at checkout to get $25 off your first hotel booking.

#13 Travelstaytion

Travelstaytion is a high-quality Airbnb alternative that’s primarily used in the United Kingdom. 

This is one of the best short-term rental sites in the area if you’re looking for some of the best vacation rentals. 

There might be better alternative sites to Airbnb out there, but Travelstaytion has been growing in popularity and will soon be an option to book from around the world.

What makes Travelstaytion even more unique is its filters under the section of ‘host reception’ as well as each host being an expert in the hospitality field. 

The ‘host reception’ section is where you can find things like shuttle service and luggage storage that can help make the rental options more appealing. 

If you’re looking to try a new vacation rental platform while visiting cities like London, then I highly suggest taking a look at Travelstaytion.

#14 Uniplaces

Uniplaces is an Airbnb alternative for those looking to live in a place for at least a month. 

Contrary to the name, you don’t have to be a student to rent out one of these rooms. 

Case in point–our editor, Mimi, rented a room in Lisbon through Uniplaces back in 2018 for two months and had a great experience. 

Two of her housemates were grad students, but she and another housemate were just working remotely in Lisbon for the summer. 

I wouldn’t say this is one of the big Airbnb competitors, but if you’re looking to live in an area for a longer time than normal, then this might be a good choice for you.  

What sets Uniplaces apart from other sites is that some of these homes have been visited by a professional photographer of the company. 

This ensures the location and authenticity of the room you’re looking at booking! 

I hope that more companies in the short-term rental industry start doing something like this with all of their properties. 

A feature that I love is when looking at the rental details; you can individually select each room and see a list of what that room has. 

This is something you don’t often see from other Airbnb competitors.

#15 Hotels.com

Hotels.com has more than just hotels you can search for. Whether you want just a room or something more, you can find plenty of options on the site. 

Although Hotels.com is owned by the same company (Expedia Group) as Expedia Vacation Rentals, it’s not the same type of marketplace.

Instead, their search engine is more standard in having verified locations like Booking.com. 

How Hotels.com truly separates itself from the other Airbnb competitors, though is through its reward program. 

You’ll get one night free after staying ten nights at any accommodation on their site!

Hotels.com can have an overwhelming amount of search results when you look up a place. Luckily, their filtering options let you specify many details when you search.

#16 Sonder

Sonder is another one of the best Airbnb alternatives if you’re looking for quality over quantity. 

If you’re a host, then there are great benefits for you too!

Sonder only rents out entire units, so you know what you’re getting. 

There might not be as many units to choose from compared to Airbnb, but sometimes less is more.

They specialize in hospitality as you’ll be assisted by Sonder staff instead of the host. 

All of the prices are a flat fee as well, so no surprises! This also means great customer service.

One of the downsides is that Sonder currently doesn’t offer reviews on its platform. 

This might not be a big deal for some, but it’s something I hope they change in the future.

If you’re a host who wants as little hands-on as possible, then this is the perfect platform for you. 

Sonder signs multi-year leases for your property and takes care of the rest–you’ll always know there will be 100% occupancy on day one!

#17 Top Villas

Top Villas is a great alternative to Airbnb if you’re looking for, you guessed it, villas. 

Other booking sites have a variety of selections, but if you’re looking for villas, why not go to a site that specializes in just that? 

If you’re looking for help when planning your dream vacation, then try out Top Villas’ travel planner! They will help you find your perfect stay and give you everything you need. 

These aren’t affordable accommodations by any stretch of the imagination, but they’re certainly luxurious! 

The variety of locations isn’t as vast as you might want it to be, but it has villas in many of the popular locations throughout the world.

#18 Glamping Hub

Glamping Hub is a different style from other Airbnb competitors because it’s a glamping site as opposed to offering traditional accommodation options. 

You might be wondering what glamping is. Glamping is camping but in a more luxurious way. 

I’ve been to many festivals where this type of accommodation was offered and it’s hard not to want to try it out at least once.   

They not only have luxurious cabins and glamping tents to choose from, but they also have houses.  

These accommodations are normally on the outdoorsy side, though.

#19 HipCamp

HipCamp is another one of the Airbnb alternatives for those who truly enjoy the outdoors, but usually with cheaper options than Glamping Hub. 

Their website makes it easy to book camping sites with tents in some of the most secluded locations. 

If camping in a tent isn’t your thing, they also have glamping or cabin options. 

Additionally, they’re an excellent source of information regarding the national parks and some of the best places to camp within them. 

The property owners on this site also seem to really love HipCamp because it’s truly a one-of-a-kind community.

#20 Furnished Finder

Furnished Finder is one of the best sites, like Airbnb, for long-term stays. 

In fact, I think it has qualities that are better than Airbnb for those looking to slow travel or move to a new location. 

For instance, when staying in a new location long-term, you’ll want to make sure you truly love the property. 

Furnished Finder lets you arrive at the house before renting it to see if it passes the eye test. 

My girlfriend is a travel nurse, and this is what we’ve used this site for–and it’s what the site was originally started for. 

It’s perfect for a 3-month stay in a new location. 

And in the right circumstances, Furnished Finder can be a cheaper alternative to Airbnb.

#21 Marriott Homes & Villas

Marriott Homes & Villas is a trustworthy company in the accommodation space that offers a wide variety of places to stay. 

This is a huge Airbnb competitor due to the name and how they’re run. 

Each property is run by a managing company that ensures each stay is up to your standards.

Like many popular rental platforms and hotel chains, you can earn points the more you stay with them if you’re a member. 

Plus, you’re able to enjoy a wide range of villas and homes around the world on their easy-to-use website.

Conclusion: Our Pick for the Best Airbnb Alternative

Alternatives to Airbnb are on the rise with the growing demand for cheaper and better accommodations in the travel space. 

With that being said, Vrbo is my pick for the best Airbnb alternative and a website you should also use alongside Airbnb.

It’s difficult to compete with this juggernaut as they dominate a large space in this niche. 

Like Airbnb, Vrbo has a variety of options to choose from worldwide and sometimes better options than Airbnb.

Airbnb has had issues in the past of taking the side of the host when they shouldn’t have and has received worse reviews about customer service in return. 

This is where an Airbnb competitor like Vrbo can stand out amongst the other giants. 

Plus, Vrbo is really the site most like Airbnb if you’re looking for the closest alternative. 

Overall, if you’re looking for more niche alternatives to Airbnb, this list is a great starting point for finding your perfect accommodation.

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