AirBnB Alternatives: The Best Sites Like AirBnB (2024)

I’m not going to lie, we’ve used AirBnB a lot. We’ve found it to be an excellent way to find accommodation all around the world in lodgings that range from quirky to palatial, from budget to princely. But that doesn’t mean we don’t also keep the various AirBnB alternatives in mind when travelling and booking accommodation, and in this post we’re going share our favourite alternatives with you.

So why would you want an alternative to AirBnB? Well, the thing is, AirBnB has become somewhat a victim of its own success. There’s plenty of choice, but prices (and AirBnB’s fees) have definitely increased since we started to use the platform in 2012.

In fact, often AirBnB works out more expensive than getting a reasonable hotel. In addition, at busy times, properties can book out a long time in advance.

In some cases, it’s also become quite the industry, losing the personal touch as landlords cash in. Oftentimes there’s no human interaction at all, as you just collect your keys from a dropbox.

With this in mind, we thought a handy guide to some of the best AirBnB alternatives would be helpful.

There’s a lot of choice out there, and if you’re finding AirBnB to be a bit more expensive, or not quite the experience you remember it to be, we’ve got you covered.

This guide is based on our personal experiences. We travel multiple months every year, and we often choose to stay in an apartment over a hotel or guesthouse, especially for longer stays when we need services like a laundry machine, or we just want to do our own cooking.

If you’re new to the world of peer-to-peer accommodation, take a look at Jess’s guide to using AirBnB, which will answer all your questions about both AirBnB, and the majority of other peer to peer accommodation sites like AirBnB.

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AirBnB Alternatives

Here are some of our favourite sites like AirBnB to get you started, which includes a couple of curveballs you might not have expected.

Many of these sites also have their own apps, like AirBnB, so if you prefer to use an app for apartment rentals that’s also an option.

If you’re looking for holiday accommodation in the UK and Ireland, we can also recommend reading our guide to the best websites for booking holiday homes in the UK, which has a lot of UK and Ireland specific websites, tips and advice.

1. Vrbo

First up in my list of AirBnB alternatives is Vrbo (UK version here), 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.

The Vrbo model is a little different though, as they only rent out vacation properties. This means it’s not a hosted experience, and generally works best for families or groups of four or more looking for a slightly longer stay – although there are certainly many properties suited to couples.

Originally, Vrbo didn’t charge guests a service / booking fee, passing this to the host instead, but they changed that in 2016, adding a booking fee to bookings.

Otherwise, the products are fairly similar. AirBnB offers a slightly slicker user experience, but it is much more popular. If you can’t find what you’re looking for on AirBnB, then definitely give Vrbo / Vrbo UK a try.

We’ve used Vrbo a number of times for stays in cities around the world, including in Rome, London and New York, and have had very positive experiences to date.

If you’re a property owner Vrbo have two different models – either you can pay an annual fee, or you can list for free and pay a fee per booking. Sign up as an owner on Vrbo USA here, or Vrbo UK here.

2. Booking.com

Like I said, a couple of curveballs. Remember when people stayed in hotels, and someone would come to make your bed and clean your room? Sure, we love apartments, but every now and then, you just want a hotel.

And the best place generally, we’ve found, for getting a great deal in any hotel anywhere in the world, tends to be booking.com.

But, what you might not have realized, is that Booking.com also lists homes and apartments. So if you’re already a fan of the site and want to keep using it for your apartment booking, you can.

They are normally our go-to choice for hotel bookings when we travel – we find they have a great choice, the site is easy to use, and the prices are usually very competitive. So definitely worth trying for your apartment hunt too!

3. The Plum Guide

If you like the idea of AirBnB but are worried that such a variety of choice means there could be a lack of quality, then you will want to check out the Plum Guide.

The Plum Guide accept less than 5% of the properties that apply to be on their site, and they personally vet every single one against over 150 criteria. Everything from shower pressure to the quality of the linen is tested. So you know the quality of every property will be high.

Of course, this does mean that there is a reduced choice, but the good news is that they still have plenty of homes to choose from in destinations around the world, across a range of budgets.

The only downside is that there are no reviews from other guests, so if you prefer to read actual experiences, this might not be the best pick for you.

We have stayed at Plum Guide properties a number of times, including in Paris, the UK and Italy. You can read our detailed Plum Guide review to learn more about this service and our experiences using it.

If you’re a property owner, it’s free to apply to list your property on The Plum Guide, however you do have to get through a stringent vetting process first. Once approved, there’s a one-time membership fee due on your first booking, which covers the cost of the vetting process, and then there’s a small commission charged on bookings. If you think your property has what it takes, you can register here.

4. Agoda Homes

Agoda is a well-known portal for hotel bookings, but they also have an apartment rental offering known as Agoda Homes.

This lists apartments, vacation rentals, private villas and bungalows, and there are almost a million properties to choose from. So you’ll have plenty of options to choose from. We’ve used Agoda when travelling in Europe and Asia, and generally had a good experience.

If you’re a property owner, it’s also free to list your property on Agoda, which will put your property in the Agoda search engine. Property owners can register here.

5. Homestay

For me, Homestay is what AirBnB was supposed to be. It’s a genuinely hosted experience, meaning you always stay in a host’s home.

This means you get a genuine, local experience, with the feeling of living with a local. We’ve used Homestay in locations around the world, including Paris, Savannah and London, and have always had a wonderful experience.

It is worth mentioning that there are a few downsides to Homestay – the main one being availability. Whilst they have properties in over 150 countries, they don’t have the choice of somewhere like AirBnB (although the same can be said for nearly every AirBnB alternative on this list!).

For example, we tried to find accommodation in New Orleans on a trip there for Mardi Gras, and there were hundreds of locations on AirBnB, and less than ten on Homestay.

Of course, the number of properties available is always growing, and there are a great many listed on Homestay that you just won’t find anywhere else, like this place we stayed at in London.

So if you want a truly hosted experience, this is definitely the place to start your search. In addition, all Homestay properties include breakfast, which is a serious win in my book.

If you’re a property owner, it’s free to list on Homestay. Do bear in mind that Homestay is a hosted experience, so is by definition a bit more hands on. If that sounds good to you, you can sign up as a Homestay host here.

6. Sonder

Sonder is different from AirBnB in that they actually lease or own every property they list, and manage them directly.

This means that they have full control over the standard of every apartment, and can ensure every property they list meets their standards. They also guarantee certain amenities and services, such as WiFi, towels and bedding, high quality coffee and contactless check-in.

Sonder also offer both short term rentals and longer-term stays, meaning they are a good option if you are looking for a longer-term apartment rental option.

7. Blueground

Another option to consider if you’re looking for longer term apartment rental as an alternative to AirBnB is Blueground. They specialize in stays of 30 days or longer for folks looking for fully furnished apartments.

They don’t actually own the apartments, but they do handle all the furnishings and interior design of the properties they offer so you can be assured of the quality. Properties come ready to go with WiFi, linens/towels, fully equipped kitchen and toiletries.

This is a great option if you’re between properties, thinking of the digital nomad life, or simply want to skip the hassle of buying furniture somewhere you don’t know if you’ll be staying forever.

Blueground have over 5,000 properties in 18 cities around the world in North America, Europe and the Middle East. Definitely worth checking out if you want a longer vacation rental.

For property owners. Blueground will rent your property from you for a fixed monthly income, which is a great option if you want to skip the hassle of finding tenants or handling a high turnover of guests. You can sign up as a host here.

8. House Sitting

Paying to stay somewhere is all well and good, but what if you could live all around the world, entirely for free? Sounds impossible? Well, it isn’t, thanks to the concept of house sitting.

The way this works is that people who own houses occasionally want to leave them and go on trips. These can be for any length of time from a few days to weeks or even months.

Rather than their houses sitting empty, they offer them up to people to stay in, usually entirely for free, in return for looking after the property, tending the garden, and generally keeping in in order.

In many cases, they will also have pets that they want looking after – putting a pet into a boarding house for a prolonged period of time can be expensive, so house sitting is a win-win situation.

There are lots of house sitting options out there – one of the biggest and most popular communities to join is TrustedHousesitters. There is a fee to join, but once you’re in, you’ll have a world of choice when it comes to free accommodation around the world! Pretty cool.

For property owners, there’s an annual subscription required to list your home, and you have to be a member of the TrustedHouseSitter community. Sign up as an owner using this link.

9. Homes and Villas by Marriott Bonvoy

Marriott are one of the more well-known international hotel brands, with properties all around the world. They also operate their own vacation rental platform, Homes and Villas by Marriott Bonvoy, which has private properties available for rent in over 45 countries worldwide.

All the homes which are listed are managed by a premium property management company. The homes all come with fast WiFi, professional cleaning, 24/7 support for any issues and premium linens and amenities.

Another benefit is that if you are a Marriott Bonvoy member like us, you can earn and redeem Marriott points on stays at their vacation rental properties.

We definitely appreciate this as we enjoy collecting (and using!) our Marriott points, so another opportunity to do so is definitely a benefit of booking through them. We’ve also found that they do sometimes have properties that aren’t listed elsewhere.

So, if you were looking for a vacation rental where you can earn reward points and which sometimes has properties not available elsewhere, this is a great option!

For property owners, in order to be listed on the Homes and Villas site you need to be registered with one of the home management companies Marriott works with. You can contact Marriott to find the appropriate company for your area.

10. RV Sharing Sites

This one’s a bit off the wall, but have you considered a campervan / RV rental instead of an apartment? This will give you the flexibility to sleep in various locations, cook for yourself and generally have a flexible approach to your trip.

If this sounds good, we recommend you try out a company like RVShare.This is a peer to peer rental agency. This means you are renting from people who own an RV, and who are letting it out when they aren’t using it. Basically, they’re like the AirBnB of RV rental!

As well as RVSjare, you can also look at PaulCamper, RVEzy, GoBoony and Outdoorsy. These offer a similar concept, but they cover different regions and have different inventory, so are all worth a look.

Of course, you might prefer a traditional camper rental option. In that case we recommend Motorhome Republic, who compare prices across a range of rental companies around the world to find the best price. See their options here.

For RV owners: If you have an RV that you want to make some money off when you’re not using it, you can list it for free on RVShare here, on PaulCamper here, on RVEzy here, on GoBoony here, and Outdoorsy here.

11. TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals

When it comes to travel related reviews, TripAdvisor is probably the first website you think of. However, TripAdvisor offers more than just reviews!

TripAdvisor Rentals have over 800,000 properties listed in 200 countries worldwide, so you will certainly have plenty of options to choose from. Plus obviously there are lots of reviews to read through!

For property owners: If you own a property and want to list it on TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals, you can sign up here.

12. Locally Focused and Specialist Websites

All the entries on our list so far offer fairly global coverage with properties all around the world.

However, it’s also worth checking some more locally focused websites which may offer a wider selection, or properties that aren’t available anywhere else. There are also websites which focus on particular types of accommodation.

If you’re planning a trip in the UK for example, there are a number of specialist holiday accommodation providers which primarily focus on properties in the UK and Ireland. Some examples in the UK include:

Snaptrip – searches a wide range of UK and Ireland specific properties, with over 60,000 to choose from
Sykes Holiday Cottages – specialize in holiday cottage accommodation across the UK
Rural Retreats – they have less than 1000 properties on their books, but they have a strong focus on rural locations

See our guide to holiday accommodation booking websites in the UK and Ireland for some more specific examples in the UK and Ireland.

There are more options of course across a range of countries. Top Villas is an example that focuses primarily on the state of Florida for example, whilst Vintage Travel offers villas across Europe, all of which include a pool. Evolve offer apartments across the US primarily, with around 20,000 properties to choose from.

13. Our favourite AirBnb Alternative?

Of all the above, the first place we usually go to when planning a trip isbooking.com. We have found that they have the best choice of properties, the search engine is easy to use, and you can filter by all sorts of categories and property features.

The fact that they cover apartments, hostels and hotels, as well as a number of other lodging options, means we nearly always find what we’re looking for at a good price. Definitely worth checking out.

If you’re looking for a platform more like AirBnB but with a focus on something a bit special, check out the Plum Guide. They don’t have quite the worldwide coverage of other providers, but we always check to see if they cover where we are going, as the properties they do have are excellent.

We’ve used them a number of times and always had a positive experience. See their listings here.

Well, that about wraps up our guide to some of the best AirBnB alternatives. Hopefully we’ve given you lots of sites and apps like AirBnB to choose from for your next vacation rental.

For more AirBnB alternatives, check out Jess’s list of even more sites like AirBnB if the above weren’t enough!