The 10 BEST Airbnb Alternatives in 2024

Airbnb shook up the whole travel scene. It’s like, bam! Suddenly, everyone’s renting out their homes and spare rooms, and it’s all cool until you run into those pesky issues like crazy cleaning fees, lousy customer service, and policies that feel like they’re out to get you. I was a loyal Airbnb user for years, starting way back in 2012 when the deals use to be amazing.

But since then, like most people, I’ve seen the prices creep up and seen the policies get out of hand (I’m not stripping the beds and starting the laundry if there’s a cleaning fee, okay?).

Airbnb might’ve been the trailblazer, but let me tell you, there are so many other options out there now. And they’re not just okay; some are downright awesome. Imagine lower fees, better support, and more flexibility. I’ve had the chance to try out quite a few in the past few years, and I’m thrilled to share them with you.

Here are some stellar alternatives to Airbnb:

1. VRBO

VRBO, owned by Expedia, is the closest alternative to Airbnb that I’ve found, often with the exact same listings, but lower fees.

When I was looking for a weeklong rental in Sedona, Arizona, which has lovely boutique hotels, but none that I felt like paying for an entire week’s stay for, I ended up renting through VRBO. I searched on Airbnb first, read the reviews (there will be far more on Airbnb), then looked for some of the same houses on VRBO by cross checking their names and photos. I found about 1/3 of them were also on VRBO, but since the fees are lower, I paid $300 less for our rental for the week. That’s no small chunk of change.

It was slightly annoying dealing with the customer service, unfortunately. I input the wrong email (my fault) but for some reason they just couldn’t correct it in their system. This made communication with the host a bit difficult until VRBO just gave me their number. Slightly annoying, but not enough to put me off using them since they’re cheaper overall, particularly for US vacations.

2. Booking.com

Booking.com isn’t just for hotels anymore. When my partner and I were looking for vacation rentals on the Amalfi coast (Praiano) in Italy, we were only finding overpriced options on Airbnb that didn’t have the best reviews. My partner searched on Booking.com and found the perfect option. It was much cheaper, more secluded, had more amenities (like a pool and outdoor pizza oven!) and ended up being an incredible stay.

Booking.com has vacation rentals all over the world. I even found more vacation rentals than hotels there when I was planning my solo trip to Mammoth, California in the winter.

I’ve also had good customer service experiences with Booking.com when issues arose on hotel a booking in the Philippines years ago. They called me on the phone to sort it out, and made sure I had a place to stay and a full refund.

3. Agoda Homes

While Agoda might not have as much reach in the US, they are big players in Asia, where plenty of digital nomads choose to base themselves for all or parts of the year. Airbnb can have crazy pricing, especially in cheap cities like Chiang Mai where no rental should be $2k+, but Agoda Homes is more reasonable.

I find Agoda is often better pricing overall for all things. Whenever I am looking for hotels abroad, I always cross check booking.com and Agoda and find better pricing on Agoda. So far, so good with their customer service and booking experience, though I haven’t had any issues come up that needed addressing.

4. HipCamp

When I was looking for unique options for our New Mexico road trip, I found a few cool things on Airbnb (like the Earthship Biotecture), but wanted to cast a wider net. I ended up finding a yurt outside of Santa Fe that only cost $50 per night! HipCamp had other cool options, too, like Airstreams, tree houses, and glamping domes.

For uniqueness, HipCamp has some of the most interesting options. If you’ve always wanted to stay on a commune, sleep under the stars with some comforts, or just want to spend a bit less and are happy to be more immersed in nature, you may be surprised by what HipCamp has to offer.

Don’t expect the photos and reviews to be as abundant as Airbnb, but if you can use your imagination a bit, you can find some diamonds in the rough on HipCamp.

5. TopVillas

Switching gears, if you want a luxury stay and have a bigger group, TopVillas has some wonderful options. Whether it’s a bachelorette weekend, a big life milestone celebration, or a family reunion, you can find a luxury home that can accommodate bigger groups on this platform.

They have the largest reach in the US, particularly Florida and Lake Tahoe, Caribbean (like the Bahamas), and are branching out into Asia and the Mediterranean part of Europe.

Where they differ from Airbnb is the cancellation policy, which allows cancellations up to two weeks prior to the stay on their flex bookings. They also offer concierge services for all of their stays, and when reading reviews, this seems to be what people love the most about this booking service.

6. FlipKey

One of the biggest considerations when booking a rental is trustworthiness, and since Flipkey is owned by TripAdvisor, one of the biggest travel review companies in the world (if not the biggest?) it’s got that base covered.

Flipkey draws on reviews from its databases and is able to provide a clearer picture of the rentals prior to booking, which is one of the greatest strengths of Airbnb and weaknesses of newer platforms like VRBO.

They mainly play to the family or small group market, with most of their listings in US destinations with a few in Europe.

7. Trusted Housesitters

Are you a digital nomad who also loves pets? Are you happy to stay in sometimes remote areas or have some chores involved in exchange for being able to stay for free? Over the years, I’ve had plenty of friends and fellow bloggers swear by Trusted Housesitters, which is a great option for anyone who wants a place to base out of for a month or more and isn’t picky about the exact locale.

Keep in mind you’ll most likely be expected to help with certain aspects of the home, which can range from hanging out with a cat to walking dogs and/or feeding livestock. It’s also a pay-to-use platform, with three plan options that range in price from $129 – $259 a year. You’ll also need to apply for housesitting opportunities like you would a apply for a job, and it can be tough to get accepted as a newbie to the site without any reviews.

Still, it’s a way to stay for free, provided you put in a little work by helping out with furry friends.

8. Home Exchange

What if you’re locked into a lease or mortgage and your home will be sitting empty while you’re gone? There are plenty of travelers all over the world in the same situation, and like the famous movie with Kate Winslet and Jude Law, you can swap with someone across the world and fall in love with a new place and maybe even a new person. Length of stay can range from a few days to a month or more.

Home Exchange is the largest of the home swap platforms with over 150,000 listings in 145 countries. Like Trusted Housesitters, you’ll need to pay a yearly membership fee ($220) in order to access listings and contact members. If the person you want to swap with doesn’t want to swap in exchange, or vice versa, you can pay with ‘guest points’ instead, which allows users to book another place instead, or without swapping at all. This allows hosts to use this platform a bit more like Airbnb, with points to use for a future vacation.

9. Homestay

Do you love feeling like a local? While Airbnb used to have more of that flavor, connecting hosts who were renting out a bedroom and were open to hanging with those they were hosting, it’s gotten away from that in recent years.

Homestay.com is filling that gap with rentals that specifically target students and independent travelers who want to live like a local, with locals. It operates as a marketplace that connects travelers with local hosts in over 150 countries. With a database of 50,000 homestays, the platform offers a wide array of options to choose from and actively strives to match guests and hosts with similar interests.

10. Furnished Finder

If you’re a digital nomad, are working on a contract (like travel nurses do), are between rentals, or just want to experience a neighborhood before signing a long-term lease, Furnished Finder is a way to rent furnished apartments for a month or more, for less than an Airbnb.

With Furnished Finder you’ll be dealing directly with the landlord, who pays $99 per year to list their property on the platform. You’ll be able to read reviews and look for verified landlords, plus, you don’t have to pay everything upfront like you would with Airbnb.

In many cases, it’ll be the same rentals available on both platforms, so you can research on Airbnb, then find the property on Furnished Finders and deal directly with the landlord. Listings are almost exclusively in the US.

While I used to be an Airbnb super fan, I’ve branched out to some of these alternatives and have been happy with the results. Airbnb still provides a great service, especially if you’re using it for research purposes, but they’ve gotten away from their original ethos and it shows.

Whether you’re looking for a strict vacation rental or something more specialized, I hope this list helped you to find an alternative to Airbnb to suit your needs.

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