Are you looking to reserve your next holiday rental using a service like Airbnb? Here is our guide to the best Airbnb alternative websites where you can look for and book apartments for your next holiday vacation.
How does Airbnb operate, and what is it?
Using an Airbnb service, which stands for “Air Bed and Breakfast,” property owners may rent their rooms to visitors looking for a place to stay. Through these listings, travelers can then rent a communal area with individual rooms, a space for several people to share, or the entire property for themselves.
Best Alternatives to Airbnb to Look for Places to Stay Online
1. Oliver’s Travels
In 2003, Oliver’s Travels began as a website where visitors could reserve French chateaux. Since then, it has developed and diversified to concentrate on vacation homes, castles, and opulent properties in more than 20 nations.
Oliver’s Travels specializes in renting out vacation villas in warm, tropical regions that are historically significant or have exciting characters.
Moreover, they have properties in many other locations, including Bali, Thailand, Florida, Caribbean, and most are in Europe.
| PROS | CONS |
| More discounts and vouchers | Expensive |
| Lots of recommended places to visit | Lack of security |
| Nice villas | |
| Best price guarantee |
2. OneFineStay
OneFineStay may be a website to consider if you prefer vacations on the upscale end of the spectrum, describing Airbnb’s exclusive house-sharing alternative. OneFineStay provides apartments in well-known cities worldwide, including Paris, London, NYC, Rome, Sydney, and others.
Moreover, OneFineStay, which supports the Accor hotel chain, seeks to provide the best of both the hotel and apartment renting worlds. Homes come with tailored amenities, expert cleaning services, and round-the-clock guest phone support—one to consider if you’re seeking luxury residences and holiday homes.
| PROS | CONS |
| Nice view and place | Expensive |
| Accommodation is great | |
| The rooms are clean |
3. Couchsurfing
Couchsurfing might be an excellent option if you’re traveling on a tight budget and want a free place to stay. The service connects you with a local person who will provide you with a free place to stay if they have a bed, couch, room, or apartment available.
This project got started in 2004, and it was an avant-garde idea. As courtesy, you would return the favor and host travelers passing through your city. Couchsurfing is for people who wish to meet and stay with the locals and be a part of the Couchsurfing community.
| PROS | CONS |
| Incorporating oneself into the local community. | Dependency on the host |
| It helps you save cash | Inadequate privacy |
| You get a chance to real local food | It takes a long time to find hosts |
| Boost your language skills and learn new ones. | Discomforting at times |
| You take on the role of an ambassador for your nation and culture. | Strange happenings |
4. Sykes Holiday Cottages
Sykes Holiday Cottages is a good vacation rental booking website if you are considering traveling to the UK or Ireland. On their website, they provide approximately 16,000 self-catering units.
From city studios to seaside chalets, wooded cabins, and castles, Sykes Holiday Cottages has a variety of accommodations to suit just about any tourist and budget.
Additionally, their website makes it simple to search particular kinds of houses, such as those that accept dogs, have pools, and are close to the seaside.
| PROS | CONS |
| They’re good at marketing the properties | Added expenses |
| Rental of vacation properties with no hassles | Fewer controls |
| Reservations are not warranted. | |
5. RentaVilla
A vacation rental firm called RentaVilla has been in business since 1983. Its early focus was on offering accommodations for families who didn’t feel at home in hotels. Today, they provide villas, apartments, houses, and condominiums worldwide, including in Mexico, France, Greece, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Thailand, Morocco, and the Caribbean.
The family-run business primarily serves American tourists and employs people who personally examine each house.
The organization also offers local specialists in each region who may assist clients in setting up extra services, including automobile rentals, cell phone rentals, and cleaning services.
| PROS | CONS |
| Large accommodations | Housekeeping |
| Personal area | Cooking |
| Having genuine emotion | Transportation |
| Discreet Services | |
| Prolonged stay |
6. FlipKey
Over 300,000 properties are available on FlipKey, a member of the TripAdvisor family. FlipKey verifies owners before allowing them to list entire homes, flats, villas, or individual rooms. They have properties worldwide, a significant portion of them in North America, especially the United States.
| PROS | CONS |
| A wide variety of rental options | They’ll require you to put down some serious cash |
| Ideas for Vacation Locations | |
| Excellent customer service | |
7. Outdoorsy
The “Airbnb of RV rentals,” Outdoorsy, launched in the US in 2015. The world’s largest peer-to-peer RV rental marketplace allows owners to list their recreational vehicles while not in use and connect with others who wish to rent one.
They list several outdoor adventure vehicles, including trailer tents, fifth wheels, campervans, travel trailers, and RVs (motorhomes).
Over 200,000 RV listings are available on Outdoorsy, most of which are in the US and Canada. However, they also provide campervan and motorhome rentals in Australia, New Zealand, and several regions of western Europe. Countries include the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy.
| PROS | CONS |
| It earns you money | Unwanted levels of worry and tension |
| You get to meet new people and introduce them to RVing | Managing the business learning curve |
| Renting your RV can make the purchase more affordable | Getting your stuff out of the way |
8. Cottages.com
You may find more than 20,000 homes on Cottages.com throughout the UK, Ireland, France, and Italy. They concentrate primarily on cottages and villas in rural areas, small towns, and along the shore.
Cottages.com is undoubtedly focused on serving the needs of British tourists and popular vacation spots for people in the UK. However, if you’re looking for lodging while visiting the UK, Ireland, France, or Italy, you should check out this website.
| PROS | CONS |
| Greater freedom, more room to move around, more seclusion, more ways to make it your own, and better access to the outdoors. | Lack of massive market share. Low margins. Vulnerable to fluctuating demand. Low employee retention rates. |
9. Evolve
Consider looking at Evolve if you’re looking for a holiday rental in the US. The business was founded in 2011 and is now located in Denver, Colorado. They own more than 18,000 vacation properties, spreading to more than 700 locations around the US.
They include homes on the well-liked beach, big metropolitan sites, and escapes in the country and less well-known places.
Property owners list many of their properties on well-known websites like Airbnb and Vrbo because they specialize in the hospitality side of the vacation rental industry. However, at Evolve, they work hard to differentiate itself from these markets by providing superior customer service.
| PROS | CONS |
| Keeps your investment safe | Not clean |
| Guest Interaction | You can get scammed |
| Puts together a listing for your rental home | No refunds on late cancellations |
10. Agoda
We advise visiting Agoda if you are searching for accommodations while traveling in Asia. Agoda is a well-known website for booking hotels. Still, it also provides flats, holiday rentals, bed & breakfasts, and individual rooms in residences.
With most of its properties in Asian nations, Agoda offers more than 700,000 apartments and other vacation rentals in more than 50 countries.
| PROS | CONS |
| The reservation procedure is easy to follow. | It may take some time for the hotel to receive the confirmation email from Agoda. |
| Both the website and the mobile app are straightforward to use. | It’s essential to move fast if you want to take advantage of the best deals, as there are usually many other shoppers browsing the same items simultaneously. |
| The variety of available rooms is impressive. | There may be substantial price hikes when factoring in applicable taxes and service fees. |
| Credit cards and PayPal are accepted methods of payment. | |
| Coupons and sales can help you save money. |
11. Sonder
One of the more recent businesses that resemble Airbnb is Sonder, which has experienced remarkable growth in recent years. The business was founded in Montreal, Canada, in 2012. It offers an extensive list of more than 8,500 apartments in more than 25 locations worldwide.
The company offers up-to-date, tastefully furnished apartments with all the conveniences and luxuries one would like in their own home.
Additionally, they emphasize homes in fashionable and welcoming communities for tourists. You are renting directly from them as they own or lease the property, furnish them, and maintain them, and they also provide round-the-clock customer service.
| PROS | CONS |
| Features the adaptability of a hotel while also being suitable for more protracted stays | Invoicing with Virtual Terminal lacks flexibility. |
| The properties are well-maintained and stylish. | |
| You can check rates and availability and make a reservation, all from the convenience of their app. | |
| The excellent customer service is accessible via live chat at any time. | |
12. Vrbo
Vacation Rentals By Owner, or Vrbo, has been active since 1995 and was one of the first websites to link travelers with apartment owners. Currently, the Expedia Group owns and runs Vrbo. They recently changed their name from VRBO to Vrbo (ver-boy) in 2019.
The number of listings on Vrbo has significantly increased due to the addition of properties from other Expedia-owned vacation rental websites, including Abritel, HomeAway, Stayz, and others.
| PROS | CONS |
| Can reduce costs | Advertisements and product descriptions may not always be accurate |
| Exceptional Hosts | The process of making a reservation for a short-term rental could be lengthy. |
| The rooms are amazing | It’s possible that your rental property is not safe. |
| Taking the time to read reviews can be beneficial |
13. Booking.com
Booking.com offers vacation rentals and apartments in more than 200 countries and territories. They own a lot of apartment buildings throughout South Africa, North America, Asia, and Australia. They also have properties in Europe, concentrating in the UK and France.
| PROS | CONS |
| Offers an open, creative, and helpful partnership | Potential guests may become overwhelmed by a website’s abundance of listings. |
| Make its worldwide audience your visitors. | Problems with payments or hold ups for some property owners |
| Offers competitive rates for joint ventures | |
| Brings in a larger number of potential renters to your properties |
14. Interhome
Interhome concentrates on European apartments and holiday houses. They provide around 50,000 vacation rentals in over 25 countries. This business was established in Switzerland in 1965 and has a long history of offering holiday rentals. Interhome helps visitors check in on-site and provides a wide range of services.
Additionally, it is a great website to check out if you’re traveling to Europe and want a local service agent who is always on call.
| PROS | CONS |
| Reduced home prices | Few or no expenses for upkeep and repairs |
| Involvement for a shorter period | No increase in property value |
| There are no or meager costs associated with repairs and maintenance. |
15. Top Villas
Top Villas is a website that specializes in renting out vacation homes in Florida and the Caribbean and is situated in Orlando, Florida. They have approximately 4,000 luxury rentals, spreading to more than 50 locations.
The majority of the rental homes are in Florida and the Caribbean. Still, there are accommodations for tourists in other US states, including California, Colorado, and Tennessee, as well as other regions of Europe and Asia like Greece, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. They also cater in Thailand and Indonesia.
| PROS | CONS |
| Promotes a better way of life | The cost is high |
| You have your own space | Lack of security |
| Adaptability | |
| Great place and view |
16. Homestay
Homestay sets itself apart by providing hosted experiences for visitors who wish to interact with the property owners and local hosts.
They also include breakfast with each stay. Homestay provides properties in 150 different countries. But, because they have fewer other websites on this list, it may be more challenging to locate a property and accept a booking.
| PROS | CONS |
| You’ll find a family in your stays | You’ll need to respect their personal space. |
| You’ll get to know the culture of the area | Expensive |
| You can enjoy bonding with your neighbors |
17. Hotels.com
Hotels.com was established in 1991 and has long been a well-known website for booking hotels. However, like Booking.com, it has since expanded its services to include a wide range of lodging options, including vacation rentals. With a concentration on North America and Europe, they provide tens of thousands of properties across the globe.
Hotels.com is particularly well-liked in North America. If you frequently use it to reserve lodging, whether a hotel, condo or vacation rental, you may save money with their loyalty program. They also offer a reward stay after booking ten holidays.
| PROS | CONS |
| Available gift cards | No advantages for elites |
| It has search filters enabling you to locate hotels nearly anywhere that meet your requirements. | Must pay upon booking |
18. TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals
You may already read and post reviews on hotels, attractions, and restaurants on TripAdvisor.com. TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals is the company’s own apartment rental search engine.
As a result of TripAdvisor acquiring apartment rental businesses, including FlipKey, holiday lettings, and HouseTrip, all of those listings are now available through its search engine. There are approximately 1 million houses spread throughout 190 countries, so plenty of options exist. Additionally, each property has a complete review system, as would be expected.
TripAdvisor also lets you reserve hotels, rental cars, and other travel services online. So, you can make all your trip arrangements through a single website and service.
| PROS | CONS |
| Subscription service that helps lodging establishments market themselves effectively on the most visited travel website in the world. | Never be able to influence the content of reviews made about them on TripAdvisor. |