The Best Airbnb Alternatives for Short-Term Rental Hosts

Airbnb may dominate the short-term rental world, but it’s far from your only option. In today’s fast-evolving vacation rental market, a growing number of Airbnb alternatives are competing for attention—and bookings.

For hosts, this shift brings opportunity. Relying solely on Airbnb might work when you’re starting out. But if you want to grow your rental business, reduce risk, and reach more travelers, diversifying across platforms is essential.

In this guide, we’ll explore the top Airbnb alternatives, their pros and cons, and how to choose the right mix based on your goals and property type.

If you’re already managing listings across several platforms, Hostex can help. Its AI-powered automation handles 70% of your repetitive tasks, saving you time and energy. Manage everything in one place—starting from just $4.90/month.

What Are the Best Airbnb Alternatives for Hosts?

Each platform offers its own strengths, from targeting specific regions to attracting unique types of travelers.

We won’t overwhelm you with a long list of minor channels that barely move the needle. Instead, we’ll focus on a handful of high-impact platforms that are truly worth your time. This way, you can spend your energy where it matters most.

Here are some of the top Airbnb alternatives to consider.

1. Booking.com

Founded in 1996, Booking.com is one of the largest online travel agencies (OTAs) in the world. It initially focused on hotel reservations but has since expanded to include vacation rentals to compete directly with Airbnb. Today, it stands as one of the leading Airbnb alternatives, offering massive global reach.

Booking.com now features over 28 million listings in 226 countries and territories. In 2019, it held an impressive 67.7% share of the OTA market in Europe. However, since the platform is not vacation-rental specific, your listing may face more competition and reduced visibility compared to Airbnb.

Key Features:

• Guest Demographics: Many guests book hotels and vacation rentals for short stays, business trips, or city breaks. Booking.com tends to attract price-sensitive, convenience-focused travelers, including international tourists and corporate guests.
• Genius Program: Hosts can opt into the Genius loyalty program, which boosts visibility and helps listings appear higher in search results.
• Paid Ads: Property owners and managers can invest in advertising to increase exposure and drive bookings, often with a high return on investment.
• Flexible Cancellation Policies: Booking.com favors guest-friendly terms, including flexible cancellations and no booking fees. This can increase booking volume but may challenge small-scale hosts.
• Instant Book Only: All listings are automatically set to Instant Book, so hosts cannot screen guests before booking.
• Wide Integration Support: Booking.com integrates with most property management systems (PMS) and channel managers (CM), including Hostex, making it easier to sync listings across platforms.

Fees:

Listing a property on Booking.com is free, but the platform charges a 15% commission per booking, which is comparable to or slightly higher than Airbnb fees.

Who Is It For?

Booking.com is ideal for any Airbnb host looking to increase international visibility, especially those with urban rentals or multiple units.

2. Vrbo

Vrbo, part of the Expedia Group, is one of the most popular Airbnb alternatives. The platform features over 2 million properties across more than 190 countries and attracts millions of visitors every month.

Vrbo is particularly appealing to families and larger groups looking for spacious accommodations. In recent years, it has focused its marketing efforts on guests who prefer full homes or villas, rather than shared spaces. Compared to Airbnb, Vrbo guests often book for longer stays and travel with more people.

Key Features:

• Guest Demographics: Vrbo primarily attracts families, multi-generational groups, and vacationers planning longer trips. These guests typically seek full-property rentals with ample space, privacy, and amenities like kitchens and outdoor areas.
• Entire Home Requirement: Vrbo only allows entire property listings. Private rooms or shared spaces are not permitted.
• No Guest Service Fees (Sometimes): In some regions, Vrbo has tested removing guest fees to compete with Airbnb, which can help improve booking conversion rates.
• Booking Protection: Vrbo offers extensive protection policies, including liability coverage and property damage protection for eligible bookings.
• Limited Urban Reach: Vrbo has a stronger presence in vacation destinations rather than major urban areas, which may limit visibility for city-based hosts.
• Integration Support: Vrbo works with most mainstream PMS and CM, such as Hostex, for seamless multi-channel listing management.

Fees:

Vrbo offers two pricing options:

• A $499 annual subscription that allows unlimited bookings.
• A pay-per-booking model, which includes a 5% commission per reservation plus a 3% credit card processing fee.

Even if you opt for the annual plan, the 3% payment fee still applies.

Who Is It For?

Vrbo is ideal for hosts renting entire homes or vacation villas, especially in leisure destinations. If your target market includes families or large groups seeking longer stays, Vrbo is one of the best Airbnb alternatives to add to your portfolio.

3. Expedia

Expedia might not be the first platform that comes to mind when listing a vacation rental, which is why many short-term rental (STR) hosts tend to overlook it.

However, as one of the largest all-in-one travel booking platforms, Expedia still draws significant global traffic, making it a viable Airbnb alternative worth considering.

Key Features:

• Guest Demographics: Expedia attracts a wide range of travelers, from business guests to vacationing families and international tourists. These guests often book complete travel packages that include flights, hotels, and activities.
• Integrated Travel Ecosystem: Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo are now part of a unified ecosystem. Cross-platform loyalty points (One Key) incentivize repeat bookings across all three brands.
• Higher Revenue Potential: Premium listings on Expedia often enjoy 23% higher RevPAR (Revenue per Available Rental) than the market average, thanks to exposure to high-spending guests.
• Search Visibility Options: Hosts can boost listing visibility using sponsored placement tools, giving their properties a better chance of appearing in top search results.
• Professional Expectations: Expedia guests tend to expect hotel-like standards, which means hosts may need to offer more polished, consistent service.
• Integration Support: Expedia integrates with most major PMS and CM systems like Hostex, making it easy to sync availability, pricing, and bookings across platforms.

Fees:

Expedia charges a commission of 15% to 20% per booking, depending on various factors such as property type, location, size, and volume. In some cases, the commission may be higher. Final rates are often subject to specific agreements between the host and Expedia.

Who Is It For?

Expedia is best suited for professional hosts and vacation rental managers with high-quality listings who want access to a global audience. If your rental is in a tourist-heavy area or part of a luxury offering, Expedia can serve as a powerful Airbnb alternative to expand your reach and revenue.

4. Google Vacation Rentals

Google dominates more than 90% of the global search engine market, giving your listing unmatched visibility. Launched in 2019, Google Vacation Rentals now features over 10 million active listings. Acting as a metasearch engine, it allows travelers to find vacation homes directly in Google Search or Google Maps, and then book via your direct booking website.

While Airbnb remains the most well-known platform, Google’s massive influence makes it a fast-rising Airbnb alternative for hosts who want to drive commission-free, high-intent traffic to their own site.

Key Features:

• Guest Demographics: Google reaches a broad spectrum of travelers worldwide—those searching for specific destinations, flexible date trips, or budget-based options. Many are high-intent users ready to book.
• Hotel-Level Exposure: Listings appear alongside hotels on Google Maps and Google Search, helping short-term rentals directly compete with traditional accommodations.
• Low Competition, High Opportunity: Google Vacation Rentals is still underutilized by many hosts, meaning early adopters benefit from lower competition and higher visibility.
• Data-Driven Advantage: Google Trends and other public analytics tools let hosts analyze demand patterns and booking trends more easily.
• Indirect Listing Access: You can’t upload listings to Google directly. You must use an approved Google integration partner—like Hostex—to connect your direct booking website to the platform.

Fees:

It’s completely free to list on Google Vacation Rentals. Also, Google does not charge commission on bookings made through your website.

If desired, you can choose to run paid ads separately to increase visibility.

Who Is It For?

Google Vacation Rentals is ideal for any hosts who want to reduce reliance on OTAs and increase direct revenue.

It’s especially valuable for experienced hosts, boutique property managers, or anyone ready to take control of their brand and guest relationships.

5. Direct Booking Website

One of the most powerful Airbnb alternatives is to build your own direct booking website. This allows you to connect with guests directly and maintain full control over your business operations.

By bypassing OTAs, you eliminate commission fees and create a strong brand presence that supports long-term revenue growth.

Key Features:

• No Platform Fees: Avoid paying Airbnb’s 15% or Booking.com’s 18% commission. You keep 100% of your earnings.
• Own Your Guest Relationships: Track emails, preferences, and booking history. Send targeted offers and boost repeat bookings by over 30%.
• Set Your Own Rules: Define your own minimum stays, cancellation policies, and house rules—without platform restrictions.
• Avoid Algorithm Risks: No need to worry about Vrbo’s 90-day listing policy or Airbnb’s Superhost requirements.

You can use Hostex’s free Direct Booking Website Builder to launch your own site in minutes—no coding or extra costs required.

Plus, you can boost visibility by publishing your listings on Google Vacation Rentals to attract commission-free traffic via Hostex.

Who Is It For?

A direct booking website is ideal for all kinds of hosts or property managers looking to build brand equity, maximize profit margins, and reduce dependency on third-party platforms.

How to Manage Multi-Channel Listings?

Even if your occupancy rate hits 100%, extra exposure means more growth potential. In the vacation rental industry, this strategy is called multi-channel distribution. The idea is to diversify bookings by listing your property on multiple Airbnb alternatives and competitors.

This approach helps reduce vacancy and ultimately increases your nightly rates. You don’t have to list on every platform right away, but it should be part of your near-term business strategy.

By listing across several OTAs while running your own direct booking website, you maximize traffic and booking potential.

There’s no need to worry about the extra workload. Tools like Hostex let you manage all your listings on one calendar effortlessly. Plus, its automation handles over 70% of daily tasks, freeing you to focus on other important areas.

Key Features:

• Real-time Sync: Sync calendars, prices, and availability between OTAs and your website. This eliminates double bookings and manual errors.
• Automated Messaging: Auto-respond to guest inquiries, send trigger-based messages, and automate review requests to simplify guest communication.
• Powerful Automation: Automate check-in instructions, pricing updates, reviews, and cleaning tasks—all without lifting a finger.
• Third-Party Integrations: Seamlessly connect with tools like PriceLabs, Rategenie, Turno, smart locks, and other STR essentials.
• Team Collaboration: Assign roles to team members—owners, cleaners, accountants, and more—with customizable access permissions.
• Performance Analytics: Generate detailed reports segmented by platform, so you can optimize underperforming channels.
• Mobile Control: Manage your business anytime, anywhere with the Hostex mobile app.
• Clear Pricing: Hostex offers transparent, all-inclusive pricing with no hidden fees. The more listings you manage, the lower the per-property rate.

With Hostex’s all-in-one toolkit, you can reduce manual work and run an efficient “earn while you sleep” vacation rental business for as low as $4.9 per month.