10 Cheaper Airbnb Alternatives for Vacation Rentals & Long-Term Rentals in 2024

Vrbo

Best Overall!

Despite Airbnb getting all the attention in the media in the past 10 years, it is easy to forget that prior to 2008 when Airbnb was founded, there is Vrbo (pronounced ver-boh), the OG vacation rental online marketplace that was founded way back in 1995 and acquired by Expedia in 2015. Vrbo (“Vacation Rental By Owner”) is very similar to Airbnb, both in website layout and in accommodation options. They even have unconventional accommodation options, like mansions or farms. Currently, there are more than 2 million properties available for temporary rentals. Prices range greatly, from less than $100 a night to well over $2,000, and some offer discounts for longer stays or off-peak seasons.

One thing to note is unlike Airbnb, Vrbo only allows rentals for entire properties. In other words, you can’t just rent out a room in a shared home or apartment like you can on Airbnb. Lots of hosts decide to list their property on multiple sites like Airbnb – especially on VRBO. So before you book an Airbnb, I’d recommend searching on VRBO as well, because oftentimes it can offer much more affordable rates! If you decide to book a property through Vrbo, you’ll have to pay a 12-15% service fee per booking, which is pretty close to the 14-16% commission rate on Airbnb.By booking and paying through Vrbo, you’ll get payment protection, emergency relocation, and 24-hour service.

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Booking

Best for Any Type of Lodging!

If you’re even slightly familiar with hotel booking, then you’ve undoubtedly hearing about Booking.com. It is one of the biggest hotel booking platforms in the world with over 960,000 properties, worldwide, you definitely won’t find a shortage of options. What you might not have realized is that in addition to hotels, you can also book vacation rentals properties on Booking, including apartments and villas, all around the world. It has apartments and holiday homes available to book in over 200 countries and territories. They have a large number of apartment properties in Europe (particularly the UK and France), Australia, North America, Asia, South Africa, and northern Africa. With about 6 million properties on their books thus far, there’s no shortage of choice. 

On Booking.com, you can use it like you would when you want to book a hotel but instead of browsing through hotels, you can filter your search result to list only homestays and apartments and pick the best one available from there. Not only does Booking.com have a “Best Price Guaranteed” policy, they also have free cancellation on most rooms. Unlike some of the other sites, they also allow you to book all rentals instantly. There’s no waiting for an owner’s approval. They make the entire process painless and convenient. Another nice benefit of Booking.com is their loyalty program. In other words, the more bookings you make with them, the more discounts you get. Plus, Booking.com is a one-stop shop, where you can book a complete trip from a flight and car hire, to taxis, restaurants and a vacation rental. If you are for an Airbnb alternative with a familiar experience and trust, be sure to check out the Booking.com Holiday Homes section.

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Plum Guide

Best for Quality Control!

Plum Guide is a London-based company that just launched in 2016. It currently offers over 10,000 apartments and vacation rental properties on its website with a large number of its properties located in major international cities like Los Angeles, London, Rome, and Paris. However, it has been expanding to more destinations and also includes properties in smaller towns and rural areas as well. Unlike other competitors, the Plum Guide focuses more on high-quality homes rather than the catch-it-all type of homes you often find on Airbnb.

According to statistics, this platform accepts less than 5% of the properties that need to be listed and it personally vets every single one against over 150 criteria, from WiFi speed to sociability of the space—all focused on increasing the odds of your having a “perfect” stay.  So you know the quality of every property will be high. In addition, The site also has a very reliable team of experts who can help answer any additional questions or address concerns with a quick phone call. If you are a traveler who prioritizes quality and hunts for places that are at convenient locations and high-standard amenities, this alternative to Airbnb is for you.

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Agoda Homes

Best for Apartment Rentals in Asia!

Just like Booking.com, Agoda is best known for its hotel reservation service, but it also provides apartments, guesthouses vacation rentals, and private rooms in residential properties. It offers over 700,000 apartments and other vacation rentals in over 50 countries, with the largest number of properties located in Asian countries. On Agoda Homes, you can filter the result by property type and list only apartments, homestays, or an entire vacation home that you can pick from. They have different types of apartments like a beach house, townhouse, and forest house for short and long-term rentals.

You can  also filter by price, star ratings, property facilities, and property types. There's also a section called 'Secret Deals' if you want to check for discounted listings or last-minute deals. The benefits of using Agoda Homes are pretty much the same as Booking.com with an easy-to-use website, has a ton of listing, and many user's reviews available to help you decide more effectively. What makes Agoda stands out from Booking.com is its focus on the Asian market and so if you are looking for cheap apartments to stay for a long period of time in places like Chiang Mai, Agoda is one of the best.

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Homestay

Best for Living Like a Local, with a Local!

As the name suggests, Homestay is a website geared toward travelers looking for homestays or private rentals. You can book a room in a resident's (host) house and stay with them for the predefined period. The website has a selection of over 63,000 rooms in 176 cities worldwide , properties are more concentrated in Europe (particularly the UK) and major cities worldwide (Los Angeles, London, Sydney, Paris). They have fewer properties than many of the other websites on this list, which means that it can be more difficult to find a property and get a booking accepted.

Homestay offers short-term and long-term rentals, you can book nightly, weekly or even monthly stays. It aims to provide quality accommodation at budget-friendly prices. The point of Homestay is to give travelers a taste of authentic local life. By living with someone who calls your destination home, you will get a completely different experience to what you would normally have had. If you are the kind of traveller who seeks an immersive local experience, then Homestay may be the best Airbnb alternative for you.

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TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals

Best for Also Planning Activities!

When it comes to travel related reviews, TripAdvisor is probably the first website you think of. However, it offers more than just reviews! TripAdvisor also has its own apartment rental search engine, known as TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals. What's more, it has been gobbling up apartment rental companies like FlipKey, holidaylettings, and HouseTrip and so all those listings are also in its search engine. With almost 1 million properties across 190 countries, there’s certainly no shortage of choice. Accommodation choices include but are not limited to single bedrooms, beach cottages, city lofts, and luxury villas.

To browse for vacation homes on Tripadvisor, you can easily do it on their dedicated Tripadvisor Vacation Rentals page, input the location, and the date, and you should find plenty of homestays in vacation rentals for you choose from. Tripadvisor was able to utilize its massive user base to propel its services above other competitors by providing relevant information like user's reviews and high-quality photos to help you decide which property to book unlike other Airbnb alternatives out there. Plus, TripAdvisor allows you to book flights, car rentals, and other travel services online, meaning you can do all your travel bookings through one site and provider. Definitely worth checking out!

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FlipKey

Best for Small Group Bookings!

FlipKey is owned by TripAdvisor Rentals, which means it has the feeling of a small startup, with steady hand of a travel-industry giant.  The website isn’t quite as modern as the others, but it certainly does its job in helping travelers find vacation rentals and other long-term accommodation.  FlipKey has over 300,000 properties to choose from. Owners are verified by FlipKey, and they can list whole homes, apartments, villas, or private rooms. They have properties worldwide with a heavy concentration of properties in North America, and particularly the United States.You also have access to authentic guest reviews and photos from the largest travel community in the world.

Though there are plenty of options available on the site for single travelers, Flipkey excels at group bookings in popular tourist destinations. The large majority of their properties are vacation rentals and holiday homes which fit four, five, six or more people. You may not get that homely feel, and you may not get insight from a local host, but you get to spend your days with your companions – and that’s the essential part of any group traveling experience.

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Outdoorsy

Best for Multi-Stop Trips！

Outdoorsy, the “Airbnb of RV rentals” started in 2015 in the United States. It is currently the world’s largest peer-to-peer RV (recreational vehicle) rental marketplace where owners to can list their RVs when not in use to others wanting to rent one. They list RVs (motorhomes), campervans, travel trailers (caravans), fifth wheels, trailer tents, and other outdoor adventure vehicles. Outdoorsy does a fantastic job in North America with heaps of killer vehicular choices. Although it gets more limited internationally, they do operate worldwide with more selections of listings across Europe down to Australia and New Zealand too. 

Similar to Airbnb, each listing has a built-in review system so you can see what previous drivers have to say about the rentals. In addition, Outdoorsy also offers 24/7 roadside assistance so you won’t have to stress about breaking down or having to replace a tire while you’re on the go. It’s also budget-friendly. In a word, not only is Outdoorsy a great alternative to Airbnb, but it’s also a great alternative to staying in a traditional apartment or hotel.

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Sonder

Best for Big City Vacations！

Sonder is one of the newe Airbnb-like companies and has been rapidly growing over the past few years. The company started in 2012 in Montreal, Canada. Sonder have properties in 27 cities around the world, with over 8,500 options to choose from.They have the largest number of properties in the United States and Canada, but also have a number of properties in major cities in Europe as well as apartments in Dubai. Since the listing on Sonder is heavily controlled because of the high standard it has to live up to, most of their properties are only located in commercial areas in big cities and so it might not have as many choices as VRBO or Airbnb when it comes to regular travelers.

Sonder provides both short and long-term rentals. Unlike Airbnb, all apartments and home rentals on Sonder are owned and managed directly by the platform. 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. There’s a 24/7 concierge service you can call or text for all the little details, like getting locked out or a light bulb burning out. Now that’s customer service.  If your concern is the ease of access and convenience, it is one of the best vacation rental organizations.

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Blueground

Best For Long-Term Apartments!

The Blueground is an alternative to Airbnb with a focus on longer term rentals of at least a month long and furnished with a premium aesthetic consistent across their global apartments. It has over 5,000 properties in 18 cities around the world in North America, Europe and the Middle East. Although they don’t actually own the apartment, they take care of the interior and design of the property itself. All things considered, you can expect quality. Properties on Blueground are fully equipped with kitchen equipment, Wi-Fi, and toiletries, among other things.

The Blueground does a very good job of the premium experience. The apartments are very nice, the customer service is responsive, and their app lets you manage your bookings and find out useful information like where to put out the trash and wifi password. Definitely worth checking out if you’re a traveling professional, digital nomad, or tend to have extended stays in one of 18 major cities around the world.

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