Top Airbnb Competitors

Airbnb is the bread and butter of the short-term rental industry. However, it’s not the only one. Options for where to list your home are constantly growing, and its important to have a multi-channel distribution strategy. This blog post will discuss the top Airbnb competitors and why you may want to expand where you’re listing your home.

Host Tools provides an automated, unified calendar for short-term rental hosts, allowing you to seamlessly list on all major channels. Start your free trial today!

Why list with Airbnb competitors?

Only listing on one platform may feel safe. However, it’s a missed opportunity.

Reach more guests

Not every traveler uses Airbnb. Platforms like Vrbo or Booking.com attract different demographics. Families, older travelers, and international tourists are a wide breadth of travelers. They have different habits, and those habits include their go-to booking platform. Throw a bigger net, catch more fish.

Don’t be dependent on one platform

Only listing your home on one platform puts all of your eggs in one basket. This means you’re at the mercy of that platform. Website down? No bookings for you today. Policy change? No time to update. Expanding where you list your home allows you more opportunities and doesn’t limit you to one company.

Higher occupancy rates

As mentioned, when you list on multiple sites, your property sees more eyes. As a result, you get more bookings and ultimately increase your occupancy rate.

Target different audiences

When you list on different platforms, you can customize your listing to target specific customers. For example, how you write your listing on Airbnb would typically appear to a younger traveler. What you might say on Booking.com could appear to international guests or older travelers.

Top Airbnb competitors

There are many booking platforms out there for short-term rental hosts to consider. However, we’ve rounded up a few of the top in the industry that you shouldn’t miss when deciding where to list your home.

1. Vrbo

Commission: 15% booking fee or subscription-based model (~$699/year)
Target Audience: Families, vacationers
Why It’s Great: Vrbo (Vacation Rental By Owner) is one of the largest platforms for vacation homes. Its audience is typically families searching for entire homes, making it a solid option if you have spacious private vacation rental properties.

2. Booking.com

Commission: 10%-25% commission on bookings
Target Audience: International travelers, luxury seekers
Why It’s Great: Booking.com boasts a massive global reach, offering exposure to over 29 million listings worldwide. It’s particularly effective for hosts with high-end properties or those interested in attracting international guests. It also includes opportunities for car rentals and hotel rooms.

3. Houfy

Commission: None; no guest or vacation rental service fees for hosts.
Target Audience: Budget-conscious travelers, cost-savvy hosts
Why It’s Great: Houfy allows hosts to connect directly with guests, bypassing fees altogether. This can save you money over time, and its community-driven approach creates personal guest experiences.

4. Plum Guide

Commission: 3% host fee; 12$ to guest. Alternatively, a host-only fee is 16.5%.
Target Audience: High-end travelers seeking top-tier stays
Why It’s Great: Plum Guide caters to the luxury vacation rental market, emphasizing quality over quantity. If your property meets their high standards, you’ll stand out to a premium clientele willing to spend more for a unique experience.

5. Local platforms

It’s always worth exploring some of the local and under-the-radar platforms. Perhaps there’s a regional platform in your area or platforms that target a specific type of traveler (digital nomads, retirees, etc.) in your area.

How to manage your home across multiple platforms

With great diversification comes great responsibility. But it doesn’t have to be overwhelming! Here are some tips.

1. Keep your calendars up-to-date

Nothing spells trouble like double bookings. Host Tools keeps availability updated across platforms. This is all automated, so no time is spent updating these platforms manually, and you remove the element of human error.

2. Adopt pricing automation

Intelligent pricing tools that work within Host Tools keep you from missing out on opportunities. For example, you won’t price too low and miss out on higher-paying guests. Or, you won’t price too high and steer away bookings. We keep you updated to account for weekends, holidays, slow seasons, and more.

3. Maintain consistent branding

While how you target your audience may differ between platforms, you want to keep a consistent and recognizable brand across all platforms.

4. Use automated messaging

Let Host Tools automate guest communication. This means, no matter the platform, Host Tools will automatically send guest messages like booking confirmations and even has the ability to respond to questions with AI auto-replies.

5. Provide a great guest experience

Ultimately, glowing reviews are your ticket to success. Always go above and beyond for your guests. Perhaps that’s a surprise welcome basket or other little personalization. Whatever it is, this will boost your ratings and ultimately affect where you rank on these different platforms’ search results.

6. Use Host Tools

This may sound like a lot. Luckily, Host Tools is designed to save you up to 80% of your time with automation. This means you can automate things like check-in, turnover scheduling, guest messaging, and a whole lot more.

The idea of listing on multiple websites may feel daunting. However, it truly is a necessity for success in this industry. Diversification increases the number of eyes your property is seen by. The more people who find your listing, the more likely it is to get booked. Airbnb is a fantastic resource, but it’s important to add your own direct booking website and check out competitors. Think of it like throwing a wide net. The wider the net, the more fish you’re going to catch. Ultimately, the more the merrier when it comes to listing your home.