A global lodging provider, Airbnb is one of the most popular websites for booking travel accommodations. Offering a wide range of travel options and reasonable pricing, its success has long depended on their ability to reach travelers across the globe. With over 150 million users, they’ve paved the way for other companies to start competing in this crowded market. With an average commission rate of 10%-12%, these comparable companies could be worth your time— but which are best?
To help you up to your game, we’ve created a list of the top Airbnb competitors. Compare the pros and cons of each to see if Airbnb’s competitors could be an awesome addition to your property management strategy. Read on to learn:
Vrbo vs. Airbnb
Vrbo – whose name is an abbreviation of Vacation Rental By Owner – is one of the leading vacation rental websites in the world. Its mission is to provide an easy way for backpackers, families, groups of friends, and everyone to find unique accommodations that suit their needs. However, unlike rival Airbnb, Vrbo has a more mature selection of properties – including condos, cabins, and villas – which mainly cater to longer-term rental needs.
The other thing that differentiates Vrbo from Airbnb is its business model. On Vrbo, it’s possible to list as a property manager. In contrast, from the get-go, every Airbnb listing comes from an individual or group of individuals (like a friend or family member) who are letting out properties for short-term stays.
Booking.com vs. Airbnb
Through our extensive research and the insights of industry analysts, we’ve identified that Booking.com is set apart from other vacation rental websites by several factors. Firstly, it is not solely focused on vacation rentals; it also searches for hotels and has an enormous global reach, listing properties worldwide.
Secondly, it does not display private rooms or shared rooms like Airbnb. Instead, it only lists private vacation rentals with the privacy experienced by owners and guests in mind. Lastly, Booking.com allows property managers to use different Opportunities and Promotions to ensure they can optimize their listings for conversions.
Home To Go vs. Airbnb
HomeToGo is becoming the go-to option for people looking to rent homes in Canada. While Airbnb is a marketplace with different property managers and owners listing their properties directly on the platform, HomeToGo is a metasearch engine. It pulls listings from 16 other websites and charges a 14% commission fee, which is on par with Airbnb’s 13% charge.
Google vs. Airbnb
Google is growing at an incredible rate and is the world’s largest search engine! This means that more and more travelers are using Google to find accommodation. In 2017 alone, Google accounted for 18% of all accommodation bookings. Google also has the power to rival Airbnb. Also, Google doesn’t charge any commissions on bookings, so you get more bookings from every listing. Lastly, Google is still a relatively unexploited channel! Getting ahead of the game by getting a listing now can give you an edge on your competition.
