Top 8 vacation rental apps to list and earn [Pros & Cons] (2024)

Well, you're a property owner trying to list your property - I know you enjoy having chats and coffee with travelers.

Sadly, there were a lot of options spread across. How can you pick one - if everything seems good?

That's why we wrote this blog for you - to figure out the best vacation rental platform.

We have a combination of the best vacation rental app for you.

So, let's get in.

Top 8 Vacation Rental Apps

  1. Airbnb
  2. Booking.com
  3. TripAdvisor
  4. Expedia
  5. VRBO
  6. HomeToGo
  7. Tripping
  8. Flipkey

Airbnb

The first on our list is Airbnb, a pioneer of vacation rental apps, it was founded in 2008 by Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk.

Top 8 vacation rental apps to list and earn [Pros & Cons] (1)

Airbnb is also known for being straightforward and has the pride of having millions of listings on the platform.

Property owners can easily create listings, set their own prices, and communicate directly with guests.

Pros

* Host protection program & Insurance

* Easy to chat with the guest

Cons

* Service fee & commission cost

* Increasing competition

Booking.com

From its existence in 1996 as a small Dutch startup, the journey of Booking.com is a real thing to cherish, especially for business enthusiasts.

Top 8 vacation rental apps to list and earn [Pros & Cons] (2)

They connect over a million tourists with transportation and a place to stay. Though, they owned various online travel companies under their hood.

To list some: Agoda, Cheapflights, Kayak, Priceline, and Rentalcars.com.

Pros

* No sign-ups or listing fees for a host

* Global presence & user base

Cons

* Favors hotel-like properties

* High commissions

TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor, an American travel agency, operates in 40 countries and is available in 20 languages. As of 2022, their earnings stonk at $1.49 billion.

Top 8 vacation rental apps to list and earn [Pros & Cons] (3)

What's so special about it?

TripAdvisor can get your property to a vast network of travelers. You'll get access to the complete review section where guests tend to write their opinion and experience into words.

Pros

* Access to a large number of reviews

* Marketing & advertising option

Cons

* Limited control over pricing

* There’s a complaint about fake reviews

Expedia

Expedia, headquartered in Seattle, is well-known for its trust and popularity. They offer vacation rental, flight booking, hotel rental, and car rental; moreover, users can arrange fun activities through them.

Top 8 vacation rental apps to list and earn [Pros & Cons] (4)

So you have a list of additional opportunities for you - as a host.

Travelers can search for properties based on destination, travel dates, and preferences.

However, if you intend to list your property, there is the highest possibility you get access to a wide range of audience.

Pros

* Access to reviews and ratings

* Offer promotional tool

Cons

* High competition for the host

* Doesn’t favor independent accommodation

VRBO

David Clouse, a retired teacher, founded VRBO. He starts with the idea of listing his Breckenridge Ski Resort apartment.

Top 8 vacation rental apps to list and earn [Pros & Cons] (5)

And then - the wonder happens.

As a year went on, in 2006, VRBO turned to have 65,000 rental listings; on average, they list 100 properties for a day. Since then, they made 2 million+ stays available across 190+ countries.

Pros

* Flexible pricing option

* Focus on home rental

Cons

* Complain about high fees

* Limited protection program

HomeToGo

In 2014, HomeToGo was started in Berlin by Patrick Andrae, Wolfgang Heigl, and Nils Regge. Roughly, the platform encompasses more than 15 million accommodations from 60,000 partners.

Top 8 vacation rental apps to list and earn [Pros & Cons] (6)

By listing so, you can reach local and global audiences while managing all your listings in one place. Therefore, you don't have to worry about the complication - they have you covered!

Pros

* Personalized support for the host

* Host payment handling

Cons

* Ads & inaccurate pricing

* Lower brand recognition

Tripping

Based in San Francisco, Tripping is a one-stop search engine for finding a vacation rental. It had more than 12 million listings in more than 190 countries worldwide.

Top 8 vacation rental apps to list and earn [Pros & Cons] (7)

They have partnered with and displayed listings from many sites, including Booking.com, Vrbo, FlipKey, HomeAway, Zenrentals, WayToStay, and more.

See the pros & cons below.

Pros

* Freedom over pricing

* High visibility

Cons

* Relies on other platforms

* Increased competition

Flipkey

FlipKey is a vacation rental platform; headquartered in the United States. But initially, in 2007, they have known as a house-swapping and vacation rental listing site - and were acquired by Tripadvisor in 2008.

Top 8 vacation rental apps to list and earn [Pros & Cons] (8)

The advantage here is - an extensive review by the renters acts as a driving factor for the booking. In other words, it's a free promotion for your property.

Pros

* Part of TripAdvisor

* Chatbot for host

Cons

* High commission fees

* Less direct interaction with guest

Checklist to Determine the Best Vacation Rental Platform

  1. Having straightforward UI & UX
  2. Are they being reasonable while charging commission?
  3. How fast is their support?
  4. Commission structure
  5. Listing process

The above checklist depicts the idea of choosing the best vacation rental platform. However, from the dissipation of many vacation rental platforms, we try to list very few and the best from the list.

I hope this blog sum up your expectation.

Above all, scroll down if you are interested in building your vacation rental platform.

List your Property in your Platform!

If the following platforms sound inconvenient for you, there's another way out.

Let's imagine you are listing your property on your own platform and earning from that - without giving up your money to the vacation rental apps.

Sounds great?

With our readymade vacation rental solution, let's not worry about the money and time required for the development.

Unlike custom development, it is a ready-to-launch platform that takes a month to make the web and app available for users.

If you want to know more, kindly fill out the form below and let the miracle happen real quick.

If you Choose a Readymade Solution...

Top 8 vacation rental apps to list and earn [Pros & Cons] (2024)

FAQs

What is the most used vacation rental website? ›

1. Airbnb. Airbnb is not only the most popular and trusted vacation home rental website, but it's also the fastest growing. The company has over 6 million vacation rental listings worldwide in more than 220 countries and regions.

Where is the best place to list your vacation home? ›

1. Airbnb. If you are going to list your vacation rental property on any one vacation rental website, Airbnb is by far and above the best option. With over 7 million listings, and listings in over 100,000 different cities as of 2021, Airbnb is by far the most popular vacation rental site.

What is the best site to book vacation rentals? ›

  • Airbnb. Best rental site for variety. ...
  • Vrbo. Best rental site for group travelers. ...
  • FlipKey. Best rental site for destination guidance. ...
  • Booking.com. Best rental site for hotel loyalists. ...
  • Agoda. Best rental site for travel throughout Asia. ...
  • Plum Guide. Best rental site for quality assurance. ...
  • HomeToGo. ...
  • Casamundo.
May 29, 2024

Should you list on Airbnb and Vrbo? ›

Generally, it is a good idea to list on both Airbnb and Vrbo because you want to get your properties in front of as many travelers as you can. There are also other factors to consider aside from the vacation rentals fees and how much the service fee might be.

Where do most landlords post rentals? ›

19 Best Sites for Advertising Your Rental Property Listing
  • Realtor.com® In addition to a great market for buying and selling, Realtor.com® has a growing audience of millions of renters. ...
  • Avail (Part of Realtor.com®) ...
  • Zillow Rental Manager. ...
  • Rent.com. ...
  • Apartments.com Rental Manager. ...
  • Apartment List. ...
  • Trulia. ...
  • PadMapper.

Which is better Expedia or Vrbo? ›

In the Reservation And Online Booking market, Expedia has a 7.31% market share in comparison to VRBO's 0.92%. Since it has a better market share coverage, Expedia holds the 3rd spot in 6sense's Market Share Ranking Index for the Reservation And Online Booking category, while VRBO holds the 9th spot.

How far away should a vacation home be? ›

How will you get there? According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), more than 80 percent of vacation-home buyers choose locations within driving distance of where they live, with about half of all owners opting for properties within 50 miles of their primary residence.

How can I make money on my vacation home? ›

We've listed 14 top ways to maximize vacation rental income, including how to:
  1. Increase the number of ideal guests who see and book your properties.
  2. Perfect your pricing.
  3. Offer a consistently excellent guest experience.
  4. Secure good reviews to build your reputation.
  5. Maximize revenue from every stay with upsells.
Jan 3, 2024

What percentage of people own vacation homes? ›

Almost 6 percent of American households own a vacation home, a recent survey shows, up a little more than 1 percent since the last detailed study of recreation property was done 17 years ago. The new findings: 5.5 million families own vacation homes or timeshares and another 2.1 million own vacant land or campsites.

How do I get more bookings on my vacation rental? ›

How to Increase Vacation Rental Bookings
  1. Craft An Attractive Property Description. ...
  2. Showcase High-Quality Photos. ...
  3. Be Extra Responsive. ...
  4. Encourage Reviews. ...
  5. Keep Rates And Calendars Updated. ...
  6. Provide Extra Amenities. ...
  7. Update Your Front Door. ...
  8. Create A Marketing Plan To Boost Rental Bookings.

What's the best travel agency to use? ›

A Closer Look at the Best Online Travel Agencies
  • Booking.com. Booking.com is a global powerhouse in the online travel agency sector. ...
  • Expedia. Expedia is a leading online travel agency known for its global reach and comprehensive travel offerings. ...
  • Airbnb. ...
  • Trivago. ...
  • Despegar. ...
  • Trip.com. ...
  • eDreams Odigeo. ...
  • MakeMyTrip.
May 29, 2024

What is the world's largest vacation rental search engine? ›

With over 10 million properties in 150,000 destinations, Tripping.com makes it easy to search, compare, and save on vacation rentals from all the trusted sites — HomeAway, VRBO, Booking.com, and more — in one easy place.

What is the 80/20 rule for Airbnb? ›

In practice, it is an efficiency scheme that instructs you to perform the 20% of work that produces 80% of the results and outsource or eliminate the excess 80% of work. The same rule is practical in the short-term rental market.

Why do people use Vrbo instead of Airbnb? ›

Vrbo's map looks a bit outdated by comparison. However, aesthetics aside, Vrbo offers far better filter and sort functionality than Airbnb. For example, Vrbo lets you filter by user reviews, including properties rated highly for cleanliness and properties rated 4 stars and above. Vrbo's filters are also more intuitive.

What percentage does Vrbo take? ›

A 5% commission fee is charged on the rental amount and any additional fees you charge the traveler (such as cleaning, pet, and boat fees).

Do more people use Airbnb or Vrbo? ›

Today, this listing site has about 2 million listings in 190 countries and 150 million users. Airbnb has more listings and is available in more countries than Vrbo. However, Vrbo reigns supreme in having a wider audience from being a part of the Expedia Group, which gives hosts more exposure.

Does Airbnb or Vrbo get more traffic? ›

Vrbo vs Airbnb: Selection and Audience

The best idea for hosts is to put time and effort into a platform that receives a lot of high-quality traffic. Airbnb typically attracts almost double the amount of traffic that Vrbo does each month, giving it the upper hand.

Who is the competitor to Vrbo? ›

There is also Expedia and you can try to do direct bookings by creating a free Google Business account and avoid fees. Booking.com, bluepillow. But airbnb is the only alternative with more than traffic than Vrbo, I'd say.

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