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Airbnb vs. Vrbo: Which Is Better?
By Katie Price MONEY RESEARCH COLLECTIVE
Hotels serve a purpose — especially if you can utilize travel hacking tips to pay for your hotel with rewards points. But when you want additional amenities or a unique space with a more personal touch, rental platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo are an option. While they offer similar services, Vrbo only offers rental accommodations of entire houses or apartments, and Airbnb offers a variety of options ranging from a shared room to a whole private house.
This guide provides details of each platform and compares the two to help you choose the best option for your vacation.
Table of contents
- What is Airbnb?
- What is Vrbo?
- What’s the difference between Vrbo and Airbnb?
- Which is safer, Airbnb or Vrbo?
- Is Vrbo or Airbnb better?
What is Airbnb?
Founded in 2008, Airbnb is a travel booking site where travelers can book short- or long-term rental accommodations. Airbnb hosts can list their properties — including shared rooms, apartments, condos, private rooms in their homes, full houses and even hotel rooms — for travelers to rent.
Since its inception, millions of renters and hosts have used Airbnb for work trips, family vacations, long-term stays and weekend getaways.
Airbnb pros
One of the major pros of Airbnb is the variety of properties available, and there are a lot of unique options. You can rent a cabin, a glamping pod, a treehouse, a castle and even a boat house on Airbnb. Though this varies by host, many Airbnb hosts provide exclusive touches and amenities, such as gift baskets or a list of recommendations in the area.
Airbnb gives hosts the option to offer discounts for long-term stays. If you need somewhere to stay for a week or more, you may be able to save money by booking through Airbnb over a hotel. Additionally, you may be able to get a rental on Airbnb that provides more space than you would get in a hotel.
Customer support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The company offers a help center on its website, and support is available in 11 different languages.
Airbnb also offers protection for renters through their AirCover program, which is free with every booking. AirCover protects you if something goes wrong or you don’t get what you expected. It also has a 24-hour safety line.
Airbnb is available internationally, so you can visit some of the best international places to travel and book a unique rental property.
Airbnb cons
One downside of Airbnb is that you may not always get what you see. Listings are created by hosts and not monitored by Airbnb. Rather than hope for an honest host, read the comments of previous renters before you choose a property.
Airbnb is also not legal in every neighborhood. Local zoning ordinances may prohibit homeowners from renting out their spaces without special licenses or permits. In addition, Airbnb has come under fire for its contribution to the housing crisis.
Some guests also complain about the chores and fees involved in renting via Airbnb. This will vary significantly based on your host. Still, you likely won’t have as many luxury amenities as a hotel — including housekeeping — so you may be required to bring your own supplies, like towels. Hosts may also have other requirements, like noise levels or pet restrictions. Since hosts price their rental, some can be more expensive than other booking options.
Who is Airbnb best for?
Airbnb is ideal for couples or small groups looking to get away. The majority of listings are for small houses or apartments with just one or two bedrooms, so it may be easy to find a unique, affordable locale in a new city or off the beaten trail. That said, you can still find larger properties for groups like families or wedding parties.
Because some Airbnb hosts offer a long-term discount, it may be ideal for those who plan to rent for more than a week. Additionally, those who want a travel experience that feels more like home may enjoy the Airbnb experience. Hosts often add extra amenities and go the extra mile for guests.
How to book a vacation rental on Airbnb
Booking on Airbnb is simple. The first step is to create an account on the website. Airbnb requires some form of identification to create an account and will verify your phone number.
Once your account is set up, fill in the dates and locations to search for properties. There are various filters available to customize your search. Filters include the number of rooms, property type, amenities, accessibility features and the host language.
Once you’ve found the spot you want to rent, reserve the property or book it. In some cases, bookings aren’t confirmed until the host accepts your reservation.
Airbnb will charge you for the rental and email you a copy of your booking. Some bookings may be eligible for a payment plan that requires a deposit upfront and the rest of the payment at a later date. You also typically have a grace period in which you can alter or cancel the rental at no charge, but check with the specifics of the property before booking.
What is Vrbo?
Vrbo is an acronym for “Vacation Rentals By Owner” and is another online accommodation booking platform. Property owners can list their apartments, condos or houses for travelers to rent for vacation, but the platform doesn’t allow rentals of private rooms within a home. Vrbo is an Expedia Group company that was founded in 1995.
Vrbo pros
Vrbo offers a variety of properties that are ideal for short- or long-term group vacations. If you have a large group of family or friends who want to stay together while vacationing, Vrbo may have options in your desired destination that you wouldn’t find through a hotel. Vrbo provides access to more than a million homes in 190 countries.
Additionally, like Airbnb, you may be able to find unique properties available for rent on Vrbo. Since you’ll be booking an entire apartment or house, there will be privacy and likely extra features (like a kitchen) that you wouldn’t get with most hotels.
Some Vrbo hosts allow you to instantly book their property rather than wait for the host to accept your booking request. Vrbo’s booking site is mobile-friendly and easy to use.
Vrbo cons
Some of the downsides to Vrbo are the same as Airbnb’s downsides. This includes a risk that you may not get what you expect from your booking. Remember to read reviews of the property and host before choosing a rental. You may also run into the lack of supplies made available by your host, like towels and toiletries.
Another con is that Vrbo doesn’t have as many listings as Airbnb. You may find limited options available, depending on your location. Additionally, Vrbo property owners also face the same area restrictions that Airbnb owners do — some neighborhoods don’t allow property to be rented through Vrbo or other rental platforms.
Who is Vrbo best for?
Vrbo is best for groups going on vacation who don’t want to stay in separate hotel rooms. While you miss out on the convenience of dealing with a larger corporation — like Hilton or Marriott — as well as the perks that come with that, you get the convenience of a kitchen to cook meals, multiple bedrooms and bathrooms, and more unique properties.
How to book a vacation rental on Vrbo
Vrbo allows you to book immediately or request a reservation, depending on your desired rental host’s rules. If the host requires approval, your booking may be approved within 24 hours.
First, find the property you want. You can fill in the location, number of guests and check-in and check-out dates when searching. You’ll be able to book online and enter your contact details and a short message for the host. When you create a Vrbo account, you will need to verify it.
Make sure to read through the rules and policies the host includes on their listing. You’ll need to agree to those before you add your billing and payment details. Once those are in, you can officially book your stay. Depending on whether the host offers an instant book or 24-hour confirmation, you’ll get a confirmation email when your stay is finalized. If you have questions after that, you can communicate with the host through Vrbo.
What’s the difference between Vrbo and Airbnb?
The main difference between Vrbo and Airbnb is the type of properties listed. Vrbo caters more to larger groups, while Airbnb has a wider variety of properties, from single rooms to full houses. Airbnb offers more listings in more countries, giving guests more options.
Airbnb vs. Vrbo fees
Both Airbnb and Vrbo charge service fees, and hosts on each platform can charge additional fees for various things like pets, additional guests and more. Airbnb allows hosts to opt for a “split-fee” structure, meaning the host pays a portion (3% or more) and the guest pays service fees, which Airbnb claims are usually lower than 14.2% of the booking subtotal (cost excluding Airbnb fees and taxes). Airbnb says the split-fee option is the most common, but the other option is that the host pays all fees, which range from 14% to 16%.
Vrbo’s service fee is also a percentage of the booking cost (excluding taxes and refundable fees your host charges), but it varies based on the reservation’s cost. Vrbo says that more expensive bookings typically have a smaller service fee percentage.
Airbnb vs. Vrbo property types
Airbnb offers a wide range of property types. Choose from private rooms, apartments, houses, villas, chalets, beachfront properties and more. Hosts can rent out anything ranging from a shared room to an entire house.
Vrbo’s options are a little more limited, but it provides access to cottages, cabins, studios, condos, apartments and houses. Properties on Vrbo generally must be private — it doesn’t allow for rentals of shared or single rooms in a shared space. Both Airbnb and Vrbo also offer hotel rooms for rent on their platforms.
Airbnb vs. Vrbo cancellation policy
Cancellation policies for both platforms depend on the property. Before booking a property, review the cancellation policy to see how flexible it is. On Airbnb, hosts can select a policy ranging from flexible to strict. The option they select dictates when you must cancel to receive a full or partial refund. There’s also a non-refundable option that wouldn’t allow you to get your money back. Vrbo’s cancellation policies are similar, ranging from more flexible options to no refunds.
Airbnb vs. Vrbo insurance for guests
Airbnb offers its AirCover program to travelers, covering situations like a host cancellation or listing inaccuracies. Airbnb also offers travel insurance that you can add to your reservation for an extra cost. The travel insurance is underwritten by Generali in the U.S. and Europ Assistance in the European Union and the U.K. It covers cancellation, travel delays, medical, luggage and more.
Vrbo offers a Book with Confidence Guarantee. This means that you are guaranteed property access, payment protection, owner cancellation protection and property description protection.
Vrbo also offers an accidental damage protection plan that costs $59. This plan covers accidental damage done to any property during your stay. This insurance must be purchased 24 hours before your check-in to be valid. It also offers a cancellation protection plan for an additional cost that will give you a full refund if you have to cancel for a covered reason, such as sickness or weather-related issues.
You can also purchase travel insurance on your own. The best travel insurance companies offer plans to protect you and your belongings should something go wrong during your trip. If you need more information about what travel insurance is and what it covers, take some time to research plans that will meet your travel needs.
Airbnb vs. Vrbo insurance for hosts
Airbnb also provides AirCover for Hosts, which is included for free. This covers damage up to $1 million if a guest gets hurt on your property, or their belongings are stolen or damaged while they stay at your property. This policy doesn’t cover intentional injury or damage.
AirCover for Hosts also provides $3 million of coverage for any damage to your home or belongings caused by renters. This includes boats, cars or other vehicles stored on your property. It also covers unique cleaning costs incurred because of a guest’s behavior (such as carpet cleaning), and income lost if you must cancel a listing because a previous guest caused damage to the property. It doesn’t cover loss of currency, normal wear and tear or costs associated with natural disasters.
Vrbo offers property owners a $1M liability insurance plan that is included with all bookings for no additional cost. It covers you if a guest makes an injury or property damage claim against you.
Which is safer, Airbnb or Vrbo?
Both companies have policies to help keep guests and hosts safe, though travelers must still assume the usual risks of traveling. User reviews between the two sites are similar regarding safety measures.
Airbnb does background checks for hosts, uses a secure payment system and offers customer support 24/7. Vrbo also provides identity verification for travelers and hosts and an online messaging system.
Before you book a property, make sure to read reviews. When you arrive, check the property to ensure the host isn’t violating any security policies, including those around security cameras.
Is Vrbo or Airbnb better?
In the end, it all depends on what you’re looking for. Vrbo is great for larger vacation rentals. The platform has easy search functionality with intuitive tools, allowing you to filter properties by location, reviews and cleanliness. Ultimately, this platform focuses on renting out entire homes rather than just a room or small space.
If you are traveling internationally, Airbnb has more options for you to choose from. The platform has more than six million listings worldwide and many unique properties that provide a variety of experiences. Those looking to travel frugally can rent just one room or shared space on Airbnb.