Once you’ve decided to invest in a vacation rental property, turn a second home into a short-term rental, or expand your existing short-term rental business, you’ll be faced with another big question: where do you list your property online? From the news and buzz surrounding Airbnb, it might seem like Airbnb is the best and only option. But, as you’ll discover in this article, Airbnb might not be the best option for every short-term rental business. Putting your property on every website you can find might also not be the best course of action either.

In this article, we’ll compare and contrast Airbnb and its closest competitors: Vrbo/HomeAway, Tripadvisor/FlipKey, and Booking.com. We’ll dive into the nuances of each one: what makes them different and what advantages and disadvantages they bring. By the end of this article, you will be able to make more informed decisions about the distribution strategy for your short-term rental.

Airbnb vs. Vrbo/HomeAway

First things first: if you’re wondering whether to list your property on Vrbo or HomeAway, you’ll be pleased to know that they’re actually the same company. HomeAway acquired Vrbo (then VRBO - Vacation Rentals by Owner) in . The Expedia Group (which also owns Hotels.com, Orbitz, Hotwire, and more) then acquired HomeAway in 2015, and in 2019 rebranded Vrbo as the company’s leading vacation rental site. Today if you list a property on Vrbo, your listing will automatically appear on HomeAway too.

Vrbo and HomeAway are traditional vacation rental sites. Their bread and butter is vacation home rentals in leisure destinations, particularly in the United States. In fact, Vrbo and HomeAway do not accept shared-space rentals, so if you’re planning to list a private room or a shared accommodation, then you can eliminate Vrbo/HomeAway from your distribution plan. Airbnb, on the other hand, does list these property types.

Vrbo and Airbnb both charge a service fee of approximately 10% (which the guest pays), but the sites differ in their commission models. Airbnb charges a 3% commision for most short-term rental listings, while property owners that use Vrbo can choose between a 5% commission or a $499 yearly subscription. The 2% difference in commission can end up saving property owners hundreds of dollars per year by listing on Airbnb versus Vrbo, but for property owners who estimate earning well over $10,000 per year, then Vrbo’s yearly subscription is a good deal. A host who books $20,000 in rental revenue per year would pay $600 in commission to Airbnb or $499 to Vrbo. Property owners who book under around $17,000 in rental revenue per year would pay more commission to Vrbo than Airbnb.

Despite slightly higher commission, Vrbo is just as popular - if not more popular - than Airbnb in certain geographic areas. Markets that have a long history as vacation rental destinations, like Destin, Florida and Gatlinburg, Tennessee, have been using Vrbo/HomeAway for decades, and repeat visitors are loyal to the brand. If your property is located in this type of market, then Vrbo/HomeAway can bring fantastic results.

While Vrbo/HomeAway’s niche is these old-school vacation spots, the brands are less popular in urban markets. If your property is in a major city, then you’ll likely get more bookings through Airbnb. And if your property is located outside of the United States, then Airbnb is also the best option, since the majority of Vrbo/HomeAway properties and travelers are located in the US, while Airbnb has a more international reach.

Airbnb vs. Tripadvisor Rentals/FlipKey

You’ve likely heard of Tripadvisor as a massive review site, but you can also book vacation rentals on Tripadvisor, as a result of the company’s acquisition of FlipKey.com. Tripadvisor’s vacation rental branch is called Tripadvisor Rentals, and, like Vrbo/HomeAway, the site accepts “entire home” rentals, such as villas and condos. Tripadvisor Rentals does not list shared spaces like Airbnb does. Also similar to Vrbo/HomeAway, Tripadvisor Rentals and FlipKey are most popular in the US market, while Airbnb has a broader international reach.

The amount of listings and website views is much smaller on FlipKey compared to Airbnb. Web traffic data is not readily available for Tripadvisor Rentals specifically, only for Tripadvisor.com, which contains reviews as well as hotels, restaurants, rental cars, and activities.

Tripadvisor Rentals’ commission is the same as Airbnb’s, 3%, but the booking fee charged to guests can be higher. Like with Airbnb, property owners can’t control the booking fee, but in some cases the fee can be up to 16%, which means the total price for the reservation on Tripadvisor could be significantly higher than Vrbo, Airbnb, and especially Booking.com, which doesn’t charge any guest service fee. Savvy shoppers who are comparing your property on multiple sites probably won’t book on Tripadvisor if they need to pay more.

On the positive side, property owners mention in reviews that Tripadvisor Rentals’ owner dashboard is easy to use and that support is easy to find. Given the low commission and relatively little time needed to set up your listing, Tripadvisor Rentals can be a good addition to your distribution strategy. However, since the number of monthly visitors to the site is the lowest out of the four sites we’re comparing here, it’s in your best interest to list on other sites in addition to Tripadvisor. Listing your property on Tripadvisor only probably will not generate the booking volume and revenue you’re expecting.

Airbnb vs. Booking.com

There’s no denying Booking.com’s size - with 28 million listings, it’s the largest accommodation site in the world, and with over 400 million monthly visitors, it’s also the most popular. In fact, Booking.com lists over 4 times the amount of properties than Airbnb, and website visits are nearly 6 times greater.

In addition to apartments and homes, Booking.com lists every type of accommodation you can think of, including hotels, hostels, guesthouses, and resorts. The site also offers flights, rental cars, adn activities, and travelers can rack up perks through Booking.com’s Genius program. Guests book properties without paying any kind of service fee, unlike Airbnb, Vrbo, and Tripadvisor Rentals, which can charge up to 15%. Booking.com has a global presence, including offices in dozens of countries and a robust variety of online resources and discussion boards when you need support.

For property owners, all of these benefits make Booking.com sound like a great addition to your distribution strategy. What’s the catch? For some owners, Booking.com’s 15% commission is hard to swallow. Compared to Airbnb, which charges hosts 3%, a 15% commission might sound outrageous. And if you choose Booking.com’s payment model which requires you charge guest credit cards yourself, then you could end up paying a few more percentage points in credit card fees on top of the commission. Airbnb, on the other hand, disburses payouts at no additional cost via PayPal or a bank transfer. Another difference is that Airbnb lets you manually approve reservation requests, if you choose to do so, while all Booking.com reservations are instantly confirmed.

So who should use Booking.com in addition to (or instead of) Airbnb? If you want maximum online exposure, you can benefit from Booking.com’s massive audience and global reach, and owners who add Booking.com’s channel can see a big lift in reservation volume and overall revenue. However, if you prefer to have more control over who books your property - and if you who want to keep commission costs at a minimum - you’ll want to stick with Airbnb.

Compared to other vacation rental sites, Airbnb has a lot of advantages. With a low commission and a huge global reach, it’s a great channel for property owners to use. Owners of traditional vacation rentals - homes and condos - can find success on Vrbo and Tripadvisor Rentals, though the lower volume of web traffic in most regions means that production on Vrbo and Tripadvisor Rentals might be lower than on Airbnb. Property owners who want to reach international guests and get more exposure but can afford to pay a higher commission can also find success on Booking.com. If you want to really maximize your online presence, then list your property on all four.

More helpful content and tips for Airbnb Hosts:

Listing on AirBnB (everything you need to know)

Logging into AirBnB

Contacting AirBnB Support

Guide to Vacation Rental Listing Sites