Vrbo vs. Airbnb: Which Is Best for Your Rental?

Airbnb and Vrbo are among the best international vacation rental platforms that have gained popularity among travelers and property owners. Both were designed as alternatives to hotel accommodation, providing ordinary people with a platform to rent out their properties to travelers easily.

Airbnb was founded in 2008 and became a publicly traded company with an IPO in December 2020. It boasts over 8 million listings in 220 countries and regions worldwide.

Vrbo, initially known as Vacation Rental by Owner, has been in operation since 1995 and is now owned by the Expedia Group. It has 2 million listings in 190 countries worldwide.

Choosing which one would best fit your rental property, or whether to list it on both, can seem tricky at first. Which of these sites will yield better results for your short-term rental business?

To help you make an informed decision, we’ll compare Vrbo vs. Airbnb, explaining the key differences in their features, fees, and cancellation policies in this post. We’ll also discuss the audiences they target and the types of properties they allow.

However, regardless of which rental platform you choose or whether you decide to list on both, it’s essential to maintain effective communication with all your guests to ensure their satisfaction. It involves a lot of work, but you can automate your conversations and save time with Hospitable.

Before we discuss each platform's strengths and weaknesses, let’s look at the table below, which offers a quick comparison of Vrbo vs. Airbnb. To help you better understand the main differences between these popular booking websites, we compare them across various categories, including the number of listings, global reach, target audiences, property types, service fees, and host protection.

Vrbo vs. Airbnb Audience

While neither Vrbo nor Airbnb is a niche website targeting a specific type of traveler, there are some differences in the demographics they attract.

Airbnb attracts young, adventurous travelers searching for more affordable vacation rentals. It also targets guests who crave a trip with new, authentic experiences instead of a typical hotel stay.

But in fact, the Airbnb audience is more diverse. For example, the platform now attracts business travelers seeking to book entire apartments in urban areas, rather than hotel rooms, for short or extended stays. Additionally, the company offers a luxury collection of rentals called Airbnb Luxe, catering to more discerning travelers seeking luxurious accommodations.

Guests who book stays in traditional vacation destinations on Vrbo don’t necessarily consider cost as the primary factor in their decisions. Vrbo is known for its extensive inventory of properties in tourist destinations and attracts families traveling together, as well as older audiences willing to pay for an entire house.

Airbnb vs. Vrbo for Owners: Property Types

A significant difference between Airbnb vs. Vrbo for owners is the types of property they allow hosts to list.

Airbnb isn’t a platform just for professional property managers with multiple listings, but also for hosts who look at their vacation rental business as a side hustle. It allows them to list different properties, starting from cabins and tiny houses to luxury villas and even castles. Additionally, Airbnb enables hosts to list shared spaces, such as private rooms and shared rooms in hostels.

Since Vrbo is primarily focused on family stays, it concentrates on entire vacation homes and apartments, and doesn’t allow hosts to list shared spaces. Vrbo rental properties in the sea, mountain, and rural markets are also more suited for longer stays. Most of these properties are cabins, houses, and condos with a wide variety of listing types, including barns, cottages, villas, chalets, castles, mansions, and chateaus, among others.

Vrbo vs. Airbnb Fees

Sites like Airbnb and Vrbo charge a host service fee that’s usually a percentage of the reservation total. Knowing exactly how much an OTA charges is essential because it must be considered when developing your pricing strategy. So let’s compare Vrbo vs Airbnb fees.

Airbnb has two different fee structures: the split fee and the single fee.

• The split fee consists of a host service fee (3-4%) calculated from the booking subtotal and a guest service fee ranging from 14.1% to 16.5% of the booking subtotal.
• With the single fee, hosts pay a commission of 14-16% to Airbnb, covering the service fee for the guest, which makes the pricing more transparent. This fee structure is mandatory for hosts who use property management software.

According to Airbnb, most hosts currently on the single-fee structure will soon start paying a new single rate of 15.5%. These changes will take effect on October 27, 2025, for most hosts connected to property management software, and on December 1, 2025, for most hosts not using property management software.

Vrbo has two different service fee models for owners: pay-per-booking and pay-per-subscription.

• With the pay-per-subscription (PPS) model, hosts have to pay an annual fee of $699 This fee model is no longer available for new hosts or listings. Only hosts who already have at least one listing on the PPS model are eligible to use it.
• With the pay-per-booking model, hosts pay commission fees for the bookings they You are charged a 5% commission per booking plus a 3% payment processing fee.

Besides, travelers pay a 6-12% booking fee when making a reservation on Vrbo.

Vrbo vs. Airbnb: Cancellation

Both Airbnb and Vrbo hosts are protected from the negative impact of unexpected cancellations by requiring guests to pay a certain percentage of the total booking cost.

Airbnb standard cancellation policies for shorter stays include Flexible, Moderate, Limited (available for reservations booked on or after October 1, 2025), and Firm. There are also standard cancellation policies for shorter stays, which are only available to certain hosts: Strict, Super Strict (30 days), and Super Strict (60 days). Airbnb offers two long-term cancellation policies for monthly stays: Firm and Strict.

Note: Starting on October 1, 2025, all standard Airbnb cancellation policies for shorter stays will include a 24-hour cancellation period, allowing guests to cancel for a full refund, including taxes, for up to 24 hours after the reservation is confirmed, provided the reservation was confirmed at least 7 days before check-in.

Vrbo offers five types of cancellation policies that hosts can set for their listings: Relaxed, Moderate, Firm, Strict, and No Refund. Some of these policies allow a guest to receive a refund, while others don’t. For example, Vrbo’s relaxed policy allows guests to cancel a reservation up to 14 days before check-in and receive a full refund.

Vrbo vs. Airbnb for Hosts: Which Platform to Choose?

We’ve compared Vrbo vs. Airbnb for hosts, so now you know the main differences. Still, none of these differences means that one platform is inherently better than the other. Both sites could be interesting places to list your properties. They receive millions of visitors and bookings every year, so it would be a mistake to overlook any of these vital revenue streams.

The most effective strategy is to list your property on both Vrbo and Airbnb, which increases your visibility worldwide and drives traffic to your property listings. The more OTA sites you list on, the broader your reach and the higher your chances of securing more bookings throughout the year.

That’s why you don’t stop here. You shouldn’t underestimate the power and reach of other major booking platforms. If you’re new to hosting, you will find our guide on getting started with Booking.com a good read. And although managing multiple listings on multiple platforms can be very time-consuming, if you do it manually, with Hospitable as your channel manager, you’ll be able to sync your bookings, pricing, and availability across key booking channels, including Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Agoda, and your Direct booking website.

You may also consider listing your STR properties on niche sites, in addition to major booking platforms, to extend your reach, target specific audiences, and increase occupancy. For example, Hipcamp focuses on unique outdoor stays and attracts nature enthusiasts, while the Hopper app is popular among younger travelers seeking great deals on flights, hotels, homes, and rental cars.

Hospitable can help you manage bookings on Hipcamp, Hopper app, Expedia, Houfy, Furnished Finder, and many other niche channels with iCal imports. This functionality allows you to seamlessly sync calendars across diverse niche booking platforms and prevent double bookings.

With Hospitable, you can be sure that your listings are always up-to-date and avoid double bookings, no matter how many vacation rental booking sites you connect to. Our STR super app can help diversify your booking sources, ensuring smooth coordination across all the channels you market to. It will help you manage multiple listings smoothly and stay in touch with your guests and team members, saving valuable time along the way.