Are you deciding on whether to host on Airbnb vs VRBO? The first two things you need to think about is the hosting fees and what style of homes you can list on each platform.
With Airbnb, you can list your entire home, a private room, hotel rooms, or shared rooms. With VRBO, you are only able to list entire places. This includes full houses, apartments/condos, villas, estate, and hotels.
The fact is, we love both and use them all the time to travel & host. In this article, we will help answer important questions such as: How much does it cost, what is the cleaning fees for both, and more.
How Much Does It Cost To Use Both Airbnb & VRBO?
What are Airbnb fees for hosts? Airbnb charges hosts a 3% booking fee and guests a 0-20% fee per booking.
How much does it cost to use VRBO? They charge either $399 annually for hosts using the site regularly or 5% per booking + 3% credit card processing fee and guests a 5-15% fee per booking.
The main difference is Airbnb has more listing such as shared and entire place listings, where VRBO only has entire place listings that are more strict with details such as separate entrances.
Back in Canada, one of our listings has a basement suite but the entrance is inside the house from the kitchen. This fact alone doesn’t qualify us for VRBO.
Airbnb vs Vrbo – How Much Are Cleaning Fees?
For both Airbnb and VRBO, the average cleaning fee starting price is $50. With larger listings and hosts who get a company to clean, the average cleaning fee starts at $85.
Is VRBO As Safe As Airbnb?
Yes, VRBO is as safe as Airbnb. VRBO is a much longer-lived short term rental platform. Our preference for safety is, how many reviews does the listing have? Most guests will be very honest if something is unsafe or wrong. The reviews tell everything.
On top of reviews, the main difference with safety is VRBO only allows hosts to list full separate properties. This allows you to book your own place with little to no interaction with the host themselves.
Do You Pay Upfront For VRBO?
VRBO was the first short term rental site to use the “pay less upfront method” Yes, it is called schedule payments, but the same idea applies.
You have the option to schedule payment amounts from your guests to confirm a booking. This can be 100% at the time of booking or up to 3 payments with a percentage due under each scheduled payment.
Are HomeAway and VRBO The Same Thing?
HomeAway and VRBO are the same company. HomeAway first bought VRBO in 2007 as well as Vacationrentals.com.
Does Expedia own HomeAway? Who bought HomeAway? On December 15, 2015, Expedia acquired HomeAway which includes both VRBO and vacationrentals.com
Does HomeAway and VRBO Sharing Listings? If you list on either HomeAway or VRBO it shows up on both platforms. This will increase your views, bookings, and revenue.
How Do I Avoid VRBO Service Fees? How Do I Avoid Airbnb Service Fees?
As service fees get more expensive on all short term rental sites, finding ways to avoid them is great.
Well, to be honest, there isn’t really an easy way to avoid VRBO service fees. The two ways are by asking the listing owner to reduce their nightly rate but this comes straight out of the owner’s pocket giving them less profit.
The second way is by asking the owner if you can book directly from them and not go through Airbnb or VRBO. You can do this by searching the area on sites such as Kijiji or Craigslist.
What Are VRBO Owner Fees?
VRBO owner fees consist of three different possible charges:
- 5% commission charged for the rental amount, plus any fees and additional payments.
- 3% credit card/eCheck processing fee charged on the total payment amount you receive from your traveler, including taxes and refundable damage deposits. The portion of the processing fee charged for the damage deposit is refunded when you refund the deposit.
- 2% of international surcharge may apply if using a non-US credit card.
What Type Of Listings Can You Book?
With Airbnb, you can book entire places, private rooms, hotel rooms, and shared rooms. Furthermore, Airbnb allows you to book experiences wherever you are traveling.
VRBO allows you to book entire places. Full houses, apartments/condos, villas, estate, and hotels.
Check Out These Other Articles On Airbnbuniverse
How Many Listings Are On Airbnb vs VRBO?
Currently, in early 2019, Airbnb has roughly 4 million listings and VRBO has roughly 2 million listings across VRBO and HomeAway.
Who Owns VRBO?
HomeAway acquired VRBO in 2007. Expedia now owns both VRBO and HomeAway since December 15, 2015. Expedia paid $3.9 billion, or $38.31 a share, in cash and stock for all of HomeAway brands.
What Does VRBO Stand For?
VRBO stands for “vacation rental by owner”. Specializing in vacation rentals of all types: houses, apartment/condos, estates, cottages, etc.
Can You Make Money With VRBO?
Similar to Airbnb, you can make money with VRBO. Big decisions such as a great location, choosing a smart listing price (more bookings), and taking good pictures of your property will change how much you make per year.
We did a short research on VRBO to see what our going rate was. A year in our city, we could earn up to $32,199 based on a 1 bedroom, 1-1/2 bath.
Should You List On Airbnb or VRBO?
Why not do both? List on both Airbnb and VRBO. For the most part, the more views your listing receives equals more bookings. If you only have a room to rent, then you are restricted to Airbnb.
With an entire home, you are capable of listing on both VRBO and Airbnb which will double your bookings.
Can You Respond To Reviews?
On both Airbnb and VRBO, you can comment on a guests review within a certain time frame.
With Airbnb, If you think a guest reviewed your listing falsely, you can write a response for other hosts and guests to view. You’ll need to write the response within 30 days of the initial review.
VRBO allows guests to submit a review up to a year from the date of the stay. If the owner of the listing provides a review, travelers have 14 days to write their review.
What Are Airbnbs Filter Options?
Going from the left to the right, Airbnb filters are guests (adults, children, infants), home type (entire place, private room, hotel room, shared room), a price range with a minimum to maximum, instant booking (booking without waiting for hosts approval), and trip type (family or work).
On the furthest right is more filters which include property types from bed & breakfasts, cabins, cottages and many more. Also under more filters are unique homes (boats, RVs, castles, etc) and amenities (kitchen, gym, shampoo, etc)
The last section under more filters is house rules, (suitable for events, smoking allowed, pets allowed), accessibility, neighborhoods, host language and if you want to stay with a super host.
What Are VRBO Filter Options?
Starting on the left, VRBO filters include price range with a minimum to a maximum, bedrooms or studio option, and instant confirmation (book without waiting for owner approval).
On the furthest right is similar to Airbnb with more filters offering property types, features & amenities, property good for (families or luxury), accessibility, owner language, house rules and if you want to stay with a premium partner.
The main differences with VRBO filters compared to Airbnb are additional options including booking options (24-hour confirmation), nearby activity, property review, and location.
What Are Other Competitors?
The other top competitors include Tripping, HomeToGo, FlipKey, HouseTrip, VayStay, VacayHero, Luxury Retreats, Wimdu, and Couch Surfing.
Statistics On Airbnb:
- Host Fee: 3% booking fee
- Guest Fee: 0-20% per booking
- Monthly Traffic: 80 million visitors
Statistics On VRBO:
- Host Fee: $499 annually or 5% per booking + 3% credit card processing fee
- Guest Fee: 5-15% per booking
- Combined Monthly Traffic: 40 million visitors
Does Airbnb or VRBO Charge Hosts More?
We get this question asked alot when it comes to hosting on both Airbnb and VRBO platforms, Airbnb has a significant cheaper hosting fee compared to VRBO.
The only way to avoid VRBO larger hosting fees is to sign up for their $500/year premium membership which also includes a search filter for your listings.
Final Thoughts
Airbnb and VRBO are the top platforms as of right now in 2019, as time changes more competitors are taking over such as Booking.com. We list the most frequently asked questions on both Airbnb and VRBO to help you decide for yourself. Enjoy and happy hosting.