They work in almost the same way. People can find a room in most places around the globe. Airbnb and VRBO are two such companies.
Key Takeaways
- Airbnb offers many accommodations, including private homes, apartments, and rooms, while VRBO focuses on vacation rentals, such as entire homes and condos.
- Airbnb charges hosts a 3% service fee and guests a booking fee of 0-20%, whereas VRBO charges host a subscription fee or a 5% commission and guests a 6-12% service fee.
- Airbnb provides unique experiences and local activities, while VRBO focuses on providing a home-away-from-home experience.
Airbnb vs Vrbo
Airbnb is an internet space which provides accommodations on lease for vacations to the customers. It provides shared as well as separate accommodation and is pocket friendly. Vrbo is another internet site which facilitated the customers by providing stand-alone accommodations on lease for vacations.
This platform can be accessed through the online website or mobile app for Airbnb. The company does not own any of the listed properties.
Vrbo is a company based in America that is also an online platform for lodging, stay, vacation, tourism, and rental spaces. HomeAway later acquired the company.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Airbnb | Vrbo |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | Airbnb is comparatively younger, as it was founded in 2008. Its full name is Air Bed & Breakfast. | VRBO is comparatively a very old company founded in 1995. Its full name was Vacation Rental by Owner. |
| Rental Types | On Airbnb, users are allowed to put shared spaces on rent. | Their focus is exclusively restricted to private homeowners. This is why users are not allowed to put shared spaces on rent. |
| Host Network | It currently has more than 5.6 million rentals in 100,000 cities across 220 countries and regions. | It currently has more than 2 million rentals worldwide. |
| Host Commission rates | The host commission rate for owners is 3% on Airbnb. | The host commission rate for owners is 5%, along with a 3% credit card processing fee on VRBO. |
| Service Fees | Typically the service fee charges are below 14.2%. In many cases, it can also be 16%. | Typically the service fee charges are between 6% to 15%. |
What is Airbnb?
Airbnb, short for AirBedandBreakfast, refers to an online platform that acts as a marketplace for rental spaces for the purpose of lodging, staycation, and vacation. The rental spaces are diverse that include rooms, hotels, and resorts.
The one factor which differentiates it from the other sites is that it allows owners to list shared spaces. For example: If A and B share an apartment of 3 bedrooms and want to give the third room for rental purposes, they can.
What is Vrbo?
Vrbo ( originally Vacation Rentals by Owner) refers to a company based in America that is an online platform for vacation rental spaces. It was primarily a place for homeowners to list their places on a short-term basis.
Even here, the company does not own any rental space. The company makes a profit on the basis of the bookings. And the owner of the rental space lists the space for rent on the platform and earns a commission from the booking.
Main Differences Between Airbnb and Vrbo
- The host commission rate for owners is 3% on Airbnb. The host commission rate for owners is 5%, along with a 3% credit card processing fee on VRBO.
- Typically the service fee charges are below 14.2% on Airbnb. In many cases, it can also be 16%. Typically the service fee charges are between 6% to 15% on Vrbo.
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13683500.2019.1711027
- https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-16-2952-5_1
Last Updated : 13 July, 2023
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Chara Yadav holds MBA in Finance. Her goal is to simplify finance-related topics. She has worked in finance for about 25 years. She has held multiple finance and banking classes for business schools and communities. Read more at her bio page.
This is definitely valuable information.
I’m glad to have learned more about the host commission rates and service fee charges on both platforms.
I had no idea about the founder’s details of these companies. This was enlightening.
Thank you for providing essential details on Airbnb and VRBO.
The information here is truly insightful.
I didn’t realize VRBO was older. This information is helpful.
It’s important to know the differences between the two. Thanks for the great post.
This is a great post that provides a detailed comparison of Airbnb and VRBO.
I appreciate the breakdown of the main differences between Airbnb and Vrbo.
It’s interesting to compare those companies. I found this article very useful.
We need more useful content like this.
I’m happy to know more about Airbnb and VRBO. Thank you for sharing this information.