20 Airbnb alternatives for perfect holiday homes

• Stayz
• HomeAway
• Homestay
• VRBO
• Booking.com Apartments
• TripAdvisor
• HotelsCombined

• Agoda Homes
• One Fine Stay
• Plumguide
• Flipkey
• Home Exchange
• Tripping
• Wimdu

• Aura
• Camplify
• HouseTrip
• Vacasa
• Kid and Coe
• Couchsurfing

1. Best for Australian holidays: Stayz

Choose from more than 40,000 properties in 2,000 locations across Australia with the country's largest holiday rental site.
Another member of the HomeAway network, Stayz is a Sydney-based rental booking site boasting everything from beachside homes to farmhouses to city apartments. It is limited to just Australian properties, but provides loads of information and inspiration on where you can go in your own backyard.

• Filter searches by attractions or themes, ranging from cheap to executive and honeymoons to family holidays
• Receive free property features protection assurance
• No additional booking fees

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2. HomeAway

Acquired in 2015 by travel-giant Expedia, HomeAway offers secure bookings on holiday rentals all around the world.

• Travellers don't pay any booking fees
• Make bookings using the mobile app
• Choose from more than one million listings in 190 countries

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3. Homestay

Experience what it's like to live in another location with Homestay. The Ireland-based site ensures your hosts aren't just leaving you keys to their place for a more authentic homestay experience.

• Find accommodation in more than 150 countries
• Hosts are always present during your stay
• Meet your host and book your stay with video calls

View coupon codes for Homestay

4. VRBO

Part of the HomeAway family, VRBO, or Vacation Rentals by Owner, boasts more than a million vacation rental options worldwide.

• See transport and attraction maps on your search to help you better choose your stay
• Read reviews from past guests
• More than 25,000 dog-friendly properties available

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5. Booking.com Apartments

More than hotels, Booking.com is a base for all manner of rentals, including apartment homestays.

Part of Booking.com's extensive offering of stays, apartments and home rentals provide you wish an alternative to the hotel stay whilst providing you with the all the benefits of the site, including user reviews and price matching.

• Uncover apartment and holiday rentals all across the world
• Features reviews and recommendations from previous visitors
• Most reservations are partially refundable

View coupon codes for Booking.com Apartments

6. TripAdvisor

While it's best-known for user reviews and advice forums for hotels and resorts, TripAdvisor also offers a huge selection of holiday rentals that can be booked right on the site. In fact, there's 630,000 of them.

• Compare holiday homes to hotels in one place
• Feel secure with the "Peace of Mind" payment protection for online payments
• Choose from a range of accommodation options including homes, condos, cottages and rural retreats

View coupon codes for TripAdvisor

7. HotelsCombined

In traditional HotelsCombined fashion, the accommodation aggregator compares different homestay and alternate accommodation sites for the best rate.

• Easily compare the prices of hotel rooms and homestays in one list
• Awarded the "World's Leading Hotel Comparison Website" at the 2015 World Travel Awards
• Guaranteed to offer you the lowest accommodation rate

View coupon codes for HotelsCombined

8. Agoda Homes

Agoda is a comparison site for hotels and alternative accommodations like apartments and holiday homes. It allows users to compare and reserve a range of options worldwide.

• Option to pay later
• Search for more than 750,000 hotels worldwide
• Features reviews from previous visitors
• Free cancellation on most hotel reservations, unless otherwise specified

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9. Best for luxury: One Fine Stay

Designed to provide the ultimate homestay experience, One Fine Stay provides "unhotels" – homes in London, Paris, Los Angeles and New York.

• Get a £20 discount on your first stay
• Committed to choosing the finest homes to rent out
• Enjoy boutique toiletries, quality linens and 24/7 customer support by phone or text

10. Best for luxury: Plumguide

There's no running out of options when booking your dream holiday with Plumguide.

The site offers more than 5,000,000 rental homes across Europe, the UK & USA. Each destination boasts a collection of luxury residences, villas and fully-furnished accommodations with access to an indoor pool, overlooking views and more.

• Easy search filters
• Full refund available when you cancel up until 30 days before check-in
• Reviews available

11. Flipkey

Part of TripAdvisor Rentals, FlipKey boast a massive 830,000 properties in 190 countries.

• Filter searches by property type and useful extras like whether it's wheelchair accessible, is pet-friendly and allows smoking
• Features certificates of excellence on top properties, just like TripAdvisor does with hotels

12. Tripping

Save time and money comparing with over 10 million properties around the world.

• Use filter to customise search
• Save on the price of hotels and accommodation
• Choose from more than 150,000 destinations

13. Home Exchange

Working a bit differently to Airbnb, but still offering you the chance to stay in a local's home, Home Exchange opens you up to an entire world of house swaps. Just pay a joining fee and then start exchanging your home - there's no limit to your swaps!

• Gain access to more than 65,000 homes in 150 countries around the world
• Save on the price of hotels and accommodation
• Support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week

View coupon codes for Home Exchange

14. Best for European holidays: Wimdu

Explore Europe and beyond with over 350,000 apartments at your fingertips.

Bred out of Germany, Wimdu specialises in city apartments throughout Europe though is present in over 150 countries worldwide. To date, it features over 350,000 apartments and holiday homes that you can make your own with a few clicks of a button.

• One of Europe's biggest portal for holiday apartments and homes
• Trust pilot score of 8.9/10
• Hosts can list their apartments for free

15. Best for unique Australian stays: Aura

One of the largest Australian-owned holiday rentals website, Aura offers a range of holiday homes, apartments and short-term rentals.

After launching its site in 2012, Aura was founded by owners and managers of rental properties looking to improve the process of dealing with renting out their places online. They did it well enough to be recognised by the NSW Tourism Awards just two years after going online.

• Easily search for properties that offer facilities for pets, wheelchairs and with parking.
• Guarantees the best price on its accommodations online
• Properties available right across Australia, from Melbourne CBD apartments to cosy cottages in rural Tasmania to remote beaches on WA's Coral Coast

16. Best for backpackers: Camplify

Don't like sitting still on a holiday? Hire someone's RV, campervan or trailer when they're not using it with Camplify.

What better way to explore than on a roadtrip? Camplify gives you the chance to do just that in the comfort of a camper without forking out high rental costs. Choose from destinations all across Australia and rest assured - every hire on Camplify includes NRMA nationwide roadside assistance.

• Caravan, campervan, motorhome and trailer hires start at just $40 per night
• Stay in unique destinations across the country like remote outback campsites and near quiet beaches
• Select campervans/RVs can be relocated to suit your travel needs, which is ideal for events and festivals

17. Best for entire home rentals: HouseTrip

Get all the comforts at home with HouseTrip's carefully vetted properties in 20,000 destinations around the world.

If you're looking for a private stay, then HouseTrip may be the best option for you. Unlike some of the other homestay and property rental booking sites out there, HouseTrip exclusively lists entire home rentals so you'll never find yourself sharing your space with other guests or the owners.

• Read reviews from actual guests before making your booking
• Join the HouseTrip+ rewards program
• Choose from more than 300,000 properties

18. Best for the US: Vacasa

Discover over 7,000 vacation rentals across the US, South America and Central America.

Vacasa's point of difference is that it not only managers your whole homestay experience but is responsible for marketing, maintenance and housekeeping, making the process easier for both hosts and guests. It's available in numerous countries around the world, though not yet Australia.

• All bookings managed through Vacasa direct
• Homes can be booked for up to 29 days
• Changes are permitted up to 30 days prior to the reservation

19. Best for families: Kid and Coe

The ultimate platform to discover kid friendly accommodation throughout the world.

Whether you've a family of three or a brood of many, Kid and Coe is a supportive network for families who love to travel offering suitable accommodation and services while on holiday.

• Partnered with concierge services, baby equipment rentals and itinerary suitable for families
• All properties are personally reviewed to ensure their suitability for families
• Stay, host or exchange your home for the holidays

20. Best for budget and making friends: Couchsurfing

A homestay that will very likely change you for the better.

Before Airbnb was even conceived there was couchsurfing. It's a homestay of a very different kind that works on a cultural exchange rather than a monetary one and allows you to stay in someone's extra space, whether it be a couch, a spare room or an attic. More often than not your host will be present throughout your stay and generally it's expected you save time to get to know them. From this you'll receive an insight into how they live and their personal recommendations of their city. And, sometimes, you may even come out of it with a long lasting friendship.

• Community of over 4 million surfers and 400,000 hosts to date
• It's free to stay, host and attend traveller events
• Message verification and reviews build trust and safety into the community