If you have an investment property and are looking to make some extra money, or if you just have some extra space you’d like to use to earn income, short-term renting is a great option.
However, turning your property into a successful short-term rental doesn’t just happen overnight. It takes time to market your listing and also to learn what it takes to be a good host, so that you can attract positive reviews and lots of bookings.
To get to this point, one of the first things you need to decide is where to list your property. There are a lot of short-rental sites out there, all offering you different things at different prices.
Here are the seven best that you should consider using to make the most of your rental property:
It's the most well-known short-term rental platform, and that's in large part because it's one of the best options for property owners.
The big advantage of Airbnb is that it will get your listing in front of more eyeballs than any other vacation rental site. It's the first place most people will check when looking for a short-term rental, and it's also one of the most trusted platforms for this kind of service. Listing your property there allows you to tap into that trust and expand your reach.
As far as fees, Airbnb does not charge you to list your property. But when someone books, it will take at least 3 percent of the fee as a commission. In some cases, that fee can be as high as 15 percent, depending on your cancellation policy and other factors.
One nice thing about listing on Airbnb is that doing so comes with a $1 million dollar insurance policy in case anything were to happen on your property.
If you’re looking to really market your place, it’s worth your time to put together a quality Airbnb listing.
The next site to consider is Vrbo, which used to be Vrbo and also Homeaway. The two merged back in 2019 and now offer a lot to hosts.
One thing to know about Vrbo is that it only allows you to list entire homes or apartments. In other words, only private spaces—no spare rooms or shared accommodations. This makes it ideal for vacation rental owners with dedicated rental properties.
Also, Vrbo tends to cater to an older audience and families looking for longer stays, making it an ideal choice for properties that are kid-friendly or that offer other amenities desired by families. If your property fits this profile, Vrbo could be one of the top rental sites for hosts in your situation.
When it comes to fees, Vrbo lets you choose if you want to pay per booking or as an annual subscription, which costs $699 per year. The per booking fees are 5 percent of the rental amount with an additional 3 percent credit card processing charge.
It becomes profitable to pay for the yearly subscription if you plan to do more than $10,000 in listings in a year.
For this reason, Vrbo is a great option for those who have premium properties in busy locations. The fees savings will earn you even more money.
The 2025 short-term rental landscape features new, specialized platforms that target unique traveler segments. For instance, TeamOut focuses on corporate retreats with group-friendly amenities, while Orca caters to remote workers seeking flexible monthly stays. Furnished Finder has gained a loyal following among traveling nurses and professional nomads seeking mid-term housing close to work. Trusted Housesitters offers a pet-sitting exchange model, providing accommodations in return for home and pet care. By listing on these niche sites, hosts can tap into focused communities and reduce competition often found on larger OTAs. Hosts who diversify across these platforms often see more consistent booking rates and can leverage cross-listing tools for streamlined management.
One really good option for listing your short-term rental is Booking.com. As one of the largest travel booking websites in the world, your listing will get tons of exposure. in 2025, it's also the fastest growing platform for short-term rentals, with it's share of exclusive short-term rental listings rising dramatically to 13.6% in late 2024, up from just 3% the previous year. Entire home rentals are also increasingly being shown in the top 20 search results for Booking.com, alongside hotels.
Plus, people often use Booking.com to make reservations for other parts of their trip, such as flights or rental cars. This means you can have your short-term rental listing in front of people when they are making decisions about their vacation, which can lead to more bookings and better visibility.
However, you pay for all this added exposure; the fee for all reservations made on the platform is 15 percent.
A very similar site to Booking.com, Expedia is one of the largest and most-trusted travel websites in the world. Putting your vacation rental listing up on the site will get it next to listings for other things, such as flights and rental cars, creating a convenient one-stop shopping experience for travelers.
Fees are often a little lower on Expedia than they are on competitor sites, though the range is still between 10 and 30 percent. The exact charge will change depending on your listing and is something you should check before listing on Expedia.
If you’re looking to take a different approach, consider Vacasa, which acquired TurnKey to provide full-service short-term rental property management .
That means that in addition to listing your property for potential bookings, Vacasa will also take control of turning your property over, handling guest communications, and making sure it is ready for the next guest, freeing you from these responsibilities.
However, if your goal is to maximize rental income, this might not be the best site. Vacasa charges 35 percent of the nightly booking fee for its services, which is considerably higher than any other short-term rental listing sites mentioned here.
But if you want to make some money and not deal with any of the work and stress of managing the property, Vacasa might work perfectly for you.
In addition to renting out your entire property to make a little extra money, you can also rent out a room or two, charge a little less, and not have to deal with the effort that goes into renting the entire space.
For those who want to take this approach, Homestay.com is a great listing option for you. As the name suggests, this site specializes in helping people find rooms and other "homestay" type lodging situations, targeting a different segment of the short-term rental market.
This site also offers you some interesting alternatives. For example, you can also accept barter instead of money. Perhaps your renters can cook you a specialty meal or help you out with a task.
The standard fee for listing on Homestay.com is 3 percent. If you offer additional services to your guest, such as laundry or airport pickup, you can charge them a fee and help offset some of this commission.
Airbnb does exist in Europe, but if your property is on the "Continent," then you may want to consider listing on Atraveo. It's a very similar platform to Airbnb, but it's widely popular in Europe and can help you reach a more targeted regional audience.
Perhaps the nicest thing about Atraveo is that listing with them plugs you into their affiliate network, which means your vacation rental property could be featured on advertisements displayed on any number of some 50,000 sites, significantly expanding your marketing reach.
Fees for listing on Atraveo are 15 percent for each successful booking, which is pretty much par for the course.
Not every platform is a perfect fit for every property, so it pays to be strategic. High-end or luxury listings may perform better on sites like Plum Guide, while entire homes in family-friendly neighborhoods often thrive on Vrbo. Urban condos can benefit from the extensive global reach of Booking.com or Expedia, ensuring visibility to international travelers. Tools like AirDNA provide data-driven insights into audience demand and pricing recommendations, reducing guesswork and improving profitability. Some hosts also build direct booking websites to avoid high commission fees imposed by OTAs. Ultimately, consider your location, guest demographics, and service level when choosing the right short-term rental platform.
It's important to list your property on multiple short-term rental sites to get your property booked as much as possible and make the most amount of money. Managing all of these different listings can be difficult, though, and it can lead to double bookings. These hurt your reputation with a site and can even cost you money in cancellation fees or compensation to guests.
If you want to list on multiple sites and don’t want the headache, use Uplisting . It combines all of your listings into one easy-to-use platform that lets you manage your short term rentals .
Your next renters are out there. Go find them on the best short-term rental site for you.
Airbnb typically leads the pack thanks to its global reach and user-friendly experience, but Vrbo draws a loyal audience of families looking for entire-home rentals. Many hosts cross-list on both to maximize occupancy. Some niche providers, like Trusted Housesitters , stand out for specific audiences. According to 2025 market data, Airbnb’s AirCover policy further boosts host confidence by offering enhanced protection. Ultimately, the best fit depends on your property type and target guests.
It depends on your goals. Airbnb reaches the world’s largest audience, while Vrbo focuses on families. Booking.com is great for exposure to travelers booking full vacation packages, and Expedia also bundles your listing with flights and car rentals. If you want to cater to remote workers or corporate retreats, specialized sites like TeamOut can be a better match. Research from industry tools like AirDNA helps hosts identify where a property can perform best when listing on multiple platforms.
There’s no single best option—far from it. Airbnb provides extensive reach, but Vrbo is ideal for family-sized homes. Booking.com and Expedia excel for international urban markets where travelers want a one-stop shop. Niche sites like Furnished Finder are perfect if you cater to mid-term guests and professionals. Ultimately, listing on multiple platforms can help you diversify and increase bookings.
Airbnb remains the most popular, with millions of worldwide listings and strong brand recognition. Many travelers begin their search on Airbnb because of its user-friendly interface and extensive variety of lodging options. According to multiple industry insights, Airbnb’s community-driven reviews also help build host credibility. Vrbo ranks a close second for entire-home rentals, especially in North America. Hosts who want maximum visibility often cross-list on both.
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