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PeakRooms
Vrbo alternative

A direct, commission-free Vrbo alternative

Vrbo, part of Expedia Group, lists whole-home rentals and takes a host fee on every booking while keeping the guest inside its network. PeakRooms is the direct alternative: your own booking website — for a villa, a homestay, a serviced apartment or a small hotel — where guests book with you, you keep the full rate, and the relationship is yours to bring back.

See what OTAs cost you

A $180 night on an OTA pays you $153 — $27 to commission, at a typical 15%. On your own website it pays you $180: 0% commission, on every plan.

Free Starter plan · no card required

The short answer

The direct alternative to Vrbo is a booking website you own. Vrbo (part of Expedia Group) lists whole-home rentals and charges hosts a per-booking fee — most pay around 8%, a ~5% commission plus ~3% payment processing — while keeping the guest relationship. PeakRooms gives villas, homestays, apartments and small hotels a booking website of their own, with no per-booking fee: guests book with you by card or a one-tap WhatsApp request, repeat stays come back direct, and you can keep listing on Vrbo for discovery.

A lower fee is still a fee — and still not your guest

Vrbo's host fee is more modest than the big OTAs', but it's still a cut of every booking — and, like any marketplace, Vrbo keeps the guest's details, so the guest who loved their stay rebooks through Vrbo and you pay again. Vrbo also lists whole-home rentals only, so a small hotel or a room-by-room stay doesn't fit. A direct channel of your own fixes both.

Calculate your commission

Direct with PeakRooms vs Vrbo

  • Fee per booking

    PeakRooms: None

    Vrbo: ≈ 8% (≈5% + ≈3% processing)

  • Who owns the guest

    PeakRooms: You do

    Vrbo: Vrbo keeps the relationship

  • What it lists

    PeakRooms: Hotels, villas, homestays, apartments

    Vrbo: Whole-home rentals only

  • How guests book

    PeakRooms: Book & pay, or WhatsApp request

    Vrbo: Vrbo checkout

  • Repeat bookings

    PeakRooms: Direct, commission-free

    Vrbo: Through Vrbo again

  • Getting started

    PeakRooms: Free Starter plan, no card

    Vrbo: Per-booking fee from day one

Why PeakRooms

What you get

  • Keep the fee — all of it

    No per-booking cut at all on a direct booking. Vrbo's ~8% is lower than the big OTAs', but it's still money off every stay; direct, the rate a guest pays is the rate you keep.

  • Own the guest relationship

    You capture each guest's real contact details, so the next stay — and the referral — comes back to you directly instead of through Vrbo's network.

  • Built for more than whole homes

    Vrbo lists whole-home rentals only. PeakRooms fits a villa, a homestay, a serviced apartment or a small hotel with room types — your place, presented properly.

  • Free to start, generated from a brief

    Answer a short brief and PeakRooms builds the whole booking website — rooms, rates, photos and contact in place — on a free Starter plan, with no card and no per-booking fee.

Questions owners ask

How much does Vrbo charge hosts?
Most Vrbo hosts pay a per-booking fee of around 8% — roughly a 5% commission plus about 3% for payment processing (Vrbo's older $699-a-year subscription is being phased out for new hosts, as of mid-2026). It's lower than the 15–25% the big OTAs take, but it's still a cut of every booking. A direct booking on PeakRooms has no per-booking fee at all.
What's the best alternative to Vrbo for a villa or homestay?
A direct booking website you own. Vrbo brings reach for whole-home rentals, but keeps the guest relationship and charges a fee on every stay. PeakRooms gives your villa, homestay or apartment its own site where guests book with you — by card or a WhatsApp request — and every repeat stay comes back direct, commission-free.
Can I use PeakRooms and still list on Vrbo?
Yes. You can keep Vrbo for discovery and use PeakRooms to take repeat and referral bookings direct, commission-free. PeakRooms is your own channel alongside it, not a replacement for the reach — just block booked dates on the other side when a stay lands, since calendars don't sync across channels yet.
I run a small hotel, not a whole-home rental — is PeakRooms for me?
Yes. Vrbo lists whole-home rentals only, but PeakRooms is built for independent and boutique hotels with room types as well as villas, homestays and serviced apartments — so a room-by-room property gets a proper booking website, which Vrbo doesn't do.

Keep exploring

Your booking website, ready in minutes

Answer a short brief and PeakRooms generates a booking website built to bring you direct, commission-free bookings.

Build your free website

Free Starter plan · no card required