Airbnb Vs VRBO Vs Booking.com?

For the US at least, hands down, start with Airbnb. Add Vrbo shortly after that. If you're using Hospitable, you might as well wait to add Vrbo until their full integration is rolled out, it's in progress right now. Only add booking.com if you hate yourself LOL. 

I wouldn’t see Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking as “choose one” — they’re just different channels, and the right mix depends on your property.

Airbnb is usually the best place to start. It works well for most properties (especially small to mid-size) and is easy to get traction on, with decent host support overall.

Vrbo is a great add-on if you have a larger place (house, villa, 2+ bedrooms). It attracts families and longer stays, but it’s less useful for small urban units. Support is more traditional but stable.

Booking.com is very powerful for visibility and international reach (especially with partners like Agoda), and works well if you have larger properties or multiple units. But it comes with more price competition, less control, more transactional guests, and more rigid support. It can also compete with your own website on Google vacation rental, meaning you may pay commission on guests who were already looking for you.

Because of that, it’s often better to set up your direct bookings (your own site + Google Vacation Rentals) before going big on Booking.com.

In terms of strategy:

• Small property (studio, 1-bed, urban): start with Airbnb, maybe add Booking later for occupancy, Vrbo usually less relevant

• Medium property (2–3 bedrooms): Airbnb + Vrbo is often a strong combo, Booking if you want more volume

• Large property (house, villa, 4+ bedrooms): Airbnb + Vrbo is key, Booking can help internationally but should be added carefully

• Multi-unit / professional operation: you’ll likely need all channels, but with strong pricing, channel management, and a solid direct booking strategy

In short: Airbnb is your base, Vrbo is a strong complement for larger/family-oriented properties, Booking is a powerful but demanding volume channel, and direct bookings are what make your business sustainable long term.