Best Apartment Sharing Websites

In an earlier post I addressed the best websites for booking hostels. Now I want to do something similar with apartment shares. There are many scenarios where someone might look for their own room/apartment over a hostel. Frankly, privacy stands out, as the cheapest options in a hostel often have you in a room with 8 other people. Above all, though, when you’ve been traveling on the road for awhile, sometimes it’s nice just to have a place to call your own (even if it’s only for a few days).

We begin the same way we did last – the apartment websites we’re going to review are

• Air BNB
• Wimdu
• 9flats
• Homeaway
• Localo
• iStopOver

The (fake) Request

Location: Berlin, Germany
Dates: Sept 6th – Sept 9th 2012
Guests: 2

 

Air BNB

Results: 2808

Lowest Total Price : $65 ***after $7 booking fee*** (Ranked 1 in returned results)

What is great here is that the price shown is representative of the entire package. If they say $20 a night, it’s $20 a night, not $20 for the first night and $40 for the next nights. At 2800 results, over 10x what was returned frmo the hostel websites, there  is an overwhelming variety.

Functionality Table Summary:

Properties Included	Sort Features	Search Filters	Views	Reviews	Extra
Apartments	Recommended Price Distance Newest	Room Type Price Neighborhood Amenities Key Words	Map view List	Yes	Prices Facilities/Amenities Size Map and Directions

 

Functionality: Similarly to what we see in the hostels websites this gets right to the point with all the necessary sort features and search filters. The amenities are called out separately, clearly, and coherently. The price advertised in the search results represents the going rate for that room for all days relevant to your stay, so there is no worry about a “bait and switch” scenario (where first night price is lower than subsequent nights). One thing that could be improved is their review system. Most of the apartments have limited reviews (probably because their are so many), so you only get to read about one description for may of the apartments.

Website Shots:

 

Wimdu

Results: 774

Lowest Total Price : $105 ***after $11 booking fee*** (Ranked 1 in returned results)

Similar to air BNB in how it is advertised but the booking fee is slightly higher, and when compared to the typical hostel booking fee of $2, it’s much higher.

Functionality Table Summary:

Properties Included	Sort Features	Search Filters	Views	Reviews	Extra
Apartments	Recommended Price Distance	Room Type Price Amenities	Map view List	Yes	Check In/OutPrices Facilities/Amenities Cancellation Policy Map and Directions

 

Functionality: Much the same as airbnb in terms of what is displayed and how it is displayed. I like the cancellation policy and the check in/out information as extras.

Website Shots:

 

9flats

Results: 100s (didn’t say)

Lowest Total Price : $56 (Ranked 1 in returned results)

Finally, a website that just straight tells you what the total price is, including all additional charges, before you even click on the description. Was it really that hard? The only drawback is that it displays it in euros and I can’t seem to find a currency converter, unlike the other websites, which usually have them built in.

Functionality Table Summary:

Properties Included	Sort Features	Search Filters	Views	Reviews	Extra
Apartments	Top Rated Price Distance	Room Type Price Amenities Space Offered (private, shared)	Map view List	Yes	Prices Facilities/Amenities Check In/OutMap and Directions

 

Functionality: Very smooth to go through and separated out all the neat extras into tables and/or additional tabs.

Website Shots:

 

Homeaway

Results: 659

Lowest Total Price : $100 (Ranked 1 in returned results)

So far the least clear because the price seems to be a bit more of a range. Moreover you can’t book from the website, but instead have to email the owner to come to an agreement? That sounds almost like it can’t be right, but I can’t find a book it button or anything of the sort…

Functionality Table Summary:

Properties Included	Sort Features	Search Filters	Views	Reviews	Extra
Apartments	Top Rated Price Distance	property Type Price Amenities Space Offered (private, shared)	Map viewPhotosList	Yes	Prices Facilities/Amenities Check In/OutMap and Directions

 

Functionality: The design is not as intuitive as some of the others because at first glance it seems like it is just one long scroll down. Later you realize that there are tabs at the top which automatically direct you to the proper area to view it, unleashing a wealth of information. I give this site credit for having an unbelievable amount of information on the apartments it advertises, it’s just not as easy to get the hang of right away.

Website Shots:

 

Localo

Results: 23

Lowest Total Price : $169 (Ranked 1 in returned results)

Given the lack of results this site simply doesn’t have the numbers to compete on price with the earlier ones.

Functionality Table Summary:

Properties Included	Sort Features	Search Filters	Views	Reviews	Extra
Apartments	Top Rated Price Distance	Property Type Amenities	Map viewList	Yes	Prices Facilities/Amenities Check In/Out Map and Directions

 

Functionality: They have a really nice feature where it high lights the apartment’s distance from nearby transportation centers by walking, driving, and bus. Other than that it’s the same we’ve seen basically everywhere else.

Website Shots:

 

iStopOver

Results: 37

Lowest Total Price : $124 ***$12 service fee*** (Ranked 1 in returned results)

Again this returned significantly less results but there were a few places that came up that were in my opinion reasonably priced (remember these are apartment rooms in Berlin for 2 people)!

Functionality Table Summary:

Properties Included	Sort Features	Search Filters	Views	Reviews	Extra
Apartments	Recommended Price	Property Type Amenities Neighborhood Privacy	Map viewList	Yes	Prices Facilities/Amenities Check In/Out Map and Directions

 

Functionality: Pretty basic stuff but they did have a tab which highlighted events in the area that I thought was really nice, for example in Berlin it said:

Berlin Fashion Week	Jul 3, 2012 – Jul 9, 2012
Berlin Festival	Sep 6, 2012 – Sep 10, 2012
Hello Etsy Conference	Sep 16, 2012 – Sep 19, 2012
Berlin Marathon	Sep 28, 2012 – Oct 2, 2012
Berlin Christmas Markets	Nov 22, 2012 – Dec 27, 2012
New Years Eve Berlin	Dec 28, 2012 – Jan 2, 2013
ITB Berlin 2013	Mar 5, 2013 – Mar 11, 2013

 

Website Shots:

 

Recommendation: Tie between Air BnB and 9flats

 

This pretty much comes down to the results and prices. These sites have figured out what people want to filter and sort by and it’s essentially a non-issue. Yes, some tend to be more intuitive than others, and a few offer some unique extras, but at the end of the day I have to give this to Air BnB and 9flats for having so much variety and the lowest prices.