Best Home Exchange Sites and Home Swap Platforms

Best Home Exchange Sites and Home Swap Platforms

If there is something that frequent travelers know well, it is that booking travel accommodation through rental sites is one of the biggest expenses that drain budgets the most.

But now, thanks to home exchange websites, affordable and immersive extended stays abroad are no longer impossible. These platforms allow you to soak in overseas adventures far more affordably and can open doors for frequent travelers, families, and location-independent workers to enjoy houses around the world like locals.

In this guide, we'll share with you the best home swap websites and platforms out there, comparing their listings, pricing, and more.

1. HomeExchange

HomeExchange home swap website homepage

HomeExchange has the world's largest selection of home swap listings, with over 150,000 members' homes spanning 145+ countries.

Its home swap system is through an annual membership and they provide two options for arranging home exchanges on their platform:

  • You either directly coordinate simultaneous swaps with other members through a reciprocal exchange system
  • You can tap into a GuestPoints system to claim properties without a direct trade

Membership cost: $220 per year

Pros
  • User-friendly platform
  • Access to their Facebook community
  • 500 GP bonus for your first year
  • Member support & assistance in case of cancellation
  • Non-compliance property damage coverage
  • Great for occasional travelers and families
Cons
  • Fees are slightly on the higher-end (starting at $220 yearly)
  • More suitable for travelers rather than location-independent professionals

2. Swaphouse

Swaphouse home exchange homepage

Up next on our list, we have Swaphouse, a completely free home exchange platform with hundreds of WFH-friendly listings across all continents that make travel accessible for remote workers and digital nomads. This platform enables location-independent workers to embark on "workations" while exploring different places and enjoying the comforts and functionality of a remote work friendly home. All, without spending a single dollar!

Exchanges are facilitated through a match-based system, almost like a dating app. Members can access their "Explore" section to discover all the available listings and, if they see a home they would like to stay in, they can just hit the "heart" button. If other members also like your home, then you have a "match," and you are ready to agree on a home swap with the other homeowner. And the beauty of it, is that it's completely free. No memberships or fees to pay!

Membership cost: FREE!

Pros
  • All members' houses are equipped for remote work
  • Comfortable for longer stays
  • Completely free of charge, so you can save a ton of money on rentals
  • Intuitive and user-friendly platform
Cons
  • Relatively new platform, so the number of listings is still limited
  • As a new platform, they don't have the same trust and experience as other long-standing home exchanges

3. People Like Us

peoplelikeus home exchange homepage

People Like Us is another fast-growing platform with thousands of members and listings in over 100 countries. Although it's one of the newest, this home exchange website has quickly become one of the most trusted and well-known. It's not a case in fact that if you look for reviews about them online, you'll find an incredible amount of great customer reviews from one of the friendliest community members.

Similar to many other home swap platforms, People Like Us is a subscription-based service and it offers 4 different home exchange types:

  • Simultaneous: the most common, where you and another member trade homes for the same dates
  • Non-simultaneous: you trade homes, but not on the same dates. This is flexible if you're unsure about your travel plans
  • Non-reciprocal: only one member exchanges using People Like Us Globes. A Globe is a one-way exchange worth one stay at another member's place and it's been thought for people who live in less-touristy areas
  • Hospitality: you stay at someone's home while they're still there (you don't get the whole place to yourself)

Membership cost: $149 per year (Free trial for 30 days)

Pros
  • Incredibly loyal and active home-sharing community
  • Thousands of members and listings all around the world
  • A ton of customization and features (it's been built by a knowledgeable developer)
  • One of the most trusted home exchange sites
  • Many home exchange types for great flexibility
Cons
  • Listings might not be particularly suitable for remote workers
  • Some people seem to find information on the site and the platform slightly confusing

4. Kindred

kindred home exchange homepage

Kindred is another popular members-only home swap website with 50,000 homes in 100 cities, although the large majority are in North America and Europe. Platform members are thoroughly vetted, so you need to be accepted to be part of this home-sharing community.

There are no membership fees to be paid for Kindred, and home trades are on a credits-based system, which means that for every night you spend (or earn) 1 Credit. The only thing you pay is a cleaning and service fee per trip. Every member also starts with 5 free credits which equals 5 nights you can rent even without hosting yourself.

They have a pretty cool mobile app for iOS and Android and plenty of safety features like meeting members over video before trip approval and $100,000 host coverage included per stay, among others.

Membership cost: Starting at $150/year

Pros
  • All members are vetted for security and plenty of safety features
  • No membership fees
  • Super visually pleasant and user-friendly platform
  • Mobile app for iOS and Android
  • Outstanding customer support
  • Great for saving on long-term stays in expensive cities
Cons
  • Service fee makes it not worth for short stays and cheap destinations
  • Listings are limited to Europe and North America
  • Booking isn't immediate and takes 1-2 days to get response back from the host
homelink home exchange homepage

HomeLink is a 70+ year-old exchange platform with listings in more than 58 countries worldwide. Their extensive portfolio of home swap listings includes mountain retreats, beachside cottages, and other vacation properties, although it must be said that most of them are in Europe and the US.

Home exchanges on HomeLink can be done directly through a secure message system that allows the coordination of simultaneous and non-simultaneous home trades.

With their annual membership, Homelink members have unlimited exchanges and listings and can also benefit from HomeLink's support for the duration of their membership.

Pros
  • Popular site for experienced home-exchangers
  • Affordable membership and great customer support
  • Comfortable for both shorter and longer stays
  • Newly-refreshed user-friendly interface
  • Suitable for families who want to send their child in families and host theirs in return
Cons
  • Not many listings outside of Europe, US and Oceania
  • Might not be particularly suitable for location-independent workers

Membership cost: $118 per year (Free Trial for 30 days)

6. Intervac Home Exchange

Intervac Home Exchange homepage

With a global inventor of over 13,000 listings across 80 countries, Intervac Home Exchange is one of the longest-running home swap platforms out there (since 1953!). It's particularly popular in Europe, where the vast majority of their listings are.

The site facilitates home exchanges through a direct swap system in which you can agree to stay in other members' homes both simultanously and non-simultanously without directly exchanging money.

Their annual membership unlocks features like unlimited exchange agreements, personal exchange coordinators, wish lists, custom alerts and reviews to handpick ideal listings for you. They also offer a free 21-day trial membership to see if you like the platform.

Membership cost: $130/year

Pros
  • Suitable for young backpackers and families
  • Comfortable for short and occasional stays
  • Most comprehensive filter functionality to narrow down your search
  • Solid reputation among home-swappers
  • Among the cheapest memberships for a home exchange
Cons
  • The interface looks outdated and could be improved
  • Houses might not be suitable if you are a remote worker

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are Home Exchange and Home Swap Websites?

Home exchange websites (also called home swap sites) allow you to stay in someone else's home while they stay in yours, at a fraction of the cost of a standard accommodation like a hotel room or an Airbnb.

Unlike typical rental sites, home swap platforms offer some unique advantages:

  • You save money: with no accommodation fees, you can splurge on food, activities, or shopping at your destination.
  • You go truly local: you get to experience the culture and neighborhood by staying in a local's home so you'll feel more like a local rather than a tourist.
  • You travel more sustainably: rather than demanding new rooms and resources, home swaps repurpose existing homes leading to less waste.

But which are the best home exchange sites out there? Let's have a look at them one by one.

How Do I Choose the Best Home Exchange Websites?

Now that we have shared with you the top home exchange sites, you are probably wondering where you should start your home swap journey with all these different options. We recommend considering these key factors:

Listings

Choose a home swap site that matches your travel style and goals, and offer homes that suit your needs. For example, if you are looking for a family-friendly site, you may want to check HomeExchange which has collections of homes that are suitable for children and pets, but if you are a remote worker and you need a home-office setting, perhaps platforms like Noad and Swaphouse will be more suitable for you.

Verification Processes

You should always prioritize rigorous screenings and vetting processes that authenticate members through address checks and identity verification. For example, the home exchange site Noad verifies members thoroughly by using industry-leading 3rd party services and checking. Their identity is protected against short-term rental flag lists and the sex offender registry, as well as through public databases. Kindred is also amazing here, as it has a ton of safety features.

Membership fees

Look for reasonable, transparent pricing and flexibility around payment options, cancellations, etc. Compare pricing against site features offered like robust search filters and travel coordinators who expertly arrange exchanges. The cheapest option might not always offer the strongest safety and security policies, so sometimes it's better to pay a bit more for your membership to get covered against issues such as cancellations or, worse, damages to your house. Also, consider that platforms that don't have membership fees might not be suitable for short-term stays as you would probably pay a service fee for it.

Is Home Exchange Safe?

Although you may question whether it's secure to temporarily live in strangers' homes, most top platforms have verification processes and review systems in place. So, as long as you use a reputable home exchange site or platform, you and your home are absolutely safe.

All the home swap websites we have mentioned in this guide provide various security measures, such as:

  • Identity Checks: Top home exchange sites verify the identity and address of their members and also check the quality and availability of their homes
  • Reviews and Ratings: Platforms allow their members to leave feedback and ratings for their hosts or guests and also display the number of exchanges they have completed.
  • Financial Coverage: Most reputable sites or platforms offer insurance and guarantees to protect their members from damages, cancellations, or disputes. They also provide customer support and assistance in case of any issues or emergencies

So, every time you are evaluating joining a new home exchange website, make sure those three factors are covered.

Ready to Exchange Your Home?

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Irene Lidia Wang
Written by Irene Lidia Wang

UX Designer and digital nomad. After struggling with feelings of not belonging due to her Italian-Chinese heritage, she co-founded Freaking Nomads to offer a space for people seeking their own paths.

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