A 2,160-square-foot apartment in Rome available for rent through the Plum Guide. | Courtesy of the Plum Guide

Where to find your ideal vacation rental. Thanks to well-known companies like Airbnb and Vrbo, short-term vacation rentals are here to stay in America?s cities. Slick apps and cheaper pricing make booking a vacation property easier than ever, whether you?re paying to sleep in someone?s extra room ? the true definition of the ?sharing economy? ? or renting an entire house.
But it hasn?t been smooth sailing for companies looking to take advantage of the short-term-rental market. Airbnb is undeniably popular: Now in 100,000 cities, with seven million rental listings worldwide. At the same time, the company and its competitors have battled local zoning laws that prohibit short-term rentals and fought grassroots movements aiming to limit where and how short-term rental companies can operate. On top of this, Airbnb has come under fire for its role in campaigning for lax rental laws, been criticized for exacerbating the already tight housing market in America?s biggest cities, and faced serious accusations of racism?highlighted by the #AirbnbWhileBlack hashtag. For some, Airbnb?s lack of transparency and questionable practices have pushed people to look elsewhere for vacation rentals, even as the company works to combat these problems.
With that in mind, we?ve rounded up alternatives to Airbnb and Vrbo, the two biggest players in the short-term rental industry. Whe...