I'll come at this from a different angle, as a largely budget traveler (my preferred chain is Choice) who also happens to have a side business running vacation rentals in Branson.
As background, I don't tend to book STRs/VRs/Airbnbs/whatever you want to call them myself, because they're usually not in my price range for my style of travel (mostly solo travel on short stays, often booked same-day). I can count on two fingers the number of times I've used Airbnb in the last five years--one was a private room in someone's home near the YVR airport on a weekend where hotels in the entirety of Metro Vancouver were just
stupid expensive, and the other was using my $100 annual Superhost coupon on a property in the rural Sierras of Northern California where options on all the OTAs were limited and there was a motel available for booking on Airbnb at a modest premium over booking direct, so it made sense to use my coupon. (I've also stayed at a couple STRs on group trips with friends where the friend booked the property through their Airbnb account.)
Interestingly, it seems the STR market--especially with Airbnb, but to some extent with other sites as well--has a few very different segments, and I find that the majority of complaints you see online with Airbnbs tend to be in the newer, less-traditional markets. Established vacation rental destinations tend to have a fairly standardized set of offerings and expectations (so to some extent, the listings are largely reliable and commoditized, and guests mostly make decisions between the sometimes thousands of options based on photos, reviews, and price), whereas the issues with properties being not as described, not existing, or operated as ramshackle slumlord shanties tend to be the ones found in places not traditionally considered vacation destinations (of course, exceptions abound).
Anyway, here's my take as an experienced host (and an infrequent guest):
Airbnb:
- Airbnb tends to be a little more responsive and guest-centric than Vrbo, so if there were an issue upon arrival that the host did not seem willing and able to resolve, I have more faith in Airbnb resolving issues in my favor as a guest.
- Airbnb supports both whole-home rentals as well as shared listings (private room in someone's home), so inventory (especially on the lower end of the budget scale) is superior.
- Airbnb supports same-day bookings, whereas Vrbo categorically does not. This also comes into play when dealing with last-minute rebookings; even Vrbo support cannot rebook a guest at another property listed on Vrbo, so issues with problems upon arrival are harder to resolve.
Vrbo:
- While most STR hosts list on both platforms, Vrbo is much older than Airbnb, and especially in established vacation rental destination markets that have been attracting vacationers for decades, there are a good number of properties listed only on Vrbo that you won't find on Airbnb (mostly due to inertia and older owners who aren't comfortable learning a new platform). (Conversely, in newer, less-established markets, Airbnb tends to dominate.) If you're looking for a refined, higher-end home in a traditional destination (the Myrtles, Hilton Heads, Gulf Shores, etcs.), it's definitely worth checking Vrbo in addition to other sources.
- Vrbo's owner fees are a little higher than Airbnb's. Airbnb only charges hosts the basic 3% host fee (which is basically a credit card processing fee). Vrbo charges the same 3% plus an extra 5% commission for a total of 8%, unless you're an older host who is grandfathered in to one of the $600/year subscription plans in lieu of the 5% commission. Either way, hosts have more costs to list on or book through Vrbo than Airbnb, so the same property listed on both sites may be slightly cheaper through Airbnb.
- Established property managers have more control over a Vrbo booking than an Airbnb booking. Software-connected hosts listing on Vrbo process their own credit card charges and basically own the booking and can unilaterally change/cancel the reservation without needing to involve Vrbo customer service. If the property doesn't have issues and the host is good/responsive/trustworthy, this isn't necessarily a bad thing--a guest can call/text the host about extending the stay or whatever and the host can just immediately confirm the change just like a hotel front desk can. But if there are issues, Vrbo has very limited control over operations/charges of these types of hosts (they can't refund charges on behalf of a host, for example, whereas Airbnb customer service can--and does--unilaterally issue refunds and withhold payouts from hosts for complaints).
- While Airbnb customer service seems slightly more responsive and more likely to decide in favor of guests when complaints arise, Vrbo has one ace up their sleeve: as a division of Expedia, Vrbo can rebook customers into hotels if need be, whereas Airbnb will only offer other properties listed on Airbnb. Ideally, of course, though, that wouldn't be necessary.

Speaking of, I find it amusing in the graphic posted above that one of the biggest complaints about Airbnb on Twitter is that "policies unfairly favor hosts"--among hosts, it's a pretty universal sentiment that Airbnb almost always favors the guest (which is one reason why most hosts usually prefer Vrbo over Airbnb and sort of only reluctantly list on Airbnb). I think the reality, though, is that Airbnb's customer service inconsistent, capricious, and in general poorly trained (especially post-Covid, after they laid off a huge swath of their staff only to be caught with their pants down when revenge travel hit, forcing them to try to hire and train tens of thousands of agents in short order), and so they often make rash decisions without really making the effort to really understand a complaint and digging to find the truth of the situation and offering a fair resolution to all parties involved. (As a host, I've personally found myself the victim of Airbnb unilaterally refunding a two-week stay in full when the guest presented a photo of an insect clearly downloaded from the Internet and the background of the photo not even featuring any surface texture that exists anywhere within my property...sigh. But of course I've also heard the horror stories of people booking fake Airbnbs that don't even exist and then being shuffled to a run-down property by a scammer of a host. It definitely cuts both ways.)
Given my experiences in hosting, I will say that apples to apples, if a property were listed on both platforms for the same price, I'd book through Airbnb instead of Vrbo, as I feel more confident that Airbnb would resolve an issue I report (as a guest) in my favor. They also tend to have inventory that appeals to my needs and preferences as a budget traveler more than Vrbo. On the other hand, I wouldn't have any hesitation booking something on Vrbo (or even direct with the host/property manager) if it were the only or better-priced option; in all cases, I'd prioritize looking for an established property with a history of positive valid reviews. I also wouldn't have an objection to renting from an established, professional, highly-rated property management company in vacation destinations, since they tend to run professional operations and have standardized processes and reliable offerings, though you are more likely to find great personal experiences and value pricing with owner-operated properties (especially private vacation homes where the owner's primary goal isn't to turn a profit but rather to subsidize their mortgage on a property they use themselves).
Just my $0.02.