Evolve vs Vacasa: Which Offers Better Airbnb Management?

Not sure which Airbnb management company is the best fit for your specific investor needs and requirements? In this review, we compare Evolve and Vacasa, two of the most popular options in the U.S. market. We'll explore their similarities and differences, and help you decide which company is best for your property and investment goals. We'll also take a look at their top competitors and see how they stack up against Evolve and Vacasa. Whether you're a DIY host or looking for professional management, this review has you covered.

In brief: Are Evolve and Vacasa worth it for vacation rental property investors? No. While Evolve charges an industry-low fee of 10% of revenue, it offers only half-services. Meanwhile, Vacasa provides full-services but has a less transparent and more complicated pricing model and hosts often blame Vacasa for charging additional fees.

On our list of the best Airbnb property management companies we ranked Awning above Evolve and Vacasa for its better pricing, more complete service offering, and nationwide footprint.

Evolve vs Vacasa: Overview

Following is a quick comparison between the Evolve and Vacasa short term rental property management companies:

Evolve is a half-service vacation rental management company that was founded in 2011 by Brian Egan and Adam Sherry. It is headquartered in Denver, CO. The team has attracted a total funding of $224.2 million, in six rounds. Most recently, Durable Capital Partners invested $100 million in Evolve in February 2022. In 2018, Evolve acquired Everbooked, a dynamic pricing platform for Airbnb hosts. Evolve remains a privately owned company. At the moment the company manages over 24,000 properties in the US and Mexico.

For comparison, Vacasa offers full-service short-term rental property management. The company was founded two years earlier, in 2009, by Eric Breon and Cliff Johnson, and its headquarters are in Portland, OR. Vacasa has received $834.5 million in funding, in seven rounds. The most recent one was an investment of $200 million by TPG in December 2021. Since its establishment, Vacasa has acquired 34 companies within the vacation rental industry. It is a publicly traded company under NASDAQ:VCSA after undergoing an IPO in 2021. Currently, the company manages over 35,000 vacation homes - or about 50% more than the properties managed by Evolve - in the US, Canada, Mexico, Belize, and Costa Rica.

Evolve vs Vacasa: Geographic Availability

The market coverage of both Airbnb management companies is focused on the US, but they offer some international coverage too, albeit limited to North and Central America.

Evolve vacation rental property management services are available in 750 markets in North America. These include the Northeast, New England, the Midwest, the Great Lakes, the South, the Gulf Coast, the West, the Pacific Northwest, and the Southwest in the US and a few resorts in Mexico. Importantly, Evolve charges a fixed monthly fee in all markets.

Vacasa property management is available in more countries including the US, Mexico, Canada, Belize, and Costa Rica. In the US the company works in 35 states excluding Arkansas, Connecticut, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, and West Virginia. Vacasa’s fees vary by location to reflect market conditions and differences.

To assure this market coverage, Evolve can help connect vacation home owners with local experts to carry out some duties. Vacasa has local teams throughout various locations to perform all expected tasks.

Neither of these two companies manages short-term rentals outside North and Central America.

Evolve vs Vacasa: Costs & Fees

Evolve charges Airbnb hosts a single fee of 10% of the monthly rental revenue, no matter the location and the property type and size. This is a straightforward and transparent pricing structure. Our comparison of the top Airbnb management companies shows that this is the lowest rate across the US market. However, the reason behind this industry-low service fee is that Evolve provides only half-service vacation rental management.

Namely, Evolve does not provide crucial services like short-term rental furnishing, assuring compliance with short-term rental laws, getting the rental listing ready, cleaning and restocking between Airbnb guests, and property maintenance. Instead, the company offers to connect investors with local partners who can provide these services, but you will need to pay a separate fee for each of these additional - yet indispensable - services which are not included in the 10% fee that Evolve charges.

Before you decide whether to hire Evolve, it’s important to understand the payment methods. As a vacation rental property owner, you will need to set up a Stripe account upon starting working with Evolve. This is required because Evolve will collect payments from guests on your behalf, after which they will deduct their fees from this amount and transfer your share of the revenue to your Stripe account within 48 hours of the check-in time. It normally takes 3-5 days for your income to reach your bank account.

Vacasa claims to charge a single vacation rental management fee, calculated based on the monthly revenue, which varies by market and property type. This is not the standard practice in the short-term rental industry in the US, where most companies charge the same percentage across different locations and property sizes. Vacasa has chosen this pricing model to accommodate the varying conditions in different locations. 

Vacasa does not list pricing and fees on its website and property owners need to contact them to see how much it will expect them to pay.

Vacasa does not list pricing and fees on its website and property owners need to contact them to see how much they will be expected to pay.

Vacasa also charges additional fees for extra services like enrolling in a smart home program, vacation rental insurance ($7-$9/booked night), interior design ($99-$1,199), linen program, hot tub maintenance and management, and online account and app. Some fees are fixed, while others are calculated as a percentage of the monthly income. 

As an investor, you need to inquire about all these costs and factor them in your calculations if you want to achieve completely passive income in real estate.

Hiring Vacasa is likely to cost significantly more than working with Evolve, but you will also enjoy a more passive Airbnb property management experience.

Evolve vs Vacasa: Services

As a half-service short-term rental property management company, Evolve offers the following covered by the standard 10% fee:

• Creating a rental property listing: Evolve creates an optimized listing for your vacation rental featuring professional property photos and an enticing description. Your property has to be clean and ready prior to the pictures being taken. The listing appears on the Evolve vacation rental platform.
• Vacation rental property marketing: Evolve lists your property on their own website and Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com, and several other popular channels. They also use paid ads, display ads, social media, and email marketing among their network of travelers. It’s not clear how the advertising budget is determined per property.
• Daily rates adjustment: Evolve deploys SmartRates, a third-party service, to set dynamic pricing for vacation rentals in line with seasonal and other fluctuations in demand. The algorithm sets up pricing based on rental comps. There is no sign of a human review of daily rates, which is suboptimal as the algorithm might mis-price rentals, leading to lower nightly rates or lower occupancy.
• Guest communication: Evolve handles all communication with guests before, during, and after a stay. They claim to provide 24/7 guest support. However, Evolve does not commit to a specific response time, and guests have repeatedly reported delays in or lack of responses.
• Short-term rental property insurance: Evolve provides extra protection and insurance to the vacation rentals it manages. This includes up to $1 million in liability coverage and up to $3,000 per booking in damage protection.

To compensate for being a half-service property manager, Evolve has the option of connecting owners with local partners in each market who can provide the services that the company does not offer. These include interior design and decor, maintenance and repairs, setting up a smart home, cleaning, restocking, and others. It does not include the cost of these services in the 10% charge and varies between locations and between services.

Before getting started with Evolve, an investor will need to ensure that their property is safe, clean, guest ready, and as advertised. If you are a remote investor or don’t have previous experience in real estate, you will most likely need to hire a property manager or other experts to help you get your property ready for listing. You will need to show that you got all state and city required licenses and permits. Keep in mind that certain markets have very strict short-term rental laws and regulations, and most of them ask for an annual renewal of permits. This is something that Evolve does not help with. Another service which Evolve does not support is help with finances and taxes.

The full vacation rental management services which Vacasa provides under the regular fee include:

• Preparing the rental ready for guests: Vacasa helps investors get their vacation rental ready for listing and welcoming guests. This includes interior design, installing smart home devices, getting necessary licenses and permits, cleaning, providing linen, and stocking the property. Some of these services cost extra, as discussed below.
• Creating a property listing: Vacasa creates an optimized listing for each property that they manage which includes high-def photos, 3D tours, custom description, and optimization for search engines (SEO). Vacation homes are listed on their website, Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, Homes & Villas by Marriott International, and other platforms.
• Short-term rental marketing: Vacasa makes use of targeted digital marketing like Google ads, Facebook ads, and email marketing to market their vacation rentals. This is besides listing them on all major websites.
• Booking and guest management: Vacasa provides 24/7 support to guests prior, during, and post stays. Included services are accepting/declining bookings, addressing guest needs, and handling reviews.
• Dynamic daily pricing: Vacasa uses billions of relevant data points and technology to adjust nightly rates based on seasonality, weather, local events, and more. They promise to help hosts boost revenue by an average of 20%. They make no mention of human review for dynamic pricing.
• Cleaning and restocking between guests: Vacasa cleans the vacation rentals they manage between guests in line with CDC requirements including changing and washing linen. They also restock supplies.
• Property inspection and maintenance: Vacasa inspects short-term rentals frequently to make sure that everything is good and takes stock of any issues. Then their local team handles necessary repairs or coordinates with local experts.
• Help with taxes: Vacasa helps investors get their tax forms in line and apply all short-term rental tax deductions. This is especially useful for those with weak financial and tax knowledge and background.

Besides these standard services, Vacasa also has a long list of services that they provide for an extra fee, including:

• Online account and app: Vacasa provides property owners with access to a booking calendar, financial performance, monthly statements, home information, taxpayer information, maintenance requests, and personalized settings.
• Smart home program: Vacasa can install smart locks, noise monitors, and Vacasa-branded Wi-Fi router and let you save $500 per property.
• Interior design: Vacasa offers guided interior design services for $99 or curated design services for $599-$1,199. These include introduction, reservation, design, collaboration, cooperation, and installation.
• Linen program: Vacasa can supply vacation rental properties with bedding and towels and change them and wash them between guests and replace them when needed.
• Vacation rental property insurance: Vacasa offers up to $1 million in liability coverage, $1 million in damage coverage, and $15,000 in bed bug coverage for a fee of $7-$9 per booking.
• Hot tub management and maintenance: Vacasa can manage the water testing, chemical levels balancing, water draining and refilling, cover checking, and arranging repairs for a water tub. They report vacation rental properties with a hot tub generate 15%-20% more in revenue.

Investors need to understand how much each of these services costs before deciding whether to use them. If the cost is worth it, property owners can secure a fully passive experience by making use of these services.

Unique Services of Evolve

A unique service that Evolve provides is connecting investors with a network of local partners. However, this is in order to make up for the services which the company itself does not cover.

Another feature which many companies do not include in their standard services, including Vacasa, is the vacation rental insurance. Vacasa, for example, charges an additional fee for this.

Other than that, Evolve services are rather standard, in line with other half-service companies.

Unique Services of Vacasa

Vacasa offers a few services that most other competitors don’t. For example, many Airbnb property management companies - like Evolve - expect the property to be guest ready before they take on managing it. The interior design and legal support which Vacasa provides are rather unique.

Another thing which many property managers don’t offer is help with finances and taxes. Vacation rentals are subject to various federal, state, and local taxes and tax deductions, so it’s important to have some support if accounting is not your forte.

The option to have your hot tub taken care of by the Vacasa team is another rather unique opportunity. This feature can help you maximize your Airbnb profit margins without adding more work on your plate.

Evolve vs Vacasa: Terms

Evolve has strict requirements for a property to qualify for their Airbnb management services. A vacation rental needs to meet the following criteria:

• Safety
• Cleanliness
• Guest readiness
• Being as advertised

To work with Evolve, property owners need to sign a vacation rental management agreement. As per the agreement, owner responsibilities include obtaining property and other required types of insurance, property maintenance, upkeep, and repairs. Investors are also responsible for ensuring compliance with local short-term rentals laws including licenses and permits and filing and paying taxes. Evolve helps with the collection and remittance of occupancy tax.

Meanwhile, Evolve’s responsibilities are limited to marketing, bookings, availability calendar, booking terms, rental rates, guest service fees, guest reviews, and service providers.

No long-term commitment is required by the agreement. Vacation rental property owners can cancel the agreement and Evolve services at any point by email. Cancellations become effective after 15 days. In case of canceling the agreement in the first 90 days, hosts need to pay a $250 cancellation fee to cover the start-up costs incurred by Evolve.

Unlike Evolve, Vacasa does not have specific eligibility and qualification requirements for properties. Upon asking about their short-term rental property management services, an owner gets connected with a Homeowner Consultant to ensure that the investor and the company are a good fit for each other.

Vacasa hosts need to sign an agreement or a contract, but there is no long-term commitment requirement. Hosts can cancel agreements at any point, and cancellations will become effective in 90 days. Meanwhile, hosts have to honor all existing reservations within the 90-day window.

Both Evolve and Vacasa list properties under their accounts on Airbnb and other vacation rental platforms, so they are the host. This gives properties an advantage as Evolve and Vacasa are considered large hosts. Working with either company allows owners to book their vacation home for their own private use, as long as it’s marked on the calendar.

The disadvantage of being hosted by Vacasa or Evolve is that the reviews left on the property are lost if the host leaves to a different company. It can be very difficult to start again with no reviews after leaving one of these property managers.

Evolve vs Vacasa: Host Reviews

Evolve has a TrustScore of 3.3, which is average, based on 3,510 customer reviews on the TrustPilot website. Meanwhile, Evolve’s average score on the BBB.org website is 2.76, calculated from 427 customer reviews. There are also multiple complaints on the latter. Both are a mix of guest and host reviews, with prevailing guest reviews.

Positive reviews from hosts focus on the quality of property management services and the engagement from the Evolve team. Negative reviews highlight unexpected charges, extra fees not available in the agreement, challenges getting out of the contract, mismatches between promised and delivered services, limited vacation rental management services (mostly marketing), and inefficient communication with both hosts and guests.

Recently, a host left this good review on TrustPilot:

“I've been working with the Evolve Management team for 3 years now and have never had an issue we couldn't overcome easily. They are trained professionals and work as hard for the homeowner as well as the guests.

And I don't get penalized for using my own property when I need it, unlike AirBnB's system, which I feel is totally on the guests side and not the homeowner who is taking the risks of the rental business.”

Around the same time, a property owner shared the following negative review:

“If I could give them negative stars I would. I am a property owner who has used evolve to manage my property. I’ve lost over $2000 in earnings and pretty much rented out my home for free. I’ve had two back to back “chargebacks” from customers using evolve. The customers stay was refunded to credit card used and marked fraudulent. I’ve used Airbnb many years and have never had this happen.

I’m essentially renting my home for free and paying to have it cleaned afterwards out of my own pocket. What a waist. I would not recommend using there services.”

Vacasa performs better both on the TrustPilot and BBB.org customer review websites. The company has a TrustScore of 4.1 (considered great), based on 8,917 reviews, while its average score on BBB.org is 4.1, based on 2,457 host and guest reviews. There are over 1,000 complaints. The vast majority of reviews are by guests.

Guests have written many good Vacasa reviews, while host reviews are generally absent. The few positive reviews from hosts discuss the quality of services and the level of engagement. In their reviews, hosts share that they are charged fees ranging from 20% to 35% plus additional costs.

Critical reviews from hosts mention discrepancy between promised services and actual services and lack of compliance with insurance and poor customer support communication.

An investor who owns three short-term rentals managed by Vacasa wrote the following positive review on Yelp:

“We own 3 short-stay rentals in Anacortes, WA that have been managed by VACASA since we set them up in 2018. We read the reviews of the company before deciding how to proceed with management, chose them anyway and we're so glad we did. They've done a wonderful job cleaning and maintaining the properties as well as keeping them rented. That isn't to say there haven't been hiccups, this being the Covid and all, but local VACASA management has always done everything in their power to preserve our investment and keep it profitable.

That said, I realize this is a newish company providing ALL services related to keeping these rentals occupied and there's a lot that could go wrong. They do all the booking, advertising, providing directions to the house, answering questions and more questions, cleaning, making the beds, cleaning the grills, filling gas canisters, doing minor repairs to coffee makers, even teaching guests how to turn on the heat, and on and on and on. None are things I'm able to do myself and I'm pleased to say they do all and do them well. I have to say I'd be just as comfortable with their care of these properties if I lived on the other side of the country, not up the street as we do.

I realize a lot depends on local management and we definitely have an exceptional team, but we also do our part as owners to furnish and maintain the properties in a way that inspires our guests to take care of them and I'm sure that makes a difference. VACASA has experienced some growing pains even in the 3 years we've been with them, but we think they're doing great!”

One vacation rental owner left the following negative review:

“If you are thinking of using this company the only suggestion I can give you is RUN

You will get screwed, our home will be trashed and they will not be responsible for any of their promises

Update after writing this review now Vacasa wants to help this company is a joke

We have been waiting 4 months for their staff to do what they promised

Mr president pick up the phone call me and you will find out how you screwed us”

Best Alternatives to Evolve and Vacasa

While Evolve and Vacasa are definitely two of the most popular names in the Airbnb management industry, it doesn’t mean that they are necessarily the best choices out there. We look at five top Evolve and Vacasa alternatives to expand your options.

Following is a side-by-side comparison of the main Evolve and Vacasa competitors:

Awning Vacation Rental Property Management

Like Vacasa and unlike Evolve, Awning is a full-service vacation rental management company which works in all 50 US states. Indeed, Awning can also help investors find a top-performing Airbnb property in the best cities to buy rental property. Awning’s method of combining big data analysis and input from local market experts guarantees optimal Airbnb return on investment. Awning provides help with vacation rental furnishing in line with local trends and demand which helps boost your bottom line.

Regarding short-term rental property management, Awning provides support in everything from obtaining necessary licenses and permits, through marketing, cleaning, restocking, reviews, and guest communication, to help with taxes. With our services, hosts can achieve truly passive Airbnb income without compromising the experience provided by their vacation rental or their profit.

Awning charges a universal fee of 15% of revenue across all markets and property types. This is an industry-low rate for full-service Airbnb management companies.

AvantStay Property Management

AvantStay is another full-service short-term rental management company which operates in 11 US states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah) and Mexico. To work with them, an owner has to rent out an entire property with a minimum of four bedrooms as AvantStay specializes in group travels. At the moment they manage around 600 properties. Compared to Evolve and Vacasa, AvantStay is rather limited in market, property, and guest coverage.

The services which AvantStay provides include furnishing, property protection, listing, marketing and guest management.

Similar to Vacasa, AvantStay does not publicize their fees.

Casago Property Management

Unlike Evolve, Vacasa, and other competitors, Casago manages a wide range of income properties including vacation rentals, furnished and unfurnished long term rentals, corporate housing, and single family homes. Their market coverage includes different locations (21 states and DC) in the US and Mexico.

Casago highlights they place owners in the center and aim to provide stress-free long term and short-term rental management via tailored services. They claim to help investors boost revenue by up to 30%. General services include listing, marketing, check-in and check-out, cleaning, maintenance, and guest support.

Casago fees are equivalent to 18% of revenue, which is below the industry average for full-service property managers.

SkyRun Vacation Rental Management

SkyRun Vacation Rentals is a full-service Airbnb property management company, just like Vacasa. What sets it apart from the other companies on our list is that it allows investors to buy into the business to become property managers. SkyRun combines national reach, expertise, and data with local business ownership. Overall, we consider it a local vacation rental property manager.

Their short-term rental property management services cover 28 markets including 10 US states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin), Canada, and Mexico. The company manages over 900 properties, which is significantly less than Evolve and Vacasa. In terms of services, SkyRun provides everything you’d expect from a full-service property manager.

Similar to other competitors, SkyRun Vacation Rentals does not require long-term commitment. The company charges a commission fee, which starts at 15% of revenue, similar to Awning and AvantStay. Because individual rates might exceed 15%, it’s important to understand what your exact fee will be before hiring SkyRun.

Air Concierge

Similar to Casago, Air Concierge does not limit itself to managing vacation rentals only. They also manage luxury rentals and Airbnb long term rentals (30, 60, 90 days, or more). Air Concierge is a full-service property management company, and they provide everything from getting your property ready for listing and renting, through marketing, to guest communication and support.

One cool thing about Air Concierge is that they have a very adaptive pricing system to reflect the needs of different properties and investors. While they have a standard vacation rental management fee of 25% of revenue, the cost drops to 20% for luxury rentals ($1,000/night or more) and to 18%, 15%, and 12% for reservations of over 30, 60, and 90 days, respectively. This is if you sign a three-month contract with them. If you sign an annual contract, the rates are even better, from 10% to 22%. The expected commitment on behalf of property owners though differentiates Air Concierge from the other Airbnb management companies included in our analysis.

Evolve vs Vacasa Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are a few FAQs that vacation rental owners ask when choosing an Airbnb management company:

Where is Evolve vacation rental located?

Evolve is headquartered in Denver, CO, while it provides Airbnb property management services in 750 markets in the US and Mexico resorts.

How does Evolve vacation rental work?

Evolve is a half-service short term rental property management company. It provides services in the following areas: listings, marketing, dynamic pricing, guest communication and support, and rental property insurance. They can connect owners with local partners to cover the rest of tasks associated with running a vacation rental.

What is Vacasa?

Vacasa is a full-service vacation rental property management company which operates in 35 US states plus Canada, Mexico, Belize, and Costa Rica. Currently, they manage over 35,000 short-term rentals in these markets.

How much does Vacasa charge?

Vacasa does not disclose how much it charges. The company website states the fees differ based on location and property type. In their reviews, hosts discuss fees ranging between 20% and 35% of revenue plus additional costs. This is within the industry standard range.

How much do Airbnb management companies charge?

Vacation rental management fees vary widely in the US Airbnb market, depending on the level and type of services, the property type and size, and the business model of the management company. Generally fees range between 20% and 30%, while some property managers can charge 15% of revenue while providing high-quality full-service management.

What is the best Airbnb property management company?

Our comparison and analysis shows that Awning is the best vacation rental management company in the US market. Besides covering the entire nation, it offers comprehensive services, from furnishing your vacation rental and making sure it complies with legal requirements all the way to cleaning, restocking, guest communication, and everything in between. It charges an industry-low fee of 15% of revenue.

Takeaway

Evolve and Vacasa are two of the largest and most well-known Airbnb management companies in the US. While they both have pros and cons, our comparison shows that Vacasa is better for full-time, remote investors as it provides full-services. However, there are some red flags that vacation rental property owners need to keep in mind. So, we recommend looking into Evolve and Vacasa alternatives like Awning.