Traveling can be expensive, especially, when it comes to accommodation. But over the last decade, a new kind of housing emerged in the dire need of traveling on a budget. That is – couchsurfing. In the following couchsurfing review, we want to show you the best couchsurfing apps out there. So if you want to make the most of your trip AND save a whole lot of money, check out these couchsurfing websites and alternatives.
Table of Contents
What is Couchsurfing?
Instead of booking a hotel room, you might be wondering if there are cheaper options out there. Spoiler: There are. Locals with extra rooms or space in their houses or apartments are willing to offer it to travelers like you who want to explore the culture and get to know locals. Here is how couchsurfing works:
- Locals can use certain couchsurfing platforms, to offer their “couch”. Here they can say a few words about their place and who they are.
- You, on the other hand, can create a profile, too, on which you describe yourself, your plans, and your background.
- If you think you’ve found a place where you want to stay, you can submit your request to the host for staying at their place.
- The host reviews your proposal and if they think it is a match, you can agree on the details.
The great thing about couchsurfing is that it is completely free. The only currency for couchsurfing is long-lasting relationships between people from different backgrounds, religions, ethnicities, and nationalities. The best things in life are free and priceless. People bond over things that drive them. Traveling is what people are passionate about. Therefore, couchsurfing helps people connect. 
Best Couchsurfing App
The most popular couchsurfing app is Couchsurfing.com. No wonder Couchsurfing.com is the top dog in the pool of the best couchsurfing sites. With the name identical to the act itself, Couchsurfing is a popular choice for starting your couchsurfing journey. You can use the website or download the Couchsitting app, both are easy to navigate. Couchsurfing enables users and hosts to connect in a global community of travelers. It’s a place where you can be a host and a traveler.
There is a global community of more than 14 million users in over 200,000 cities worldwide. On top of that, Couchsurfing has 550,000 events hosted by its community members all over the world. That’s a great way to meet new people while traveling and never get bored. 
Couchsurfing Test How Does Couchsurfing Work?
Here are the steps of how you can find a couchsurfing opportunity:
- The first step is to register an account and pay the Couchsurfing subscription fee of currently EUR 2.89 per month or EUR 14.50 per year.
- Now you need to complete your Couchsurfing profile. Fill in the blanks, and make sure you are honest about who you are, your lifestyle, and your goals. Please be honest here, nobody likes catfishers.
- Once you have completed your profile, it’s time to search for a city or event you would like to visit. There is a wide selection of exciting things to do.
- Now you can check out the profiles of potential hosts and thoroughly read their descriptions. You want to make the right decision when it comes to picking a host. Also, listen to your gut feeling.
- Now, it’s time to send them a request! I recommend sending a few requests to increase your chances of approval. Avoid sending copy/paste templates because they can appear distant and cold. Customize a personalized message for your host to grab their attention. Also, confirm the dates you want to visit.
If you want to host, the process is pretty much the same. Create your profile as a host, and list your couch or bed. You can tell travelers where you stand with admitting new travelers. If you are available to take on travelers, set your status to ‘Yes’. If not, just switch it to ‘No’. You even have the option to set it to ‘Not Right Now (but I can hang out)’ when you want to appear in the search as a city resource but you are not willing or able to host. 
How Long Can You Stay with Couchsurfing?
There are no strict rules about how long you can stay at the same place. However, the concept is not designed for long-term stays. So most hosts will limit the length of your stay to 3 to 4 nights which is only fair considering the fact that you can stay for free. Theoretically, you could continue to couchsit indefinitely. In this case, you’d have to find a new couchsurfing place and move every couple of days. If you are looking for a long-term place to stay for free, check out housesitting places like TrustedHoussitter or check out any of the other Couchsurfing alternatives.
How Much Does Couchsurfing Cost?
Using the Couchsurfing app currently costs EUR 2.89 per month or EUR 14.50 per year. Once you are registered and have paid the subscription fee, you can find couchsurfing places and sleep over at other people’s places for free. There are also a few couchsurfing alternatives, such as TrustedHoussitter, where you don’t have to pay a fee to use the service. Here you can register for free and look up places you want to stay. However, in this case, you have to pay for the stay itself. 
Is Couchsurfing Safe for Females? – Important Couchsurfing Safety Tips
Couchsurfing can be safe for female travelers but doesn’t have to be. The fact that anybody can register as a Couchsurfing host can be a risk factor. But there are ways to make sure that the host is credible and safe so please make sure to check these Couchsurfing safety tips:
- The Couchsurfing website allows users to comment about their experience with their host. If you find a host and place that you like, look through the reviews in the comment section. This will help you get a feeling for the place and person.
- You can also look through similar couchsurfing websites to see if the same host registered their couch somewhere else. Check out the comment section there as well. You should gather as much information about them as you can.
- You can even message the people who commented and ask them about their experience.
- Stay with verified hosts only. Couchsurfing requires hosts to go through a verification system to make sure that their identity and location are legit.
Better to be safe than sorry! Tip: If you are looking for more safety tips for female travelers, check out the linked blog post!
Couchsurfing Experiences – Is Couchsurfing Recommendable?
The Couchsurfing experiences are currently rather negative.
Couchsurfing Reviews Trustpilot
Looking at popular websites such as Trustpilot, you can see that the Couchsurfing reviews of users are disappointing. More than 88% of all reviewers left a 1-star review which leads to a total result of 1.1 stars, in other words, “Bad”. Most people complain about the new Couchsurfing subscription fee. In many cases, users were charged even after they had canceled. On top of that, you now also have to pay the subscription fee when you want to host guests and offer a place to stay.
The customer service isn’t of any help in these cases either. Other complaints are regarding potential Couchsurfing safety risks. For instance, one user describes how a host specifically only wanted guests to be homosexual whereas another host spontaneously asked for a fee upon arrival or for getting work done at the house, like cooking, doing laundry, or cleaning. 
Couchsurfing Reviews on Other Websites
Looking at other Couchsitting review websites shows a very similar picture. For instance, on Sitejabber, Couchsurfing only got 1.68 stars out of 5. Again, most people complained about the subscription fee, bad customer support, and safety issues.
My Couchsurfing Experience
I haven’t used Couchsurfing yet and, to be honest, judging from the current bad reviews, I’m definitely not going to use it any time soon. I find the safety risks are just too high and I’m happy to pay a few dollars extra for a comfortable and clean bed, knowing I’m safe. So at this moment, I do not recommend Couchsurfing. I have, however, used one of the most popular Couchsurfing alternatives, TrustedHoussitter, and can definitely recommend it. Here you can stay at people’s houses for free and take care of their plants and pets while the hosts are away on holiday or business trips.
What are the Pros and Cons of Couchsurfing?
Like everything else in this world, there are bad and good sides. Before you decide to couchsurf, check out these pros and cons. Then you can decide whether it’s the right choice for you or if you should go for one of the couchsurfing alternatives mentioned later in this post.
Couchsurfing Pros
- Experience local cultures: Couchsurfing gives you the ultimate experience of indulging in the life of your favorite country. You can live the life of people from the country you want to visit. Taste their food, see their traditions, learn their language – a chance to see the life of a foreigner up close and personal. You can even get to see places that are not listed as popular tourist attractions. Who knows, you might like your host’s lifestyle so much, it will make you move there.
- Create long-lasting friendships all over the world: Couchsurfing is a great way to make friends when traveling. Because couchsurfing lets you experience your hosts’ most intimate moments and places, it makes people bond more. Hotels can seem distant and cold. That’s the uniqueness of couchsurfing. Your host and you probably share a deep passion for traveling and culture. Your host might even one day visit your country. You can visit each other and you will always have a friend on the other side.
- Free accommodation: I probably should have put this as a first couchsurfing pro since nothing in this world is free, except couchsurfing. This is what makes couchsurfing a great option for anybody traveling on a budget. In the end, all you need is a bed and shower. You don’t need fancy hotels. Instead of wasting money on accommodation, relocate your budget to experiences.
Couchsurfing Cons
- Bad host: It might all seem nice and dandy online but when you meet your host in person, it just doesn’t click. What you can do is look for more information about your host beforehand. Maybe you can find out more on Facebook, Google, or other couchsurfing websites to avoid bad surprises.
- Inflexible schedule: First of all, not all hosts offer their place all year round. That means you have to go for the options that are available at the time you want to visit. And two, chances are rare that your host would want to give you a spare key or leave you alone at their place. That means you may need to go out when they go out. This can get exhausting. Look for your host’s description on some of the best couchsurfing sites to see if they listed their schedule and see if it fits in with yours.
- A limited number of nights: If you decide to go couchsurfing, plan your schedule ahead. Organization is key when it comes to this type of travel since you have a limited number of nights you can couchsurf. Naturally, the host doesn’t want to give you free accommodation for weeks in a row. So couchsurfing is nothing that we can recommend in the long run.
Best Couchsurfing Alternatives
If you think Couchsurfing is too risky or you can find a suitable place, check out the following Couchsurfing alternatives:
- If you are looking for free accommodation while traveling, house-sitting is definitely the perfect option for you.
- If you are willing to pay a small price in comparison to expensive hotels, then have a look at the other options below.
Couchsurfing Alternative #1: TrustedHousesitters
TrustedHoussitter is a couchsurfing website that combines a passion for travel and pets in one. On this platform, people offer free accommodation in exchange for taking care of their pets, plants, or houses. Pet owners and sitters can create their profiles and share photos, interests, and goals. If you are an owner, post the dates you want to leave your place and need someone to stay there and take care of things. Then you wait for applications from house sitters. Keep an eye on verified and reviewed house sitters. Choose the candidate you like the most. Arrange the details.
Go traveling and be greeted by happy pets when you come home. If you want to be a house sitter, create your sitter profile. Post pictures, describe your relationship with pets, and sitter verifications. There is no limit on the applications you can send out. With hundreds of satisfied customers, TrustedHousesitters stands out as one of the safest in the tough crowd of couchsurfing competitors. https://youtu.be/HHJqSu-Fr8c
Couchsurfing Alternative #2: HouseCarers
Your plants and pets will never be neglected when you go couchsurfing thanks to HouseCarers. They have been around creating successful collaborations between house sitters and travelers since the early 2000s. HouseCarers truly deserves its rightful place amongst the best couchsurfing websites. HouseCarers offers free registration for house owners, a guideline that will help you make the process easier and that includes tips, a checklist, a contract with everything outlined, an FAQ section, transparent communication, and support.
Their system forwards verified candidates that fit your requirements and conditions. Making the final call is up to you. If you want to list as a house sitter, all you need to do is create a profile, search for potential housesitting opportunities, and wait patiently for a notification that alerts you that you have a match! HouseCarers is a couchsurfing alternative that also offers free accommodation and ranks as one of the best couchsurfing competitors.
Couchsurfing Alternative #3: Airbnb
Airbnb’s success grew over the course thanks to the growing demand for traveling on a budget. The platform offers accommodations owned by locals or people residing in a particular area for a longer period. Get to know the locals by booking a stay through Airbnb, creating relationships, and getting the experience of a lifetime. Unlike Couchsurfing, Airbnb charges a service fee for the host and guest upon registration. The guest is required to pay the host for the stay.
On the plus side, you can decide if you only want to have a couch, an entire room in the host’s place, or the entire place for yourself. Prices range from the cheapest to the priciest rentals you can find on the Internet. Depending on the budget, there is an option for everyone.
Couchsurfing Alternative #4: WarmShowers
Cyclists choose WarmShowers over any other free couchsurfing website. WarmShowers merges the love of traveling and cycling in one great experience just a click away. This website can boast about having registered 159,386 members and 99,792 hosts in their network. Their love is spread over 161 countries and counting. There is certainly a bright future for all cyclists who love to travel and grow their network thanks to WarmShowers. 
Couchsurfing Alternative #5: BeWelcome
A great candidate I felt I needed to add to the list of the best couchsurfing sites. Sharing experiences, knowledge, and love has been BeWelcome’s mission since the start. This couchsurfing website offers a place for travelers and hosts to connect from all parts of the world with ease. With great tools to help you navigate through the process, BeWelcome provides a great user experience and customer service to answer all of your questions. So far, 139666 and counting registered members of different backgrounds have shown their love and appreciation towards traveling for free. Diversity is the name, travelling is the game!
Couchsurfing Alternative #6: HomeStay
Are you a student who wants to travel? Do you have a spare bedroom? Do you want to save some bucks but still want to travel the world? HomeStay can help you with that. Their platform offers one of the most affordable accommodations. If you look at their website, all you can see are reviews from travelers and hosts. Credibility is the word I would describe HomeStay with. Whether you are traveling for pleasure, business, or education, HomeStay offers something to everybody out there!
Couchsurfing Alternative #7: Vrbo (formerly HomeAway)
Vrbo (formerly HomeAway) is a place where you can find every kind of rental property, from houses, studios, and condos to cozy cottages. So this platform is very similar to Airbnb. Experience the awesome holiday trip you always wanted for a fraction of the cost you would pay for a fancy hotel. Feel right at home even when you’re not with fully equipped kitchens, bathrooms, pools, and bedrooms. With a Confidence Guarantee of 24/7 support, you will never feel voiceless no matter what happens.
Couchsurfing Alternative #8: TrustRoots
TrustRoots is the place where hitchhikers, nomads, and dumper divers come to meet! Beauty, simplicity, and transparency are words listed on their website. No wonder, this couchsurfing app stands as one of the best sites thanks to their happy travelers. Find free accommodation, and share your love of traveling with hosts and traveling buddies. Grow your network and build unbreakable bonds that will last a lifetime. This non-profit organization, founded by a small team of activists, focuses on building a community of people who want to help each other. Their network came up to 50,000 members and it’s growing day by day! 
Couchsurfing Alternative #9: MovingWorlds
If you are an expert in a particular field, if you like to make a change in the world, and if you love to travel for free, MovingWorld is the best choice for you. Make a bigger impact by offering your knowledge and experience all over the world. With its volunteering program, MovingWorld is on the mission of making the world a better place. MovingWorld is partnered with investors, organizations, and foundations to increase its reach. That’s why they are moving up at a fast pace. No matter what industry you are in, you can build your career portfolio and grow your network for free with a simple registration on their website.
Couchsurfing Review – The Verdict
Now, that was a long list of the best couchsurfing apps! Whether you are a host or a traveler, I hope this Couchsitting review helps you in making that final decision. From my experience, I’ll say that TrustedHousesitters was the most professional and safest website as a host. I needed my pets and house taken care of when I needed to go to Germany. They provided me with a verified house sitter who regularly checked in with me, gave me updates, and took care of my pet while I was gone.
I would advise you to pick a couple of sites and couchsurfing alternatives. Create a profile on a handful of them and see where you can find the best offer for your desired travel time frame. Do you have any experience with couchsurfing, housesitting, or any other alternatives? Let us know in the comment section below!
Couchsurfing FAQs
Is Couchsurfing Free?
Couchsurfing is not free anymore. If you use the Couchsurfing app you currently have to pay EUR 2.89 per month or EUR 14.50 per year to use the app. However, the couchsurfing places itself are free.
What Is the Best Couchsurfing Website?
The best couchsurfing website is https://www.couchsurfing.com/. This is the most popular website for finding couchsurfing places and offering your couch to visitors. However, due to safety reasons and currently negative Couchsurfing reviews on Trustpilot, I recommend you use any of the mentioned Couchsurfing alternatives. My personal favorite is TrustedHoussitter.
Is Couchsurfing for Couples?
Yes, couchsurfing is also for couples. This can actually be a good Couchsurfing safety tip for females. However, you always need to check in advance with the host if they are okay with having two people there.
Is Couchsurfing Worth It?
In my personal opinion: No, Couchsurfing is not worth it right now. The Couchsurfing app reviews are very negative at the moment. Plus, there are some serious safety risks you should take into account. I recommend using a Couchsurfing alternative, such as TrustedHoussitter or HouseCarers.
Can You Make Money with Couchsurfing?
No, you cannot make money with Couchsurfing. As a host, you offer your couch (or an alternative place to sleep in your home) for free. That means you won’t get paid for having people stay at your place. You even have to pay the Couchsurfing subscription fee to be able to list your couch. 
The article you shared is very informative. Thank you for sharing it.
Thanks for the recommendations!
I highly recommend these two couchsurfing communities for female travellers:
Host a Sister – Facebook group where women around the world can find accommodations.
Travel Ladies – mobile app connecting women who want to travel with other women who want to host them
Couchsurfing is now charging a monthly ($1.99 /mo) or yearly ($13.99 /yr) fee.