The AirDNA Rentalizer is the flagship tool of the short-term rental data platform and one of the most well-known Airbnb calculators. The tool aims to help investors and hosts estimate how much a property might be able to make on Airbnb based on the comps in the local market. But what exactly is the AirDNA Rentalizer? And is it worth it for vacation rental property investors and other operators in the industry?
In our AirDNA Rentalizer review, we’ll discuss its features, capabilities, data sources, ideal customers, and costs in order to help investors, hosts, and property managers like you decide if this is the right tool for your short-term rental data needs. As part of the process, we’ll take into account the average ratings of the AirDNA platform on reputable third-party websites and also check out individual customer reviews to highlight the main pros and cons of the tool as seen and evaluated by actual users. Finally, we’ll conclude by presenting you with the top three alternatives to the AirDNA Rentalizer for investors and operators with different needs and requirements.
Serious about STR investing? So are we. While the AirDNA Rentalizer offers a helpful snapshot of what a property might earn, SummerOS is built for operators who need more than just estimates. Whether you're managing five properties or fifty, SummerOS gives you real-time, institutional-grade data and flexible tools that go far beyond surface-level projections.
Want to adjust comps? Change rental types? Create multiple scenarios or build a full pro forma? You can do all of that — and more — inside SummerOS. Our platform is designed for short-term rental professionals who want to understand the why behind the numbers, compare multiple markets and properties, and grow smarter with every investment decision. Get started with your free SummerOS trial today!
What is the AirDNA Rentalizer?
The Rentalizer is the AirDNA version of an Airbnb calculator, helping you evaluate the revenue and profit potential of any property. It calculates how much money a vacation rental property could earn based on its:
- Street address
- Number of bedrooms
- Number of bathrooms
- Maximum number of guests
The Rentalizer provides estimates on the most important Airbnb metrics when evaluating investment opportunities, including:
- Annual short-term rental revenue
- Average daily rate (ADR)
- Airbnb occupancy rate
Our AirDNA Rentalizer review shows that the projections provided by the Rentalizer are based on competitive analysis of active short-term rental listings in the local market. The calculator puts together a list of comparable nearby properties and creates an index based on similarity and relevance so that more similar rentals get a higher weight in the analysis.
In addition, the tool conducts Airbnb market analysis to factor in market-wide variables, such as seasonality, demand, and revenue trends. Based on these analytics, the Rentalizer estimates the expected performance of various types of properties to be rented out on a short-term basis. The AirDNA Rentalizer works globally.
Who is the AirDNA Rentalizer best for?
The AirDNA Rentalizer can facilitate the work and improve the outcomes for different types of operators in the short-term rental market.
The main users of the tool include:
- First-time Airbnb investors looking for the best short-term rental markets and opportunities to get started
- Experienced vacation rental investors searching for new profitable properties to add to their portfolio
- Homeowners and second home owners deciding whether to list their house or part of it on Airbnb and Vrbo
- Airbnb arbitrage investors calculating the difference between long-term and short-term rental income
- Airbnb and Vrbo hosts wondering if their property is performing as expected or results could be boosted
- Local and national short-term rental property managers evaluating the potential of new properties before deciding whether to work with them
- Investor-friendly real estate agents and brokers helping clients analyze properties for sale before buying them
- Lenders underwriting properties to decide how much financing to provide
What is the AirDNA Rentalizer used for?
Real estate investors and sometimes property managers use the AirDNA Rentalizer to conduct Airbnb investment property analysis, especially on homes that they don’t own or manage yet. The calculator helps automate and optimize one of the most important, yet time-consuming aspects of investing in vacation rentals, namely analyzing the potential of properties before buying them.
This analysis is based on the historical, current, and expected performance of similar rentals in the area. Traditionally, this process requires the manual collection, cleaning, and organization of thousands of data points before applying complicated calculations in Airbnb spreadsheets. In addition to taking a lot of time and effort, manual computations are prone to human error, which can lead to costly mistakes down the road.
Similar to other Airbnb calculators, the Rentalizer automates this process, reducing the need for manual work and eliminating the guesswork from short-term rental property investments. Meanwhile, results are expected to be more accurate than when performing manual calculations as software tools incorporate significantly more data points.
According to our review of the AirDNA Rentalizer, it helps investors:
- Estimate what income they can expect from a property
- Decide if a property for sale will make for a profitable short-term rental
- Determine if it’s a good time to invest in a property
- Explore how an Airbnb rental will perform during different seasons
- See whether a property will appreciate or depreciate in value over time
How accurate is the AirDNA Rentalizer?
The accuracy of the AirDNA Rentalizer depends largely on the data that the calculator uses in its computations as well as the algorithms that it applies. The AirDNA Rentalizer gets data from Airbnb and Vrbo listings data, partner listings data, and property data from users. As reported by the company, AirDNA accuracy stands at 94.9% for Airbnb data and 98.7% for Vrbo data. However, customer reviews of the AirDNA Rentalizer and other tools reveal a different reality.
In many markets, customers report that AirDNA performance forecasting is inaccurate, with cases of both underestimates and overestimates. Importantly, there seem to be major discrepancies in the quality of data and analytics from one location to another, with larger markets benefiting from more accurate analysis due to the more widely available data there.
Another major point raised by a number of customers is that the AirDNA Rentalizer does not take into account all important factors when analyzing the expected performance of vacation rentals. For instance, it’s missing a mortgage calculator and it doesn’t consider short-term rental regulations which have a major impact on the feasibility of Airbnb investments in an area and their performance.
When it comes to accuracy and usability, the AirDNA Rentalizer can serve as a helpful starting point — offering a general sense of a property's income potential and the dynamics of its local market. However, for investors and operators looking to make confident, data-driven decisions, it often falls short. The tool lacks the depth and flexibility needed for thorough underwriting, and its insights typically need to be supplemented with additional tools, manual calculations, or localized market research to ensure reliable and profitable investment outcomes.
That’s why SummerOS has become the go-to AirDNA Rentalizer alternative for serious STR professionals. Built by real estate acquisition experts, SummerOS combines institutional-grade data with fully customizable comp sets, revenue forecasting, pro forma builders, and tools designed to reflect the realities of modern vacation rental investing. Whether you're underwriting a new deal or optimizing an existing portfolio, SummerOS delivers the depth, accuracy, and flexibility that operators need, without the guesswork.
Ready to level up your STR analysis? Start your free trial of SummerOS today.
AirDNA Rentalizer reviews: What customers say
AirDNA has an average rating of 4.7/5 stars based on a total of more than 450 customer reviews. Since there are no specific reviews of the AirDNA Rentalizer on trustworthy websites, we looked at general reviews of the AirDNA platform and focused on those that discuss the availability and accuracy of market- and property-level data, pertinent to the Rentalizer tool. Meanwhile, customer feedback on platforms, such as BiggerPockets and Reddit, tackles the AirDNA Rentalizer in specific.
AirDNA reviews are available on:
- Trustpilot: 4.7/5 stars from 464 reviews
- G2: 3.6/5 stars from 4 reviews
- Capterra: 1.5/5 stars from 2 reviews
- BiggerPockets
- Quora
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of the AirDNA Rentalizer and other AirDNA data tools that customers highlight in their reviews:
Positive AirDNA Rentalizer reviews from customers
AirDNA has a good average rating on Trustpilot, where it has the largest number of customer reviews, but many reviews reflect positive experiences with customer support rather than happiness with the available tools, like the Rentalizer. Still, some customers praise certain aspects of the AirDNA Rentalizer.
Good accuracy in some markets and for some properties
Based on customer reviews, the AirDNA Rentalizer and other tools are able to facilitate investment decisions and give accurate estimates in some markets.
Reddit_Never_Lies shared the following on Reddit:
“I projected the quality of my listing could hit the 90th percentile for listings in our zip code, and the AirDnA estimate has been pretty spot on for it so far.”
Sonny wrote this on Trustpilot:
“Airdna is a great product. They provide lots of useful information to start an Airbnb business.”
Shay’s review of the AirDNA Rentalizer on Quora reads:
“In my opinion, it depends on what market are you looking for. With these kinds of data tools, they can’t really provide you a 100% accuracy without any defects due to data processing and scraping. Despite that, it’s still helpful to use these STR tools with your own market research.”
Haoma shared her impressions on Trustpilot:
“Great data source for our market research and analysis. Very precise and all encompassing overview.”
Useful as a starting point
Overall, the AirDNA Rentalizer stands out as a way to start your Airbnb analysis for quick estimations. However, to get accurate and reliable results, most customers recommend combining it with other Airbnb data tools and/or manual analysis to account for all relevant factors and the most fitting comps.
Kittykatzmeowmeow shared their thoughts on AirDNA on Reddit:
“I'd say it's a guesstimate, but accurate sometimes. Take that number and apply a plus/minus 25% band around it.”
John wrote the following on Trustpilot:
“AirDNA was invaluable for picking the right market to invest in and picking a good property that would give me the best ROI. I wouldn't have felt confident purchasing a property without the data AirDNA provided. By using both the market overview data and Rentalizer, I identified a property that was a good buy and should generate solid rental revenue. It isn't magic and I still had to review comps to make sure I believed the result, but it still empowered me to take the plunge and feel good about my investment.”
Cloud_Gnash commented the following on Reddit:
“It's just a decent estimate, i've found it to be fairly accurate as a ballpark. You will need to generate your own comparisons to be able to get a more accurate estimate.”
Pust0062’s review of AirDNA Rentalizer on Reddit reads as follows:
“It's a fairly accurate estimate. But you have to keep I'm mind that it's averaging all of the comps in your area. So if your property is a top 90% performer Airdna's estimate will be low. If you're a bottom performer it'll be high.”
Negative AirDNA Rentalizer reviews from customers
However, a number of customers complain about different aspects of the AirDNA Rentalizer and other related AirDNA tools.
Inaccurate data and performance estimates
Many AirDNA users find the data and analytics to be rather inaccurate and misleading, reporting both underestimates and overestimates of actual results. A recurrent theme seems to be that the Rentalizer is accurate for some markets (usually bigger markets with a lot of listings) and inaccurate in other locations (smaller areas with limited listings).
Antares wrote the following on Quora:
“To this date, airdna is not getting better. Yet I find it getting worse. I have 5 airbnb listings (in phoenix, AZ) and I wanted to check how accurate the airdna is. I figured that airdna does not even pull the correct numbers from my listings but also the airdna estimates are totally useless. Not worth a single cent for the data from airdna. Absolutely rubbish!”
That’s what Deidre wrote on Quora in this regard:
“I have 6 short term rental properties. I looked at just my properties on Airdna and found that the data on 2 were pretty accurate (within 10% of actual number on gross annual rent), the data on 1 was about 15% off, the date on one was about 25% off and the data on the last two was just so out there as to be worthless. The occupancy numbers were worthless—airdna listed occupancy on all 6 properties as about 50%, actual occupancy ranged from 8% to 75%.”
Robert reported this on Capterra:
“The data is too inaccurate to be of any use whatsoever.”
Joy shared his negative experience with the AirDNA Rentalizer in his review on BiggerPockets:
“So in my first couple weeks of listing my STR I've become pretty discouraged with the accuracy of those things. My rental definitely isn't producing over 4k a month off just Airbnb bookings like Airdna's rentalizer tool projected.”
Jon wrote the following on BiggerPockets:
“Garbage in equals Garbage out. Airdna is not accurate.”
Adrian shared his frustration on Trustpilot:
“The majority of functionality (Rentalizer, Rates etc.) never worked correctly for me, and the remaining data was misleading, outdated and sometimes flat out wrong.”
Avery reported this on BiggerPockets:
“I have found that all of the STR's I have have significantly outperformed AirDNA rentalizer data in Destin, 30a, Smoky Mountains, and Forgotten Coast.”
Inability to gauge the impact of important attributes
While some customers find the general estimates provided by the AirDNA Rentalizer to be good, they highlight the inability of the calculator to account for various important factors and differentiators in the short-term rental business.
Avery wrote this on BiggerPockets:
“The rentalizer is a decent tool to analyze performance DATA of a neighborhood immediately surrounding a subject property. What it cannot measure are the intangible items that contribute to that performance data such as: quality of photos, amenities, listing detail, etc.”
Kooky_Bus503 shared their thoughts on Reddit:
“Last time I subscribed (over 2 years ago) I found it doesn’t account for extra guest fees. For me that can mean the difference between 24k and 32k.”
Missing tool features
A number of customers think that the AirDNA Rentalizer could have been a much more useful tool if it featured a few additional capabilities. At the moment, the tool is rather limited.
T wrote this on Trustpilot:
“The rentalizer tool could use a mortgage portion to help investors make better decisions. I realize that a mortgage is not a formal operating expense, but it is clearly a variable for deciding whether to purchase a property or not.”
Chris reported the following on Trustpilot:
“The rentalizer tool is a good start but lacks the nuance needed to accurately determine the average daily rate and occupancy potential of a property. These figures should be adjustable to different percentiles. For example, if I have an extrodinarily detailed and spacious 2 bedroom unit, it should perform above the average, ADR of other 2 beds in that zip code. However, there is no tool to tell me what the ADR of 2 beds in the top 10% of all 2 bed listings in that zip code should perform.”
NW’s review of AirDNA on Trustpilot reads as follows:
“I wish airdna would provide more information about how local regulations affect each home. I constantly get income projections for homes that are not eligible for short term rental income due to local regulations.”
Based on AirDNA Rentalizer reviews provided by actual customers, the calculator can serve as a useful tool to get started with your market research and property analysis to get a general idea of whether it’s worth digging any further in a particular opportunity. However, for comprehensive analysis, it’s needed to use complementary tools or manual analysis that can take into consideration all the factors that matter for the performance of a short-term rental, such as amenities, extras, mortgage, and regulations.
AirDNA Rentalizer pricing
A limited version of the AirDNA Rentalizer can be used for free, forever. However, this calculator comes with a limited number of searches and a limited variety of Airbnb metrics as well as with no downloads of the rental property analysis in PDF format.
Meanwhile, a paid version of the Rentalizer is available with the AirDNA Pro plan, which costs $34/month when billed annually. This AirDNA pricing level provides unlimited access to the Airbnb calculator and PDF downloads.
The Rentalizer is included in the AirDNA Advanced subscription plan too, where it has the same functionalities as in the Pro plan, but the cost is unclear as it’s custom.
AirDNA Rentalizer alternatives
The AirDNA Rentalizer can sometimes be a useful starting point for short-term rental investment analysis. However, reported data inconsistencies and limited functionality mean it’s often best used alongside other tools — or replaced entirely — to get more reliable, in-depth insights.
Below are the best AirDNA competitors that help investors and property managers analyze properties with greater accuracy, flexibility, and efficiency.
1. SummerOS: The best AirDNA Rentalizer alternative
Many users turn to the AirDNA Rentalizer as a starting point, but quickly find it lacks the depth, accuracy, and flexibility required for serious short-term rental investing. Based on extensive customer reviews across platforms like Trustpilot, BiggerPockets, Reddit, and Quora, common complaints about AirDNA Rentalizer include inaccurate estimates, inconsistent data quality across markets, limited adjustability, and a lack of tools to account for critical investment factors like amenities, regulations, or financing.
SummerOS was built to solve these exact problems.
Developed by a team with deep experience in real estate acquisitions and STR operations, SummerOS is more than a rental calculator — it's a full-stack asset intelligence platform designed for operators who manage real capital, real portfolios, and real performance.
Accurate, institutional-quality data — not guesswork
SummerOS draws from a broader, higher-fidelity dataset to deliver consistent, market-specific insights that reflect real operator performance. Unlike tools that rely heavily on averaging comps, SummerOS enables you to custom-build comp sets based on performance percentiles, amenities, unit type, bedroom count, and more, ensuring estimates that reflect your asset’s true potential.
One of the most common Rentalizer complaints is its inability to show how premium listings outperform the average. SummerOS lets you break down comps by percentile, filter by premium features, and see how top-performing listings actually behave — not just the market average.
“We were lacking Airbnb market data at a granular, customizable level. AirDNA estimates were always way inflated.”
— Donna Sluijter, Director of Revenue Management at Portoro [Read full case study]
Full pro forma tools
SummerOS gives you everything you need to move from a guesstimate to a full investment case. Built-in tools allow you to add expenses (including mortgage inputs), layer in revenue assumptions, and forecast financials like a professional — without exporting to spreadsheets or relying on external models.
Built for serious operators, not just browsers
From advanced mapping and portfolio-level analysis to owner-ready reports, every feature in SummerOS is built to support STR professionals in making confident, revenue-forward decisions.
If you’re ready to go beyond rough estimates and start making smart, scalable STR investments, it’s time to try SummerOS — the platform trusted by acquisition teams, fund-backed operators, and fast-growing PMCs.
👉 Start your free trial of SummerOS today!
2. AirDNA Rentalizer vs Mashvisor
Mashvisor offers an Airbnb calculator that is designed to mimic the AirDNA Rentalizer. Compared to AirDNA, Mashvisor asks for similar information including the property address and number of bedrooms and bathrooms to perform analysis of its expected performance.
It’s important to note that some Mashvisor reviews by customers also highlight issues with data coverage and accuracy.
A very basic version of the Mashvisor Airbnb calculator can be used for free, but access to all features and data is paid. Mashvisor pricing ranges between $25/month and $100+/month when billed annually.
3. AirDNA Rentalizer vs Rabbu
The Rabbu Airbnb rental data platform also features an Airbnb calculator which is a decent alternative to the AirDNA Rentalizer. Unlike AirDNA, Rabbu asks simply for the property address and number of bedrooms to analyze expected performance in the local area.
The analysis is customizable as you can adjust the purchase price to test how this affects cash flow and profit. Similar to Mashvisor, Rabbu uses only Airbnb data with no Vrbo coverage.
One of the most important features of the Rabbu Airbnb calculator is that it is entirely free, no matter how many properties you analyze and what data you access. This makes it a good tool for beginner investors on a limited budget or those who are still just exploring potential options, but again, it lacks the rigorous insights you need for confident investing.
Is the AirDNA Rentalizer worth it?
The AirDNA Rentalizer is a legitimate starting point for short-term rental analysis. It offers a quick snapshot of a property’s earning potential and can help investors and hosts screen opportunities faster. But as many users note, its accuracy varies by market, and its lack of adjustability and advanced tools makes it difficult to rely on for serious investment decisions.
For STR professionals who need deeper insight, more flexible analysis, and better data — SummerOS is the smarter choice.
Built by real estate acquisition experts, SummerOS delivers the asset intelligence you need to confidently evaluate deals, build custom comp sets, layer in expenses, model returns, and understand local dynamics like regulations and seasonality. With institutional-grade data and tools designed for operators, not just browsers, SummerOS empowers you to invest and manage with clarity.
👉 Start your free trial of SummerOS today and upgrade your short-term rental strategy.
