As a photographer, filmmaker, or content creator, there are different options available to you when it comes to sourcing locations for your project.
Sometimes, it can be overwhelming because there are so many options. The unfortunate part is that many platforms offer subpar search results, add hidden fees, and, at the end of the day, just don’t have quality options when it comes to easily finding the perfect location for your shoot. Peerspace is a well-known platform for booking a wide variety of space types, but other platforms, like AVVAY, have joined the scene and are now making VERY strong cases as to why they may be a powerful Peerspace alternative for visual creators.
In this deep dive, we will compare AVVAY vs. Peerspace (and some other photo and film shoot location competitors) across key criteria. Here’s a summary of what we’ll cover:
- AVVAY vs Peerspace: Core Mission & Differentiator
- Where You Can Book Locations
- Inventory, Types & Quality of Locations
- Pricing, Fees & Transparency
- Search, Matching & Discovery Experience
- Communication & Support
- Host Payouts
- Pros & Cons: Trade-Offs for AVVAY vs Peerspace
- How to Choose the Right Marketplace: Decision Guide
AVVAY vs Peerspace: Core Mission & Differentiator
AVVAY’s mission is clear: to help visual creators easily book the absolute best and most inspiring photo and filming locations.
AVVAY is a trusted marketplace with a nationwide supply of beautifully curated production locations used by filmmakers, photographers, and content creators. A couple of key differentiators that really set AVVAY apart from the pack are its second-to-none tailored location matching and its in-house scouting team that provides free file pulls for clients looking to access AVVAY’s private location network for even more unique location gems.
AVVAY’s team is constantly adding to and curating their location network, providing top-notch options perfect for your next shoot, and it is the only marketplace that also offers an in-house scouting team available for higher-end projects that need even more options from their exclusive private network. This is what makes AVVAY an ultra-strong Peerspace alternative, and a go-to destination for creators looking for the absolute best photo and film locations.
In contrast, while Peerspace and other location marketplaces offer a large volume of spaces, that volume also comes with a much more convoluted mix of location types to sift through, as their search results include a blend of everything from corporate event spaces, baby shower venues, and other non-production locations.
Where You Can Book Locations
AVVAY has locations across the US. Not finding what you need? No problem, contact the scouting team anytime to have a look at our private location network!
While Peerspace has solid coverage in most major US cities, especially Los Angeles and New York, AVVAY has a leg-up in many mid-size cities and production-centric markets like Nashville, Austin, Atlanta, Chicago, and Denver.
Inventory, Types & Quality of Locations
As mentioned, Peerspace has a wide variety of space types. So if you are just looking for an inspiring venue for your next event, or an Instagram-worthy space for a baby shower or personal celebration, Peerspace has much more to offer in that regard.
However, if you are a visual creator looking to find truly unique, production-focused locations for your shoots, AVVAY is an impressive Peerspace alternative, offering highly-curated locations listed by hosts who are familiar with production (thanks to AVVAY’s host training course and onboarding process.
Lastly, if you are on the hunt for event-focused space rentals, rather than photo and film location platforms like AVVAY, or hybrid marketplaces like Peerspace, you may want to even consider marketplaces like TagVenue, which specialize in event space rentals.
Pricing, Fees & Transparency
| AVVAY | Peerspace | |
|---|---|---|
| Host Fee | 15% | Up to 20% |
| Guest Fee | 8% | Up to 15% |
| Host Payout Schedule | Instantly upon booking confirmation | Normally 3-7 days after booking, but sometimes longer |
Peerspace, with a sliding scale host fee structure, can charge up to 20% per booking with a 3-7 day payout schedule, while AVVAY offers hosts a flat 15% fee on all bookings with instant host payouts. Those booking locations on AVVAY will enjoy a nearly 50% reduction in guest-side fees compared to Peerspace.
Search, Matching & Discovery Experience
Being fully dedicated to photo and film production locations, AVVAY’s search UX and filtering systems are aimed at helping visual creators hone in on the exact aesthetic and vibe that they are after for any given shoot. AVVAY’s search is another component that makes it a strong Peerspace alternative. Optimized for searching for things like “mid century,” “brick,” or “natural light,” creators can quickly dive in and find inspiring locations for their next shoot. AVVAY places a heavy emphasis on continuing to evolve the search process for its users.
Peerspace, with a wider scope of industries served (i.e. events and corporate bookings) offers a wider search experience allowing its users to filter down by location types like “conference room” or “event space.”
Pro Tip: AVVAY hosts love the fact that AVVAY’s in-house scouting team is constantly hand-pitching their host locations to productions across the country. This service is unique to AVVAY and is just one component of AVVAY’s focus on top-notch customer service that hosts and guests alike have come to love about the platform.
Communication & Support
While both platforms have a good history of trust, AVVAY specifically provides unique tools to help hosts evaluate and vet potential guests, including sharing their social media profiles, booking history, and the number of current active requests they have out at the time.
There does seem to be a growing number of complaints on Reddit about Peerspace’s tech and customer service response times:
Host Payouts
On the hosting side, AVVAY also shows up as a strong Peerspace alternative. One huge plus for hosts renting their locations on AVVAY’s platform is that your host payout is processed immediately upon booking confirmation. Meaning that hosts receive their initial payment immediately (based on their chosen deposit preferences) when a booking is confirmed by a guest. On the other hand, Peerspace processes host payments up to 7 days after a booking has been completed.
Pros & Cons: Trade-Offs for AVVAY vs Peerspace
Peerspace provides locations for a wide range of activities from baby showers to weddings and corporate events. Because of their lean towards events, they command relatively high traffic, which can be attractive for hosts. AVVAY, on the other hand, serves a particular niche of film and photo location rentals. Because of a narrower approach, the traffic to the site is inherently lower.
AVVAY is a platform for photo and film locations. They are experts in this niche, and when it comes to finding the absolute best quality production locations, they can’t be beat.
| AVVAY | Peerspace | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Location Types | Photography Studios, Filming Locations, Creative Spaces | Event, Corporate, and Flex Spaces |
| Booking Types | Photo Shoots, Film Shoots, Content, Production | Baby Showers, Weddings, Corporate Offsites, Creatie Projects |
| Pros | Curated quality locations, top-rated customer service, and fast host payout | High traffic, ultra-wide variety of space types, and a mobile app |
| Cons | Less traffic, fewer markets, not good for events. | More tedious search process, slower host payouts, and negative customer support reviews |
How to Choose the Right Marketplace: Decision Guide
So, is AVVAY truly an authentic Peerspace alternative? When it comes to selecting the right platform for your project, budget, timeline, scale, style, logistics, and other elements all come into the decision-making process.
Peerspace shows undeniable strength when it comes to quickly booking event space for personal celebrations like weddings and showers, corporate off-sites, or other get-togethers. While they also offer some flexible creative spaces, their platform is much more focused on events.
In contrast, if you are a photographer, filmmaker, content creator, or other visual creative, and you are in need of a highly curated and focused collection of quality locations with top-rated customer support, AVVAY is absolutely the winner for this type of user.
Both platforms are great options when it comes to booking short-term rentals, but both clearly offer a very different solution for very different renters.
In their own words, here are how these two platforms describe themselves:
Peerspace is a “peer-owned global network of spaces allows guests to hold personal and professional events in unique locations, while hosts earn additional income simply by opening their doors.
AVVAY aims “to make awesome locations easily bookable for everyone. And since our inception in 2016, we’ve committed to making that experience better than ever.”
