# Kindred Home Swapping — Members-only home exchange

> Members-only home exchange network for travel and human connection. (iPhone/iPad app by Kindred Concepts Inc.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kindred-home-swapping/id1603228195 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Kindred Concepts Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1603228197)
- Category: Travel, Lifestyle
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.90/5 from 1,672 App Store ratings · 149 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.1 · 112 MB
- Languages: American English, French (France), German (Germany), Italian, European Portuguese, European Spanish
- Released: 2022-04-04
- Data updated: 2026-08-29
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kindred-home-swapping/id1603228195/reviews.md

## What is Kindred Home Swapping?

Kindred is a members-only home swapping network that harnesses the power of a trusted community to unlock a lifestyle rich with travel and human connection. By exchanging homes and apartments with peers, both renters and owners alike can access the opportunity to travel between homes across North America and Europe.

HOW IT WORKS
Using Kindred is simple: you give a night to get a night. Members can swap homes 1-for-1, or book stays with credits earned by hosting others. For each night you host a member, you receive a credit to book a stay of your own at any Kindred home.

Once booked, your Kindred concierge takes care of all of logistics to make hosting and staying a breeze - from professional cleaning, to providing access to our members-only hosting essentials marketplace - so you can focus on enjoying your trip.

HOW TO JOIN
We are accepting applications at https://livekindred.com.

FEEDBACK
We’d love your feedback as we build this product and community! Please reach out to hello@livekindred.com with any questions or feedback.

## Key features

- Members-only home exchange
- Travel with trusted community
- Earn credits by hosting
- Concierge services for logistics
- Access homes in North America and Europe

## What do users think of Kindred Home Swapping?

Overall sentiment: mixed

**Pros**

- 👍 Fantastic hosts and great communication
- 🏠 Cozy and comfortable homes
- 💰 Affordable alternative to hotels
- 🌇 Great locations and views
- 🧹 Professionally cleaned homes
- 🤝 Welcoming community feel
- 🌟 High-quality homes and amenities
- 🗺️ Seamless travel experiences

**Cons**

- 🤔 Confusing app navigation and functionality
- 🕰️ Slow response times from hosts
- 🚫 Difficulty booking desired dates
- 💰 Expensive service and cleaning fees
- 🤨 Lack of transparency around host ratings
- 🛑 Frustrating cancellation policies
- 🤯 Unreliable app performance and crashes

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Login issues and account verification problems
- Frequent app crashes and freezes
- Inaccurate availability and booking information

**Most requested features**

- Improved search and filtering options
- More transparent host rating system
- Flexible date changes and cancellations
- Better in-app messaging and communication
- Streamlined onboarding and profile management
- Enhanced app stability and performance

## Recent user reviews (10 of 149)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kindred-home-swapping/id1603228195/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Lost $400 due to awful policies

*2026-08-18, version 2026.33.5*

Booked a trip to Brussels - the couldn’t access the property because Kindred staff / contractors hadn’t placed the keys where they were promised. Had a young child with me, but despite this customer service wouldn’t intervene unless I took a photo of the ‘missing key’ in the postbox. Went back to take the picture, and then was offered to be reimbursed  for a meal and hotels for the 2 nights - Thought this was great customer service, but when I sent proof of payment., They refused to accept it unless I provided specific receipts from the hotel. The hotel delayed sending them to me, and when I explained this to customer service, they said would not extend the time I had to give them the receipts and they would be not refunding me the hotels cost I had incurred because they didn’t provide me access to the property in the first place! I wouldn’t go so far to call this a scam, but clearly the other property sharing apps have better customer service and haven’t cost me 400 dollars through no fault of my own. I wouldn’t  trust their team, you may not get access to their properties, and do not trust offers of reimbursement when you are vulnerable with a child. I am not going to trust them with my property in London either. Shame on them.

### 1/5 — High service and cleaning fees in Canada and USA

*2026-08-02, version 2026.30.4*

Even if there is no nightly rate, the cleaning fees plus the app service fees are very significant and equal or sometimes higher than Airbnb’s total (nightly rate + all the fees). Until now I compared studios or 1 bedroom in Kindred to Airbnb and every time Airbnb was a better option when im travelling solo as it also offered more choices and a better location. Anyway I just wanted to share my honest review as it’s a been a couple times that I wanted to use this app and everytime would find a better choice in Airbnb or somewhere else. I kindly suggest to review the app fees and the cleaning fees(look for more competitive cleaning prices for example) to attract more members and get more “bookings” and that would eventually generate more profit. I would appreciate if you could transmit my message to management. Thank you!

### 5/5 — Such a cool concept!

*2026-08-02, version 2026.30.4*

We love how kindred makes travel more accessible and provides a space for likeminded people to explore and create memories. We’ve been members for a couple of years now and have had amazing experiences so far! Looking forward to more adventures.

### 5/5 — Great Experience

*2026-08-02, version 2026.30.4*

Our first Kindred experience was excellent. Everything worked smoothly—from the support and responsiveness of the Kindred team to the wonderful home and thoughtful hosts.

If the community continues to be filled with people like this, it’s absolutely worth being part of. We’re already looking forward to our next exchange.

### 4/5 — Mi experiencia como huésped

*2026-07-27, version 2026.29.4*

Me gustaría comentar que como huésped no ha sido muy buena la experiencia ya que no he tenido respuesta por parte de la host.  Por otro lado como anfitrión ha sido muy buena, mis primeros dos huéspedes han sido muy amables, atentos y respetuosos, pero me gustaría tener la misma reciprocidad, soy nueva es esto y me gustaría saber si es normal, es muy difícil conseguir hospedajes??

### 2/5 — Damages are on you

*2026-07-16, version 2026.28.4*

I love the great guests.  But if you have damage from a not great guest, Kindred doesn’t make it easy to claim.  Do you have receipts for every single item in your house?  I don’t. I love hosting and am a great guest, but not everyone cares about your stuff and Kindred doesn’t care either. Home Exchange is much better.

### 5/5 — Really useful app

*2026-07-15, version 2026.28.4*

Thanks for giving us opportunity to travel more and to connect with other families around the globe

### 2/5 — Great idea, but hidden fees

*2026-07-11*

I love the concept of Kindred, and my hosting experience has been great but the pricing as a guest is disappointing.

Kindred advertises itself as home swapping where you pay the cleaning fee. What isn’t clear is that Kindred also charges its own service fee PER NIGHT, and that money goes to the platform—not to the host. Charging this fee nightly instead of once per stay makes the savings surprisingly small. Compared to similar Airbnb’s where I’m going on my next trip, kindred only ends up being $20-30 less per night.

Though Kindred may make sense for very expensive cities, for smaller towns the nightly fee undermines the value of the home swapping platform. I’d rather pay more and have my money go to the host than have Kindred keep all the profit for themselves while advertising that they’re a credit based home swapping platform.

### 3/5 — good app but crashes

*2026-06-28, version 2026.25.4*

cool app still have to use it but it keeps crashing when i try to set it up

### 1/5 — No longer recommend after hosting 70 nights. Don’t host here

*2026-06-20, version 2026.24.3*

This platform was once great. Great guests and community. I hosted 70 nights over 2 years, was asked to be in their PR story, but I don’t recommend it anymore. 

If you want to use the platform as a guest, it can be pretty good. But if you are a host, I would think twice before giving this platform your home. 

Their operational diligence and approach to safety and care has become comically low. Consistent pattern of failures across four areas:

Privacy violations
• Dec 2024: A cleaner opened a privacy-stickered cabinet, reportedly while searching for a plunger. The sticker exists precisely so that cleaners message me instead of entering.
• Jan 2026: Privacy tapes were torn in two separate rooms — the bathroom and the living room. Not sure why whom. 
• May/Jun 2026: Privacy tape torn in 2 places. Cleaner opened my main closet, which had a privacy sticker on it, and used bedding there instead of the designated linens clearly labeled in the linen closet and in the instructions. 

Access and security
• May/Jun 2026: Emergency access codes I shared with concierge team for a one-time situation were copied into the permanent access instructions for my home — without my knowledge — across multiple guest stays. I flagged this on Jun 1 and it was brushed off. On Jun 5, the next cleaning team tried to use the dead codes, couldn’t get in, and called me frantically while I had to manage the fallout remotely.
• When I raised this with support on Jun 1, I was told adding backup codes to permanent instructions was standard practice. That concerns me more than the individual incident.
• This is part of a broader pattern of access problems being pushed onto me rather than handled internally. In Nov 2024 and again in Jun 2026, I was called internationally while traveling because a cleaner couldn’t use the entry app. Both times, your concierge team contacted me without first verifying the credentials themselves. Both times, when they finally tried it themselves, it worked immediately. The entry app has never had an issue. The cleaner simply couldn’t use it correctly.

Careless handling and damage
• Dec 2024/Jan 2025: Perishable food left to grow mold in my fridge, damp towels left on chairs, items moved and not returned, vacuum left under the TV stand.
• Dec 2025/Jan 2026: Pillows damaged and found torn, an unfamiliar pillow left behind, wine glasses left sticky and stored incorrectly. A guest explicitly reported the home was not clean on arrival and that the headboard was loose — your concierge was notified mid-stay and nothing was rectified at checkout.
• Jun 2026: several items missing. Was told to hold 7 days before they can open a case. Then told me I need to report before the 7 day deadline. Completely unclear. So much hassle for prob 35 bucks of household items.

Feedback and investigation handling
• Dec 2024: Rather than using the manufacturing date on the moldy food to identify which guest’s stay it was from, your team emailed all guests across four back-to-back stays — unnecessarily implicating innocent guests and damaging guest relationships.

When I’ve raised these issues, the responses have been slow, fragmented, and focused on process over accountability. When issues were resolved at all, compensation came in the form of platform credits — which is meaningless when the host lost trust in the service entirely.

## Frequently asked questions about Kindred Home Swapping

### What is Kindred Home Swapping?

Kindred is a members-only home swapping network that enables users to exchange homes with a trusted community. It allows both renters and owners to travel by swapping their apartments or houses with peers across North America and Europe.

### How does home swapping work on Kindred?

The core principle is 'give a night to get a night.' Members can swap homes on a 1-for-1 basis or use credits earned by hosting other members. For every night you host someone, you receive a credit that can be used to book a stay at another Kindred home.

### What are the costs associated with Kindred?

The provided information indicates the app has ads, suggesting a 'free with in-app purchases' model. While the core exchange mechanism is credit-based, specific membership fees or costs for concierge services are not detailed in the description.

### What kind of travel does Kindred facilitate?

Kindred facilitates travel through home exchanges, offering an alternative to traditional accommodations. It focuses on fostering human connection by allowing members to stay in vetted homes belonging to other members, making travel more accessible and community-driven.

### What logistics are handled by Kindred?

Kindred provides a concierge service that handles various logistics to simplify hosting and staying. This includes professional cleaning of the homes and shipping necessary items like guest sheets and toiletries, allowing members to focus on their trip.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2026.34.5 — 2026-08-24

Bug fixes and performance improvements.

### 2026.33.5 — 2026-08-17

Bug fixes and performance improvements.

### 2026.32.7 — 2026-08-10

Bug fixes and performance improvements.

### 2026.31.5 — 2026-08-03

Bug fixes and performance improvements.

### 2026.30.4 — 2026-07-27

Bug fixes and performance improvements.

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## Related topics

[kindred home swapping](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/kindred-home-swapping) · [kindred](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/kindred) · [live kindred](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/live-kindred) · [home exchange](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/home-exchange) · [home exchange networks for travelers](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/home-exchange-networks-for-travelers) · [popular house sitting and travel apps](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/popular-house-sitting-and-travel-apps)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-29.*
