CouchSurfing vs Smore

I stayed with Chiara, and Lorenzo. They were such great hosts from making me feel welcome, to great conversations; and great food! I had a great experience with couch surfing, and recommend it to anyone!

- Erica A.

"Great concept, UX and UI could use some work. I think the site could be wildly more popular." What do you like best about CouchSurfing? I like the camaraderie and openness - it's a good feeling to know there are generous and friendly people in the world. I often check the site when traveling. I think the site could be wildly more popular if the design was better looking and had a more unique look and navigation that had an easier flow. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about CouchSurfing? It's all about the flow of the site, I do wish it was more Airbnb streamlined and easy to navigate and less craigslist. It's a challenge navigating from one profile to another - it would be great if once you click on a user's profile you could then navigate to another without having to go back. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Recommendations to others considering CouchSurfing: It's a great site for expanding your networking and creating a community in a new area. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is CouchSurfing solving and how is that benefiting you? again knowing that there are good, honest, warm people around is just amazingly comforting even if you don't actually meet them.

- Jen L.

"CouchSurfed during a motorcycle trip from Virginia to Texas" What do you like best about CouchSurfing? The CouchSurfing community is incredibly welcoming and friendly. I enjoyed the feeling of staying with a friend versus staying in a hotel or even an AirBNB. I made new friendships, bonded with my hosts and learned about lifestyles & interests that were new to me. Hanging out to watch TV, or meet hosts' friends over a beer are memories that will last forever. They added to my trips in ways I didn't anticipate. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What do you dislike about CouchSurfing? The only real downside is it can take a lot of effort to find a bite for hosts. The amount of inquiries and connections needed for a single stay may be daunting for some users. Given the nature of hosting a stranger for free on your couch, it's not terribly surprising though. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. Recommendations to others considering CouchSurfing: Forget any stigma about staying on a stranger's couch. It's not shady or weird or icky. It's a great way to meet people and make lasting friendships. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com. What problems is CouchSurfing solving and how is that benefiting you? There are a few problems that were solved with CouchSurfing: Price/Budget - having somebody host you overnight for free, especially on their sofa is a huge benefit to keeping long road trip budgets in check. With a light pack and some smart food planning, lodging becomes one of, if not the biggest expense. Cutting that out helps make long bike trips affordable. Location - With most road trips, there may not be as many lodging or AirBNB options available in certain areas. I found that basing my trips around CouchSurfing destinations added interesting stops to the trip. Adventure/Interest/Bonding - Hotels and AirBNBs are fine for getting a roof over your head for the night. But I loved the personal connections that I made with my hosts. They were friendly, warm, and opened up their extended friend network to me. The memories from those connections made every trip better.

- Aaron G.

My overall experience has been great. I am having a fun time exploring new features. I feel like I am putting a personal touch on communicating with my students and parents. I feel very creative and I like the sense of community that having a class newsletter brings to virtual learning. You can see your analytics to track engagement. I am enjoying sending out updates in a way that is organized, creative and personal!

- Brenda K. Teacher

While I know of others who continue to use SMORE, for my purposes it was not as effective as others. It was, overall, very easy to use and send to others. It offers a great way to share information, links, and updates with many people in a single place.

- Mollie C. Teacher

I tried my best and just couldn't find anything that I did not like about smore. It's easy to use and most people can be expert users in a matter of minutes. The product also gives you the ability to view analytics which tell you how many views you have had. They also have a great support area built into the site and you really can't beat the annual pricing.

- Chris S.