Worldpackers vs. Workaway: Which is better for volunteering abroad?

Thinking about volunteering while you travel and wondering whether Worldpackers or Workaway is the better platform for you? You’re not alone. These two work exchange platforms are among the most popular in the world, helping thousands of travelers connect with hosts in exchange for free accommodation, meals, and enriching cultural experiences.

I’ve personally used both Worldpackers and Workaway on different trips. In this article, I’ll share the pros and cons of each one to help you decide which platform best fits your travel style and goals. Currently, both of them charge the same annual fee, but I have a promo code for Worldpackers that gives you 10 USD off — just click here or enter JANELASABERTAS to use it.

What is a work exchange?

Before we dive into the comparison, let’s take a quick step back if you’re new to the concept of work exchange. This type of volunteering program basically means offering some time and skills in return for free accommodation — and often meals or other perks too. It’s a way to travel on a budget while having meaningful, immersive experiences.

The details of each exchange, such as number of hours of help per day, days off and accommodation type, vary a lot depending on the host. You might help at a hostel, do gardening on a farm, support a social project, or even paint walls, among many other types of tasks.

That’s why it’s super important to read the descriptions carefully and use your judgment to choose opportunities that feel fair both for you and for the host. Most listings I’ve come across have a great collaborative vibe, but it’s good to stay alert. Not every host plays fair, and we don’t want to contribute to anything that exploits travelers or local communities.

Why do a work exchange?

Besides being a way to significantly cut down on your travel costs, a work exchange is usually a very different experience from conventional tourism. After all, you’ll learn not only from the work you do, but also from living with locals and people from all over the world.

And by not paying for accommodation, you can spend much more time in a single place, getting to “live like a local” and immersing yourself in the culture. For all these reasons, I consider my experiences traveling with Workaway and Worldpackers to be among the best trips in my life (and I’ve spent years traveling almost full time!).

Why use platforms like Workaway, Worldpackers, or others?

You can find work exchange opportunities in all kinds of places, like hostels, guesthouses, farms, holistic centers, NGOs, and even family homes all over the world. And while it’s possible to arrange this kind of experience on your own, using a dedicated platform like Workaway or Worldpackers makes the process way easier and much safer.

You could try connecting with hosts independently, but without a platform the process tends to be more time-consuming, informal, and riskier. I’ve met people who did “word of mouth” agreements directly with hosts and had very bad experiences.

That’s where platforms like these come in handy. They let you search for hosts based on location, travel dates, type of work, and more. You can check out detailed listings, read reviews from other travelers, message the host with questions, and apply directly through the site. If you get accepted, you agree on the final details — and off you go!

There are other platforms out there besides Worldpackers and Workaway, like HelpX and WWOOF. That said, I personally find HelpX’s website quite outdated, and I’ve never met anyone who used it, so I don’t feel confident recommending it.

WWOOF, on the other hand, is interesting for those specifically interested in organic farming. A few of my friends have used it and had great experiences. But it’s more niche, so if you’re looking for a wider range of experiences, you might find it limiting. It’s also not very practical if you plan on traveling to different countries, because you have to go to each country’s specific website to look for positions and apply.

Workaway and Worldpackers, on the other hand, include organic farm opportunities plus a huge variety of other options in almost every country in the world, and their search filters make it easy to find exactly what you’re looking for.

All of these platforms let you browse host listings for free, but to actually apply and message hosts, you’ll need to pay an annual membership fee. In my opinion, it’s totally worth it, especially if you’re planning to do more than one work exchange. The price they charge corresponds to what you would pay for one or two nights of accommodation in many places around the world.

So, to sum it up: Workaway and Worldpackers are the most popular work exchange platforms among travelers and also the ones I find most useful based on my personal experience.

Ready to see how they compare?

What are the differences between Workaway and Worldpackers?

Based on my experience as a user, I’ll highlight some important features of both Workaway and Worldpackers. Check out the pros and cons of each one and decide which one you prefer.

Pros and cons of Workaway

Founded in 2002, Workaway is one of the oldest and most well-known work exchange platforms. Because of that, its main advantage is the huge number of available hosts in all parts of the world. There are tens of thousands of hosts in over 170 countries, with very diverse profiles.

That was actually the reason I chose this platform for my work exchange in France back in 2017. I wanted an opportunity to fully immerse myself in the French language, and I knew that volunteering in a hostel wouldn’t help with that. After all, in hostels full of international travelers, the common language is usually English.

At the time, Worldpackers had very few host options in France, and I couldn’t find anything that matched my goal. On Workaway, on the other hand, I found several farms and family homes where I could have a deeper connection with the local culture. The hosts I chose needed help with a hobby farm and garden at their beautiful countryside home near Nantes, and it turned out to be an excellent match for what I was looking for.

On the flip side, the massive number of listings on Workaway can be a bit overwhelming. But you can get around that using the search filters, which let you narrow results based on the number of workawayers accepted at a time, minimum stay, average host rating, type of place (NGO, family, hostel, boat, sustainable project, school, farm, etc.), availability, and type of help needed.

You can also filter for listings that urgently need someone, that were recently posted or updated, or that have received feedback. These filters are similar to Worldpackers’, but in my opinion, Workaway’s are a bit more precise.

Another cool feature of Workaway is the “Find travel buddies” tool, which lets you share your travel destination and dates to find someone to join you. Their “Meetup and events” section is also very interesting.

If you’re wondering what does the platform do if the host fails to fulfil their accommodation commitments and you’re left in a difficult situation as a result, you should know that the Workaway Emergency Help can provide assistance up to the amount of your subscription fee to help towards unplanned accommodation costs.

Lastly, something else I appreciate about Workaway is that they have child protection guidelines. Volunteering for hosts such as schools, organizations or families with children is complex and requires high ethics standards.

I don’t see many downsides to Workaway, but I do believe that Worldpackers stands out in some areas. Want to know what they are? Just keep reading!

As of now, Workaway’s annual membership fee is 59 USD per person, or 69 USD if you sign up with a partner or friend (as long as you always travel together).

Pros and cons of Worldpackers

Founded in 2014, Worldpackers is a newer company than Workaway, but it’s very successful. It’s a Brazilian company, and since I’m Brazilian, I’ve had the chance to visit their headquarters in São Paulo, exchange ideas with the team and even work for them as a copywriter. Everyone in their team has always struck me as very professional and dedicated, what gives me extra confidence when recommending the platform.

I’ve also had really good experiences using the platform as a traveler (or Worldpacker, as they say). I’ve volunteered through them both in Brazil and in Europe and had unforgettable experiences. I’ve also spent hours browsing the site and building a giant wish list with positions that interest me in different parts of the world, and I hope I can collaborate with one of those hosts very soon.

This process of looking for vacancies is fun because Worldpackers’ search tool is very user-friendly, and the website is beautiful and easy to navigate. There’s also a mobile app version, which can make life easier for those on the road who want to manage everything from their phone.

Workaway might still have more hosts overall, but Worldpackers is very strong in Brazil and other Latin American countries — and it’s been expanding steadily, having already reached over 140 countries. Remember how I mentioned that back in 2017, I found very few opportunities in France? Today, there are already over 300 listings there.

One thing I don’t love about Worldpackers is that the space for writing reviews is limited, so comments tend to be a bit superficial. My tip to get around this is to message travelers who left reviews and ask for more details about their experience.

On the other hand, a cool feature is that they show each host’s response rate and the average time it takes for them to reply. That way, you can prioritize hosts who are more responsive or at least have an idea of how long you might have to wait. This is especially useful if you’re in a hurry to plan your trip.

You might also like to read:
How Worldpackers works: a complete guide
Worldpackers jobs: a guide to the different volunteer roles
Is Worldpackers safe? User review and safety tips

Just like Workaway, they have a 24/7 support team available every day of the year, in case travelers run into any issues. And they also offer insurance: with WP Safeguard, you get up to 399 USD refunded if the host doesn’t follow through on what was agreed, so you can pay for alternative accommodation. On top of that, their team helps you find another host on the platform so you can continue your work exchange in the same city or region.

A special feature that I like on Worldpackers is their Host Response Guarantee. If you don’t get any replies within 30 days, you can get your money back.  97% of members who send 3 applications receive responses from hosts, though.

I also really enjoy the sense of community that Worldpackers has built. On the website, you’ll find lots of travel content created by fellow travelers, sharing their experiences and practical tips on work exchange, budget travel, solo travel, and more. They even have an online courses platform, Worldpackers Academy, with super valuable content for backpackers and digital nomads alike.

Currently, the annual membership fee for Worldpackers is 59 USD for a solo traveler or 69 USD for a couple or two friends traveling together, but by clicking here or entering the discount code JANELASABERTAS, you’ll get 10 USD off and pay only 49 USD (solo) or 59 USD (duo).

Which is better: Workaway or Worldpackers?

I know you might have come to this post looking for a simple, definitive answer to the question: “Which platform is better: Workaway or Worldpackers?”

Personally, I’ve been preferring to use Worldpackers, for the reasons I mentioned earlier in the post. I feel safer traveling through them, thanks to the strong sense of community and the support offered by their team, some of which I got to meet. Plus, their website used to be more user-friendly, but Workaway recently changed theirs for better.

This is an honest article, and I believe that the choice is personal. If you already have one or more travel itineraries in mind for the upcoming year (the period your membership would be valid), my suggestion is to open both sites and do a quick search for hosts in your desired destinations. That way, you’ll get a feel for which one has more opportunities that suit your goals right now.

And of course, there’s also the option to combine both platforms, like I did back in 2017 during a six-month trip through Brazil and Europe. I thought it was totally worth it, since I would have paid A LOT more for a conventional exchange program.

If your budget isn’t super tight and you’re planning to do multiple work exchanges (which is a great way to cut costs and add meaning to a long backpacking trip), I highly recommend checking out opportunities on both Workaway and Worldpackers.

That way, you’ll increase your chances of finding the perfect hosts for your profile and travel goals. All my work exchange experiences have been extremely positive, and I don’t think it was just luck. It was because I made good choices, by carefully analyzing many options.

What about you? Have you used Workaway or Worldpackers? Do you have questions about the platforms or have you noticed other differences between them? Share your thoughts in the comments section!