Swimply Alternative Australia: Swimply vs Pool Rental Near Me

Backyard pools are part of everyday life in Australia, and pool sharing has followed: Swimply, the platform that made hourly pool hire mainstream, operates here. Pool Rental Near Me is the newer alternative, built around a simple pitch to hosts. If you're weighing the two — or you're a Swimply host in Sydney, Brisbane or Perth wondering whether to switch — this is an honest comparison written for Australian pool owners, not a sales page pretending there's nothing to weigh up.

The Honest Comparison

0% Host Fees, Forever, for Founding Hosts

The biggest difference between the platforms is what happens to each booking. Swimply takes a commission on every booking — the exact structure has changed over time, so read their current terms rather than relying on an old review. Pool Rental Near Me gives founding hosts a 0% host fee, forever. You set the price for your pool, and you keep 100% of it — not as a launch promotion that expires, but locked in for as long as you host.

And because honesty is the whole point of this page: prices on Pool Rental Near Me currently display in US dollars on the guest side. Your payouts arrive in Australian dollars through Stripe, and you keep every cent of the price you set. If the USD display isn't ideal for you, that's a fair call — we'd rather be upfront about it. For hosts, though, the sums stay simple: 100% of your price, paid in AUD.

Where Swimply Deserves Credit

A fair comparison gives the incumbent its due. Swimply launched first, has run for years, and has a bigger pool of guests who already know private pool hire exists. Listing there puts you on an established marketplace — at the cost of a cut of every single booking. Over an Australian season, which is one of the longest in the world, that cut compounds in a way hosts in colder countries never experience.

You also don't have to pick a side. Plenty of hosts list on both platforms and let the bookings settle the argument.

Talk Directly to the Founders

Pool Rental Near Me is run by its founders, Derek Bowen and Brandon Elias. Contact support and you're talking to the people who built the platform, not working through a ticket queue. For a first-time host on the Gold Coast or in Melbourne getting pricing, photos and house rules right, that direct line is genuinely useful — and it means host feedback becomes product improvements quickly.

How Pool Hire Works on Pool Rental Near Me

Create Your Listing

Listing takes minutes: describe the pool, upload photos, set availability and price. If you already have a Swimply listing, connect your Swimply calendar — sync it and the times already booked there are blocked off here, so hiring your pool out on both platforms doesn't risk a double booking. List your pool and the wizard does the heavy lifting.

Managing Bookings

Guests find your pool and request to book. You approve or decline each request, control your calendar, and message guests through the platform before they arrive. Hire your pool out by the hour for kids' parties, family swims or a quiet lap session — who swims, and when, stays your call.

Payouts in Australian Dollars

After every completed booking, your earnings are paid out in AUD via Stripe. Founding hosts pay a 0% host fee, so the price you set is the amount you receive. On tax: income from hiring out your pool may need to be declared — rules differ by situation, so talk to a local accountant and treat the tax authority's (the ATO's) guidance as your starting point. We don't give tax advice, and you should be sceptical of any platform that does.

Side by Side

What About Swimmy or Cocopool?

International round-ups sometimes list Swimmy and Cocopool as alternatives. Both are genuine platforms, but they operate in France and continental Europe — neither is available to Australian hosts. Here, the practical choice is Swimply, Pool Rental Near Me, or both.

The Australian Season Advantage

This is where Australian hosts hold the best cards. Summer runs December to February, the wider swimming season stretches from roughly October through March in Sydney and Melbourne, and in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Perth a heated pool can book close to year-round — with winter (June to August) the quiet stretch in the south. For context, in the US top backyard pools in Southern California earn $800–$1,000 in a good summer week, and that's on a far shorter season than yours. The longer your season, the more a commission on every booking costs you — and the more a permanent 0% fee is worth.

List Once, Decide Later

Listing is free, founding hosts keep 0% fees forever, and Swimply calendar sync makes running both platforms side by side painless — times booked there are blocked off here. Start with our Australian hosting guide at rent out your pool in Australia, visit the Sydney hosts page if you're local, and when you're ready, List your pool.