Trustroots
Trustroots is a Berlin-based, non-profit hospitality exchange community platform founded in 2015. It connects individual travelers with volunteer hosts for free accommodation and cultural exchange, governed by the Trustroots Foundation and operated by a small community-maintained team.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
Trustroots firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Trustroots
- Legal name
- Trustroots
- Website
- https://trustroots.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Trustroots is a Berlin-based, non-profit hospitality exchange community platform founded in 2015. It connects individual travelers with volunteer hosts for free accommodation and cultural exchange, governed by the Trustroots Foundation and operated by a small community-maintained team.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Trustroots industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Hospitality Exchange Network
- SIC
- Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Shared Accommodation Networks (Homestay/Roomshare Clubs) (THAMAIAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Hosted Private Rooms (On-Site Host) (THAMABAB), Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Home-Sharing Marketplaces (THAMALAA)
Keywords
Where Trustroots is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Trustroots business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Others
Trustroots product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Trustroots operates a travelers' hospitality community platform that connects individual travelers with local hosts offering free accommodation and cultural exchange experiences. The platform is supported by community features including volunteering opportunities, community rules, and privacy protections, and is governed by the Trustroots Foundation as a non-profit organization.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Trustroots Platform
Companies that use Trustroots
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Trustroots technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Trustroots competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Couchsurfing: Couchsurfing is the most direct comparable: a hospitality exchange network connecting travelers with hosts for free accommodation and cultural exchange. It competes head-to-head with Trustroots for the same user base of budget and experience-driven travelers, though it has historically operated as a commercial entity with a larger user base and mobile app.
- BeWelcome: BeWelcome is a non-profit, community-run hospitality exchange platform with a similar open-source ethos to Trustroots. It directly competes for non-commercial, community-driven hosts and travelers, and is highly comparable in mission, governance model, and target audience.
- WarmShowers: WarmShowers is a non-profit hospitality exchange network specifically serving long-distance cyclists. It shares the non-profit trust-network model with Trustroots but targets a narrower segment (cycle tourists), making it a partial direct peer with strong structural and mission alignment.
- Servas: Servas is a long-established international non-profit peace and hospitality network connecting travelers with vetted hosts. It overlaps directly with Trustroots on non-commercial, trust-based home-stay exchange, though its membership-vetting model is more rigorous.
- Hospitality Club: Hospitality Club is a non-profit hospitality exchange network with a similar free-stay model and global community of hosts and travelers. It is a direct peer to Trustroots in mission and product offering, though typically with a smaller active user base.
Emerging players
- Workaway: Workaway is a platform connecting travelers with hosts in exchange for work rather than purely free stays. It overlaps with Trustroots on cultural-exchange and budget-travel motivations but uses a different exchange model and operates commercially, making it an adjacent rather than direct peer.
- Worldpackers: Worldpackers is a work-exchange platform connecting travelers with hostels, NGOs, and hosts globally. It shares Trustroots' emphasis on cultural immersion and budget travel but operates commercially and focuses on work-based rather than hospitality-based exchange.
- NomadX: NomadX is an emerging coliving and community-stay platform targeting digital nomads. It overlaps with Trustroots on community-based, low-cost accommodation and cultural exchange, though its focus on remote workers makes it an adjacent rather than direct competitor.
Broad incumbents
- Airbnb: Airbnb is the dominant incumbent in short-term accommodation, and while it does not focus on free hospitality exchange, it competes for the same traveler budget and host pool. Airbnb's scale, mobile experience, and brand recognition make it a broad competitive threat to Trustroots' user acquisition and retention.
- Hostelworld: Hostelworld is a leading booking platform for budget shared accommodation, directly addressing Trustroots' target audience of budget travelers seeking social stays. While it operates as a paid booking platform rather than a hospitality exchange, it competes for the same user demographic and accommodation-mindshare.
Market position
Customer concentration
Trustroots social profiles
Digital presenceTrustroots financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Trustroots leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Trustroots funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Trustroots M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Trustroots
What does Trustroots do?
Trustroots operates a travelers' hospitality community platform that connects individual travelers with local hosts offering free accommodation and cultural exchange experiences. The platform is supported by community features including volunteering opportunities, community rules, and privacy protections, and is governed by the Trustroots Foundation as a non-profit organization.
When was Trustroots founded?
Trustroots was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Trustroots based?
Trustroots is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
Who are Trustroots's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Couchsurfing, BeWelcome, WarmShowers, Servas and Hospitality Club. Emerging players are Workaway, Worldpackers and NomadX. Broad incumbents are Airbnb and Hostelworld.
Does Trustroots have an API?
No public API is recorded for Trustroots.
What industry is Trustroots in?
Trustroots's product category is Hospitality Exchange Network. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAMAIAJ, Shared Accommodation Networks (Homestay/Roomshare Clubs), with a secondary code of THAMABAB, Hosted Private Rooms (On-Site Host). Its SIC code is 7000.