Free calculator · Platform fees
Airbnb and Booking.com fee calculator
Choose the platform, put in your price and your rate: you see what the platform keeps, what reaches you, and what the same guest would leave you if they booked on your own website. Airbnb charges most hosts 15.5%, Vrbo 12%, and Booking.com the rate in your contract.
Calculator
- The platform keeps
- —
- You receive
- —
- Booked direct, you would keep
- —
| Your price for the stay | — |
|---|---|
| Discount given on the platform | — |
| Platform fee | — |
| Real cost, as a share of your full price | — |
| Platform fees over a year | — |
| Kept over a year if these guests booked direct | — |
Airbnb shows its fee including VAT where it applies; Vrbo and Booking.com add VAT on top where it applies. A direct booking also needs a booking button on your own website that guests can find and trust.
How the platforms charge
| Platform | What the host pays | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Airbnb, host-only fee | 15.5% for most hosts (14–16% for some) | Mandatory for most hosts, including traditional hospitality listings and hosts using property management software |
| Airbnb, split fee | About 3% | The guest pays 14.1–16.5% on top; being phased out |
| Booking.com | The rate in your contract | No published standard rate; Preferred Partner and Visibility Booster add to it, Genius discounts lower your price |
| Vrbo | 12%, all in (plus VAT where it applies) | Includes payment processing |
Reading the result
The real cost line compares what reaches you with your full price. A 15% commission on top of a 10% Genius discount costs you about 23.5% of your full price, not 15%: the discount and the fee add up.
The direct figure takes your full price, without the platform discount, minus what your booking system and card provider take. It is what the same guest would leave you if they found your website and booked there.
None of this means leaving the platforms: they bring guests who would never have found you. The aim is that guests who already know you, come back, or find you on Google can book with you directly. For the details of each platform, read how much Booking.com and Airbnb really cost a B&B; to see what a website would need to pay for itself, try the direct booking calculator.
Questions
What fee does Airbnb charge hosts?
Most hosts pay the host-only fee: 15.5% of the booking subtotal (14% to 16% for some), with nothing added for the guest. This is mandatory for most hosts, including traditional hospitality listings (Airbnb’s examples are hotels and serviced apartments) and hosts who use property management software. The older split fee (about 3% for the host, 14.1% to 16.5% for the guest) is being phased out.
What commission does Booking.com take?
Booking.com charges a percentage of each reservation that is set in your contract; it does not publish a standard rate, and the rate varies by country and type of property. 15% is a common figure, but check your extranet or monthly invoice. Programmes such as Preferred Partner and Visibility Booster raise the rate on the bookings they bring, and Genius discounts lower the price the guest pays.
Is the fee charged on the cleaning fee too?
Generally yes: platforms work out their fee on the value of the booking, which includes the cleaning or other fees you add. The calculator does the same.
Does a direct booking cost nothing?
No. Your booking system and your card payment provider usually take a few per cent, and some booking systems charge a monthly fee instead. That is still a fraction of a platform fee, and the guest’s details stay with you.
Is this calculator saving my figures?
No. Everything is worked out in your browser; nothing you type is sent to us or stored.
Get more of those guests booking direct
SiteAfter rebuilds your website with a booking button on every page, in your guests’ languages, and shows you a free preview before you pay anything.