How much does Airbnb really take from you? A simple example

Most hosts pay about 15.5% of every booking. On $60,000 a year, that is about $9,300.

The short answer: Most Airbnb hosts pay a single fee of about 15.5% of each booking, and hosts who use booking software must use it. On $60,000 of bookings that is about $9,300 a year. A direct booking on your own website costs about 3% in card fees, so every booking you move direct keeps you roughly 12 cents on the dollar.

You do the work. You clean, you reply at midnight, you fix the hot water. Then the booking site takes a slice of every stay. Many owners never add it up. Let's do it now.

How much does Airbnb charge hosts?

According to Airbnb's own fee page, there are two ways it can charge:

• Single fee: the whole fee comes out of your payout. Most hosts pay 15.5%, and others pay between 14% and 16%.
• Split fee: you pay about 3%, and the guest pays a separate service fee of 14.1% to 16.5%. Airbnb says this is being phased out.

If you use booking software (a property management system) to run your rentals, Airbnb says you must use the single fee. That is the 15.5% most hosts see.

Guests also pay when they book, and a higher guest price can mean fewer bookings for you. Other booking sites have their own fees too, so check each one.

What does Airbnb's fee cost you in a year?

Here is the fee at 15.5% for three sizes of business. These are example numbers, so use your own.

• $30,000 of bookings: about $4,650 a year in fees
• $60,000 of bookings: about $9,300 a year in fees
• $100,000 of bookings: about $15,500 a year in fees

How much does a direct booking cost?

When a guest books on your own website, they pay by card on a payment page. Stripe, the payment company we use, charges 2.9% plus 30 cents for a normal US card. Cards from other countries cost 1.5% more, and currency conversion adds 1%.

On a $1,000 stay, that is about $29.30. On Airbnb, the same stay costs you $155. The gap is about $125.

That cuts your booking fees by about 80% on every booking that comes direct: $155 on a booking site against about $29 in card fees, on a $1,000 stay.

A real-life example

Say you earn $60,000 a year, and one booking in four comes direct. That is $15,000.

• Booking site fee on $15,000: about $2,325
• Card fees on the same $15,000 (15 stays of $1,000): about $440
• You keep about $1,885 more, every year

A website like Launch Pad has a one-time setup of $999. At about 12.5 cents saved on each dollar, about $8,000 of direct bookings covers it. After that, the savings are yours. Try your own numbers in our fee calculator.

But direct bookings are hard to get, right?

They are easier than most owners think, and the trend matters. One industry report says Airbnb now brings 51% of reservations, up from 47% a year earlier, while direct bookings are only 21% of reservations (an industry report citing KeyData). That is one report from a company that sells direct-booking tools, so take the exact numbers with care. The direction is clear: the more you depend on one site, the more it can charge you.

Your best first step is the guests you already have. Read how to get direct bookings without ads for a simple plan.

Common questions

How much does Airbnb charge hosts?

Most hosts pay a single fee of about 15.5% of each booking, usually between 14% and 16%. A split-fee option charges the host about 3% and the guest 14.1% to 16.5%. Hosts using booking software must use the single fee. Source: Airbnb.

How much does a direct booking cost compared to Airbnb?

On your own website, card payments through Stripe cost about 2.9% plus 30 cents for US cards, so about 3% on a $1,000 stay. Airbnb's single fee is about 15.5% of the same stay.

How many direct bookings do I need to pay for a booking website?

You keep about 12.5 cents of every dollar that moves from Airbnb to your own site. A $999 setup is covered after about $8,000 of direct bookings, before any monthly plan.

Sources and helpful links

• Airbnb: how host fees work — the single fee and split fee
• Stripe pricing — card fees for direct bookings
• Launch VRO fee calculator — try your own numbers