How much does a direct booking website cost in 2026?

Four ways to get a booking website, in plain numbers.

The short answer: A direct booking website costs anywhere from about $16 a month for a do-it-yourself tool to a few thousand dollars for a custom build. A done-for-you site from Launch VRO costs $999 to $2,499 to set up, with an optional monthly plan. On top, every site pays card fees, which are about 2.9% plus 30 cents per booking with Stripe.

"How much will it cost?" is the first question owners ask, and the honest answer is: it depends on who does the work. Here are the four ways, in plain numbers.

1. Do it yourself with a tool

Do-it-yourself tools give you a website builder and a booking engine. Reviews put the starter plan of one popular tool at roughly $16 to $26 a month, and another tool lists plans from about $32 to $35 a month, billed in euros and priced by the number of units.

• Money: low monthly fee, sometimes with a booking fee on top
• Time: you build the pages and keep them up to date
• Best for: owners who enjoy it and have time

2. Build it on WordPress

WordPress is free to start, but you still pay for hosting, a theme, booking plugins and often a person to set it up. Costs vary a lot, so ask for written quotes. And the site needs updates for as long as it is online. Read Is WordPress safe for a vacation rental website? before you decide.

• Money: hosting, theme, plugins and setup, which varies by person
• Time: weekly updates and fixes
• Best for: owners who have someone technical to look after it

3. Hire a freelancer or an agency

A custom site gives you what you want, but it is priced by the project, and you often pay again for every change later. Ask what is included: hosting, booking sync, payments, edits, and who fixes things when they break.

4. Have it built and run for you

This is what we do at Launch VRO. You pay one setup fee, and an optional monthly plan keeps the site looked after.

• Launch Pad: $999 setup, up to 4 units, optional $89 a month
• Grow: $1,499 setup, up to 10 units, adds Launch AI to answer guests, $249 a month
• Autopilot: $2,499 setup, up to 30 units, runs more of the guest journey, $449 a month

You pay half to start, and the other half when your site goes live. It is ready in 7 working days, or it is free. Full details are on the pricing page.

What costs does every website have?

• A domain name, which costs a small yearly fee
• Hosting, which is included for the first year with our setup
• Card fees: Stripe charges 2.9% plus 30 cents for a normal US card, plus 1.5% for international cards and 1% for currency conversion
• No hidden fees with us: the setup price, the optional monthly plan, the domain name and card fees are the whole list, and they are all stated up front

Compare that with a booking site's fee of about 15.5% (Airbnb), and the website pays for itself fast. Do the maths with our fee calculator.

The cost that is easy to forget: your time

A cheap tool that you never finish costs you the bookings you did not get. Ask yourself: how many hours do I really have? What is an hour worth to me? That answer often decides which way is cheapest.

Also compare your options in Lodgify alternatives for owners who do not want to build the site themselves.

Common questions

How much does a vacation rental booking website cost?

A do-it-yourself tool costs roughly $16 to $35 a month. A custom build is priced by the project. A done-for-you site from Launch VRO costs $999 to $2,499 to set up, with an optional monthly plan.

What are the card fees on a direct booking?

With Stripe, a normal US card costs 2.9% plus 30 cents per payment. International cards add 1.5%, and currency conversion adds 1%. Source: Stripe pricing.

Is a direct booking website worth it?

Often, yes. A booking site can take about 15.5% of each booking, and a direct booking costs about 3% in card fees. About $8,000 of direct bookings covers a $999 setup.

Sources and helpful links

• Stripe pricing — card fees
• Airbnb: how host fees work — the 15.5% single fee