Booking site fee calculator
See what Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo cost you each year, and what you keep if more bookings come direct. Free, and no email needed.
How this is worked out
- Fees you pay now = your yearly revenue × each site's share of your bookings × its fee.
- Bookings you win back = the share of platform bookings that move to your own website.
- Fees you stop paying = the fees on those bookings.
- Card fees on your site = those same bookings × the cost of a direct booking (about 3%).
- What you keep = fees you stop paying − card fees. Divide by 12 for a month, take off the plan if you add it, and the setup fee divided by that is your payback time.
A worked example
You earn $60,000 a year: 70% from Airbnb at 15.5% and 30% from Booking.com at 15%. Your fees are about $9,210 a year. If you win back 20% of those bookings, you stop paying $1,842 in fees and pay about $360 in card fees. You keep $1,482 a year, which is $124 a month. The $999 Launch Pad setup is paid back in about 9 months, without the monthly plan.
Numbers checked October 2026. Airbnb says most hosts pay a single fee of about 15.5% (Airbnb). Card fees come from Stripe. Booking.com and Vrbo rates are widely reported figures, so please use the fee from your own statements.
Common questions
- How much do booking sites charge vacation rental owners?
- Airbnb says most hosts pay a single fee of about 15.5% of each booking, and others typically pay 14% to 16%. Booking.com commissions are often reported at about 15%, but they vary by country, property and programme. Vrbo is commonly reported at a 5% commission plus 3% payment processing. Your own statements show your real rate, so type those in.
- What does a booking on my own website cost?
- Mostly card fees. Stripe charges 2.9% plus 30 cents for a normal US card, about 3% on a $1,000 stay. International cards add 1.5%, and converting currency adds 1%. The calculator includes a card fee for the bookings you win back.
- Where do I find my real fees?
- In your earnings or payout reports. On Airbnb, look at the breakdown of a payout. On Booking.com, open the finance section of the Extranet. On Vrbo, check the reservation payment details. Use the fee you actually paid, not a general figure.
- How many bookings can I really win back?
- It depends on your guests and your market. Past guests who already know you are the easiest, then people who find you on Google. A small start, such as 10% to 20% of your platform bookings, is a sensible number to try. The calculator lets you change it to see the effect.
- What is not counted?
- The calculator does not count other costs of direct bookings, or the work of getting guests to your site. It also uses the numbers you type, so it is an estimate and not financial advice.
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