Airbnb vs Booking.com vs Vrbo: where does a tourist property really make more money?
The platform that gets the most bookings is not always the one that leaves the most profit. This comparison separates the traveler's price, the settlement received, and the costs that remain the owner's responsibility.
Document review: October 13, 2026 · Scope: Spain, with contractual differences by account and country.
What we know about official rates and what we don’t
| Channel | What is officially documented | What you should check in your account |
|---|---|---|
| Airbnb | Shared fee and single fee coexist. Airbnb indicates that it is migrating accommodation hosts to the single fee; for the latter, most pay 15.5%, but there are variations. | Structure that applies to you today, calculation base, VAT on the fee if applicable, discounts, and co-host fee. |
| Booking.com | It publishes booking and distribution conditions, but the specific commercial percentage is not identical for all accommodations and programs. | Contracted commission, visibility programs, mobile/Genius promotion, processing or payments, incidents, and cancellation conditions. |
| Vrbo | In its standard pay-per-booking model, it documents a 5% commission and a 3% processing fee with different calculation bases and exceptions. For connected software or certain regions, another fee may apply. | Assigned charging model, region, software, bookings originating outside the payment flow, and applicable fees in the panel. |
Primary source: Airbnb, service fees; Vrbo, commission model; Booking.com, accommodation conditions. Consulted in October 2026.
The most common mistake: comparing percentages without comparing the same booking
A 15% applied to the accommodation price does not necessarily equate to 15% on a base that includes cleaning, fees, or deposits. A three-night booking is also not comparable to a seven-night booking if cleaning has a fixed cost. To avoid misleading conclusions, take bookings with the same dates, number of guests, taxes, and services and reconstruct the charges.
Contribution result per booking = effective accommodation charge − channel costs not already deducted in the charge − cleaning − laundry − variable consumables − other costs attributable to that booking.
Then, fixed property costs, amortizations, and applicable taxes must be deducted from the analysis. Accounting profit and available cash are not synonymous.
A reproducible example without pretending these are real rates from all accounts
Didactic example, not observed data: two identical bookings of four nights are sold at a base price of €1,000 before taxes. Direct stay costs (cleaning, laundry, and consumables) are estimated at €110 and another €15 in financial costs not deducted by the platform. Let’s assume that channel A deducts €155 on the same base and that channel B deducts €130. The comparison would be:
| Concept | Channel A — assumption | Channel B — assumption |
|---|---|---|
| Base amount sold | €1,000 | €1,000 |
| Channel cost (assumed) | €155 | €130 |
| Stay costs | €110 | €110 |
| Other payment costs | €15 | €15 |
| Contribution before fixed costs and taxes | €720 | €745 |
Channel B contributes €25 more if both bookings would have sold anyway. But if channel A contributes an additional booking that you wouldn’t have secured, the decision changes. That’s why the two essential indicators are margin per booking and incremental contribution of the channel. This example does not assign the assumption A or B to any brand.
Airbnb: the migration to a single fee changes the comparison
Airbnb explains that the shared fee is being phased out and that the single structure concentrates the commission in the host's charge. Its documentation indicates a single fee of 15.5% for most hosts subject to it, with other percentages depending on the case. In the shared fee, the documentation generally indicates 3% for the host and an additional fee for the traveler. The total price seen by the guest may vary even if the target income for the owner remains the same.
Do not transfer percentages from an old blog to your financial table: check the breakdown of actual charges for each transaction.
Booking.com: avoid the easy figure and demand the total cost
A negotiated commission is not the whole story. Check what promotions you have activated, whether the mobile price and discounts are included in the offer, what part of the additional services is billed, and how the settlement is practiced. When comparing two channels, use the effectively sold price and not the price that was listed before the discount.
Important: we do not publish a "15% from Booking.com" as a universal rate because it would not be verifiable for all accounts. The figure that matters is the one in the contract and invoice of each accommodation.
Vrbo: be careful with adding the 5% and the 3% without looking at the bases
The help center itself separates the commission and processing, documents differences by region, and warns that the use of management software may alter the applicable modality. Additionally, processing may reach items that do not integrate the commission base. Therefore, stating "Vrbo charges exactly 8%" for any accommodation would be incorrect.
What you should compare every month
- Final price to the guest: price per night, cleaning, fees, and mandatory extras.
- Earned income: amount corresponding to the accommodation, avoiding counting refundable deposits as sales.
- Commissions and promotions: broken down, with taxes on services if applicable.
- Money collected: reconcile booking, settlement, and bank, including delays and refunds.
- Rotation costs: cleaning, laundry, attention, and consumables.
- Cancellations and gaps: how much inventory remained unsellable or had to be resold.
- Operational cost: time and software to manage each channel.
- Net contribution: per booking, night, and channel; not an opaque average.
When it makes sense to maintain all three channels
It can make sense when they generate complementary demand: different types of travelers, lead times, or seasons. It stops making sense when the calendar and operations are not controlled, and the additional income is absorbed by costs, incidents, and the risk of overselling. The optimal mix should be reviewed by property, not decided with a general industry ranking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which charges less commission: Airbnb, Booking, or Vrbo?
It depends on the contract, the modality, the location, and the calculation base. Compare equivalent real transactions, not isolated percentages.
Is the channel with the lowest commission the most profitable?
Not necessarily. An additional booking can justify a higher commercial cost, as long as it leaves a positive contribution and does not displace a more profitable sale.
Do cleaning fees count as income?
They can be part of the charged price, but their treatment in the commission base and accounting depends on the platform and the applicable regime. Never confuse the charge to the traveler with the cost of cleaning.
Sources and traceability (consulted: 10/13/2026): Airbnb — service and fee models; Airbnb — charge calculation; Vrbo — commissions and exceptions; Booking.com — general conditions. The figures in the example are declared hypotheses and not market statistics.