Commissions & fees
Booking platform commission compared (2026): how much each one really takes
Every booking through an OTA quietly skims 15–25% off the top. Here's exactly what Booking.com, Airbnb, Vrbo and Expedia charge hosts in 2026 — and what you keep when guests book direct.
Updated 30 June 2026 · 8 min read
Key takeaways
- ✓Booking.com takes around 15% on average (10–25% depending on visibility settings and country).
- ✓Airbnb charges most UK hosts a 15.5% host-only service fee in 2026.
- ✓Vrbo/Expedia run 8–30% depending on the model you pick.
- ✓Booking direct on your own site costs 0% commission — just card processing (~1.5% + 20p) and a flat annual fee.
- ✓On a £100 booking you keep roughly £85 via Booking.com vs ~£98 direct — about £13 per booking back in your pocket.
Online travel agents (OTAs) like Booking.com and Airbnb bring you guests — but they charge for it, and the number is bigger than most hosts realise once you add visibility boosts, payment fees and the guest-facing markup. Here's the honest 2026 breakdown, platform by platform, and what changes when a guest books directly with you instead.
Commission rates at a glance (2026)
These are typical UK/European rates. Your exact number varies by country, property type, season and how hard you lean on each platform's paid-visibility programmes.
| Platform | Host cost | How it's charged | You keep on £100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booking.com | ~15% (10–25%) | Commission on the full stay; +2–5% for Preferred/visibility programmes | ~£85 |
| Airbnb (host-only fee) | 15.5% | Single service fee taken from your payout | ~£84.50 |
| Airbnb (split fee) | ~3% host + ~14% guest | Lower host fee, but the guest pays ~14% more | ~£97 (guest pays ~£114) |
| Vrbo / Expedia (pay-per-booking) | ~8% | 5% commission + 3% payment processing | ~£92 |
| Expedia | 15–30% | Commission on the full stay, varies by market | ~£70–85 |
| Your own site (direct) | 0% commission | Card processing ~1.5% + 20p; flat annual fee | ~£98 |
Typical 2026 host costs. "What you keep" is on a headline £100 booking, before your own cleaning/running costs.
The headline
On the same £100 booking, an OTA keeps roughly £15. Direct keeps roughly £2. Across a year of bookings that gap is usually the difference between a quiet month and a good one.
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Build my free preview →Booking.com commission: ~15%, but watch the add-ons
Booking.com's base commission is typically 15% in the UK, but it ranges from 10% to 25% worldwide. The catch is visibility: the Preferred Partner and Visibility Booster programmes add a few extra percentage points in exchange for ranking higher in search. Many hosts end up effectively paying 17–20% once they opt in to stay competitive.
Booking.com also increasingly handles guest payments, so the commission is deducted before you're paid out — it never feels like writing a cheque, which is exactly why it's easy to ignore.
Airbnb host fees: 15.5% for most hosts in 2026
Airbnb runs two models. The host-only fee (now standard for most UK and European hosts) is around 15.5%, taken entirely from your payout — the guest sees no separate service fee. The older split-fee model charges the host only ~3% but adds a ~14% service fee onto the guest's total.
Split fee looks cheaper for you, but it makes your listing 14% more expensive to the guest — which quietly costs you bookings and reviews mentioning "pricey fees". Either way, Airbnb takes its cut; it's just a question of who sees it.
Vrbo and Expedia: 8–30% depending on the model
Vrbo (part of the Expedia group) offers a pay-per-booking model at roughly 8% (a 5% commission plus 3% payment processing), or an annual subscription (~£/$499) that can work out cheaper at high volume. Expedia's hotel-style commission is wider, 15–30%, depending on your market and how much visibility you buy.
What "booking direct" actually costs
Direct booking isn't free — but it's close. When a guest books on your own website and pays you through your own Stripe or PayPal, your only costs are:
- Card processing — about 1.5% + 20p per transaction in the UK/EU (Stripe/PayPal standard rates).
- A flat annual fee for your listing and booking site — not a per-booking cut.
- Your time — though a templated site plus calendar sync removes most of it.
There's no percentage skim that grows with your nightly rate. A £60 room and a £600 suite cost the same ~1.5% to process. That's the structural reason direct wins as your prices rise.
~£13
kept per £100 booking vs Booking.com
0%
commission on direct bookings
1 booking
direct often covers a year's listing fee
The honest case for keeping both
OTAs are brilliant at one thing: discovery. New guests who've never heard of you will find you there. The smart play isn't to quit them overnight — it's to use OTAs to get discovered, then convert repeat and word-of-mouth guests to direct, where you keep the lot. Every returning guest you move off Booking.com is a ~15% pay rise on that booking.
The rule of thumb
Let OTAs win you the *first* booking. Win the *second* one yourself. A business card in the room, a follow-up email, and a website that actually takes bookings is all it takes.
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See how it works →Frequently asked questions
How much commission does Booking.com take in 2026?+
Booking.com charges hosts around 15% on average, with a typical range of 10–25% depending on country and property type. Opting into Preferred Partner or visibility-boost programmes adds roughly 2–5% on top.
How much does Airbnb charge hosts?+
Most UK and European hosts now pay Airbnb's host-only service fee of around 15.5%, deducted from the payout. The older split-fee model charges the host ~3% but adds a ~14% service fee to the guest's total.
Is it cheaper to book direct than through Booking.com or Airbnb?+
For the host, yes. Direct bookings carry no platform commission — only card processing of about 1.5% + 20p and a flat annual fee. On a £100 booking you keep roughly £98 direct versus about £85 through an OTA.
Should I leave Booking.com and Airbnb entirely?+
Usually not straight away. OTAs are strong at attracting first-time guests. The most profitable approach is to use them for discovery and then convert repeat and referred guests to your own direct-booking site, where you keep 100%.
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