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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