The same booking on each platform
Take $150 a night for 3 nights and a $60 cleaning fee, a $510.00 subtotal, for a US listing with no costs. We ran it through the calculators for all three.
| Platform | Fee | Fees you pay | You keep | Share taken |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbnb, single fee | 15.5% | $79.05 | $430.95 | 15.5% |
| Vrbo, 12% all-in | 12% | $61.20 | $448.80 | 12% |
| Vrbo, 5% + 3% (before 29 Oct 2026) | 5% + 3% | $40.80 | $469.20 | 8% |
| Booking.com, example rate | 15% | $76.50 | $433.50 | 15% |
Booking.com's rate is an example. Airbnb and Vrbo show their own percentage, and Booking.com does not, so the last row changes with your contract.
At these rates Vrbo's 12% leaves you $17.85 more than Airbnb's 15.5% on this booking. That gap is the 3.5% difference in rate applied to the $510.00 subtotal.
What you keep at different prices
Every platform here charges a flat percentage, so the gap between them grows in step with your price. Here is the same stay at four nightly prices.
| Nightly price | Airbnb 15.5% | Vrbo 12% | Booking.com 15% (example) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100.00 | $304.20 | $316.80 | $306.00 |
| $150.00 | $430.95 | $448.80 | $433.50 |
| $200.00 | $557.70 | $580.80 | $561.00 |
| $300.00 | $811.20 | $844.80 | $816.00 |
Computed with the calculators, with no costs, co-host share, Genius discount or payment fee.
What each fee is charged on
- Airbnb: the nightly price plus fees you charge, such as cleaning, with taxes left out. Under the single fee the guest pays no Airbnb service fee.
- Vrbo: the rental amount plus fees you charge, such as cleaning, pet and boat fees. Taxes and security deposits carry a 3% processing fee but no commission.
- Booking.com: the room rate plus fees you charge, such as cleaning and no-show charges. It leaves out city tax, and in most countries it is charged on VAT or GST too.
If a guest pays $50.00 of tax and a $300.00 deposit on the Vrbo booking, the 3% processing on those is $10.50. That is our reading of Vrbo's wording for the new fee, and we flag it in the calculator.
The guest side and discounts
Under Airbnb's single fee the guest pays no Airbnb service fee. Vrbo adds a traveler service fee on top of your price and publishes no percentage, so it does not come out of your payout but can change how your price looks to a guest.
Booking.com's Genius is a discount you give, not an extra fee. A 10% Genius discount on the example booking lowers the commission from $76.50 to $69.75, but you also keep less, $395.25, because the guest pays less.
VAT, GST and payment fees
Airbnb and Vrbo add VAT or GST on top of their own fee where it applies. Vrbo gives 10% GST on the commission in Australia, which on the example booking is A$6.12, and none in Japan.
Booking.com applies VAT to the commission invoices of EU partners without a valid VAT number, and not to those with one. Its Payments by Booking.com bank transfer fee is a percentage of each reservation that depends on your location, so check your Extranet: at an example 2% it would take $10.20 more.
Airbnb's Western Union payouts cost $10 USD each. Vrbo's 12% already includes payment processing on the rental amount.
Using the calculators
Open the Airbnb, Vrbo or Booking.com calculator, enter your own price, cleaning fee and costs, and compare what you keep. For Booking.com, type the rate from your contract.