Airbnb vs Booking.com fees for hosts (2026), plus Agoda
Airbnb's single 15.5% fee, Booking.com's contract commission and Agoda's compensation, taken from each platform's own pages, with a worked payout example.
Tai Pham
If you list a villa on three platforms, you are paying three different fee systems. Comparing Airbnb vs Booking.com fees for hosts is harder than it looks, because the two do not even charge in the same way. Airbnb publishes its percentages. Booking.com and Agoda set yours in a contract. And on top of the headline number sit payment charges, tax on the commission, and rules about what the percentage is taken from.
Airbnb also changed its model this year. Most hosts used to pay a small 3% fee while the guest paid a larger one at checkout. Airbnb is now moving home hosts to a single fee that comes entirely out of the host's payout. If you set your nightly rate a few years ago and never touched it, your payout may already be lower than you think.
This guide sets out what each platform says about its own fees, as stated on its official pages when we checked them on 16 October 2026. Then it works through one example booking so you can see what reaches your bank account. Wherever a platform does not publish a figure, we say so instead of guessing.
Airbnb: split fee vs single (host-only) fee
Airbnb's help article on service fees describes two structures.
Split fee. The host pays a service fee, which Airbnb says is 3% for most hosts, though some pay more. Listings in Brazil and Mexico pay 4%. The guest pays a separate service fee of 14.1% to 16.5% of the booking subtotal, added at checkout. The subtotal is the nightly price plus any fees you charge, such as cleaning, and excludes taxes.
Single fee (host-only). The whole fee comes out of your payout and the guest sees one price. Airbnb says most hosts pay 15.5%, others typically 14% to 16%, and listings in Brazil and Mexico pay 16%. The same page says the single fee is mandatory for most hosts, including hotels and serviced apartments and hosts who use property management software, that the split fee is being phased out, and that once you switch you cannot switch back. Only bookings made after the switch use the new fee.
Airbnb's resource page Simplifying Airbnb service fees (last updated 13 October 2026) says hosts using property management software who had not yet moved switched on October 13. An earlier Airbnb article listed country-by-country switch dates for some markets, and Airbnb does not publish a single date for every country, so check the fee shown in your own hosting dashboard.
Airbnb also notes that VAT may apply to service fees depending on where you are, and where it applies, the fee shown includes it.
Booking.com: commission set per property
Booking.com does not publish one commission rate. Its partner help page Understanding your commission says the exact percentage "depends on your country, property type and the accommodation agreement". You find yours in the agreement or in the extranet under Finance, then Reservation statements.
What the page does spell out is what the percentage is charged on, and that matters as much as the number:
- The room rate plus any additional fees you charge, such as cleaning or service fees, and fees you charge for cancellations or no-shows.
- Non-refundable and partially refundable bookings, even if the guest never arrives.
- Overbookings, because the room was open on the platform. Booking.com also asks you to cover the guest's relocation costs (it waives this commission for properties live for less than 30 days, or with fewer than five overbookings in the last 12 months).
- Not on local taxes such as city tax, but in most countries on VAT or GST.
Programmes such as Preferred Partner or Visibility Booster add a percentage on top of your base commission. Commission is invoiced monthly for guests who checked out the previous month, and you have 48 hours after checkout to mark no-shows or changes, or full commission is charged.
If Booking.com collects the guest's payment through Payments by Booking.com, there is no setup fee. Bank transfer payouts carry a payment service fee, a percentage of each completed reservation that depends on your property's location. Booking.com does not publish that percentage on the page. Virtual card payouts carry a transaction fee charged by your own bank or card provider instead.
Agoda: compensation by location
Agoda calls its commission "compensation". Its partner page What compensation do I pay to Agoda? says it depends on your property's location and, in some cases, the payment model, and it publishes no standard rate. It works in one of two ways: a percentage of the reference sell rate, or a markup added on top of the rate you load.
You find your level in the Agoda partner portal under Finance, then Contracted compensation. Compensation is owed on confirmed stays and on charged cancellations and no-shows, not on free cancellations or fees you waive. For bank transfer payouts, Agoda's bank transfer guide says the payout becomes chargeable 30 days after departure and must be collected within 150 days. It does not list a transfer fee. The payment methods page says transaction fees for its virtual card (UPC) are covered by the property.
Side by side
| Airbnb (single fee) | Airbnb (split fee) | Booking.com | Agoda | |
| Published rate | Most hosts 15.5% | Host 3%, guest 14.1–16.5% | None, set in your agreement | None, set by location |
| Who pays it | Host | Host and guest | Host | Host (or markup on your rate) |
| Charged on | Nightly price plus host fees | Same | Room rate plus fees, often VAT | Sell rate, or markup on loaded rate |
| Where to check | Hosting dashboard | Hosting dashboard | Extranet, Reservation statements | Partner portal, Contracted compensation |
Worked example: what the host receives
Say you run a pool villa near Canggu at $100 a night. A guest books three nights and you charge a $30 cleaning fee, so the subtotal is $330. Taxes are left out because they differ by country.
The Airbnb rows use Airbnb's published figures. Booking.com and Agoda publish no rate, so their rows use 15% as a placeholder only. Replace it with the number in your own agreement. This table is illustrative, not a quote.
| Platform | Fee used | Guest pays | Host receives |
| Airbnb, split fee | 3% host, 14.1% guest | $376.53 | $320.10 |
| Airbnb, single fee | 15.5% host | $330.00 | $278.85 |
| Booking.com | 15% (placeholder) | $330.00 | $280.50 |
| Agoda (percentage model) | 15% (placeholder) | $330.00 | $280.50 |
Two things stand out. First, moving from split fee to single fee on the same price drops this payout by about $41. Airbnb's own resource page makes the same point with a $100 example: unadjusted, the host earns $84.50; raise the price to $115 and the host keeps $97 while the guest sees the same $115 they saw before. Second, once Airbnb is on the single fee, the gap between platforms depends mostly on your Booking.com and Agoda contracts, not on Airbnb.
Try your own numbers in the free OTA fee calculator. It uses the same Airbnb figures as this post and lets you type in your own Booking.com or Agoda rate.
How to keep more of each booking
Step 1
Find your real rate on each platform
Open your Airbnb hosting dashboard, the Booking.com extranet (Finance, Reservation statements) and the Agoda partner portal (Finance, Contracted compensation). Write down the percentage each one actually charged on a recent booking, including any programme top-ups.
Step 2
Reprice Airbnb if you moved to the single fee
If your Airbnb payout dropped after the switch, decide whether to raise your nightly price. To keep the same payout at 15.5%, the price has to rise by about 18%, because the fee is taken from the higher price too.
Step 3
Check what each fee is charged on
Booking.com charges commission on your cleaning fee and, in most countries, on VAT. A cleaning fee that looks small on the rate can cost you more than you expect.
Step 4
Mark no-shows and cancellations on time
Booking.com gives you 48 hours after checkout. Missing it means full commission on a booking that never happened.
Step 5
Count payout costs too
Bank and card charges sit outside the headline commission: Booking.com's payment service fee on bank transfer payouts, your own bank's fee on virtual cards, and Agoda's UPC transaction fees.
Our guides on running each platform cover the setup side: Airbnb, Booking.com and Agoda.
How Santara AI helps with Airbnb vs Booking.com fees
Santara AI does not change what any platform charges you. What it changes is how much work it takes to act on the numbers.
Each room has one calendar, and connected channels are fed from it. When you decide to raise your nightly rate after Airbnb's fee change, you change it once and the new price goes to every connected channel, along with minimum stay and other stay rules. A zero or placeholder price is never pushed. When you connect Airbnb, your listing's real rates are imported read-only, so you start from the prices you actually have.
The direct booking site that comes with Santara AI sells from the same calendar. A guest who books there is not paying an OTA commission, and the booking closes those dates on your channels. You can see the full list of 54 channels on the integrations page.
What Santara AI doesn't do
Santara AI sends the same price to every channel. It does not set different prices or markups per channel, so you cannot use it to charge more on Booking.com than on Airbnb to cover a higher commission. It also does not read your commission rate from your Booking.com or Agoda contract.
FAQ
Does Airbnb or Booking.com take more from hosts?
It depends on your contract. On Airbnb's single fee most hosts pay 15.5%. Booking.com publishes no single rate, so compare 15.5% with the percentage on your own Booking.com reservation statement.
What is Airbnb's host-only fee in 2026?
Airbnb says most hosts on the single fee pay 15.5% of the booking subtotal, others typically 14% to 16%, and 16% in Brazil and Mexico. It is mandatory for most hosts, including those using property management software.
Does Booking.com charge commission on the cleaning fee?
Yes. Booking.com says commission covers the room rate plus additional fees you charge, such as cleaning. It is not charged on local taxes like city tax, but in most countries it is charged on VAT or GST.
What is Agoda's commission rate for hosts?
Agoda does not publish one. Its compensation depends on your property's location and sometimes the payment model. Your level is in the partner portal under Finance, Contracted compensation.
Run your numbers for Airbnb, Booking.com and Agoda in the free OTA fee calculator.
Keep reading
- Sync prices and minimum stay across channels
- A direct booking website for vacation rentals
- PMS vs channel manager for short-term rentals
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