HI·01 · Reference document
The Commission Table
What each platform takes from a booking: the host side, the guest side, and the clauses that come with it. One table, kept current and free to link to.
| Platform | Model | Host pays | Guest pays | Extras | Price control | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbnb | Host-only fee (now standard) | 15.5% typical (14–16%) | No service fee | Charged on cleaning and pet fees too; EU hosts pay VAT on the fee (effective ~18–19%) | Soft: pricing tools nudge you down | Aug 2026 |
| Airbnb | Split fee (ends Sep–Oct 2026) | ~3% | 14–16% | Retired for most hosts; last accounts move to host-only by 13 Oct 2026 | Soft: pricing tools nudge you down | Aug 2026 |
| Booking.com | Commission | 15% typical (10–25%) | None shown | + ~1.1–3.1% if Booking handles payments; Genius and Preferred Partner push the real rate to 17–22% | Yes, parity clauses in many markets | Aug 2026 |
| Vrbo (Expedia Group) | Pay-per-booking | 5% + 3% payments (~8%) | ~12% service fee, varies | 12–15% in Europe/Australia; 3% waived via PMS; $699/yr subscription now renewals-only. Listings also appear on Expedia, Hotels.com and Travelocity | Ranking pressure rather than contract | Aug 2026 |
| Agoda | Commission | 15% typical (5–20%) | Varies | Pushes 10–20% visibility discounts (VIP, Mega Deals); Preferred programme raises commission to ~17% | Yes, parity expectations | Aug 2026 |
| Your own site | Direct | 0% | 0% | Card processing only: ~1.4–2.9% + pence | None. Your prices, your rules, your guest data. | Always |
How to read this. "Host pays" comes off your payout. "Guest pays" goes on top of your price, and it still costs you: your guest is charged more, so you get fewer bookings at any given rate. "Price control" covers rate parity, meaning clauses or ranking pressure that stop you undercutting the OTA on your own website.
Figures are indicative ranges as at the verification date, put together from published partner terms and host reports. Rates vary by country, property type, cancellation settings and negotiation, so check the current terms in your own dashboard before making decisions. If you spot something out of date here, tell us and we’ll fix it.