Host service fee
- The host service fee is what a platform charges the host per booking. Airbnb moved nearly all hosts to a single host-only fee of 15.5% in late 2025; Booking.com charges hosts roughly 10–25% commission; Vrbo's pay-per-booking is 5% + 3% payment processing.
- Category: Money
The 2025 Airbnb change
For years Airbnb split fees: hosts paid ~3%, guests ~14% at checkout. Between August and December 2025 it consolidated to one host-paid fee (15.5% of the subtotal; higher with VAT in the EU). Sticker prices look cleaner to guests; hosts now carry the visible cost and reprice accordingly.
Comparing platforms honestly
Fees aren't comparable at face value: Booking.com's commission varies by market and programme, Vrbo adds processing, and what matters is net payout per night after ALL fees — run the arithmetic per platform for your own rates.
Part of the Stays short-term rental glossary.
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