Booking and Airbnb fees in 2026: what hosts really pay

Hardly any owner adds up what they pay in commission per year; seen booking by booking, it feels bearable. But in late 2025 Airbnb changed its fee model for most hosts, and it’s worth redoing the math. In this article we put hard numbers on it: what each portal charges in 2026, what that means on annual revenue of €15,000, €25,000 and €40,000, which costs never show on the invoice, and how much the picture changes if you move part of your bookings to a direct channel.

How much Airbnb charges hosts in 2026

For years, Airbnb ran a split fee: around 3% to the host and ~14% added on the guest side. In late 2025, Airbnb moved most hosts to the host-only fee model of roughly 15.5% on the booking subtotal. The guest sees a price “without a service fee”, but the commission comes entirely out of your payout. Translated: for every €1,000 booked, about €155 never reaches your account.

How much Booking.com charges owners

Booking.com charges the property a commission that in Spain typically sits between 15% and 17%. It rises if you join visibility programmes: Preferred adds extra commission, and Genius works through discounts that come out of your rate. On top of that, depending on your setup, there are costs for payments processed by the portal.

The table: what they take per year

Think about what those figures mean in your case: for many vacation rentals, the annual commission equals one or two full months of revenue. It’s money gone before cleaning, restocking or utilities.

The costs that never show on the invoice

• ✓Payment processing and currency conversion: depending on the channel and the guest’s currency, this can add an extra 1-3%.
• ✓Ranking pressure: programmes like Genius or Preferred buy visibility with deeper discounts or higher commission — the real effective rate is usually above the headline one.
• ✓Guest data stays with the portal: you can’t contact them to rebook with you, so you pay commission again for the same customer on their next stay.
• ✓Cancellations and disputes are settled under the portal’s rules, not yours.

The deposit detail: Airbnb removed them in 2023

Since 2023, Airbnb no longer lets hosts set their own security deposits: damage goes through AirCover, a claims process whose outcome you don’t control. On a direct channel you can protect yourself like a hotel again: a card hold (no actual charge) released automatically after check-out if all is well, and a damage-claim process with photo evidence if it isn’t.

How much shifting 20-40% direct changes the result

Example with €25,000 annual revenue: moving 30% (€7,500) to direct bookings means no longer paying about €1,200 a year in average commission (~16%). The direct channel has costs too: the standard payment gateway (Stripe, around 1.5-2%: roughly €110-150 on that volume) and the system — with Kanarix, €49 per month (€588/year) plus a one-time €490 setup in year one. Let’s be frank: in year one, at that volume, the saving roughly covers the cost. The difference comes later: from year two, and as your direct share grows, the recovered margin is clearly yours — and every guest who rebooks direct never pays the toll again.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Airbnb charge hosts in 2026?

For most hosts, a single host-only fee of around 15.5% on the booking subtotal, after the late-2025 model change. Previously the usual split was ~3% to the host and ~14% to the guest.

What commission does Booking.com charge owners?

Typically between 15% and 17% in Spain, and more if you join programmes like Preferred or apply Genius discounts, which come out of your rate.

Who pays the commission, the owner or the guest?

In the end the formal split doesn’t matter: the commission comes out of the total price the guest is willing to pay for your place. With Airbnb’s host-only fee, it’s deducted straight from your payout.

Can I ask for a security deposit on Airbnb?

No: Airbnb removed host-set security deposits in 2023 and damage is handled via AirCover. On a direct-booking website you can use a card hold that’s released after check-out.

What does it cost to take payments on my own website?

Only the gateway’s standard fees (Stripe: card, Bizum, Apple Pay and Google Pay), around 1.5-2%, or a free bank transfer. With Kanarix there’s no per-booking commission: you pay a fixed €49 per month after the one-time €490 setup.