Airbnb vs Vrbo vs Direct Booking: Platform Comparison

Airbnb keeps 15.5% of the booking subtotal from most hosts, Vrbo charges hosts on its pay-per-booking plan a flat 12% commission on bookings made on or after October 29, 2026, and a direct booking costs about 2.9% plus 30 cents in card fees before you pay for a booking website and marketing. Direct booking saves money only when your website and marketing cost less per booking than the platform fee it avoids: about $126 per $1,000 booked against Airbnb and $91 against Vrbo. Vrbo lets you set a damage deposit, which most Airbnb hosts cannot charge. If you list on more than one channel, each calendar has to block the nights booked on the others, or you risk selling the same night twice.

What does each channel cost per booking?

Airbnb's subtotal is the nightly price plus any fees you charge, such as a cleaning fee, before taxes. Airbnb is moving all home hosts to the single fee, and once your account switches you cannot switch back. Vrbo's 12% applies to the rental amount plus the cleaning, pet, and other fees you charge, but not to taxes, refundable deposits, or the traveler service fee; if you take Vrbo payments through your own processor, that processor's fees come on top. Bookings made before your account moves to the 12% rate keep the earlier rate. Vrbo no longer adds listings under its annual subscription plan, and an existing subscription runs to its expiration date before moving to the 12% model.

Example: a $1,000 subtotal (nights plus cleaning fee, no taxes).

• Airbnb single fee: $155 fee, $845 payout.
• Airbnb split fee: $30 fee, $970 payout; the guest pays $141 to $165 on top.
• Vrbo at 12%: $120 commission, $880 payout.
• Direct booking through Stripe: $29.30 card fee, $970.70 payout before website and marketing costs.

Airbnb pricing strategies covers setting rates once fees differ by channel.

How do deposits and damage protection compare?

To deduct repair costs from a Vrbo deposit, document and report the damage within 14 days of checkout. Some hosts who run Airbnb through connected property management software may collect a deposit outside Airbnb, but only if it appears in the fee fields before booking, and it must be refunded in full within 7 days of checkout when the guest causes no damage or extra charges. To recover damage costs from an Airbnb guest, you must request payment through the Resolution Center, Airbnb's tool for payment requests between hosts and guests. Airbnb says AirCover is not a substitute for your own insurance; short-term rental insurance covers AirCover's claim deadlines and exclusions and what a host policy should add.

How do cancellation policies compare?

Every standard Airbnb policy for stays under 28 nights also gives a full refund to a guest who cancels within 24 hours after the reservation is confirmed, if it was confirmed at least 7 days before check-in. Under California Civil Code section 1748.81, qualifying Airbnb, Vrbo, and direct bookings for California short-term rentals must allow cancellation without penalty for at least 24 hours after confirmation when booked at least 72 hours before check-in. Airbnb's Strict and Super strict policies are by invitation only, and stays of 28 nights or more use separate long-term policies. On Vrbo, the policy you select overrides your rental agreement where the two conflict, and because the 12% commission is charged on what you keep, a refund lowers it.

On a direct booking, your rental agreement sets the cancellation terms subject to applicable law, including California's rule above, and refunds cost you money. Stripe does not return its processing fee when you refund a card payment, so fully refunding a $1,000 booking still costs you $29.30. A guest who disputes a charge with their card issuer costs you a $15 fee, plus $15 more if you contest it, which Stripe returns if you win.

What does it take to run direct bookings?

A direct booking saves the platform fee but moves the platform's jobs to you:

1. A booking site that takes payments. On top of the domestic card rate in the cost table, Stripe adds 1.5% for international cards and 1% more when currency conversion is needed.
2. Lodging taxes. No platform collects occupancy taxes on a direct booking, so you register with each taxing authority, charge the guest, and file the returns yourself; the short-term rental tax guide covers registering.
3. Insurance and a rental agreement, as described above.
4. Finding guests. Your own marketing replaces the platforms' search results. Airbnb's payment rules bar hosts from offering discounts to book off Airbnb, putting off-platform links in listings or messages, and rebooking or extending Airbnb reservations off the platform, so your Airbnb listing and messages cannot be used to recruit direct bookings.

The fee savings set your marketing budget. Against Airbnb's 15.5%, a $1,000 direct booking keeps $125.70 more after Stripe's fee ($155 minus $29.30); against Vrbo's 12%, it keeps $90.70 more. Divide your yearly website, software, and advertising costs by the direct bookings they bring in, and compare the result with those amounts.

How do you list on several channels without double bookings?

Check Vrbo eligibility before creating a listing: guests generally need exclusive use of the indoor living space and a separate, secure entrance that does not pass through the host's private area. An ordinary spare room with shared living areas generally does not qualify.

Set this up the day each listing goes live:

1. Connect each listing's calendar to the others in both directions, using the calendar export and import links each platform provides.
2. Block personal stays and maintenance days on every channel yourself.
3. If you take instant bookings on more than one platform, use a channel manager, software that sends each booking and block to every channel. Short-term rental automation explains how often calendar links refresh and what channel managers cost.
4. Keep amenities and house rules the same on every channel; the listing optimization guide covers filling them in and which listing photos you can reuse on another site.

For where channel choice fits in the overall setup, see how to start an Airbnb business.