Last updated: October 2026
Take the same £200 night at a UK B&B. On Airbnb you keep £169 (15.5% host-only fee; £162.80 if a separate 20% VAT charge applies to the fee). On Booking.com you keep £170 at an assumed 15% contract rate. The platforms cost almost the same on these assumptions. The real comparison is against your own direct booking website, where there is no platform commission.
A useful comparison starts with the same £200 booking amount and states what each calculation includes. Airbnb's fee structure and Booking.com's contract rate can differ between properties. Neither a single percentage nor a payout example describes every UK host. The examples below assume a completed £200 stay with no cleaning charge, discount, accommodation tax, refund or currency conversion. They show the amount after the specified channel charges, not business profit.
Airbnb: £200 night, assumed 15.5% single fee = £31.00. You receive £169.00. If a separate 20% VAT charge applies to this underlying service fee, add £6.20, leaving £162.80. Do not add that VAT again if the displayed fee already includes it. Use this example only for a reservation on that fee structure.
Booking.com: £200 night, assumed 15% contract rate = £30.00. You receive £170.00 before payment charges, programme costs and any applicable tax on commission. Here, 15% is an example contract rate, not a verified UK-wide standard. If your actual payment agreement separately charges 2% on the same £200 base, that adds £4 and leaves £166 before other costs. The 2% is a stated hypothetical assumption, not a published universal Payments by Booking.com price. Use your own contract and reservation statement.
Your own website: £200 night, 0% commission to directbook.uk. For a £200 card payment at Stripe's published standard UK card rate of 1.5% + 20p, processing is £3 + £0.20 = £3.20. You receive £196.80 after this processing fee. That rate is for standard UK cards; other card categories, currencies, payment methods or custom pricing can cost more. A direct booking website also has build, domain, hosting, software and marketing costs. Do not describe the full £200 as money the host keeps.
Same guest, same night, same £200. The difference between the platforms is a pound or two on these assumptions. The difference between any platform and your own site is around £30 per night before the site's own costs.
| Airbnb | Booking.com | Your own site | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fee on a £200 night | £31.00 (15.5%) | £30.00 (15%) | £0 |
| With VAT/payment extras | Up to £37.20 if VAT charged on top | Up to £34.00+ with payment extras | £3.20 Stripe only |
| You receive | £162.80 - £169.00 | £166.00 - £170.00 | £196.80 |
| Fee model | Per booking, forever | Per booking, forever | One-time £1,999 build |
| Guest data | Airbnb owns it | Booking.com owns it | You own it |
The 15.5% headline looks clean, but VAT may apply to the fee depending on your residence, listing location and tax position. Airbnb's Help Centre says the fee shown is VAT-inclusive where applicable, so do not automatically add 20% to a fee that already includes VAT. Use the VAT invoice and booking breakdown together. VAT-registered hosts may need to self-assess; ask your accountant.
15% is just the start. Payments by Booking.com adds 1.1% to 3.1%. Preferred Partner adds around 3%. Genius discounts of 10% to 20% come out of your revenue. A host using all three can see the effective cost push past 20% before they notice.
A small property taking £40,000 a year through either platform hands over roughly £6,000 to £7,400 in fees. A direct booking website costs £1,999 once. Shift a third of your bookings to direct and, at typical commission rates, the one-time £1,999 build can pay for itself in about a year; after that, each direct booking avoids the platform commission (card processing still applies).
You do not need to leave either platform. Keep both listings for discovery. Your own site is where repeat guests and direct-search visitors book, and where no platform commission is taken (card processing still applies).
Hand-built website, £1,999 one-time, 0% commission. Works with freetobook or eviivo.
Try a £9.90 demoQuestions? Call +44 7727 811227 (24/7 AI) · WhatsApp (human) · hello@directbook.uk
Last checked: 9 October 2026. General guidance only, not financial or tax advice. Airbnb's fee structure and Booking.com's contract rates can vary by property; your account notice, contract and reservation statements remain the final check. Do not move an existing platform reservation off-platform in breach of its terms. Sources: Airbnb service fees · Booking.com: understanding your commission · Stripe UK pricing.