Stay is a commission-free vacation rental marketplace co-founded by HGTV’s Scott McGillivray. We work directly with professional property managers who list on Airbnb, Vrbo, and direct booking platforms — and we’ve seen firsthand what platform fees do to margins at scale.

Quick Answer
Airbnb charges most hosts ~15% (precisely 15.5% for PMS-connected hosts) on every booking, nightly rate and cleaning fee included. 

On $50,000 in annual rental revenue, that’s $7,500/year to Airbnb.
On $100,000, it’s $15,000. 

In 2025, Airbnb completed a fee restructure that shifted its entire platform cost onto hosts. If you manage your properties through a PMS — HostAway, Hostfully, OwnerRez, Lodgify — you are now on the host-only fee model, paying approximately 15% on every booking before your payout is calculated.

For most professional hosts, this isn’t news.

What is less understood is what that percentage adds up to across a full year of bookings, and what a realistic alternative looks like. 

This post gives you the numbers, the math, and a strategy that doesn’t require abandoning the platform that still drives most of your new guest traffic.

What Airbnb Charges Hosts in 2026

Airbnb’s fee structure now works as follows for most professional vacation rental hosts:

The 2026 Airbnb Host Fee — Official Structure
~15% (officially 15.5% for PMS-connected hosts in the US) of every booking subtotal, deducted automatically before payout. Applies to your nightly rate, cleaning fee, and any other host-set charges.

Guests see a single all-in price with no additional Airbnb service fee. You absorb the full platform cost. 

The key change from the old split-fee model: under the previous structure, hosts paid ~3% and guests paid 14–16% on top of your listed price. Today the entire fee is yours to carry. If you were on the 3% model and didn’t adjust your rates when you switched, you are now earning roughly 12–13% less per booking than before.

Note: Non-PMS hosts who have never connected property management software may still be on the split-fee model (3% host / 14–16% guest). The host-only fee is mandatory for hosts using PMS or channel management software.

For a deeper comparison of how Airbnb and Vrbo’s fee structures differ for hosts in 2026 — including cancellation policy changes and Vrbo’s subscription model shift — see our full Airbnb vs. Vrbo for Hosts breakdown.

What Airbnb’s 15% Fee Costs You at Every Revenue Level

Here is the annual cost of Airbnb’s ~15% fee across five common revenue levels — and what you’d save by routing even a portion of bookings through a flat-fee direct booking channel like Stay at $159/year:

* Airbnb fee calculated at 15% of annual revenue. Stay is $159/year flat per property. Savings = Airbnb fee minus $159. All figures rounded to nearest dollar. Savings will be lower with more Stay properties on the platform. Bulk discounts available for 3 or more properties.

The Strategy: Keep Airbnb, Add a Direct Channel

The instinct when you see these numbers is to consider leaving Airbnb

For most professional hosts, that would be a mistake, especially in the short term. Airbnb’s traffic, brand recognition, and new guest acquisition power are real and hard to replace.

The more sustainable approach is to keep Airbnb working for new guest acquisition while building a parallel direct booking channel for returning guests. Every booking that converts from Airbnb to direct is a 15% margin improvement on that booking.

The Compounding Benefit
A guest who books you through Airbnb once and returns through your direct channel the following year saves you 15% of their entire booking value. 
With an average vacation rental booking worth $1,500–$3,000, that’s $225–$450 saved on a single returning guest. Multiply across your returning guest base and the math becomes very significant very quickly.

Running the Numbers: A Real Host Scenario

Take a property manager running two vacation rentals at $50,000 total annual revenue through Airbnb.

Adding Stay doesn’t mean leaving Airbnb, it means adding a second channel where you keep 100% of every booking. Here’s what that looks like:

Year 1: Airbnb stays on. Total Airbnb fees on $50,000: $7,500. Add Stay for both properties: $318/year. Stay’s marketplace (backed by active advertising) starts driving bookings from day one. Even 5 new bookings averaging $1,500 each through Stay ($7,500 in additional revenue) costs you nothing beyond the $318 subscription. That’s $7,500 you wouldn’t have had on Airbnb, keeping 100% instead of 85%.

Ongoing: As Stay’s marketplace grows, so does your exposure. Returning guests who discover Stay can rebook direct. Every booking through Stay, new or returning, is a 15% margin improvement over the same booking on Airbnb.

The math isn’t about migrating your Airbnb bookings. It’s about what you do with the bookings that don’t have to go through Airbnb at all.

What Makes a Direct Booking Platform Worth It

Not every direct booking solution delivers real value. Here is what actually matters, and why Stay was built the way it was:

• Flat fee, not a commission. Stay charges $159/year flat. No percentage, no per-booking cut. You are not just trading one commission for a smaller one.
• Native PMS integration. Stay integrates directly with HostAway, Hostfully, OwnerRez, and Lodgify. Your listings, calendar, and availability sync automatically. Setup takes about 10 minutes, no manual rebuild of your listings from scratch.
• A marketplace, not just software. Stay is a marketplace with real traveler traffic, not just a booking widget you embed on a website no one visits. Hosts get both a direct booking channel and exposure to new Stay travelers.
• Built by a host, for hosts. Stay was co-founded by HGTV’s Scott McGillivray, a professional real estate investor and property manager who built this because he experienced the commission model problem firsthand. The platform was designed around what hosts actually need.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Airbnb’s 15% apply to my cleaning fee too?

Yes. Airbnb calculates its fee on the full booking subtotal, which includes your nightly rate, cleaning fee, and any other host-set charges such as pet fees. A $150 cleaning fee costs you approximately $22.50 in Airbnb fees on top of the cleaning itself. Many hosts realize this only after doing a full annual fee audit.

What changed about Airbnb’s fees in 2025–2026?

Airbnb phased out the split-fee model for PMS-connected hosts between April and December 2025. Under the old model, hosts paid ~3% and guests paid 14–16% on top of your listed price. Under the current host-only model, you pay ~15% and guests see a single transparent price. The total platform take is similar, but now it comes entirely from your payout rather than being shared with guests.

Can I use Stay alongside my existing Airbnb listing?

Yes, that’s exactly how most Stay hosts use the platform. Airbnb stays active for new guest acquisition. Stay handles direct bookings from returning guests and travelers who find you through Stay’s marketplace. Your PMS keeps all calendars synced automatically to prevent double bookings.

How much does Stay cost, and what’s included?

Stay charges $159/year per property. That includes your listing on Stay’s marketplace, direct booking capability, PMS calendar sync, and full access to Stay’s host tools. No commission, no per-booking fees, no percentage of your revenue. You keep 100% of every booking.

How long does setup take if I’m already on a PMS?

Around 10 minutes for hosts on HostAway, Hostfully, OwnerRez, or Lodgify. Your listing details, availability, and calendar sync automatically through your existing PMS connection. You’re not starting from scratch.

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The math is clear. The question is when you start.

Every year you run exclusively through Airbnb is another year of 15% coming off the top. Stay’s annual plan costs $159 and takes 10 minutes to set up.

Join Stay at staywithstay.com — $159/year
Zero commission · Works alongside Airbnb & Vrbo · Integrates with HostAway, Hostfully, OwnerRez & Lodgify · Real traveler marketplace · Co-founded by HGTV’s Scott McGillivray · Setup in 10 minute