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Fees & pricing

Airbnb vs Stayz vs Booking.com: what each really costs an Australian host in 2026

Blake HarroldBlake Harrold8 min read

For an Australian host with one or two properties, the honest 2026 answer is: Airbnb takes 15.5%, Stayz takes about 8%, and Booking.com takes 12–15% plus extras. But those headline numbers hide three things that change the ranking – GST treatment, who pays for card processing, and a fee jump that only happens once you connect a channel manager.

Here's the whole picture in one place.

The short answer

PlatformHost paysGST on the feeCard processingEffective cost
Airbnb (Since 15 Sept 2026)15.5% of subtotalGST may apply on the feeIncluded15.5% (check your invoice)
Stayz / Vrbo (owner dashboard)5% commissionGST may apply on the commission3% of total received~8%
Stayz / Vrbo (PMS-connected)12–15%As aboveVaries12% – 15%
Booking.com12–15% commissionVaries by agreement1.1% – 3.1% if using their payments13% – 21%+
Direct booking0% commission–Stripe: 1.7% + 30c domestic~1.7% + software

Read the effective column, not the headline column. Stayz's 5% is the most misleading number in the table, because the 3% payment processing fee sits underneath it and applies to the *total received including taxes*.

Airbnb: 15.5%, and now it's visible

Since 15 September 2026, Airbnb's remaining self-managed Australian hosts move to a host-only fee of 15.5% of the booking subtotal, with no separate guest service fee. PMS-connected accounts have been on this model for years and moved from 15% to 15.5% in October 2025.

What the fee applies to: nightly rate, cleaning fee, pet fee, and any other mandatory charge. Not taxes. Not refundable security deposits.

GST: Australian GST of 10% may apply to Airbnb's service fee. Whether you see 15.5% or a higher effective take can depend on what Airbnb has on file and on whether you are GST-registered. Adding an ABN is not automatically a saving, and it can change how Airbnb invoices you. Check the fee line on your invoice and speak to your accountant. Do not treat 17.05% (15.5% plus 10% GST on the fee) as every host's rate. Work the numbers against the 15 September change.

Card processing: included. This matters more than people realise when comparing against direct booking, where you pay Stripe separately.

The thing to actually watch: because the guest fee is gone, the 15.5% now lives inside your advertised nightly rate rather than in a line item at checkout. Your listing price is roughly 15% above what you receive, and everyone can see it. We covered the repricing maths and what it means in detail.

Stayz and Vrbo: cheapest on paper, with an asterisk

Stayz is the same platform as Vrbo, operated in Australia under the Stayz brand, and it's genuinely the cheapest major OTA for a self-managed host.

On the standard owner dashboard:

  • 5% commission on the rental amount and additional fees
  • 3% payment processing on the total received – including taxes
  • GST may apply on the commission (roughly 0.5% extra if it does) – same caveat as Airbnb: it depends on GST registration and what Stayz has on file, not just typing in an ABN
  • Effective: about 8%

The asterisk: connect Stayz through a property management system or channel manager and you're generally moved onto a different rate card – 12–15%, shown in your Vrbo dashboard. A host who adds software to save time can find they've quietly doubled their Stayz commission. Check your dashboard rate before and after connecting anything.

There's also a pay-per-booking versus annual subscription choice depending on your account age and setup. Most Australian self-managed hosts are on pay-per-booking.

What you get for the lower fee: less traffic. Stayz's Australian audience skews older, more family-oriented, longer stays, and more regional and coastal. For a beach house it can outperform Airbnb per listing. For a Melbourne apartment it usually won't.

Booking.com: the most expensive, and the most variable

Booking.com doesn't publish a single commission rate. It's set in your Accommodation Agreement and varies by property type, location and cancellation policy.

  • Base commission: typically 12–15% in Australia
  • Preferred Partner programme: roughly +3% for better placement
  • Genius programme: an 8%+ discount you fund, on top of commission
  • Payments by Booking.com: 1.1–3.1% processing if you use their payment collection

A host on Preferred Partner with Genius enabled and Booking.com payments can be handing over more than 21% of a booking. That's not a criticism of the platform – it drives real volume, particularly international and last-minute – but you should know the number.

The other consideration: Booking.com's cancellation culture is looser than Airbnb's, and their guest support will often side with the guest on a dispute. Price that risk in.

Direct booking: what it actually costs

"Zero commission" is technically true and slightly misleading, so here's the honest version.

  • Payment processing: Stripe in Australia is 1.7% + $0.30 for domestic cards, 3.5% + $0.30 for international. This is real, and Airbnb's 15.5% includes it.
  • Software: a direct-booking tool costs a monthly subscription. StayHive is $39–99/month depending on how many properties you have.
  • Your time: guest questions, payment chasing and calendar management that a platform would otherwise absorb.

On a $2,100 booking, direct costs you about $36 in card fees versus $326 on Airbnb. The saving per booking is real and large. Whether it beats the subscription depends entirely on how many bookings actually go direct.

At $300 a night, a 7-night direct stay nets you roughly $290 more than the same stay through Airbnb. Two of those a year covers a $39/month plan. Three puts you clearly ahead.

The mistake to avoid: assuming direct booking replaces your OTA listings. It doesn't, and it shouldn't. Direct is where repeat guests, referrals and people who found you through your own channels book. Airbnb and Stayz are still where new guests discover you. The realistic target for a self-managed host in year one is somewhere between 10% and 30% of bookings going direct – not 100%.

So which should you list on?

One property, coastal or regional, family market: Airbnb + Stayz. Stayz punches well above its weight outside the capitals and its fee is half Airbnb's.

One property, city apartment: Airbnb, and add Stayz if you have the patience for a second listing. Booking.com if you want international volume and can absorb the commission.

Any property with repeat guests: all of the above, plus a direct-booking page. The guest who stayed last summer and wants to come back is the single most profitable booking you will ever take, and paying a platform 15.5% to reintroduce you to someone who already knows your address is the least defensible cost in the whole business. How to get those bookings is the sequence, not a second OTA listing.

Sources

Common questions

Which platform is cheapest for Australian hosts?

Stayz on the standard owner dashboard, at roughly 8% all in. Airbnb is 15.5%, and Booking.com is usually 13–21% depending on which programmes you've opted into. Direct booking is cheapest of all at around 1.7% in card fees, but only for bookings you generate yourself.

Do I pay GST on platform fees?

Australian GST of 10% may apply to Airbnb's service fee and to Stayz commission. Whether it appears on your invoice depends on what the platform has on file and on whether you are GST-registered. Adding an ABN is not automatically a saving. Check the fee line and speak to your accountant. Whether you then need to charge GST on your own rental income is a separate question – short-term accommodation is generally input-taxed residential rent, but the treatment depends on your circumstances.

Does listing on multiple platforms risk double bookings?

Yes, and it's the main reason hosts stay on one channel. iCal sync between platforms closes most of the gap but not all of it – feeds refresh on a schedule, not instantly. We've written about where sync works and where it doesn't.

Is it worth listing on Booking.com as a small host?

If your property suits international or last-minute travellers and you can absorb 13%+, yes – it reaches an audience the other two don't. If you're a coastal weekender booked out by Australian families months ahead, probably not.

Can I charge a different price on my own site than on Airbnb?

Yes. Airbnb doesn't enforce rate parity on your own direct channel. Booking.com historically pushed parity clauses harder; check your agreement. In practice, because Airbnb's 15.5% now sits inside your listed rate, you can price direct meaningfully lower than Airbnb and still receive more.

StayHive is an Australian-built direct-booking platform for holiday rental hosts. Your Property Page stays in sync with Airbnb and Stayz, guests pay you directly through Stripe, and there's no commission on direct bookings – ever. See how it works.

Fees change. Every figure here was checked in September 2026 against the platforms' own published rates, but your dashboard is the source of truth for your account. This is general information, not financial advice.

General information, not financial or tax advice

Figures and fee models were checked as at 7 September 2026. Your Airbnb host dashboard and invoice are the source of truth for your account. Speak to your accountant about GST and ABN registration.

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