Commission Calculator: What OTAs Really Cost You

Platform fees look small per booking and add up fast over a year. This calculator shows how much commission you pay Airbnb and Booking.com each year, your effective commission rate, and what you'd keep by moving some of those bookings to direct.

Enter your own numbers below. Everything updates as you type.

How the calculator works

The calculator uses six inputs and one slider:

• Average nightly rate. What a typical night earns you, including cleaning spread across the stay if you want a more precise figure.
• Booked nights per year. Your occupied nights across all channels.
• Share of nights from Airbnb and Booking.com. Whatever is left over is treated as bookings you already take direct.
• Airbnb host fee. Set to 15.5% by default, the host-only fee most hosts pay at the time of writing (October 2026).
• Booking.com commission. Set to 17% by default. The base rate is often around 15%, but Genius discounts, visibility programmes and payment fees usually push the effective rate higher.
• Bookings you move to direct. The slider shows what happens if that share of your platform bookings came to you directly instead.

The formula is simple:

1. Yearly revenue = nightly rate × booked nights.
2. Commission = (revenue × Airbnb share × Airbnb fee) + (revenue × Booking.com share × Booking.com commission).
3. Effective rate = commission ÷ revenue.
4. Kept by booking direct = commission × share moved to direct.
5. Yearly saving = kept by booking direct − €168 (the OpenSty Solo plan, €14 a month).

If your fees differ, change the percentages. Your Airbnb earnings page and your Booking.com monthly invoice show what you actually paid. Our fee guide explains where each charge comes from.

Worked example with the default numbers

Here's what the defaults mean for a typical small rental:

The effective rate is lower than either platform's fee because 10% of nights are already direct and pay no commission at all.

Two numbers are worth noticing. First, the break-even point is low: moving just over 5% of your platform bookings to direct covers a year of the Solo plan. Second, the saving grows quickly: at 40% moved to direct, you'd keep about €1,257 and save about €1,089 after the plan.

What the result doesn't include

The calculator compares commission with a subscription. It leaves out a few things you should weigh up yourself:

• Your time. Direct guests email and message you directly. Answering requests, confirming dates and sending payment details takes a few minutes per booking.
• Payment handling. Platforms collect money for you. With direct bookings you arrange payment yourself, usually by bank transfer or a card payment link, which may carry a small processing fee. See taking payments for direct bookings.
• Marketing. Platforms bring you new guests. Direct bookings mostly come from past guests, referrals and your own channels, so they need some effort to build.
• Price differences. If you offer a lower direct price to encourage direct booking, your saving per stay is smaller. It's usually still positive.

How to raise your direct share

The slider is the number you can actually change. These are the most reliable ways to move it:

• Ask past guests to book direct next time. A card in the apartment and a returning-guest discount work well. Our guide to turning platform guests into repeat direct guests covers what platforms allow.
• Put your booking link everywhere you're found. Instagram bio, WhatsApp Business, local listings and your email signature.
• Make booking direct feel safe. Live availability, clear terms and fast replies matter more than a fancy website.
• Offer a small direct incentive. A slightly lower rate or an extra like late checkout gives guests a reason to skip the platform.

For the full plan, read how to get direct bookings. If you're choosing a tool, our comparison of direct booking website builders looks at price and commission side by side.

Common questions

Why is my effective rate lower than the platform fees?

Because it's averaged across all your revenue. Nights you already take direct pay no commission, so they pull the average down.

What Booking.com commission should I enter?

Use the effective rate from your monthly invoice: total commission and payment fees divided by your total booking value. If you don't know it, 15% is a reasonable base and 17–20% is common with Genius and payment fees.

Is the saving per property?

Yes. The calculator assumes one property on the Solo plan. If you have several properties, run it for each one, or compare against the Pro plan (€29 a month for up to five properties).

Does moving 20% to direct mean losing platform visibility?

Not necessarily. You keep listing on the platforms and move mainly returning guests and referrals to direct. New guests can still find you through Airbnb and Booking.com.