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On their own published terms, Airbnb charges most UK hosts on its single fee structure 15.5% of each booking, Booking.com charges a commission percentage set in your agreement on the room rate and extra fees, and Flexiestays charges only 8% on the bookings it brings. Airbnb's figure comes from its help centre and Booking.com's wording from its partner help pages, both checked in late September and early October 2026. The fee is only half the comparison: what matters is which guests each channel brings, for which dates and stay lengths, and what each fee pays for.
This guide uses only the platforms' own published fee pages, with the date each was checked. Fees change, so check the current page and your own agreement before you rely on a figure.
What Airbnb charges hosts
Airbnb's help article on service fees, read on 1 October 2026, describes two structures.
- Single fee (host-only). "Most hosts pay 15.5%, remaining hosts typically pay 14%-16%." The whole fee is deducted from the host's payout, and the guest sees the price the host sets. Airbnb is moving hosts to this structure.
- Split fee (being phased out). "Most hosts pay a 3% service fee, but some pay more", and the guest pays a separate service fee on top of the price.
Airbnb says it charges the fee "to help Airbnb run smoothly and to cover the cost of services like 24/7 customer support". In practice the fee pays for the listing, Airbnb's audience, payment collection, its messaging and review system, and access to AirCover for Hosts, Airbnb's host protection package. The fee page gives no separate rate for stays of 28 nights or more.
What Booking.com charges
Booking.com's partner help page on commission, read on 30 September 2026, says commission is a set percentage of the total booking amount, including the room rate and any additional fees such as cleaning fees. It does not charge commission on local taxes. The percentage depends on your country, property type and the agreement you signed, and optional visibility programmes can add to it. That page does not publish a single UK rate, so we do not quote one: check your own agreement or extranet.
The commission pays for listing on Booking.com, its large international audience, its brand and search placement, and the booking and guest service tools that come with it. Payment handling depends on whether you take payment yourself or use Booking.com's payments service, so read the terms for the option you choose.
What Flexiestays charges
Flexiestays is the Flexiestays group's own booking platform at flexiestays.com, and Bournemouth's number one platform for winter and long stays. Flexiestays charges only 8% on the bookings it brings. Contractors, relocations, insurance and displacement guests, NHS and university staff, visiting families and remote workers book there for weeks and months.
Sea Breeze is part of the Flexiestays group, and every property we manage is listed on Flexiestays as well as on Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo and 20+ channels. Our Flexiestays page explains how it works for owners.
The three side by side
| Airbnb | Booking.com | Flexiestays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Published host or owner fee | Most hosts 15.5% (single fee); 14% to 16% for remaining hosts | Percentage set in your agreement | 8% on the bookings it brings |
| Charged on | Booking price set by the host, deducted from payout | Room rate and extra fees such as cleaning, not local taxes | Bookings it brings |
| Source and date | Airbnb help centre, 1 October 2026 | Booking.com partner help, 30 September 2026 | Flexiestays group, owner-confirmed 1 October 2026 |
| Strongest for | Summer weeks, short breaks, Airbnb's own guest base | International and short-notice short stays | Winter, mid-term and long stays in and around Bournemouth |
Why the percentage matters more on long stays
A platform fee is a percentage of the booking. On a weekend it is a small sum; on a month-long stay it is charged on the whole month. Because the fee pages for Airbnb and Booking.com give no lower rate for long stays, a lower-fee channel built for long stays makes the most difference to an owner in exactly the months when the property would otherwise sit empty.
That is the case for Flexiestays in winter. It is not a case for leaving the big platforms. In summer, Airbnb and Booking.com bring the families and couples who fill a Bournemouth calendar from Easter to September, and their reach is hard to match.
When each channel fits
- Airbnb suits most holiday lets for summer weeks and short breaks, especially houses and characterful flats where reviews and photos sell the stay. See Airbnb management.
- Booking.com adds international guests and last-minute short stays, and suits flats and aparthotel-style units that compete with hotels.
- Flexiestays suits the November to March season and stays of a week to several months, for owners who want the property earning in winter with fewer changeovers. See winter let management and mid-term let management.
Using all three, with one calendar so nothing is double-booked, is how most managed properties are run. Stays longer than 28 nights carry their own rules on business rates and tenancy, set out in our guide to mid-term lets.
Five questions to ask before comparing fees
A percentage on its own does not tell you what a booking costs. Before you compare platforms, ask the same five questions of each:
- What is the fee charged on? Booking.com includes cleaning fees in the amount it takes commission on. Airbnb's single fee is taken from the price you set. Know the base before you compare the rate.
- Who pays it? Under a host-only fee the owner carries all of it. Under a split fee part of the cost is added to the guest's price, which affects how your listing compares with others in search.
- When is the money paid out? Platforms pay at different points around check-in. On a month-long stay the timing of the payout matters to your cash flow.
- What happens on cancellation? Each platform sets its own cancellation policies and decides what the owner receives if a guest cancels. Read them for the stay lengths you plan to take.
- What protection comes with it? Airbnb offers AirCover for Hosts. Check what each other channel provides, and what your own insurance must cover instead. Our holiday let insurance guide explains the gaps.
Then add the one number no fee page gives you: how many nights each channel actually fills for your property in each season. A higher fee on a booking you would not otherwise get is still income; a lower fee on a channel with no demand for your dates is nothing. That is why we track bookings by channel and season rather than choosing one platform.
Platform fees and management fees are separate
A platform fee pays the platform for a booking. A management fee pays a manager to run the property: pricing, guest messaging, check-ins, inspections and support. Sea Breeze charges a flat 16% of booking revenue, with no retainer and no monthly fee, and the relevant platform fee applies on whichever channel took the booking. Cleaning, linen and repairs are paid directly to the local companies we recommend, or your own. The full cost comparison is in our guide to agency commission, and our pricing page sets out what the 16% includes.
For local detail, see our pages for Airbnb management in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch.
