Commission Bases Compared: Airbnb, Booking.com, Agoda and Trip.com

Hosts compare commission percentages. The number that matters is the base the percentage is applied to.

Last updated: September 18, 2026

You line up the headline commission rates from Airbnb, Booking.com, Agoda and Trip.com and pick the lowest. The comparison is the wrong one. A lower percentage applied to a larger base can leave you less per night than a higher percentage on a smaller one, and the base is the part hosts almost never read. This guide compares what each platform actually applies its rate to, what sits below the headline number, and how to build a net-per-night figure you can defend. It stays at the level of principles and the components of the base; the exact rates and tax treatment differ by platform and market and change, so confirm the current position with each channel before you reprice.

The figures here are a method, not a rate card. Treat the base as the thing to check, and the percentage as the thing to discount until you have seen the base.

Key Takeaways

• The base beats the percentage. A lower rate on a larger base can leave you less than a higher rate on a smaller one.
• Nightly rate is always in the base. Cleaning and extra-guest or pet fees usually are too, which enlarges what the rate is applied to.
• Taxes sit outside, deposits do not count. Lodging tax is generally assessed separately, and a refundable damage deposit is held, not earned.
• Processing and conversion sit below the line. They are not in the headline comparison but they are in your payout.
• Compare the four nets, not the four percentages. Only the net per night shows which channel actually pays you more.

The percentage is the wrong comparison

The headline commission rate is the number platforms lead with, and it is the number hosts fixate on. It is also the least useful on its own, because it describes a slice of an amount that differs from platform to platform. Two listings with the same nightly price can owe very different totals to the same stated rate, purely because the base underneath is built differently.

The discipline is to flip the question. Instead of "what percentage does this platform take," ask "what amount does that percentage take from." The answer changes which channel is actually cheaper, and it is the answer most rate comparisons never reach. Where a platform applies a single host-side service fee rather than splitting the fee between host and guest, the base question still applies — the fee side moves, but the amount it lands on does not.

What each platform applies its rate to

The commission base is the amount the stated rate is multiplied against, and on most platforms it is wider than the nightly rate alone. Reading the base as a checklist is more useful than reading a rate card, because the inclusions are where channels quietly diverge.

Element	Counts toward commission on most platforms	Note
Nightly rate	Yes	The core amount, wherever the fee sits
Cleaning fee	Usually yes	A large cleaning fee enlarges the commission base
Extra guest or pet fees	Usually yes	These are revenue, not reimbursements
Taxes and lodging tax	Generally assessed separately	Confirm per platform and per market
Damage deposits	No, if refundable	Deposits are held, not earned

The practical trap is the cleaning fee. A high cleaning fee does not just raise your guest's price; on most platforms it also enlarges the base the commission is calculated on, so a "low" nightly rate with a large cleaning fee can cost more in commission than it looks. Extra-guest and pet fees behave the same way — they are revenue to you and revenue to the platform's calculation. Taxes are generally handled on top of the commission rather than inside it, and a refundable deposit is held and returned, so it should not enter the base at all. Confirm the current position for your market, because the treatment of each element shifts between platforms and over time.

The add-ons that sit outside the headline rate

Below the headline commission sits a layer most comparisons forget, and it is the layer that reaches your payout. Payment processing is charged on the transaction regardless of the commission rate, and when a booking is paid in a currency different from your payout currency, a conversion cost joins it. Neither of these is part of the headline percentage, but both reduce what lands in your account.

Visibility or preference programmes add a second wrinkle. Participating in a programme that promotes your listing can move the effective rate you pay, and the movement is not always visible on the headline number. The point is not to avoid programmes — it is to read your statement, not the marketing page, when you estimate cost. Processing, conversion and programme participation all sit beneath the commission line, which is exactly why a channel with a lower headline rate is sometimes the one that leaves you less per night once everything is subtracted.

Building a net-per-night figure you can trust

A net-per-night figure is the only honest way to compare channels, and it is built in four subtractions done in order. Start from the guest-paid total, not the nightly rate — include cleaning and any mandatory fees, because that total is the amount most platforms calculate their rate against. Subtract the platform's own cut using the figure that appears on your statement, not the headline rate, because programme participation and market can both move it. Subtract payment and currency costs next; they sit below the commission line and are easy to overlook entirely. Then compare the four results, not the four percentages.

Keeping rates and availability in step across Airbnb, Booking.com, Agoda and Trip.com from one calendar is what localsbnb.com does, so the net figure you build is the same one pushed to every channel rather than a different number per site. The channel with the higher headline rate is sometimes the one that leaves you more per night once the base, the processing and the conversion are all accounted for — and only the net shows it.

Self-check before you list or publish

1. When I compare channels, am I comparing the base or just the headline percentage?
2. Have I counted my cleaning fee and any extra-guest or pet fees as part of the commission base?
3. Did I separate taxes, which are usually assessed on top, from the commission base?
4. Have I excluded refundable damage deposits, which are held and not earned?
5. Did I subtract payment processing and any currency conversion below the commission line?
6. Am I comparing the four net-per-night figures, not the four percentages, before I reprice?

Frequently asked questions

Why does the base matter more than the percentage?

Because the same percentage on a different base yields a different commission. A lower rate on a larger base — one that includes cleaning and fees — can leave you less per night than a higher rate on a smaller one.

Does my cleaning fee get commissioned?

On most platforms, usually yes. A large cleaning fee enlarges the base the rate is applied to, so it raises commission as well as guest price. Confirm the treatment for your market, because it varies.

Are payment processing fees part of the commission?

No, they sit below the commission line. They are charged on the transaction and, with any currency conversion, reduce your payout even though they never appear in the headline comparison.

How do I compare four channels honestly?

Build the net per night: start from the guest-paid total, subtract the platform's cut as shown on your statement, subtract processing and conversion, then compare the four nets. The percentage alone hides the answer.

Ready to keep one rate and one net figure consistent across four channels? Start free at localsbnb.com.

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Fees, rates, and platform policies change, so confirm current details with each channel before acting. Results vary by market, season, property type, and pricing. LOCALSBNB provides software, not financial or legal advice.