How To Develop An App Like Airbnb: Cost, Features & Tech Stack

With many travel apps like Airbnb, it has become convenient for people to buy tickets, book accommodations, or compare prices with just a few taps on their smartphones. And this is the reason behind the growing popularity of the online travel industry. As per Globe News Wire, the global online travel market size is to reach USD 1,835.6 Bn by 2030 | CAGR 14.8 %.

Hence, this is turning out to be a good investment option for people willing to make a mark in the travel industry. If you want to create an app like Airbnb, read further as we unveil several aspects of travel app development in this article.

When it comes to travel apps, it is Airbnb that is doing a marvelous job. Hence it can be beneficial to look into the working of Airbnb, and this is how we begin this article by exploring more about it and its workings. So, let’s start.

What Is Airbnb?

Airbnb is a travel service that provides a platform for renting options for apartments across the world. This service offers amazing marketplaces for landowners & short-term rentals/lodging seekers. Hence, when you make an app like Airbnb, you provide an online platform to your users, tying people looking to rent their holiday homes with people needing accommodation.

The concept of Airbnb is so thrilling that it entirely changed how people look for flats, as they get such attractive offers with Airbnb. For instance, when travelers fly overseas and rent a private room from a local family, they experience a comfortable, homely feeling like Airbnb. They get a taste of cultural immersion. They can experience an authentic feel of that place and neighborhood.

This peer-to-peer online marketplace enables people to enlist/rent short-term or long-term stays in residential properties. Hence, Airbnb mainly acts as a broker who helps people lease any accommodation place for people looking to book it privately. In 2023, Airbnb will be a Massive Platform Operating in 191 Countries.

Hence, everyone looking to rent an apartment, a room, a villa, a cottage, or even a whole property does it on Airbnb.

However, Airbnb is not restricted to simply booking rooms, as the users can even book a suite, a yacht, a houseboat, or even a whole apartment.

Due to its simplicity, both the hosts (the property owners) and the guests (booking the accommodation) can use the Airbnb app. Hence, when creating an app like Airbnb, remember these aspects to keep the design user-friendly and pay attention to every development process step.

Business Model of Airbnb

Airbnb is an online marketplace that connects hosts (people who want to rent out their properties) with guests (people looking for accommodations). The platform operates on a commission-based model where it charges hosts a percentage of the booking fee and guests a service fee for using the platform.

Here Are the Key Components of Airbnb’s Business Model:

1. Value Proposition

Airbnb’s value proposition is to provide unique and affordable accommodations to travelers while offering hosts an opportunity to earn extra income by renting out their properties.

2. Revenue Streams

Airbnb’s primary revenue stream comes from charging hosts a percentage of the booking fee (typically 3% for hosts who use the platform to manage their listings and up to 15% for those who need more support) and charging guests a service fee (typically between 5% and 15% of the booking cost).

3. Customer Segments

Airbnb targets two customer segments – hosts and guests. Hosts can be individuals or businesses with properties to rent, while guests can be individuals or groups seeking short-term accommodation.

4. Key Activities

Airbnb’s key activities include managing the platform and its features, ensuring trust and safety for hosts and guests, marketing and promoting the platform, and providing customer support.

5. Key Resources

Airbnb’s essential resources include its technology infrastructure, brand, and community of hosts and guests.

6. Key Partnerships

Airbnb partners with various stakeholders, including property managers, destination marketing organizations, and payment providers, to enhance its platform’s functionality and reach.

7. Cost Structure

Airbnb’s cost structure includes platform development and maintenance expenses, customer support, marketing and promotion, and legal and regulatory compliance.

If You Are Planning to Develop a Similar App To Airbnb, Here Are Some Important Things to Consider:

• Platform Design and User Experience: Airbnb’s success is primarily due to its user-friendly platform and its focus on user experience. Investing in a platform that is intuitive, easy to navigate, and provides a seamless experience for hosts and guests is essential.
• Trust and Safety: One of the biggest concerns for guests and hosts is trust and safety. Implementing measures that ensure both parties feel safe and secure when using the platform is important. This includes background checks, secure payment systems, and clear cancellations, refunds, and damages policies.
• Regulatory Compliance: Airbnb has faced regulatory challenges in many markets, and it’s important to be aware of the regulatory landscape and ensure that your platform complies with local laws and regulations.
• Marketing and Promotion: Airbnb’s success is also due to its effective marketing and promotion strategies. Investing in marketing efforts is important to attract hosts and guests to the platform and build a strong brand identity.
• Customer Support: Finally, providing excellent customer support to hosts and guests is essential. This includes offering timely and helpful responses to inquiries, resolving issues quickly and efficiently, and providing resources and tools to help hosts and guests maximize their experience on the platform.

Considering these factors, you can develop a successful platform that provides value to hosts and guests and is sustainable and profitable long-term.

How Does Airbnb Work?

How Airbnb works for Travelers/Guests? This platform typically works with two panels – guests and landlords (host). The service offers many functionalities to its users, and to create an app like Airbnb, it is better to understand its workings. Here we explain:

1. Sign up Or Log In

Visit the Airbnb app or website and create an account using your email address or social media account. If you’re already a user, log in.

2. Create a Profile

Once logged in, you must create a profile. This includes providing basic information about yourself, such as your name, profile picture, and ID number. You can also add more details to your profile, such as your interests, hobbies, and travel preferences.

3. Search for A Place

Now, it’s time to search for a place to stay. You can use various filters to narrow your searches, such as location, accommodation type, price range, and more. You can also view photos and read reviews from previous guests to help you decide.

4. Book Your Stay

Once you’ve found the perfect place, you can submit a booking request. The host will then have 24 hours to accept or decline your request. If they accept, you’ll receive an SMS or push notification confirmation.

5. Payment

You can pay for your stay using various payment methods, such as credit cards, debit cards, Google Pay, and Apple Pay. Airbnb will hold the payment until 24 hours after check-in to ensure everything is as expected.

6. Enjoy Your Stay

Once you arrive at your accommodation, you can start enjoying your stay. You can contact the host or Airbnb’s customer support team for assistance if you have any issues or concerns.

Overall, Airbnb makes it easy for travelers to find and book unique accommodations worldwide. You can be on your way to your next adventure with a few simple steps.

How Does Airbnb Works for Tenants?

Head to Airbnb mobile or web app and complete the registration as a host from the social networks.

Airbnb makes it easy for tenants to earn extra income by renting out their properties for short-term rentals. With a few simple steps, you can start hosting guests from all around the world.

• Sign up Or Log In: Visit the Airbnb app or website and create an account using your email address or social media account. If you’re already a user, simply log in.
• Create a Listing: As a tenant, you can list your property on Airbnb for short-term rentals. You’ll need to provide details about your property, such as the accommodation type, number of bedrooms, and amenities. You can also set your own rental price and availability.
• Host Verification: Before your listing goes live, Airbnb will verify your identity and property information to ensure the safety of guests.
• Accept Bookings: Once your listing is live, guests can start booking your property. You’ll receive booking requests, which you can accept or decline. If you accept, you’ll receive payment after the guest checks in.
• Guest Communication: You can communicate with your guests through the Airbnb app or website to answer any questions or concerns they may have before their stay.
• Check-In: On the day of check-in, you’ll need to provide your guests with access to the property. You can arrange to meet them in person or provide them with self-check-in instructions.
• Payment: Airbnb will hold the payment from the guest until 24 hours after check-in to ensure everything is as expected. You can then withdraw the payment to your bank account or keep it in your Airbnb account for future bookings.
• Cleaning and Maintenance: As a host, you must keep your property clean and well-maintained for guests. You can clean the property yourself or hire a professional cleaning service.

Market Stats of Airbnb – Latest Facts & Figures

In 2021, the United States had the highest number of active Airbnb listings, with an average of 2.25 million listings. France came in second with 1.2 million listings, while China was third with 1.15 million listings. Interestingly, the US had the smallest decrease in listings among the top 10 countries, with a decrease rate of just 2.7%. It was also the only country with over 2 million Airbnb listings in 2020 and 2021. Brazil had the second smallest decrease in listings at 2.9%, while Mexico had a 3.4% drop. Despite the pandemic, Mexico managed to attract a lot of tourism by keeping its borders open without many restrictions.

Here Are Some Key Statistics in 2023 About the Platform: search logistics

• Over 4 million hosts and 6 million listings are active on Airbnb worldwide.
• Airbnb listings are available in more than 100,000 cities across the globe.
• The platform has over 150 million users worldwide, booked over 1 billion stays.
• On average, 6 guests check into an Airbnb every second.
• In North America, the average cost for an Airbnb per night is $163.
• Guests typically stay an average of 4.3 nights per booking.
• It takes users an average of 11 minutes and 31 seconds to book a stay using the Airbnb app.
• The average host earns $13,800 annually.
• Airbnb’s current valuation is around $113 billion.
• It is estimated that Airbnb now holds over a 20% market share of the vacation rental industry.

Why Invest in Vacation Rental App like Airbnb?

There has been constant talk about the saturation in the vacation rental niche. However, even a giant like Airbnb is presently owing just 10-15% of the vacation rental market. And this leaves 40-50% of the market for the other businesses to create Airbnb-like app. Hence, there is enough space for another unicorn to make a mark in the travel industry. So, if you are willing to make a mark in this arena, this is the best time to make the grand entry in the travel market with a high-performing app able to make the customers happy.

When an app like Airbnb is developed, even in its simplest form, the app will enable the hosts to list their properties and the travelers to search the properties as per the location. The app allows travelers to book property and make an online payment.

Benefits of Developing a Vacation Rental App

1. Easy to Manage Multiple Properties

A vacation rental app facilitates businesses to manage everything from one spot. Be it calenders, rates, messages, bookings, rates, and payments, you can access all the features from a single platform. 

2. Boost Direct Vacation Rental Bookings

Businesses can hold ownership, earn credibility, and make sure the booking system is secure for your guests. Every feature boosts bookings and increases the reputation of your vacation rental property. 

3. Enhance Vacation Rental Guest Experience

The automated texts and emails facility of a travel app will help you communicate with your guests before their arrival and during their stay. This way, you can boost your guests’ experience, get good reviews, and return guests. 

4. Sync Calendar Between Varied Vacation Rental Channels

A channel manager will help you connect every listing from external channels, such as Airbnb and Booking. A vacation rental channel manager permits you to sync your booking and calendars from distinctive platforms in real-time, consistently updates your availability, and permits you to stay on top of reservations and cancellations.

Top Competitors of The Airbnb Vacation Rental App – Similar Apps in the Market

1. HomeToGo

This app, like Airbnb, is a holiday aggregator for the holidays having 17 million vacation properties listed from all the central locations, including Western & Eastern Europe. HomeToGo offers customer service to the guests and hosts in eight languages like English, Russian, Polish, Italian, Spanish, French, Dutch, and German. It has more than 500,000 total downloads, and the features consist of: Profile verification, Search results, Compare prices, Filter option, Save favorites, Property listings, Booking requests, etc.

2. FlipKey

This famous holiday home rental marketplace has more than 300,000 vacation rentals by Rv owners worldwide. Its features consist of Check-in & check-out, Property profile & data storage, Search & filter, Free-to-list option, Payment gateway, Instant booking services, User profile information. Flipkey offers this innovative concept of a pay-per-booking pricing platform for its guests, which suggests that only once the users have a reservation are they required to pay.

3. OneFineStay

This is a hospitality company offering the finest stays. Its USP is the luxury stays for the guests who give value to exceptional quality homes and experiences in their chosen destinations. Here, travelers can choose from their 5000 unique homes, chalets, and villas in 50 destinations across the globe.

4. Vrbo

Similar to Airbnb, the app offers its users to check and find accommodations from around 2 million exclusive locations in 191 countries, covering 65,000 cities for both hosts and guests. With more than 1,000,000 total downloads, the app’s main features consist of search filter, browse & search capabilities, user profile information, virtual assistant, photos & reviews, property descriptions, book & pay, 24 hours service, in-app payment modes, in-app messaging feature, share tips with friends.

5. Bookings.com

This app offers more than 27 million accommodation options all across the globe, managing a lot of travel inventory, same as TripAdvisor. However, this app specializes in accommodation. There are a number of online travel businesses that are owned by Booking.com, including Cheapflights, Agoda, Rentalcars.com, Priceline, and Kayak. It has more than 1,00,000,000 downloads with features including Hotel comparison, signup, deals & discounts, in-app payment, hotel reviews, booking sites request, and accommodation search functionality.

Monetization Opportunities Offered by Vacation Rental Mobile App

1. Commissions from the Hosts

The hosts are charged a 3% service fee for each completed booking procedure as a commission. Guests are paying a non-refundable service fee based on the type of listing with a maximum of 6 to 12%.

2. Transaction fee from Travelers

The app receives a fee on the transaction made by the traveler when they choose to book an accommodation listed on the app. This happens to be an effective revenue model.

3. Property Listing fee

As you choose to list a number of properties on your app, that again, you receive a fee, and this is called “Property Listing fee.” Furthermore, an easy means to earn revenues.

4. Advertisement Sales

When the app chooses to publish advertisements from other brands, it paves the way for revenue with advertisement sales.

5. Property Verification Fee

A fee is acquired by property owners for verification of the ownership of the property.

6. Property Photography Fee

Airbnb relies on very high-quality photographs and pictures taken by professionals increase the chance of a room or property being booked. So, one can pay a certain sum to get their property photographed.

7. Promoted Listings

Apart from the general listings, one can take their listing to the top based on location and categories by paying for the sponsored listings.

Key Features of Vacation Rental Apps Like Airbnb

There Are Mainly Three Panels Involved,

1. House/Property Panel

2. Traveller Guest Panel

3. Admin Panel

House/Property Panel

• Log-in: The hosts can log-in to the app using their email addresses and social network profiles.
• Profile: The hosts can edit personal information such as mobile numbers and email addresses in this functionality.
• Types of activities: Here, the hosts can choose whether they would like to provide the guests with some great experiences in the city or simply an accommodation.
• Listing: Here, the house owner can make a detailed description regarding the accommodation they are offering, the number of guests they would be able to accommodate, good quality pictures, sleeping arrangements, and address. They can also describe the kind of experience they provide their guests, their language, and their location.
• Reviews: The profile of the house owner should consist of reviews from the previous guests and the host rating.

Guest Panel Features

• Log-in/Sign-up: Apps like Airbnb ask for email addresses for creating a new user account. And then, to make the log-in procedure way more seamless, the app must consist of log-in via social profiles, such as Google+ or Facebook.
• Manage account: User profile must consist of the phone number, name, birth date, and address.
• Search: From here, travelers can choose the destination and room of their choice.
• Filters: To help users find the perfect staying place, the Airbnb app allows to select filters, like Home-type, Guests, Geolocation, and more.
• Favorites: This feature enables the app users to make a list of apartments they like while browsing through the app.
• Messages: Often, travelers are keen to receive additional information from the hosts regarding the place they want to stay.
• Notifications: This feature allows the guests to receive instant alerts regarding booking confirmation/new messages from the app hosts.
• Calendar: Having a calendar integrated into the app allows travelers to pick desirable dates for booking.
• Reviews: In this section, the guests can tell the other travelers about the experience of their stay, which is mainly essential for the new travel mobile apps.
• Experience: This is more of a recent feature updated in the Airbnb app, allowing guests to book activities or entertainment that their hosts provide. For instance, the travelers can learn to cook authentic Thai curry in Thailand, attend Tomatina Festival in Spain, or book an elephant tour in India. This allows the tourists to have a close experience with the culture and traditions of foreign countries.

Admin Panel Features

• Dashboard: This functionality enables the system administrators to control the outsourcing firms’ operations & microservices. The admin can quickly check service requests on a single page with required details, like, name, time, a payment system for the travel destinations.
• Manually Assign Requests: Using this functionality, the admin can manually delegate service requests on behalf of customers to the delivery driver/service provider from the admin panel.
• Fare Project Management: This feature enables the organization admin to handle service expenses in just a few clicks, enhancing scalability Reports: Here, the admin can review the full report of the company, as the total number of queries, participants, approved fees, service providers’ commission, user behavior & drivers.

Advance Features to Consider for Vacation Rental App

• Social Logins/Sign-ups: This functionality can be pretty useful as users often dislike filling in long details to sign-up to an app, so they can register to the app using their social networking platforms.
• Push Notifications: This feature is helpful to send instant alerts and notifications to app users. Like, as the guest makes a request, the house owner is instantly notified. Also, the hosts can be notified regarding booking changes, unchecked requests, and more.
• Voice Assistance: The voice assistant is a hand-free help that can be greatly useful for an app like Airbnb, as the assistant can perform certain tasks and services without requiring human interference, such as take a phone call and answer general queries, book flight, tickets, hotel rooms, etc.
• Weather Forecast: For an Airbnb-like app, weather forecast can be a crucial function as the users can look at the weather forecast and book their accommodation accordingly.
• Currency Converter: This feature allows easily and quickly converting one currency to another using the latest live exchange rates. This way, the exchange rate for currencies can be calculated easily.
• Language Assistance: This feature enables the app users to translate the descriptions into their mother tongue. Here a particular description is sent to Google Translator, where the translation process takes place. Next, the text is translated into the desired language, which bridges the gap between host and guest.
• In-app Navigation: It is the feature that allows the clients to look through the location they desire to stay into search apartments, cafes, famous sights, etc. Here the guests can look for the ideal accommodation via a map as well. This functionality makes it relatively easy to search for accommodation if the guests want to stay at a particular place or a landmark not on the list.
• In-app Chat & Calls: Once a stay is requested, the guest and host can then start a conversation to discuss all details of their stay. This is a convenient way for both the host and guest to connect whenever the need arises.
• In-App Doc Management: To book a stay, several documents need to be exchanged between the guests and the hosts, and this in-app document management feature allows the convenient exchange of documents.
• Advanced Analytics: Here, the admin will be able to keep an eye on the users’ actions with the app in real-time to find how they connect with the app and analyze how their experience with the app can be improved further.
• CMS Integrations: Content Management System (CMS) Integration is useful to manage the content published on the app. This system checks out what the audience clicks, and accordingly, the content can be managed to ensure better user engagement.
• Loyalty Programs: These programs are the way to keep the users loyally tied to the brand. The users are offered discounts and coupons as a gesture that you value their loyalty, which encourages them to continue the tie with the app.

Third-Party Service Integration

• Cab/Taxi Booking Booking
• Travel Tickets Booking
• Tour Guide Booking
• Luxury Car Rental
• Sports Bike Rental
• Boat Rental Business
• Camping Supplies Rental
• Hiking Supplies Rental
• Fishing Equipment Rental
• Photography Equipment Rental
• Portable Toilet Rental
• Vanity Vans Rental
• Musical Instrument Rental
• Ski Supplies Rental
• Cabin Rental Business

9 Steps to Develop an App Like Airbnb

Developing an app like Airbnb can be a daunting task, but with careful planning and execution, it can be simplified into several manageable steps:

1. Identify Your Target Audience

Before diving into app development, it’s important to identify your target market. Understanding your audience’s demographics, preferences, and needs will help you design an app that caters to their specific requirements.

2. Define Your App’s Features

Once you’ve identified your target audience, it’s time to define the features that your app will offer. You’ll need to consider what features will differentiate your app from other travel apps in the market.

3. Choose Your Development Platform

Whether to develop your app for iOS, Android, or both depends on your target audience and app features. Choose a platform that best aligns with your goals.

4. Hire a Development Team

Unless you’re experienced in app development, hiring a team to help you create your app is recommended. Look for a team specializing in developing travel apps to ensure the best results.

5. Design Your App’s User Interface

Your app’s user interface should be user-friendly, intuitive, and easy to navigate. Hiring a designer who can create an interface that meets your target audience’s needs is essential.

6. Develop Your App’s Backend

Your app’s backend is the engine that powers it, so it is crucial to develop a backend that can handle the app’s features and user traffic.

7. Test Your App

It is essential to ensure it works properly and catches any bugs or issues before launching it to the public. Testing should be thorough.

8. Launch Your App

Once it is ready, it’s time to launch it. Develop a launch strategy that will help you reach your target audience effectively.

9. Monitor and Update Your App

After launching it, it’s important to monitor it for any issues and regularly update it to stay current and competitive. User feedback should also be taken into account to improve the app continuously.

What Tech Stack is Required to Develop a Vacation Rental App like Airbnb?

This is the tech stack for the Airbnb app. If you want to develop an app similar to this then you can choose the tech stack as per the features and functionalities you require. Also, you can take a look at our post on choosing a tech stack for mobile apps for more details.

Required App Development Team Structure for Vacation Rental App

The app development team for the development of an Airbnb-like app must have:

• Project Manager
• Android/iOS Developers
• Back-end Developers
• UX/UI Designers
• Quality Analysis Testers

How Much Does It Cost To Create An App Like Airbnb?

There are a few factors influencing the cost of creating an Airbnb-like app, and here we have discussed them all:

Size of the development team: The team needs to consist of a project manager to closely administer the entire development process, a team of developers (both front-end and back-end), a team of UX/UI designers, and Quality Analysis experts.

The number of platforms: You can choose to go with a single platform, whether iOS or Android or both platforms to develop the app for. This decision can be made based on the target audience’s location, the device environment, etc. For instance, Android app development takes around 20-30% more time than iOS app development.

Complexity: It is your decision what range of features you desire within your app, so rate these features from simple to medium to high complexity. Now how long it takes the developers to implement these features affects the cost of the app.

App Design: If you use unique tools and visuals for your Airbnb-like app design, the app cost will go higher than when you keep the design standard.

As we discuss app features, keep in mind that the rough timing mentioned below cover all the stages of making a feature, from drawing logic to testing. The listed features can be simple and basic as well as additional and complex. So, here let’s discuss how much the cost will be to create an app like Airbnb.

Well, globally, the app price vary for developer hours, and here we have mentioned the average region hourly rates:

• USA/Canada-based development teams: $50-$250/hour
• Eastern Europe: $20-$150/hour
• Western Europe: $30-$170/hour
• Australia: $50-$150/hour
• India: $10-$80/hour

Hence, to give a rough estimate, the cost to create an Airbnb-like app should cost around $25000-$30000 when creating a single platform with basic features. However, if choosing both iOS and Android platforms with advanced functionalities, then it directly doubles the cost and might take up to $50000-$60000.

Why Choose Emizentech to Develop a Vacation Rental App Like Airbnb?

Are you looking to create an app similar to Airbnb? Look no further than Emizentech, a top app development company with a wealth of experience and expertise.

We recommend researching our past projects and client reviews to ensure we’re the right fit for your project. This will give you an app idea of our capabilities and success rate in creating similar applications. Look at our App Development Process, communication channels, and pricing to ensure we align with your project needs and budget.

When you choose Us, you’re selecting a reliable and experienced mobile app development company that understands the challenges of creating a complex app like Airbnb. Here’s what we offer:

• Experience: With years of experience developing mobile apps for various industries, we have a proven track record of delivering high-quality products on time and within budget.
• Technical Expertise: Developing an app like Airbnb requires expertise in multiple areas. We have a team of experienced developers who are experts in mobile app development, server-side development, and database management. We use the latest technologies and tools to ensure your app is fast, reliable, and scalable.
• Design: Design is critical to any mobile app’s success. Our top-notch designers can create a beautiful, intuitive user interface that reflects your brand and meets the needs of your users.
• Project Management: Developing an app like Airbnb is a complex process that requires careful planning and execution. Our project managers will work closely with you to ensure your project stays on track and within budget.
• Support: Launching an app is just the beginning. We provide ongoing support and maintenance to ensure your app remains fast, reliable, and secure.
• Cost: We understand that developing an app like Airbnb can be expensive. That’s why we offer competitive pricing without compromising on quality. We’ll work with you to create a solution that meets your budget and delivers your desired results.

Selecting Us as your Mobile App Development Company ensures a successful and efficient app development process. Contact us today to discuss your app’s specific requirements and get started on your project.

Are You Ready?

Developing an app like Airbnb can be a challenging but rewarding process. To create a successful platform, you must ensure that your app has all the essential features that make Airbnb popular among travelers worldwide. A well-designed and functional app can attract and retain more users, increasing revenue and growth.

While developing your vacation rental app like Airbnb, consulting a trusted app development partner will provide you with the best result

With careful planning and execution, a successful vacation rental app can provide a significant return on investment and establish a strong brand presence in the market.

 Have an app idea like Airbnb? Contact us and get a free consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions for Develop An App Like Airbnb