So, the success of vacation rental services also made you eager to develop an app like Airbnb. If yes, then we are here to share the vital aspects of that journey. Stay tuned to know more.

As you all know currently travel industry is thriving more than ever and as a result the preferences of people are constantly changing, such as they now opt for renting apartments to enjoy their stay and have a great experience.

People are also coming forward to lease out their apartments to people in exchange for monetary enjoyment. All thanks to apps like Airbnb that have helped people save money on their vacations while reinventing new experiences.

Currently, the company owns 10-15% of the market share in vacation rental, but many don’t know that it took 9 years for the company to actually make decent revenue.

However, it’s doing amazing as online marketplace and serving as an inspiration to build an app like Airbnb, we guess this is what brought you to this blog.

Through this Airbnb-like App development guide, we will get to know all the necessary details about development such as benefits, features, cost, development process, and more. Without any delay, it’s time to dive in

Overview of Airbnb

What is the concept of Airbnb?

Airbnb is an accommodation rental service app that provides access to thousands of long & short-term rentals to people whereas landowners who want to rent their property can also connect to the app. Basically, the app is like a medium between travelers and owners to barter services with money.

They have headquarters in San Francisco and serve their marketplace all over the world through web & mobile applications. What started as a small website for helping users with affordable stays has now more than 7 million active listings from over 220 countries.

Since its launch in 2007, Airbnb has had over 1.5 billion guest arrivals. Currently, there are many Airbnb alternatives like Booking.com, & Expedia still, this app has managed to stay in a reputable place in the industry for many years.

Reading so highly about Airbnb, you might be getting curious to know about How Airbnb Works.

Working of Airbnb

If you want to build an app like Airbnb, you need to learn about how Airbnb works. It’s no rocket science.

let’s divide its working into two parts and then understand:

For Guests

Guests are the driving force of the platform and the main source of revenue generation. So for them, Airbnb works something like this:

Working_of_Airbnb_for_Guests

  • Registration– Guests can register themselves on the app through different means such as mobile number, email-address, Apple ID, Google, Social Media, and so on.
  • Target Location- Once a user enters the app, they can change their location, such as choosing a city, place, or locality.
  • Stay Period– They can also edit their stay for short periods or stay for months in the end.
  • Duration– They have to provide details about their arrival and leaving. Based on that, the result can vary.
  • Guest Information- The user needs to add guest information such as the number of adults, children, and pets if any.
  • Explore- Guests can explore places, chat with the host, see photographs, read reviews, and then select one of their choices.
  • Make Payment- Once they are done, now it’s time to book the place by paying for the stay. Therefore, the guest can pay through different options such as PayPal, Google Pay & other, etc.

For Hosts

Now it’s time to share the working of the host side.

Working_of_Airbnb_for_Hosts

  • Registration- To register themselves, guests can sign up through any method of their choice.
  • Fill in Information- The host then needs to fill in complete information along with the property including the size of the rooms, amenities, beds, kitchen, etc. Also, provide complete property details such as amenities, bathrooms, and kitchen, etc.
  • Operate as a Business- Hosts can act as individuals renting out their properties, they can also get to choose as a business offering their services on the platform, you can especially this is for hotels and tour-travel-related businesses.
  • User Request- As the host of the property, you will get a lot of queries from users that you have to respond to. If a user wants to book property for a stay, a request is transferred to the host that they can accept or reject.
  • Payment- Once the guest books the property, the host then receives payment 24 hours before the arrival at the property.
  • Damages & Compensation- There is always a fear of damage to the property. But, with Airbnb, you don’t have to worry about that, as your property is covered under the protection of AirCover. This includes $1 million in liability insurance and $1 million in damage protection.

Knowing about the workings of Airbnb was fascinating, but it’s crucial to know about the market of Airbnb, Is there room for another rental app like Airbnb?

Market Stats of Vacation Rental & Airbnb

Market Stats of Vacation Rental & AirbnbIn 2024, the vacation rentals market will generate revenue of $100.30 bn globally. User penetration will rise from 11.1% in 2024 to 11.8% by 2028. Undoubtedly, the popularity of vacation rentals is on the rise, as travelers are looking at them as a gateway to a new experience, unlike standard hotel stays.

Although many countries are showing active participation in this, but seems like the USA is leading the race and is expected to generate the highest revenue of US$19,770m in 2024.

Many hotel booking apps & other apps like Airbnb, Booking.com, and Expedia are the top vacation rental apps catering to travelers’ desire for a distinct experience.

Speaking of Airbnb, are you wondering about its growth? Check out these interesting stats!

  • 7 million listings are there by 4 million hosts on Airbnb.
  • Women are leading, as the platform has 55% of hosts.
  • And, mostly women of 60 and above have proven to be amazing hosts with 5-star reviews.
  • On an approx, a host earns $14,000 per year from Airbnb.

It’s safe to say that with the growing demand for Airbnb-like apps, the market is open for more apps, that are feature-rich, which looks like it’s the driving force behind the increased mobile app development in this niche.

With Airbnb everywhere, are you getting too curious to know about how to build an app like Airbnb? We will surely talk about that, but first features.

Top Features to Build an app Like Airbnb

Features are the building blocks of any app. It is not wrong to say, that the functionalities offered by an app make it valuable for its user.

If you want to create an app like Airbnb, you must know about the must-have features to get an idea of what you have to offer to your users.

Feature for Guest Panel:

Firstly we shall be looking at a feature to include for the users in your app like Airbnb. These are:

Features_for_Guest_Panel

1. Easy Sign-up

Make sure to onboard users with an easy sign-up process. No one wants to fill out long forms, so it’s better If you allow them to quickly sign up with an E-mail, or phone number.

2. Account Management

Allow your customers to manage their accounts such as adding their personal information, setting preferences, uploading profile pictures, and sending messages to the host.

3. Advance Search Filter

Through these features, guests can find the perfect stay by adding filters of their choice such as location, budget, amenities, and more.

4. Wishlist & Saved Searches

For later reference, guests can save listings and their preferences on which they get alerts about new listings.

5. Listings & Reviews

Guests can browse detailed listings with photos, descriptions, and reviews from other guests to make better decisions about the property.

6. In-app messaging

This feature is truly commendable and need of the hour. Through In-app messaging, users can easily message the host and get to know about the answer to their query or they can also make a special request.

7. Booking & Payment

To secure booking & have peace of mind, enable your users to make payments to reserve their stay.

8. Trip Management

Allow your guests to view & manage bookings, including check-in and check-out details, house rules, and host contact information.

Feature for Host Panel:

Let’s explore more about the guest panel:

Features_for_Host_Panel

1. Listing Management

Allow hosts to create their own listings by filling in the necessary description, high-quality photos, amenities offered, and pricing strategy.

2. Calendars & Availability

This feature will help to manage the availability of the property & set pricing as per weekend or season, helping hosts to make some extra earnings.

3. Booking Requests

Allow your hosts to receive, review bookings, and communicate with guests to know more about them before confirming reservations.

4. Payment Management

Receiving payments should be secure for hosts to confirm bookings and payout preferences.

5. Analytics & Reporting

Knowing your user is good; you should track key metrics like booking trends, guest demographics, and revenue to optimize their listing & pricing.

Some Advanced Features to Utilize

After some basic yet must-have features, we are sharing advanced features that might help you stand out from the competition:

Some Advanced Features to Utilize

  • Advanced Screening Feature

Your app can collaborate with credit card verification services to check the background of the guests to reduce any kind of risk to hosts.

  • Real-Time Chat Support

Offer 24/7 in-app chat function for guests to help them with any kind of immediate matter, such as any booking issue they are facing or cancellation policy.

  • VR/AR Integration

Implement virtual reality for guests to explore the property properly before booking their stay. Also, with AR they can view nearby attractions and make decisions.

  • AI For Pricing

AI is everywhere these days.

AI is in Social Media, e-commerce, and many other fields.  You can leverage its power to automatically adjust pricing based on demand, seasonality & local events.

Now, with that, we are done with the features part. With the right features included in your travel app development solutionyou can attract customers and keep them engaged.

Now, talking about development, we will move to the next section.

How to Create an App like Airbnb?

App development process is an exciting endeavor and requires special attention. In this section on how to build an app like Airbnb, we will talk about all the steps necessary to gain knowledge.

How to Create an App like Airbnb?

Step 1: Market Research

One of the most important elements to build an app like Airbnb is to know about the market.

Through in-depth app market research, you will get to know all the necessary information such as your target audience, your competitors, and more. Your research should be able to answer these questions:

  • Who are your competitors?
  • What are your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses?
  • Who are the ideal users of your app?
  • What are the pain points of your users and the challenges of the market?

Once you have answered these questions, you can move forward to the next section that is:

Step 2:  Choose a Development Platform

Since we are talking about mobile app development, you have to select an app platform.

You can choose to hire Android app developersto build a Top-notch Android app. Otherwise, you can hire iOS developers based on your project specifications and needs.

Moving on, there is also a third option which is cross-platform development that gives you best of the both worlds and will also be an economical option.

Step 3:  Work on Your UI/UX Design

Since then, Aesthetics has become a top trend nowadays, all thanks to the preferences of Gen-Z. Make sure to build your app UI/UX design visually appealing, intuitive, and user-friendly.

For which you need to create an app like Airbnb keeping your users & their preferences in mind. So, they stay engaged with the app. Consequently, we will suggest you focus on creating wireframes & prototypes to visualize the app’s layout.

Step 4:  Development of Your App

Time to move forward with the development part.

This is the part where your app developers will write the code to develop an app like Airbnb. This stage comprises coding the app’s features, integrating the back-end services, and ensuring proper functionalities across different devices.

So, we would suggest you make proper communication with your developers to get what you actually intended.

Step 5: Test Your App

To make sure your app is functional & up-to-date; it’s time for app testing.

With thorough testing, you can get to know about flaws in your Airbnb-like app and fix it in time. Once everything, the app’s final version is ready to launch.

Step 6: Launch Your App

It’s time to launch your app.

Well, you can publish your app to the Android Play Store or Submit it to the App store as per your choice. Once you do that, wait for the approval. It will take around 2 to 4 weeks approx. to hear back from them.

Step 7: Monitor & Maintain

After launching it, now you have to know about its performance and listen to user feedback to stay competitive. Also, you can update your app with new features, bug fixes, and app security patches.

App support & maintenance services are surely crucial parts to retain your customers so don’t take it lightly.

This is just a simple overview of the Airbnb-like app development. Now, we will talk about another important aspect of this.

What Tech-Stack is Required to Develop an App like Airbnb?

Tech-stack has many names, some call it data-ecosystem, some call it technology infrastructure, and whatnot.

Eventually, we all can agree that it is important for the survival of your app. From user experience, security to maintaining speed, the app tech stack guarantees the best for you.

This is why, choosing the right tech stack is crucial to develop an app like Airbnb:

ComponentTechnologies
Front-endReact Native, Kotlin, & Swift
BackendPython, JavaScript, and Ruby
DatabaseMySQL & MongoDB
Mobile Push NotificationFirebase Cloud Messaging & Apple Push Notification service.
Payment GatewayStripe, PayPal, & Braintree
Map IntegrationGoogle Maps Platform
Analytics & ReportingGoogle Analytics & Firebase Analytics

This table is just an overview but choosing a specific technology depends on different factors such as project scope, budget, and team expertise.

Airbnb’s app success is inspiring and so does its monetization model. Know about them in the next section.

Monetization Model of Apps like Airbnb

Why does anyone want to launch an app like Airbnb? To earn revenue right?

For that, you need to know monetization strategies to integrate in your app. To help you out we have shared some popular methods.

Monetization Model of Apps like Airbnb

  • Commission Fee

One of the most common ways Airbnb and similar apps earn money is ‘Commission’.

These apps charge a particular fee somewhere between 6-12% on successful booking through the platform. This fee is then shared between hosts and the platform.

  • Transaction Fee

In this effective model, a fixed fee is taken on the top of booking amount for each transaction. This can be a small rate or percentage or fees charged to host & guest both.

  • In-app Advertising

You can display ads to make money from your app and it can be an effective revenue generation model, where an app can earn through pay-per-click or impression for running other party ads.

  • Photography Fee

To capture beautiful images of the property, owners are open to professional photography. Consequently, this helps them to get booked quickly. You can ask for a certain fee for professional property photographs.

  • Promoted Listings

Promoted listings can increase the visibility in search results compared to standard listings. People are willing to pay some extra amount if that means their property will appear more frequently.

These are some of the ways your app can make money, now it’s time we look at how much costs to develop an app like Airbnb.

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

Are you wondering the same, How much does it cost to develop an app like Airbnb?

The Airbnb-like app development costs $20,000-$80,000 depending on the platform you are choosing, the features you want to integrate, and other factors.

Here is a small breakdown of the cost to develop an app like Airbnb:

BasisCostFeatures
Basic  App$20,000-$40,000Create & edit listings, search by location, messaging, reviews
Medium App$40,000-$60,000Manage availability, In-app chat tool, payment processing, guest demographics, etc.
Advanced App$60,000-$80,000Smart pricing tool, VR/AR tours, booking flexibility, 24/7 support chat, multi-currency support, AI-powered insights, etc.

However, there are many factors that can affect the cost of rental or hotel booking app development, so knowing about them is also necessary.

Factors Affecting Cost to Develop an App Like Airbnb

As you know, to develop an app, there are many factors that go into consideration. Each of these factors can affect your cost.

Also, it is necessary to understand these points to get clarity on how to develop an app like Airbnb, so let’s get right into it:

Factors_Affecting_Cost_To_Develop_an_App_Like_Airbnb[

1. Features & Functionality

Robust features are essential for your app. But, you should know if you increase the features in your app, it will automatically increase your cost. Such as:

FeatureFunctionalitiesDevelopment time Cost increase
Basic featuresGuest & Host Management, Search & Booking, Messaging1000 hoursBase cost
Medium featuresAdvanced search filter, Review & ratings, Basic Analytic, etc.1200 hoursBase Cost + $12,000 (approx)
Advanced featuresAI-powered tools, AR/VR Integration, Multi-currency Support1600 hoursBase Cost +$20,000

2. App Design

Designing can also change the cost a lot. Such as Going for an Android App Design can be costlier than an iOS app design.

Similarly, looking at another side, if you choose a simple or basis design for your app it might be more economical than a custom App Design. Designing is one thing to consider for your cost, focusing on a user-friendly, and minimalistic approach can help you optimize the cost to create an app like Airbnb.

3. Location of Developer’s Team

You might want to consider the location of your team before you decide to hire dedicated developers for Airbnb-like app development.

Outsourcing an experienced app development company can be a cost-effective approach, where you get quality work done under your budget.

Different countries have different hourly rates depending on their economy, talent, etc. Let’s see this through a small table:

CountriesHourly rate
USA$100-$150
UK$90-$120
Australia$70-$90
Eastern Europe$50-$70
Asia$20-$50

4. Complexity of Your Project

Without any doubt, complexity adds to the cost of developing an accommodation rental app.

The simpler the app is, the less it will cost. In case, the complexity of your project increases, it will surely take your developer’s time which will result in increasing costs to build an app like Airbnb.

Each additional feature or extra requirement adds to more complexity. So, to optimize your cost, you should prioritize features based on your target audience & business goals.

As you gain knowledge all these factors influence your cost to build an app like Airbnb. We suggest that if you want to optimize this cost and get the best work done, you should consult a top development company. Our next section will guide you toward this.

CTA_Do_you_want_to_develop_an_app_like_AirbnbHow Nimble AppGenie Can Help You To Build An App Like Airbnb?

As you know, the uprising growth & success of Airbnb are inspiring enough to make an app like that.

So, if you want to leverage this trend, take the help of the best travel app development company i.e. Nimble AppGenie who has a wealth of experience & knowledge to build powerful & market-leading apps.

Our developers & IT professionals have all the technical resources & expertise to make your app a reality. Other than that, we keep ourselves aware of the recent trend & use tools that are reliable as well as secure.

If you have an idea, consult our experts for the best outcome.

Conclusion

This is everything you need to learn about Airbnb and Building an App like Airbnb.

We’d say that people’s changing preferences & exceptional experiences of vacation rental are working in their favor. As a result, people are showing more interest in them than ever.

Now, if you want to create an app of your own, you will need a development partner. We recommend that you consult a well-renowned company Nimble AppGenie as we can help you build an app like Airbnb that fulfills your business demand and grows.

Faq

You can ensure the privacy of users on the app by integrating different authentication protocols and using the best different security measures to keep safe user data & their personal data.

An app like Airbnb works in the following way.

  • An owner lists their property.
  • A user who sees the property can request a booking.
  • The owner can accept or reject the proposal.
  • Once you pay, the owner gets payment before 24 hours of your arrival.

There are several ways to monetize vacation rental apps such as In-app advertising, charging commissions for your services, property photography charges, charge transaction fees & more.

Airbnb works for guests in the following way:

  • The user first registers & completes their profile.
  • They can use different filters of their choice for relevant results.
  • Once they choose a place, the guest can connect to the host for more information.
  • The guest then requests a booking which the host can accept or reject.
  • Once accepted, they can pay the amount through different modes to the host.

Airbnb works for hosts in the following way:

  • Host need to register on the app and add information about their property.
  • They can ask Airbnb for professional photography of their property.
  • Once listed on the app, they can see guest requests.
  • After the host approves the request, the property is booked.
  • The host receives payment from the guest before 24 hours of their arrival.