Guide To Building Apps Like Airbnb: Business Model, Features, & Cost

Apps like Airbnb have revolutionized the travel and hospitality industry by providing seamless booking for travelers and hosts worldwide. After looking at the growth of this application, entrepreneurs are looking to build an app like Airbnb that offers convenience, flexibility, and profitability. But how can businesses start Airbnb like app development?

Understanding how to make an app like Airbnb is essential to making a best-in-class app. From property listings and user verification to payment integration, developing rental apps like Airbnb involves a good strategy and experience.

Many entrepreneurs look for building apps like Airbnb but cheaper to stay ahead of the competition by offering budget-friendly alternatives. However, app development isn’t an easy task, and it demands a reliable development partner.

In this exclusive guide, we’ll walk you through the business model of Airbnb, its important features, step-by-step building process, and costs. After reading this guide, you will get a clear understanding of building other apps like Airbnb. So, let’s get started:

How Airbnb Works: Business Model

Okay, what do we know about Airbnb so far? Well, Airbnb is an international platform that caters to two categories: one is those who like travelling and are seeking for the accommodation, and other are those who are ready to offer their property for travellers.

If you are planning to make apps like Airbnb, then you need to focus on the business model of this application. Understanding the business model is crucial before you decide to make an application like Airbnb. As per the Airbnb business plan, travelers are allowed to build connections with local hosts anywhere in the world.

Some apps like Airbnb allow booking for private living space for travelers or guests. So, it’s important to study the market on a deep level to come up with a stand-out solution for your business.

Major Associates

Owner: The Owner/Host is the people who own a house or property and rents them. Airbnb receives a Commission from hosts upon every booking.

Seeker: Seeker/Travelers, families going for a vacation and or official work who want to stay comfortably at affordable prices. They receive a commission from guests upon every booking.

Platform: The combining place, Airbnb, where the owner and seeker both perform their parts. Seeker requests for the services and owner requests for their renting fees as well.

Who Are Supposed To Be The Target Audiences?

Travelers who need a simple and affordable place to stay while traveling can be a target of apps like Airbnb.

Business travelers who need to frequently visit many places for their job meetings and client handling can be the best target audience of similar apps like Airbnb.

Travelers who usually go on vacations with their family members could easily be the target of Airbnb alternatives.

The people who look to explore new places could lean on another app like Airbnb.

What Would Be The Channels Of Distribution?

Sites like Airbnb use their website as the medium of channeling the business among people.

A mobile app on both iOS and Android platforms could be the best medium of distribution.

Digital Marketing is another great medium to promote and channel services.

Social Media is the best platform to promote or advertise the services of businesses like Airbnb among the people.

Features That You Should Consider While Building Apps Like Airbnb

While building their own app like Airbnb, several features should be included in the application to provide the best user experience. You need to partner with a travel app development company to include these features. House rental apps like Airbnb should have these features to provide a better alternative to the target audience. Let’s take a look at these features:

Travelers

Log-in/Sign-up

Apps like Airbnb should allow users to sign in with their pre-registered IDs or make another account by filling in their details, such as name, number, etc. Allowing sign-in through social media accounts and email can make it easy to sign up on sites similar to Airbnb.

Manage Account

Edit, manage, and update personal profile data like email ID, mobile number, date of birth, sexual orientation, permanent address, and so forth. The account password phrase can likewise be changed.

Chat and Push Notifications

Like some other home rental apps like Airbnb, this popular application provides instant notifications related to important information such as reward programs, discounts, and offers. Including the chat feature can help businesses like Airbnb to solve common queries.

Search Filter

Users can search for the desired convenience by separating their travel like Dates, room type, price range, required amenities, and so on.

Host Interaction

Users can speak with their host by means of messages even before booking their stay. They likewise have the freedom to acknowledge or decrease offers and make new demands.

Payments

Users can choose the payment method and can get to the receipts and pay subtleties of the transactions. They can likewise see each transaction’s history. They can change to the ideal money as well.

Create Wishlists/Saved

Missed out a spot because of high rental or non-availability. No stresses; you can list things to get them and get informed if the rental falls.

Booking

Also, the booking done by a user can be checked. It can pass cooking or an upcoming one.

Coupons

Coupons can be utilized at checkout. Referral codes can earn these coupons.

Maps

Airbnb streamlines the booking procedure with maps. They help in exhibiting the area with rentals around the zone the users wish to stay in.

Help

Users can see the FAQs areas and request help if there should be an occurrence of any perplexity with the booking or if there should be an occurrence of looking for any reserving or related help.

Rate and Review

Users can impart their experience to the hosts by rating and assessing them.

Sharing

Users can invite friends to download the App.

These features are important to consider while building apps like Airbnb. However, including high-end features can increase the cost to build an app like Airbnb. There are more features that you need to include in your application.

New Additions

We have listed the essential features. Now, let’s discuss the additional features that can likewise be added to make your apps that are like Airbnb emerge even more. Adding these additional features can result in increasing travel app development cost because they are considered as advanced.

Receive SMS Notifications

Users can get messages to advise them about their booking and furthermore special offers.

Supplementary

While performing mobile app development for an app like Airbnb, social media channels and payment techniques can be incorporated with it.

Admin Panel

Dashboard

The admin dashboard shows every one of the users registered(new and old), hosts(new and old), and photographers. This is an essential feature for best apps like Airbnb.

Manage New Listing

All the new posts transferred are investigated and handled further. The admin board gives the freedom to edit, add, or delete listings as needed.

Booking History

All the past and new bookings can be checked here. There’s likewise a report on the present status of every booking. These can also be edited, updated, or deleted. This feature is significant for a similar app like Airbnb.

Feedback & Complaints

As 5 Star rating is essential for every business, all the feedback given by the guests and hosts can be seen here. Any complaints as to the hosts or visitors can be handled here.

Insights

All the details of the past and current activities can be seen here. These nitty-gritty experiences help in future choices.

These all are the important features to include in apps like Airbnb. However, businesses need to hire dedicated mobile app developers or partner with a company to create an app like Airbnb and achieve success in the competitive industry.

Read Also: Travel App Development Guide: Journey from Ideation to Launch

How To Make An App Like Airbnb: Step-by-Step Process

How to create an app like Airbnb? Well, that’s a vital question that comes to every entrepreneur’s mind before deciding to build the application. After going through the important information regarding apps like Airbnb, it’s time to understand how to build an app like Airbnb with a step-by-step process. So, let’s take a look at these crucial steps:

Step 1: Create A Plan

If you wish to develop apps like Airbnb, then you need to create a plan before starting the development. It is an important step that includes in-depth market research, analyzing competition, knowing what to build, learning about technologies, monetization, business goals, etc. You need to go through this step properly to start the further development process.

Step 2: Partner With A Mobile App Development Company

When you make a plan and decide what to build, you need to discuss that plan with an expert, which is an experienced mobile app development company or dedicated app developers. You need to check their experience, portfolio, and talent in building another app like Airbnb.

Step 3: Build UI/UX

The users leave the application after not finding it engaging and lacking of attractions. You need to hold the users on the application, and it demands great UI/UX. Make sure to work with an experienced ui ux design agency to design an intuitive and engaging user interface and user experience for your users.

Step 4: Go With MVP

You need to choose one of the MVP development companies and decide to build an MVP. Creating an MVP with basic features is the most recommended thing because it helps you validate your idea. MVP development cost is not higher than building a full-fledged app, so you can save money. Building an MVP helps you gather user feedback and reviews, which allows businesses to understand user demands and market needs. MVP includes basic features, which means that MVP development cost will not make a hole in your pocket.

Step 5: Test & Launch

After finishing developing the MVP, you need to test it thoroughly to identify any bugs. During the testing of the application, the QAs make sure that the app is bug-free, eliminate technical glitches, and resolve the problematic programming and functioning. It helps them make a wonderful app like Airbnb, which can become successful. After getting a green signal from the QAs, you need to launch the app and gather feedback from the users.

Step 6: Update the App

You need to keep an eye on the responsiveness of your product. To make your app stand out among other apps like Airbnb, you need to update it regularly to stay relevant in the market. These regular updates will help you meet the changing user needs.

Read Also: 9 Best Ways For MVP Testing For Successful App Launch

Airbnb App Alternatives

What are other apps like Airbnb? This is an important question, and we need to go through Airbnb alternatives to answer this question. Let’s discuss some top sites similar to Airbnb that are becoming popular and providing best-in-class services.

1. Booking.com

Booking.com has been in the industry for several decades, and it has achieved success around the world. This startup transformed into the world’s leading digital travel economy after serving the best travel services. This platform is already using AI in travel app to improve user experiences. Now, the application is available in 43 languages with 28 million accommodation listings. It is one of the popular apps like Airbnb in India, USA, and other popular countries.

2. HomeToGo

Talking about apps like Airbnb, HomeToGo needs to be on the list because it’s providing the best rental services in Europe. This is among the top apps like Airbnb UK, and it supports several international languages. When anybody searches, ‘what other apps are like Airbnb?’ then HomeToGo appears on the top because it has been reviewed by more than 15 thousand users across app stores.

3. Vrbo

Vrbo is the short form of Vacation Rentals by Owners, and it has been working since 1955. Vrbo is one of the popular Airbnb alternatives. This platform allows users to rent houses, villas, beach houses, cabins, condos, etc. Whenever you hear discussion regarding what other apps like Airbnb, Vrbo will be called the OG of this industry due to its perfect past and continuous growth.

4. OneFineStay

OneFineStay is one of the popular Airbnb alternatives that allows users to rent the finest houses and villas at the desired location. Due to its budget-friendly services, OneFineStay is one of the most popular applications. The app offers a collection of high-class properties including private beaches, gyms, and gaming rooms to make your stay more memorable.

5. Agoda

Agoda is among the top apps like Airbnb in India, which is used by most people in the country. This application helps you with suggestions for booking. Launched in 2005, Agoda has acquired 4 million accommodation options across the world. Discounted rates contributed largely to the popularity and success of this Airbnb alternative. You can find everything on Agoda, from a budget-friendly stay to luxury 5-star/7-star properties.

Revenue Model For Apps Like Airbnb

The Airbnb income model keeps running on the listings and the stays. Airbnb offers a platform where these listings and bookings are made, and this is the place from which Airbnb makes money. Businesses need to understand this revenue model, and they can follow this to make money. Furthermore, Airbnb’s income originates from two noteworthy sources:

Commission From Hosts

Every time somebody picks a host’s property and makes a payment, Airbnb takes 10% of the instalment sum as commission. This is one of the segments of the Airbnb fee structure.

Transaction Charge From Voyagers

At the point when travelers make payment for a stay, they are charged a 3% expense for the exchange. This sum adds to the Airbnb revenue.

If you wish to earn money through the Airbnb revenue model, then you need to make money from these sources. In any case, if you want to take an alternate course, you can design a revenue model around supported properties, making has super has as a significant aspect of your top-notch model, among different ways. Choosing a unique model can make your app stand out from other apps like Airbnb.

Well, since we have taken a gander at nearly everything that worries you and the Airbnb app developers straightforwardly, the time has come to investigate the response to the question of what amount does it cost to make an app like Airbnb.

Things to Consider To Make Your Airbnb Like Business Model Successful

You need to take a look at some important things to make your business model successful in an industry filled with apps like Airbnb. Let’s take a look at these important things:

Cancellation Flow

As a rule, your hosts and visitors should confront the circumstance of retractions wherein booking may get dropped from the two closures – something that hurts them as well as your business.

To deal with circumstances like these, you ought to have appropriate cancellation approaches to set up. You can keep a fixed sum in the name of crossing out charges as indicated by the property types. To prevent hosts from not dropping the booking, you should see them impetuses and identifications inspire them.

Money Exchange

As a rule, individuals use Airbnb like apps for cross-country travel, and in a circumstance like that, it helps to have a legitimate currency exchange program set up.

What you ought to do is have a currency exchange set up wherein you naturally convert the sum in the money type acknowledged by the host’s country and charge a fixed percent on the transaction as transformation and trade chance expenses.

Property Price Fixation

While the daily charges of the property, the cleaning expenses, and the additional visitor charges are something reliant totally on the host, you will have total self-governance on the administration charges that you charge from the host and guest alike.

Other than these, guarantee that you are incorporating the accompanying during the time spent booking from Airbnb app cost in each posting-

• Cash Exchange Fees
• Esteem Added Tax
• Any location-based Taxes

So, here is the last segment with the three-pointers that you ought to consider to guarantee a smooth and gainful running of your Airbnb business. Since you have seen everything, there is simply one thing left to do – Getting started! But before that, you should know the development cost.

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

While finding the answer to the question of how to develop home rental app like Airbnb, cost is one of the most significant factors. The cost of building an app like Airbnb ranges from $30,000 to $300,000 or more, depending on various factors such as features, complexity of the app, development team location, platforms, and what technology stacks you are using in the Airbnb like app development.

If you wish to develop an app like Airbnb for both platforms, iOS and Android, then you can perform both the iOS or Android app development for building an Airbnb-like app. You will need to partner with an iOS or Android app development company, respectively.

Conclusion

The new world gives us lots of options: where to go, which transport to choose, and, finally, where to stay. Traveling has never been easier than it is today. Airbnb has also contributed to comfortable traveling and provided accommodations for every taste. It sounds like a great business idea to achieve success in this technological era where everything can be done through a smartphone. However, it’s not easy to build an app, and you need to partner with an experienced travel app development company to build apps like Airbnb.