What a Direct Booking Site Costs to Run, Line by Line

For one rental, the fixed costs of a direct booking site came to about $324 to $672 a year at published prices in November 2026, before card fees. Here is every line, with its source, and the costs that have no fixed price.

Before you build a booking site, it helps to know what it will cost you each year. Most of the bills are small and predictable: a domain name, the website itself, and the booking software that holds your calendar. On top of those, every direct booking carries a card processing fee, and you take on the guest messages and paperwork a booking site would otherwise handle.

For one rental, the fixed bills came to about $324 to $672 a year at published prices in November 2026, before card fees. Card processing on a direct booking is about 3% plus 30 cents. A $1,000 booking paid by a US card through Stripe, for example, costs $29.30 to process. On Airbnb, most hosts on the single fee pay 15.5% (or $155.00), taken out of the payout.

Every figure below is a published price with its source, as of November 2026. Prices change, so check each one before you sign up. Each tool named is one example of its kind. Tax and insurance come up below; this is general information, so check your own local rules and your insurer where it matters.