Let’s understand, how much does it cost to develop an app like Airbnb?
All thanks to traveling apps, looking for accommodation and booking one takes only a few minutes.
Due to this increased convenience for users, the online travel industry is growing every year. One of the finest examples of a global travel app is Airbnb. Want to cash in on the popularity of the online travel industry? The best way is to develop an app like Airbnb!
Here are some interesting stats about Airbnb to get you going:
- Established in 2008, the app has currently more than 150 million active users across the globe
- Option to choose from 6,50,000 hosts worldwide
- 825 million guest arrivals till now
- The list of hosts is spread across 81,000 cities and 191 countries
- By 2019, the worldwide value of Airbnb counts to $38 billion
We are pretty sure these facts are enough to convince you to develop an app similar to Airbnb. For starters, you will have to find a mobile app development company that aligns with your project vision.
Are you confused about where and how to start? Well, this blog will tell you everything about making an app like Airbnb!
How did the Airbnb App Come Up?
It all started in the year 2007 when the Airbnb founders – Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia had no money to pay their accommodation fees. The solution they came up with was to rent a mattress in their room using the Bread & Breakfast scheme. The goal was to earn just a few bucks.
The potential of this idea hit the founders soon. They initially received rejections from angel investors’ side but still managed to become Airbnb from Air B&B by 2009.
☛ How do Services like Airbnb Work and What Is Their Business Model?
It is designed for booking hosts across the world. Using the Airbnb app, you can book a room as well as rent out your room or house.
All you have to do is register your profile and explore the options in the place you are visiting. The Airbnb service fee calculator will answer you How much does it cost to use Airbnb’s question. Of course, the cost will vary as it depends on multiple factors.
Business Model of Airbnb
It is essential to understand their business model before you start with your project to develop an app like Airbnb.
Major Associates:
Host – Hosts are the people who own a house/property and want to lease or rent them. Airbnb receives a commission from hosts on every booking.
Guests – Travelers, families on vacation or official work who want comfortable and affordable places to stay. Airbnb gets a commission from guests too on every booking.
Freelance Photographers – The platform has a huge network of freelance photographers in most of the cities. Once a property is listed on the portal, these photographers are hired to take high-quality pictures. The photographers are paid directly from the Airbnb portal.
✍ Target Audience:
- Travelers looking for a simple & affordable place
- Business travelers
- Families that are traveling
- Travelers who want to explore new places
- People looking for extra income who can become hosts to earn
✍ Channels of Distribution:
- Website
- Airbnb for Android & iOS
- Digital Marketing
- Social Media
- Promotions
☛ Airbnb App Cost Structure:
- Maintenance of online platform
- Employees
- Online payment platforms like MasterCard, Visa, and PayPal
- Marketing & Promotional activities
- Insurance
We hope that you are pretty clear with the Airbnb business model. To motivate you some more for Airbnb app development, we have prepared a list of similar apps!
Other Apps like Airbnb:
Booking.com – It is the largest accommodation booking site in the world with user-friendly cancellation policies and instant booking facility.
HomeAway – It is the biggest vacation rental services provider with more than 1,00,000 apartments, cottages, and cabins. HomeAway runs numerous brands including VRBO, Travelmob, Homelidays, OwnersDirect, and others.
Homestay – The business of Homestay is built around hosted housing, which is accommodation with a host. It is similar to Airbnb but the pricing is very low and it is usually a shared room.
Trivago – Trivago has a good selection of serviced apartments, vacation homes, and hostels. It is popular due to its ease of use and wide range of options. Trivago provides accommodations without hosts.
After the above discussed basics, let’s talk about how you actually begin to develop an app like Airbnb.
How to Begin with the Development of Your Project?
Firstly, it is important to validate your app idea. After thorough research of existing players in the market, you need to identify the unique services you are providing. If not that, you need to identify what is missing in the current travel apps.
Once you are done with the validation, you hire a mobile app developer after careful analysis of their skills. It is extremely crucial that their skills are complementary to your project requirements. Full-stack developers are all the better option, as they can take care of all your project needs.
As soon as your dream team starts working to develop an app like Airbnb, start thinking about the post-launch activities. Remember, the marketing activities to promote your app will play a huge role in the success of your application.
Thus, this is just a brief outline of how to work on your project. Of course, a technology partner will give you better insights into making your project successful.
Last but not least, we will be discussing the factors that affect the cost of making an app!
☛ Factors Affecting the Cost to Develop an app like Airbnb:
The major factors that affect the cost to develop an app like Airbnb are:
- Application platform
- Features list
- Team of developers
- Location of the development team
- The time duration of the project
Must-Have Features in an App like Airbnb:
☛ Features of User Panel
- Signup/Sign-in
- Search
- Booking category
- Place booking
- Online payment
- Personalized feeds
- View amenities
- Advanced search/Filters
- Add to favorite
- Manage to book
- Social sharing
- Refer & Earn
- Message system
- Reminders
- Coupon cards
- Cancel booking
- Manage profile
- Reviews
☛ Features of the Host User Panel
- Home listing
- Listing approval
- Manage booking request
- Payment setting
- Transaction history
☛ Features of Admin Panel
- Login
- Dashboard
- Role-based dashboard
- Manage users
- Booking Management
- Manage promotions & gift cards
- Real-time reporting & analytics
- Manage payment
- Manage referral/invites
- Push notifications
- Manage booking request
- Manage amenities
☛ Advanced Features:
Global Currency Support – While completing payment for their booking, the process should be seamless. Hence, it is best that you integrate the currency converter API that will convert the payment value to the chosen currency via Google currency API.
Personalization – The personalization functionality will show search results on the basis of location, booking history and booking behavior. Of course, you will need an API integration to fetch the data.
Payment Gateway – The Payment API is for the users to make online payments. Some examples of payment gateways are WorldPay, Sagepay, and PayPal.
Cloud Storage – The cloud storage functionality will enable the system to store all the data on the cloud. In this manner, the system can access and manage data – anywhere and anytime.
Multiple Languages Support – This functionality will allow the host to choose the desired language for listing. If you go for Airbnb app development in the USA, it is actually a common feature due to the diversity in its population as well as tourists.
Social Media API – This functionality can play an integral role in the promotion of your app online. The user can share the listing with their friends as well as invite the user and host with the help of social media API.
Cost to Develop App like Airbnb
As discussed earlier, the location of the development team is bound to have a significant impact on the average cost to make an app. So, if you are planning to go for Airbnb app development in the USA, the costs will definitely be higher. It is recommended to hire app developers in the USA only after careful screening of their skills. Higher development rates do not mean high-quality services.
Another factor – features. We have already given the list of must-have and advanced features in an app like Airbnb. However, let’s tell you that the cost to have an app built is directly proportional to the number of features.
Finally, the information that you have been looking for! The average cost to develop an app like Airbnb can range from $29,000 to $31,000 for a single platform. The cost of both platforms can go higher.
