OTAs
Houfy vs. Airbnb: What Do They Offer for Hosts?
Discover how these popular online vacation rental platforms differ and what each offers for STR hosts.
With so many vacation rental booking sites, it's hard to decide where to list your STR property. Airbnb has long been a popular choice for hosts and property managers as one of the largest OTA platforms, but there are also many smaller listing websites.
One is Houfy, which differs from traditional booking platforms because it enables guests to book directly with vacation rental owners. In this blog, we'll compare Houfy vs. Airbnb and discuss what each website offers for hosts.
Whether you own a single vacation rental home or manage multiple properties, you'll save many hours if you streamline your operations using vacation rental software like Hospitable. Our tool will allow you to automate repetitive tasks and manage your rental hassle-free, even remotely.
Houfy vs. Airbnb: Key Differences
Look at this comparison table to see how Airbnb and Houfy differ and what they offer to property owners. We compare Houfy vs. Airbnb across different categories, including the number of listings, global reach, property types, service fees, host protection, and how hosts get paid.
| Houfy | Airbnb |
Global presence | Operates in 100+ countries | Operates in 220+ countries and regions |
Number of listings | More than 100,000 listings | More than 9 million active listings in 150,000+ cities and towns worldwide |
Property types | Hosts are allowed to list all the places and rooms in their homes. | Hosts can list various property types that fit different guest preferences and investment strategies: entire homes, private rooms, and shared rooms. |
Service fees | There are no service fees. Hosts who opt for the Free plan pay a one-time verification fee of $5.99. | Most hosts pay a single fee of 15.5% of the booking subtotal (typically 14–16%). The split fee, where hosts pay about 3% and guests pay 14.1–16.5%, is being phased out. |
Protection for hosts | Hosts can activate the Houfy Protect program, which offers up to $20,000 in damage protection on all approved bookings. | AirCover for Hosts includes guest identity verification, reservation screening, $3M Host damage protection, $1M Host liability insurance, and a 24-hour safety line. |
How hosts get paid | Houfy isn't involved in the transactions. Hosts set their payment terms and manage their payouts directly. | Airbnb handles payments. Payout options include bank account, Fast Pay, Pay to card, PayPal, Payoneer PrePaid Debit Mastercard, Western Union, international wire transfer, and ACH (Direct deposit). |
Houfy vs. Airbnb: General Facts
Founded in 2015, Houfy is a commission-free vacation rental marketplace, designed to maximize host independence. The platform connects property owners directly with guests and allows travelers to book stays directly with hosts, without any intermediary. Houfy operates in more than 100 countries, including the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, France, Poland, and Mexico. Currently, the platform has more than 100,000 listings.
Airbnb was founded in 2007 as part of the sharing economy, allowing people to rent out spaces temporarily with minimal regulation and earn extra income. Since then, Airbnb has evolved and become one of the world's most renowned travel brands.
As an online marketplace, Airbnb connects travelers seeking holiday accommodation with hosts offering short-term and long-term homestays and experiences. The company operates in 220+ countries and regions and has over 9 million active listings in more than 150,000 cities and towns worldwide. Currently, there are over 5.5 million Airbnb hosts who have welcomed over 2.5 billion guest arrivals.
Houfy vs. Airbnb: Property Types
Hosts who use Houfy can list entire places as well as rooms in their homes. The most common property types that guests can book directly include vacation homes, condos, apartments, cabins, farmhouses, and cottages.
Hosts on Airbnb are allowed to list various types of property that fit different guest preferences and Airbnb investment strategies: entire homes, private rooms, and shared rooms. You can list traditional types of rentals, such as houses, apartments, condos, cabins, and villas, and offer unique stays in unconventional properties like tiny houses, yurts, glamping tents, treehouses, RV rentals, container-style vacation homes, and even boats.
Houfy vs. Airbnb: Service Fees
You don't have to pay to list your property on Airbnb, but there are service fees that Airbnb charges for every booking. Airbnb is moving all home hosts to a single fee structure, where the entire fee is deducted from your host payout. Most hosts pay 15.5% of the booking subtotal, and the rest typically pay 14–16%. With the split fee structure that's being phased out, hosts usually pay around 3%, while guests pay 14.1–16.5%.
Unlike traditional OTA platforms, Houfy doesn't charge service fees, so hosts can keep more of their earnings. With the Free plan, you only have to pay a one-time verification fee of $5.99 for unlimited listings. Two paid plans offer additional features—Lite and Premium. Hosts who choose these plans pay a monthly subscription fee for each listing. Lite costs $9.99 per listing per month, and Premium costs $14.99, or $7.99 and $11.99 per listing per month if you pay annually.
Since Houfy doesn't charge commissions, it helps both hosts and guests save money. You can use it as another channel to market your property alongside listings on major booking platforms such as Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo, as well as your direct booking website.
Creating listings for your vacation rental on different niche channels like Houfy can allow you to extend your reach. Hospitable is a Houfy Elite Partner, so you can connect your Hospitable account to Houfy for free, and bookings placed on either platform are blocked on both calendars.
Houfy vs. Airbnb: Host Protection
Houfy hosts can activate the Houfy Protect program that offers up to $20,000 in damage protection on all approved bookings. Once the host activates Houfy Protect for their listing, a nominal fee of $5 per night will be added to the total booking cost for guests. This initiates a guest screening, and once the booking is approved, the host's property is protected up to $20,000.
Airbnb has a comprehensive host protection program called AirCover for Hosts, which was designed to provide coverage for unexpected situations. The program is free for all hosts; you don't have to opt in. AirCover for Hosts includes guest identity verification, reservation screening, $3M Host damage protection, $1M Host liability insurance, and a 24-hour safety line.
Houfy vs. Airbnb: How Hosts Get Paid for Hosting
Unlike most booking platforms, Houfy doesn't interfere in payment transactions, so hosts can set payment terms and manage their payouts directly. If you'd like guests to book and pay on Houfy with a credit card, you must connect one of Houfy's integrated processors (Stripe, Square, or PayPal). You can also accept payments outside of Houfy.
Airbnb handles payments on the platform. It charges guests as soon as their reservation is confirmed and releases payouts to hosts no earlier than 24 hours after the guest's scheduled check-in. Airbnb hosts can choose from different payout methods, including bank account, Fast Pay, Pay to card, PayPal, Payoneer PrePaid Debit Mastercard, Western Union, international wire transfer, and ACH (Direct deposit), which is available to hosts in the United States and Puerto Rico.
