How does Airbnb get its revenue?

Airbnb gets its revenue by charging service fees to hosts and guests who use its platform. Most of its revenue comes from fees on stays, experiences, and in-home services. The company also makes money from fees on travel insurance for guests and cross-currency bookings when the guest pays in a currency different from the host's listing currency.

Can I invest in Airbnb?

Yes, you can invest in Airbnb. To invest, log into your brokerage account and search for either the company name or its ticker: ABNB. Decide how many shares you want to buy and place your order.

Is Airbnb publicly traded?

Yes, Airbnb is a publicly traded company. It completed an initial public offering (IPO) in 2020.

Is Airbnb profitable?

Yes, Airbnb is profitable. It reported $2.6 billion in net income for the 12-month period ending June 30, 2025.

How Does Airbnb Make Money?

How Airbnb Makes Money

By Lyle Daly – Updated Sep 30, 2025 at 4:01 PM EST | Fact-checked by Robin Hartill, CFP

Key Points

Airbnb primarily earns money through fees on bookings for stays, experiences, and in-home services.
As of June 2025, Airbnb reported $11.6 billion in revenue and $2.6 billion in net income over its most recent 12 months.
Airbnb recently expanded its services and redesigned its app for enhanced guest-host interaction.

Airbnb (ABNB +1.18%) is an online platform that connects hosts and guests worldwide for stays and experiences. It started in 2007 as a home-sharing marketplace for hosts to offer stays at their properties and later expanded to offer unique experiences and in-home services.

Airbnb now has over 5 million hosts and has served over two billion guests. If you're thinking about investing in Airbnb, this guide will cover how Airbnb makes money and its current financial situation.

Loading paragraph...

NASDAQ: ABNB

Airbnb

Today's Change

(1.18%) $1.73

Current Price

$148.62

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$88B

Day's Range

$147.02 - $149.30

52wk Range

$110.81 - $150.19

Volume

2.6M

Avg Vol

3.8M

Gross Margin

72.38%

Loading company_card...

What does Airbnb do?

Airbnb operates online marketplaces for:

Home rentals, including rooms and entire homes.
Experiences, including workshops, classes, and outdoor activities.
Services, including catering, hair styling, and spa treatments.

Airbnb is the listing and booking platform, but it doesn't offer any of these itself. It's the intermediary between hosts who provide accommodations, experiences, or services, and guests/customers. Its asset-light business model has allowed Airbnb to expand into new markets quickly without needing to own or maintain real estate.

Loading paragraph...

How does Airbnb make money?

Most of Airbnb's revenue comes from the service fees it charges on bookings. There are a few different fee structures that determine the amount charged.

Loading paragraph...

Revenue

Revenue is a business’s gross income or the amount of money it brings in from regular operations before costs are considered.

Loading definition...

Loading paragraph...

Airbnb's financials

Airbnb's revenue was $11.6 billion for the trailing 12 months (TTM) of the period ending June 30, 2025. Its net income was $2.6 billion, and its diluted earnings per share (EPS) was $4.12.

Since Airbnb went public in 2020, its revenue has steadily increased. Its net income, for the most part, has followed suit. Here's a breakdown of its annual numbers from 2020 through 2024:

Loading paragraph...

Data source: Airbnb.
Year	Revenue	Net income
2020	$3.4 billion	($4.6 billion)
2021	$6.0 billion	($352 million)
2022	$8.4 billion	$1.9 billion
2023	$9.9 billion	$4.8 billion
2024	$11.1 billion	$2.6 billion

Loading table...

It's worth noting that in the third quarter of 2023, Airbnb had a one-time tax benefit of $2.8 billion, heavily elevating its net income for that year. Without the tax benefit, net income in 2023 would've been about $2.0 billion. Airbnb's consistent financial growth is a positive sign that's nice to see when investing in stocks.

Loading paragraph...

Recent developments

Airbnb rolled out several big changes before the summer of 2025. It launched Airbnb Services, which are in-home services provided by hosts and bookable by anyone, whether they're staying in an Airbnb or are at their own home. Since the platform's early days, one of the disadvantages of Airbnb rentals compared to hotels has been the lack of extra amenities, such as room service. The services marketplace is designed to make Airbnb more competitive with hospitality companies in that area.

The company relaunched Airbnb Experiences, aiming to offer high-quality experiences from locals who know their cities best. It also introduced Airbnb Originals, which are exclusive experiences hosted by notable figures.

Loading paragraph...

FAQ

Loading paragraph...

How Airbnb makes money: FAQ

Loading faq...

About the Author

Lyle Daly is a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst covering information technology and cryptocurrency. Lyle has been a contributor at the financial services company since 2018. His work has been featured on USA Today, Yahoo Finance, MSN, Fox Business, and Nasdaq. Before joining The Motley Fool, he wrote for financial brands including Intuit.

TMFLyleDaly

@LyleDaly

Lyle Daly has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Airbnb and Amazon. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

How Airbnb Makes Money

Key Points

NASDAQ: ABNB

Key Data Points

What does Airbnb do?

How does Airbnb make money?

Revenue

Airbnb's financials

Recent developments

Related investing topics

How to Buy Carnival Cruise Stock (CCL) and What to Know Before You Invest

How AI Is Being Used in the Travel Industry

How to Buy Hilton Hotels Stock

Best Luxury Stocks to Buy in 2026 and How to Invest in Them

FAQ

How Airbnb makes money: FAQ

About the Author

Read Next

Stocks Mentioned

Motley Fool Stock Advisor’s Latest Pick

Premium Investing Services

Revenue

How to Buy Carnival Cruise Stock (CCL) and What to Know Before You Invest

How AI Is Being Used in the Travel Industry

How to Buy Hilton Hotels Stock

Best Luxury Stocks to Buy in 2026 and How to Invest in Them

How Airbnb makes money: FAQ

How does Airbnb get its revenue?

Can I invest in Airbnb?

Is Airbnb publicly traded?

Is Airbnb profitable?

What does Airbnb do?

How does Airbnb make money?

Airbnb's financials

Recent developments

Related investing topics

FAQ

NASDAQ: ABNB

Key Data Points