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

Airbnb, Inc. is an American vacation rental online market place that was founded by Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia and Nathan Blecharczyk in the year 2008. The company in question is based in San Francisco, California. Airbnb initially began when two designers who had a space to share decided to host three travellers who were looking for accommodation. As of today, Airbnb has millions of hosts and travellers who list their space and easily book distinctive, comfortable and safe accommodations anywhere in the world through the Airbnb mobile app or website.

Not to mention, through the ease which Airbnb provides, users can list their properties for rental and arrange lodging, tourism and primary homestays. Moreover, the company does not own any of the listed properties, and the main source of their profit is based on the commission they get from each booking. Airbnb is running successfully and covers more than 81,000 cities and 191 countries in the world. In fact, as per statistics, it is currently valued at $18 billion and is considered to be one of the most highly valued companies in the world.

So if you are looking to create an app like Airbnb, it is essential for you to have all the knowledge about its features, functionality and cost of development. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the requirements, and the estimated cost of building a similar mobile app.

Must-have features to develop an app like Airbnb:

Airbnb has two types of users that are namely; guests and landlords. Each of these users has a different set of features that makes it easy for them to carry out their business. Airbnb is a very complex service offering tons of functionality to its users and to clone the app; you must first understand the platform’s logic from the client’s point of view. Below are the set of features that have been created for both kinds of users.

Key features for hosts:

• User registration and login confirming to be above 18.
• Register property on the app.
• The host can add data about the accommodation such as number of guests, type of apartment etc.
• The landlord can upload real photos of their accommodations and set a price.
• The host can start a conversation and discuss details, standards, morals and values set by the landlord.
• The landlord can reject the host.
• Secure payment is transferred 24 hours after the guest checks into the premises.

Key features for guests:

• Registration and login option as a guest.
• Make a profile option and add essential data such as name, contact etc.
• Choose a suitable place to stay.
• Add filters for a specific location, price, type of space etc.
• Forward requests for a stay.
• Confirmation updates.
• Secure payment for the service received.

All the features and functionalities play a massive part in determining the cost of development. You can always start with adding some basic features that tend to make your app user-friendly and convenient. Later on, you can continue to add different features to make it more exciting to use.

Some additional features of Airbnb are as follows:

• Super guest
• Super host
• Multiple languages
• Currency conversion
• Other upgrades

Additional costs to make an app like Airbnb:

Design:

Creating a phenomenal UI/UX design tends to take a lot of time and money. For example, the Airbnb app UI completely satisfies the needs and expectations of users because it is infinitive. For Android, the designing takes about 120 hours and $6,000. Whereas, for iOS, it takes about 150 hours and costs approximately $7,000.

Admin panel:

To gain full control of your booking business, it is necessary to create an admin panel. It provides registered users with access, and enables easier management of users and accommodations. In order to create a similar app for two mobile platforms, only one admin panel is needed, and the development of a basic admin panel can take up to 225 hours.

Platforms:

In regard to mobile platforms, it is imperative to note that Android, and iOS are the most widespread platforms for mobiles, currently. Therefore, instead of choosing which one out of the two, it’s best to have apps for both platforms as that helps in gaining more users. If you are short on finances, you can start with an app on one platform and then move on to the next. However, iOS development generally requires 20% less time in comparison to Android.

Location of the developer/development team:

The rate of the developer or the development team is going to vary according to where they are coming from. Different rates apply in regard to various locations. Below are some rates from different countries.

• North America: iOS ($110 – $250) / Android ($150 – $170)
• Western Europe: iOS ($37 – $175) / Android ($70)
• Eastern Europe: iOS ($23 – $80) / Android ($35 – $50)
• Australia: iOS ($35 – $150) / Android ($110)

What is the total cost to develop an app like Airbnb?

Another vital point to consider in the development phase of an app is called back-end development. The  time taken to develop a server for an iOS Airbnb-like app could take up about 300 hours – and the same aspects come into play for Android as well. Hence, the total number of hours taken for back end development for an iOS application are 1,160 respectively.

On the other hand, the total amount of hours that are spent on back end development for an android app are 1450- approximately, depending on your personal requirements.

Now, taking all the factors mentioned in this blog into consideration, the final cost to build a mobile app like Airbnb can reach approximately $65,650 on one platform. As for the web version, the approximate cost would be $92,350.

The bottom line:

The world we live in today is very fast-paced and continuously evolving. Applications like the one in question have taken the market by a storm and for all the right reasons. If you desire to create an app exactly like Airbnb, the features, facts, time and costs written above are going to help you form a business plan, and assist you in segmenting your target market, while make it possible for you to align your business goals.