E-hospitality is one of the revolutionized segments of the travel industry where apps like Airbnb rule over the market. Several apps claim to provide hospitality services on mobile platforms, where the most prominent and top App like Airbnb. You will be amazed after knowing these facts –

• There are 2.9 million hosts listing their property on it.
• Every month it experiences approx. 14000 new hosts in 2021.
• Till now, 7 million listings have been done in 2021.
• Active Airbnb covers 220 countries that including 100,000 cities around the world.
• There are 150 million users who use Airbnb around the world.

The apps like Airbnb, such as HomeAway, Vrbo, Flipkey, Housetrip, and Vrbo, are competitors but have less popularity than Airbnb. There may be several reasons for it, but one of the crucial reasons is that it promises various best features.

Although, still, there is space for the startups so they can launch their App. If you are also one of them who are looking for the opportunity to disrupt the niche, then you will find this article quite interesting.

Every app development project actually starts with the creation of the overall strategy as well as fixing of the technical base for various further operations. These are different inevitable steps which are the basic ground to the development of the future app. To develop a tour and travel app like Airbnb, you need to consider various features in order to know the time as well as the cost of travel application development like Airbnb.

 

What is Airbnb?

It is an online marketplace that allows travelers to book the apartments available in a locale where they will visit around the world. They can book it any time via their internet-enabled devices.

It is a top-notch brand for vacation rental and home rental services. It is not limited to the home; the users can also book a room for the days which they want to spend at that particular location.

 

 

On the other hand, the apartment owner can list their property or properties with ease. So, based on its modus operandi, it works like a broker who connects the accommodation seeker to the provider or vice versa. Following that pattern, Airbnb app clone development is on the high rise.

 

The Story of Airbnb

In 2007, there was a conference organized in San Francisco for industrial designers. Due to the crowd, there became a shortage of rooms; then, Mr. Brian Chesky and Mr. Joe Gebbia took it as an opportunity and started a small startup named as- AirBed & Breakfast, and they offer their apartment for living some days with three airbeds, breakfast and internet connection. In 2008, the third person got involved as their partner, Nathan Blecharczyk, and then Airbedandbreakfast.com launched.

As its popularity increased later, it was named Airbnb, where BnB is the short form of bread and breakfast. In 2011, the company started its overseas expansion and opened its first international office in Hamburg, Germany then; after nine years of its evolution, it went public in 2020.

 

It does not have its property but facilitates the property owners to list & showcase their property on the site so the seekers can book it for the desired amount of time. Now, its company value is 75 billion USD worldwide, where worldwide revenue is 3.38 billion USD.

The official launch date is 11 August 2008. In 2014, its revenue was only $0.4 billion, whereas by 2020, it became $3.4 billion with a huge raise, and bookings were 193 million.

In 2012, 6 million users registered, but now 150 million users are registered on this App. The rest of the users are on Airbnb similar apps. Its key rivalries are Expedia Group, TripAdvisor, and Booking Holdings.

 

How Much Does Tour & Travel App Development Costs

How Does Airbnb Work?

It is a dynamic online hospitality marketplace that offers excellent options to the customers and the property owners. So, if you want to build apps like Airbnb, then check out the working mechanism that includes the client’s point of view and the host’s point of view.

 

 

On this App, the user can register themselves as a tenant or host.

 

1. How Does Airbnb Work For a Host?

The host panel facilitates the hosts to manage their tasks, so the following are key details regarding it.

• The host can register either by phone or via social media id, or by email. On the top right corner, you will find an option: Become a host; after clicking on that, a page will appear to take you to the registration window. There you can sign up.
• Once the host signed up, they navigate to register the property detail. They have to provide the details such as an address, area specifications, profile picture, type of apartment, and how many guests they can accommodate.
• As a next step, the host has to upload real images of the property with the help of an Airbnb professional photographer.
• The next option is price setting.
• After filling in all the details and setting up the profile, they can directly deal with the travelers via App and web.
• The host can approve or reject the request as per the availability.
• After check-in of the guest, the host will get payment after 24hrs.
• The host can also check the overall status of their panel.

 

2. How Does Airbnb Work For Travelers?

Here is some key information about the working of the traveler’s panel and how a guest can use it for accommodation booking.

• The travelers can register themselves via website or App through phone number or social media id or email. The link for registration is given at the top right corner of the website.
• Then as the next step, they have to set up their profile such as name, profile image, address, id number, and more.
• After registration, they are allowed to book the accommodation.
• Once the booking is made, the user will get the confirmation message via SMS and push notifications.
• There are multiple payment gateways available like Google Pay, Credit Card, Debit Card, PayPal, etc.

 

Check This Case Study : WOWI

The Business Model of Apps Like Airbnb

The IT company that wants to develop apps like Airbnb should closely look into the following. It gives a great insight into the Airbnb business model.

 

1. Associates

There are three major stakeholders of Airbnb, which are following-

• Host– The property owners who have registered their property. On each booking, the commission is calculated and submitted to Airbnb.
• Guests– The travelers who are traveling for vacation or workcation can book a room or apartment or any listed individual property at an affordable price where Airbnb takes its commission.
• Freelance Photographers– Every listed property is displayed on a portal or App with an image gallery. Airbnb has a network of freelance photographers who captures images on behalf of the brand and get paid from the portal.

 

2. Target Audience

Airbnb is the best option for travelers for accommodation and hosts for earning, so here the target audience is –

• Travelers who want to spend quality time.
• Travelers who want to explore the destination with a comfortable stay.
• Business Travelers
• Property owners looking for additional earnings.

 

3. Channels

Following are the channels of distribution-

• Web Portal
• Mobile App for Android and iOS platforms.
• Digital Promotion & Marketing
• Tv Ads
• Social Media

Note: If you are looking for Airbnb app clone development, you can target both platforms’ users cost-effectively as a cross-platform App.

 

4. Expenditures

• Maintenance Cost of mobile app and web portal.
• Teams of Employees.
• Managing digital payment options.

 

What Smart Features any Travel App Should Have

 

Which Features Should You Consider While Developing Apps Like Airbnb?

Airbnb offers several great features, and recently they have launched 100+ upgrades as Airbnb2021. The list of upgrades starts with showcasing flexibility up-gradation such as flexible destination, flexible matching, and flexible dates.

 

 

In this segment, we will discuss the complete range of required features suggested by a mobile app development company to develop apps like Airbnb. So, let’s kick start the reading about features segment-wise.

 

1. Travelers App

The key features of the travelers App are the following:-

• Sign-up/Log-in: Any user can sign-up on the web portal or App via the phone number or email id, or social media id; after verification of user details and device, the user can log in any time and book the accommodation as per their choice. It is the first crucial feature for apps like Airbnb, where a secure mechanism must be applied for the safety of users and correct verification.
• Profile Management: This feature allows the user to manage and maintain their profile. Where they can edit or update their essential details such as email id, alternate phone number, date of birth, permanent address, etc. One of the crucial benefits of this feature is updating the profile password to make the account secure. It is a much-required thing for apps similar to Airbnb.
• In-App Chat: It is one of the best features and needed for the best customer support & engagement. For any query, the customer can chat with executives at any time.
• Push Notifications: it keeps updating the users or other associates regarding informational purposes. Suppose a guest has booked the room at a particular locale, then s/he will be notified via push notification.
• Search Filter: The powerful search option allows the user to search for destinations and available accommodation. Recently Airbnb upgraded its system to allow users to search for destinations, intently matching listings and dates with flexibility. App like Airbnb must include this feature.
• Interaction With Host: The guest can interact with the host via chat and messages even before booking. They also have the right to approve or reject the requests, and also, they can create an instant new request.
• Payment Modes: Multiple payment options, including currency, are available where a guest can choose as per convenience. After payment, they will receive the receipt, including payment details. Most Airbnb similar apps have this option, and for the new apps, it is a must to survive in the market.
• Wishlist: If any traveler has missed the accommodation due to the high rental, then they can save it in Wishlist so when the desired rates are displayed, they get a notification about it.
• Booking: The user can look into the historical booking details and also check the current booking.
• Coupons: By inputting the coupon details user can get a discount. By referring to the others, they get the coupon.
• Geolocation Feature: App like Airbnb are well equipped with geolocation features empowered by Google Maps, where users can find the listing with ease regarding desired location(s).
• Help:  The FAQ sections empower the users to search about the specific query. It is present in that it is okay, but if not, then they can also contact the support via chat. In Airbnb, there is an option named login for personalized support where users can connect with them the executives. In a web portal, you can also choose the FAQ category such as booking and traveling, hosting stays, hosting experiences, and managing company travel.
• Rate & Review: Users can submit their reviews, ratings, and feedback without any hesitation.
• Sharing: Users can share the link for download with other users or their friends. That is beneficial for existing users also as they will receive the perks of it. On the other hand, the App will also experience more downloads.

 

 

 2. Host App

The key features of the host app are the following:-

• Host Sign Up: The hosts are also required to sign up for listing their vacant property. The initial mechanism is the same as the guest’s App. Here hosts have to provide their phone number or email id, or social media id.
• Host’s Profile: Once the sign-up is done, hosts can set up their profile by providing the details such as name, address, phone number, alternate phone number, and email id. They can also set the password. App like Airbnb must have powerful profile management features, and the developers have to take care of guest and host profile management features.
• Listing: This feature allows hosts to update the details like photos of mentioned properties, amenities, rate setting, basic identifications, address, property-related documents, and bank details.
• Approval: The host can approve or reject the request in case of any issue or due to unavailability of rooms or property.
• Messaging: It allows to communicate with guests. They can send a notification about the confirmation of booking. This feature sounds common but very powerful, especially when it comes to on-demand app development. If messaging option is designed perfectly, it enhances the user experience.
• Rate the Guests: The property owner rates the guests and provides feedback about their behavior during the stay.
• Account Details: With the help of this option, removal or addition of information takes place.
• Help: The host can check out the FAQ section if any confusion or query regarding their property.
• Sharing: Like the guest panel, hosts can also invite their friends via App or social media.
• Booking History: This option allows you to view the previous and current bookings and the payment history, including generated revenue

 

App Maintenance Services For Travel Industry

 

3. Admin Panel

It is the most important segment of apps similar to Airbnb that empowers admins to manage and control them.

• Dashboard: If we specifically talk about Airbnb, then their admin panel is managed by the officials. But here we are discussing the features that we should consider while developing the vacation rental app. So, the straightforward point is that it would be best if it offers a powerful approach to managing the tasks.
• Info Update: Uploaded new listings are being scrutinized by the admin, who can remove or update the information as per need.
• Booking History: Admin can view the complete history of previous, current, and ongoing bookings. They can also remove, edit or update the request by host and guest.
• Feedback: All feedback submitted by hosts and guests is displayed here so the admin can decide if any complaint has been placed by any associate.
• Insights: It is also one of the most powerful features required to include in a vacation rental on-demand app development. It allows managers or admin to collect the data and report generation to plan future growth.

The features we have discussed above are required for app like Airbnb. We can’t miss anyone them because already there is tough competition in the market.

 

The Technology Stack Required Airbnb Similar Apps

The technology stack is crucial because it is one of the factors required for the success of an app. There are several app like Airbnb in the market, and these are competing with each other.

So, if a mobile app development company wants to introduce vacation rental industry solutions, then it is a must to consider the following:

1. Programming Languages: HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, Swift, Kotlin, Ruby.
2. Front End Frameworks: Ruby on Rails, Angular, React.js, Express.js
3. Back End Frameworks: Django, Node.js, Meteor.js
4. Server-Side Technology: Amazon S3, EBS, Amazon EC2, AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, Digital Ocean
5. Database: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MSSQL, MongoDB, Azure DocumentDB, Cassandra
6. Communication: Twilio
7. Voice & Phone Verification: Nexmo
8. Payment: Braintree, PayPal

 

Tips to reduce Mobile App development Cost

 

Airbnb is a topmost brand among other vacancy rental industry solutions, and it inspires developers around the world to craft the solutions like this.

The first-ever thing requires to build App is extensive programming experience and in-depth knowledge about the technology stack. The solutions can be produced with the help of it.

Here is the step-by-step process to make app like Airbnb-

1. Idea Finalization: Although you want to make an app similar to Airbnb’s concept, it is already established, so you need to include some unique features. So, It would be best if you write down those.
2. Choose Platform: The platforms you can consider are web, Android, and iOS. But here, you have to hire dedicated developers for each. Another way also exists, i.e., Cross-Platform app development that allows using a single code base for making native-like applications for the diverse platform.
3. Wireframing: It is an excellent step to prepare the wireframe before developing an app similar to Airbnb. It gives an insight into how it will look after developing the project.
4. Backend: It is a flexible approach that allows the developer to design the back end as required.
5. Frontend: UI/UX is most important for any application from the user’s perspective. Although it should be built accordingly that navigates the users smoothly from one segment to the other.
6. Landing Page: It works like a welcome page but is most important because it gets its first impression by accessing it. It will tell what your App represents, and you can also display the updates there.

 

 

After developing the App, you must also take care of regular updates to it, so the users stay updated, and it will also eliminate the chances of any cyber threat. You can use these steps to develop app like Airbnb, but It would be best if you hire mobile app developers for it.

 

Time and Cost To Develop An App Like Airbnb

 

 

Overall, you will require 600 hours to develop an app like Airbnb which also includes testing, quality assurance, and bug fixing. After you have calculated the time for developing an Airbnb type app, it is the right time in order to choose which mobile app development company you are going to hire. You can also hire travel app developers to develop your app.

The developers in the US and Canada charges nearly $15 to $25 per hour. You can hire Indian developers at $10 to $80 per hour in case you have restricted budget. Depending on the choice of the company or developers, the average cost of development of tour and travel app like Airbnb can cost you around $6,000 to $15,000.

 

How Much Will It Take To Build App Like Airbnb?

Several factors affect it. which are the following-

• Team Size
• Location
• Platforms
• App Features for Host Panel, Guest Panel, Admin Panel
• Tech Stack

The average time it will take to develop Airbnb similar apps is 600 hrs. And the cost will range from $8k – $20K on average. The rest of the things depend upon that what other additional features you want to include.

 

Top 5 App Like Airbnb in The Market

Still, if you have some confusion in developing apps similar to Airbnb, you should know about these top-5 Airbnb alternatives.

1. Booking.com

 

 

It is one of the top alternatives of Airbnb that provides several features Airbnb. To date, it has 466.51 million visits as per similarweb.com and got 13.06% traffic only from referrals. It also has similarities to TripAdvisor but mainly deals in accommodation. It has total downloads of 100,000,000+.

 

2. HomeToGo

 

 

It is also one of the app like Airbnb that works as a holiday aggregator. It receives the high traffic from the USA recorded at 78.94% which inspires others to hire dedicated developers to make vacation rental apps. It offers services in the languages such as English, German, Dutch, French, Spanish, etc.

 

3. TripAdvisor

 

 

There is no need to talk about TripAdvisor. It is one of the top online vacation rental marketplaces that allow users to find affordable accommodation, flight booking, and holiday packages from service partners. It is available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

 

4. Vrbo

 

 

It covers 191 countries around the world which makes it a strong competitor of Airbnb. It offers easy-to-find and shares location, responsive user interface, real-time images, etc. It has total downloads of 1,000,000+ till now. It is mostly preferred in the USA got 80.77% high traffic till now.

 

5. Flipkey

 

 

Its uniqueness is that it works on the pay-per-booking model. The user will pay only when they get a reservation. The Flipkey is one of the undertakings of TripAdvisor that is available with 300,000+ properties listed from 160 countries around the world.

 

The Conclusion

Airbnb is one of the biggest vacation rental brands where 900 million stays have been booked till now. Another reason that makes it popular that is  4 million hosts have a listing on it. Other reasons also exist, which are enough for a mobile and website development company to produce the app like Airbnb.

The crucial points that can make your App successful are – Features, Tech Stack, Promotion & Marketing. Among all these the features are so much important.

You need to include the unique features so the user must have a similar experience in a fresh way, where additional features will work as a cherry on the cake. These unique features will add value to your app like Airbnb. So, start a step towards success by implementing a similar idea to Airbnb.