Airbnb has become one of the most visited travel and tourism website and application and is still staggering growth. It is a vacation rental application that allows people who want to rent their homes to travelers who need spare rooms to stay. Airbnb is like an online marketplace that offers wide range of rent homes for visitors to stay for days or nights. If you are planning to start a business of renting homes, you must be curious on how to make apps like Airbnb. So, let’s find out that in this blog.
How Popular is Airbnb?
With about 150 million users and hosting around a billion guests each year, Airbnb has become one of the most popular applications. It is the most widely preferred accommodation providing app that had over 448 million nights and experiences booked in 2023. It is so popular that travelers preferred Airbnb experiences over hotels due to the lower costs and other amenities it serves. The Airbnb app came as the second most downloaded apps as per statists and become the most popular hotel booking app in many countries including China.
Development Cost to Build Apps Like Airbnb
Seeing the popularity and market potential, you might be wondering about the development cost it takes to build apps like Airbnb. Well to create an app like Airbnb, there will be several factors that would decide its development cost. These factors could be technological advancements, UI/UX, geographical location of the development team etc. It can be an excellent choice if you are thinking to develop an app like this as the vacation rental market is a booming one and can offer good prospects. So, how much can it cost you? A fair cost can be between $30,000-$200,000 and depending on your custom requirements it can be even more. But, before starting on such an idea, it is essential that you consult a good app development company that provides you with reliable web application development services.
Features Influencing the Cost to Build an App Like Airbnb
Now that we know the cost to build an app like Airbnb would depend on several factors such as technology, UI/UX and others, let us quickly look out at the range of factors/features one by one. Each of these features play a crucial role in determining the total development cost to build an app like Airbnb.
1. Integration with IoT Devices
The sole reason behind apps like Airbnb gaining popularity is the unique experiences they offer to the users. To offer features like smart locks, thermostats and home automation, it requires to integrate the app with IoT devices. Integration with IoT devices comes with huge development and testing investment that can increase the budget to build the app.
2. App Platform and Complexity
Choosing the app platform is another feature that would influence the cost. Whether you choose native app development or cross- platform development frameworks, the cost for each varies. Another feature is the app complexity that will impact the cost to build the app. There are usually basic, mid-complex and high-complex packages that decide the overall costs to develop the app.
3. AR, VR and AI Chatbots
If you want your users to explore accommodations in a unique way then integrating AR, VR features becomes essential. These features can offer visual and virtual tours of rental spaces for users thus elevating the user engagement, but these comes with high costs too. Another factor is integrating AI chatbots, which is a must-have feature to include in any app these days.
4. UI/UX Design
The UI/UX design your app offers goes a long way in creating an exceptional app that will engage users. It is important that the digital marketing agency you partner with have the best UI/UX designers that can help you make an app like Airbnb. The cost for designing such an app can range anywhere between $10,000-$25,000 depending on the timeline of weeks you choose.
5. Development Team Location and Expertise
Depending on where you chose your development team from will also decide the development costs. For instance, the hourly rates in the US are higher as compared to others. So, if you have a lesser budget, you can outsource to countries like India where you also get high-skilled development teams. Other than the location is the expertise the development team has that will make up for the hiring cost they offer.
6. Testing and Quality Assurance
Other expenses comes in testing and quality assurance for your app as the team tests the app across systems and devices to make sure it offers a smooth experience. This is the most crucial aspect and will require you to invest as you will not want your users to encounter any issues later. The developing costs thus increase here that goes into extensive testing and quality assurance of the app.
7. Regulatory Compliance and Security
Last but not the least factor to consider is that you application must comply with the industry regulations and security standards. This is essential for protecting user data and offering enhanced security ti users. The compliance certifications and security audits will further add up the development costs for you to build an app like Airbnb.
Key Features to Develop Apps Like Airbnb
To compete with apps like Airbnb, it is vital that you consider incorporating all such features that meet the needs of the users. Here are the key features to include
For host side panel:
- Guesting Communication
- Listing Creation
- Check-In Instructions
- Availability Management
- Cleaning and Maintenance
- Reservation Requests
- Financial Management
- For User Side Panel:
- Registration
- Profiles
- Backend Implementation
- Messaging
- Property Filter
- Room Details
- Add to Favorite
- Invitation to Friends
- Translation
- Map Incorporation
- Multiple Setting Options
Wrapping Up
If you want to develop an app like Airbnb, it is crucial to define your goals and look out for the features that make up for the total costs. Next is to hire a highly-skilled web development company that offers reliable web application development services and understands what you need. And if you are finding one such company, look no more than KnotSync! Our team of highly- skilled developers, designers and other team members can help you build a top-notch app like Airbnb. We believe in offering our clients deep expertise and cost-effective solutions. Reach to us today!
