Airbnb vs Booking Holdings, side by side
Both are online travel platforms that take a cut of what travellers book, but they grew from different starting points. Airbnb built a marketplace for short-term home and room rentals, connecting hosts with guests worldwide. Booking Holdings is the larger business behind Booking.com, Priceline and Kayak, focused mainly on hotel rooms while also offering rentals and flights.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on quality and momentum, and weakest on income.
On our factor screen it looks strongest on quality and growth, and weakest on momentum.
The numbers, side by side
| Measure |  Airbnb, Inc. |  Booking Holdings |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $151.52 | $192.90 |
| Market cap: The company's total value on the stock market - share price times the number of shares. Big = 'large-cap', small = 'small-cap'. | $89.93B | $149.47B |
| P/E: Price-to-earnings: the share price divided by yearly profit per share. Lower can mean cheaper; higher often means investors expect fast growth. | 37.6 | 25.5 |
| Div yield: Dividend yield: the yearly dividend as a percentage of the share price - roughly the income you'd earn just from dividends. | 0.0% | 0.8% |
| Revenue growth | 17.9% | 16.2% |
| 1Y: How much the share price has moved over the past year. | +12% | -13% |
More measures
| Forward P/E: Price-to-earnings: the share price divided by yearly profit per share. Lower can mean cheaper; higher often means investors expect fast growth. | 25.2 | 15.7 |
|---|---|---|
| Net margin | 19.9% | 22.2% |
| ROE | 32.3% | — |
| Beta: How bumpy the share price is versus the whole market. Above 1 swings more than the market; below 1 is calmer. It's about the ride, not whether it goes up or down. | 1.14 | 1.07 |
The bolder figure is simply the larger of the two - higher is not automatically good (a higher P/E means more expectation in the price; a higher beta means bigger swings).
How they differ
Booking Holdings is roughly 1.7x the size of Airbnb, Inc. by market value. On our factor screen Airbnb, Inc. currently screens higher on momentum, while Booking Holdings screens higher on income and value. Airbnb, Inc. trades on the higher P/E (37.6 vs 25.5), so more expectation is already built into its price; and Booking Holdings pays a dividend (0.8%) while Airbnb, Inc. pays little or none. Over the past year the share prices moved +12% (Airbnb, Inc.) vs -13% (Booking Holdings).
Descriptive only - how the two compare on today's data, never a verdict on either.
Airbnb, Inc., in one line
Airbnb is a global online marketplace that connects people looking to rent out their spare rooms or homes with travellers seeking unique places to stay.
Read the full Airbnb, Inc. explainer →Booking Holdings, in one line
Booking Holdings is the digital travel giant behind brands like Booking.com, Agoda, and Kayak, helping millions of people book their next holiday or business trip.
Read the full Booking Holdings explainer →What to weigh
If dividend income matters to you, the yields differ (0.0% Airbnb, Inc. vs 0.8% Booking Holdings). These are facts to understand, not a verdict - read each full explainer before deciding anything.
Common questions
Are Airbnb and Booking Holdings direct competitors?
They overlap but come at travel from different angles. Airbnb is built around short-term rentals of homes and rooms, while Booking Holdings earns most of its money from hotel bookings. Both now offer a wider spread, so a traveller might use either for a rental or a hotel stay.
How do these platforms actually make money?
Both take a commission on bookings made through their sites and apps, rather than owning the properties themselves. Airbnb charges fees on stays booked between hosts and guests. Booking Holdings earns commissions from hotels and other providers, and also runs price-comparison and flight search brands that feed bookings into the group.