Airbnb is a global travel marketplace for booking homes, local experiences, and professional services on iOS and Android.
Product velocity
Maintenance
Daily rank 🇺🇸
#1
Travel · free
Sentiment
4.6
2.6M reviews
Nemesis
Vrbo Vacation Rentals
The App DNA
What makes this app unique?
The platform removes the friction of coordinating multiple travel services by centralizing lodging, local activities, and professional assistance into a single booking flow.
For Travelers seeking unique, local accommodations and experiences, and property owners looking to monetize space or services.
Key features
Unified platform for booking vacation rentals, local experiences, and professional services like catering or personal training.
Curated collection of the 2 million most-loved homes based on ratings, reviews, and reliability.
Marketplace to find and hire local hosts to manage property listings and guest interactions.
How much does it cost?
The platform operates on a commission-based model for hosts and guests rather than a subscription or tiered access model.
Velocity
Maintenance developmentUX improvementssocial featuresShow more...
With the latest release occurring 105 days ago, the development cadence has slowed significantly, falling into a maintenance tier. The last major update introduced a comprehensive redesign, including personalized recommendations and revamped profile features, but there has been no subsequent activity to build upon these changes. The current release pattern suggests a shift away from frequent feature deployment, as the app has remained stagnant for over three months.
Who built it?
User Sentiment
What do users think recently?
Recent user voice shows a frustrated sentiment. Users appreciate the app provides a convenient and easy to navigate interface for booking diverse travel accommodations and large families find the platform useful for booking homes that offer laundry and kitchen amenities, but report the latest update forces a newer operating system, locking out users with older mobile devices.
How are ratings & reviews evolving?
What users say, by theme
- The app provides a convenient and easy to navigate interface for booking diverse travel accommodations
- Large families find the platform useful for booking homes that offer laundry and kitchen amenities
- The latest update forces a newer operating system, locking out users with older mobile devices
120 of 176 recent reviews analyzed · high confidence · Frustrated overall
Read the full review analysisUnlock 2 more frustration themes and 2 user requests, each backed by review evidence.
Access the full report for freeCompetition
Competitive landscape for Airbnb
How's the Travel market?
Airbnb maintains a #2 Free rank in the US Travel & Local category. The platform's high visibility in the travel segment is currently offset by a negative sentiment trend resulting from recent technical update barriers.
Read the market outlookThe rivals identified
By HomeAway.com, Inc.
Vrbo is the most direct functional rival, matching Airbnb's scale and maintaining an aggressive release cadence (26 updates in 6 months) focused on the whole-home rental market.
- Strict 'Whole Home' inventory policy contrasts with Airbnb’s shared-room and 'Camps' categories.
- Integrated loyalty ecosystem (OneKey) allows users to earn/spend rewards across flights and car rentals via Expedia/Hotels.com.
- Trip Boards feature allows collaborative group voting and planning within the app, a more mature implementation than Airbnb's shared wishlists.
Booking.com: Hotels & TravelContender
Hopper: Flights, Hotels & CarsContender
Tripadvisor: Plan & Book TripsContender
Hotels.com: Book hotels & moreContenderUnlock the head-to-head verdict: where this rival wins, and where it loses.
Access the full report for freeThe Analyst's Read
Key takeaways for Airbnb
Where is it heading?
The travel market is consolidating around platforms that offer high reliability and minimal friction. Airbnb's current maintenance-mode cadence, coupled with technical barriers in the latest update, leaves the platform exposed to competitors that offer a more stable experience for users on older devices.
- The hard OS requirement in the latest update triggers a wave of negative reviews, which compounds the existing trust issues regarding support responsiveness.
- The platform remains in a maintenance phase with no new feature builds released since mid-April 2026, signaling a focus on stability over expansion.
The SWOT
- Co-Host Network lowers entry barriers for new supply
- Guest Favorites reduce booking friction for high-value listings
- Multi-method payment support could increase booking flexibility
- Monthly installment plans could reduce large final payment friction
Next best moves
Audit OS compatibility requirements because the latest update caused a surge in negative reviews from long-term users → stabilize rating baseline.
+ 1 more prioritized moveThe counter-intuitive read
The platform's push for a unified service marketplace…
Read the full takeSince the last report: Development activity has ceased, shifting the platform into a maintenance phase that has lasted over 100 days. This stagnation, combined with a hard OS requirement that alienates users on older hardware, has driven a decline in overall sentiment.
Bottom line
Airbnb must prioritize support transparency and OS compatibility to stabilize its user base, as the current technical friction is eroding the daily active habit.
Unlock 2 critical frictions, 2 market threats, 1 more prioritized move and the analyst’s take.
Access the full report for freeFAQ
Is Airbnb safe for families?
Does Airbnb have hidden fees?
Can I pay for my Airbnb in installments?
Sources
Report last updated