Brandwave

Airbnb vs Booking.com:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Airbnb had more branded searches than Booking.com among holiday rental platforms worldwide. Airbnb had about 37.2 million branded searches, while Booking.com had 7.5 million. Airbnb made up 78.1% of all holiday rental platform searches we track, and Booking.com accounted for 15.8%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about holiday rental platforms, both Airbnb and Booking.com appeared in all five answers. Airbnb was mentioned before Booking.com in every answer.

Among holiday rental platforms worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Airbnb, about 5 searches for every 1 for Booking.com

Airbnb 37.2M searchesBooking.com 7.5M searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both are mentioned in every answer we collected.

Airbnb in 5 of 5Booking.com in 5 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Airbnb, named ahead of Booking.com in every answer

Airbnb first in 5Booking.com never first

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Top holiday rental platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both Airbnb and Booking.com showed up in all five answers. Airbnb was listed before Booking.com in every answer.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Airbnb1st
  2. Vrbo2nd
  3. Booking.com3rd
  4. HomeToGo4th
  5. Plum Guide5th
  6. Vacasa–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Airbnb5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Booking.com5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Vrbo5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • HomeToGo4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Plum Guide2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Vacasa0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about holiday rental platforms

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.

Is Airbnb or Booking.com more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Airbnb and Booking.com by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all six holiday rental platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Airbnb and Booking.com among holiday rental platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Airbnb, Booking.com. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthAirbnbBooking.comVrboHomeToGoVacasaPlum Guide
Oct 202584%9.4%6.2%0.2%0.17%0.04%
Nov 202584.1%9.4%6.2%0.17%0.14%0.03%
Dec 202584.1%9.4%6.2%0.17%0.14%0.03%
Jan 202682.9%9.2%7.4%0.25%0.16%0.04%
Feb 202679.9%10.9%8.8%0.24%0.19%0.04%
Mar 202681.2%11.1%7.3%0.2%0.16%0.04%
Apr 202682.4%11.2%6.1%0.16%0.13%0.04%
May 202682.4%11.2%6.1%0.16%0.13%0.04%
Jun 202681.3%11.1%7.3%0.2%0.13%0.04%
Jul 202682.4%11.2%6.1%0.2%0.09%0.03%
Aug 202678.1%15.8%5.8%0.19%0.08%0.04%
Sep 202678.1%15.8%5.8%0.16%0.09%0.04%

How has the Airbnb and Booking.com comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Airbnb was ahead of Booking.com in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Airbnb’s share of searches among holiday rental platforms worldwide moved from 84% to 78.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 37.2M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Booking.com’s share of searches among holiday rental platforms worldwide moved from 9.4% to 15.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 4.2M to 7.5M.

How did search popularity change for holiday rental platforms worldwide in September 2026?

1 change

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for Booking.com worldwide rose 80.8% over 12 measured months, from 4.2M to 7.5M in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Airbnb’s and Booking.com’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Airbnb

1 branded search term

  • airbnb

Booking.com

2 branded search terms

  • booking com
  • bookingcom

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among holiday rental platforms

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