9flats is a peer-to-peer vacation rental platform that allows individuals to rent out their homes, apartments, or spare rooms to travelers — much like Airbnb. Founded in Germany, it quickly positioned itself as a European alternative for travelers seeking affordable, local experiences without the high price tag of hotels.
Operating in more than 100 countries, 9flats carved out a niche by focusing on personal connections, local authenticity, and competitive pricing. It connects hosts and guests directly, facilitating short-term stays and cultural exchanges — and in the process, has built a sustainable, commission-driven business model.
In this blog, we’ll unpack how 9flats earns money, why its revenue model remains relevant in 2025, and how startups can build a similar platform using a 9flats clone powered by Miracuves.
How 9flats Makes Money
9flats operates on a classic marketplace revenue model, monetizing transactions between hosts and guests. Its primary income streams include:
- Service Fees on Bookings – Charges a percentage-based fee to both guests and hosts per successful booking.
- Listing Promotion Fees – Offers premium placements for hosts who want to appear higher in search results.
- Cancellation and Change Fees – Generates revenue through penalties or change charges in certain cases.
- Partner Commissions – Earns through travel insurance, local experiences, or service partner integrations.
- Currency Exchange Margins – Gains marginal revenue on cross-border transactions by applying favorable FX rates.
Each of these channels allows 9flats to generate revenue without owning any real estate, making it a scalable, asset-light business model — perfect for digital entrepreneurs and platform builders.
Detailed Breakdown of Revenue Channels
Service Fees on Bookings
This is the core revenue stream for 9flats. The platform charges a guest service fee, typically around 6–12%, depending on the booking total. In addition, hosts are charged a fee—usually a flat 3%—for every reservation they receive.
- Who Pays? Both guests and hosts.
- Why It Scales? No inventory ownership required; revenue grows with booking volume.
Listing Promotion Fees
Hosts can pay to boost their visibility in search results, especially in high-demand cities or during peak seasons. These promotions help hosts stand out, while 9flats earns extra revenue without impacting the guest experience.
- Who Pays? Hosts seeking more bookings.
- Why It Scales? It’s optional but attractive for competitive markets.
Cancellation and Change Fees
In some scenarios, when a guest cancels late or changes dates, 9flats retains part of the payment as a fee or penalty. This discourages frivolous cancellations and helps recover potential revenue losses.
- Who Pays? Guests, based on the cancellation policy.
- Why It Scales? It reduces booking risk and adds to incidental income.
Partner Commissions
9flats partners with third-party providers for travel insurance, cleaning services, or local tours. Every successful add-on booked through the platform generates a commission.
- Who Pays? End users booking add-ons; partners pay referral commission.
- Why It Scales? No operational load, yet opens multiple monetization points.
Currency Exchange Margins
For international bookings, 9flats applies a slight margin on foreign exchange rates. This hidden fee, though small per transaction, becomes significant at scale — especially across Europe and Asia.
- Who Pays? Guests booking in foreign currencies.
- Why It Scales? Invisible to most users and profitable in aggregate.
Learn what the 9flats app is and how it works to connect travelers with unique stays. Discover why it’s a strong alternative in the vacation rental market.
Why This Revenue Model Works in 2025
The short-term rental market has only grown more dynamic in 2025, and 9flats’ revenue model is well-positioned to thrive in this evolving ecosystem.
Rising Preference for Peer-to-Peer Stays
Millennials, Gen Z, and even business travelers increasingly prefer authentic, affordable stays over traditional hotels. Platforms like 9flats meet this demand — and the booking-based revenue model scales naturally with user growth.
Global Travel Recovery and Nomadic Work
Post-pandemic travel surges and the rise of digital nomads mean longer stays, higher transaction volumes, and more cross-border bookings — all of which boost fee-based revenue and FX margin earnings for 9flats.
Asset-Light, Scalable Platform
With no real estate to manage, 9flats remains lean. Its service-fee model, coupled with optional paid promotions, allows the platform to grow profitably without capital-heavy infrastructure — a crucial edge in 2025’s competitive tech landscape.
Shift Toward Transparent Monetization
Modern travelers are comfortable with service fees as long as pricing is transparent and fair. 9flats keeps pricing clear and competitive, ensuring its monetization strategy aligns with user trust.
Plug-and-Play Partnerships
The flexibility to integrate third-party services (insurance, cleaning, local tours) creates new income layers without increasing overhead. This modular revenue approach allows quick adaptation to changing user preferences.
Discover the 9flats app marketing strategy that turns rooms into revenue. Compare the best 9flats clone scripts in 2025 with features and pricing to launch your own platform.
Can Startups Replicate 9flats’ Revenue Model?
Yes — and now more than ever, it’s achievable with the right tech partner.
The beauty of 9flats’ revenue model lies in its simplicity and scalability. But building such a marketplace from scratch demands time, technical expertise, and a deep understanding of real-time booking logic, commission management, trust systems, and global payment integrations.
That’s where Miracuves steps in.
With our 9flats Clone, startups can launch a fully functional short-term rental platform that mirrors the revenue-generating features of 9flats — without spending years in development. Our solution includes:
- Service fee management for both hosts and guests
- Currency conversion and FX margin control
- Admin tools to create and manage listing promotion fees
- Support for cancellation policies and penalty rules
- Seamless integration with partner APIs (insurance, cleaning, activities)
- Scalable tech stack optimized for mobile and web
With this ready-made clone, entrepreneurs can focus on building their brand and market traction — while the monetization infrastructure is already in place.
See why startups choose our 9flats clone over costly custom development. For budgeting, check the 9flats app development cost in 2025 with our full pricing guide.
Conclusion
9flats has proven that a simple, commission-driven model can power a global short-term rental marketplace without owning a single piece of property. With service fees, listing promotions, partner commissions, and FX margins — it monetizes every layer of the booking journey while staying lean and scalable.
In 2025, this model remains highly effective thanks to booming digital travel, changing consumer preferences, and flexible tech integrations.
The best part? You don’t need millions in funding or a full dev team to replicate this.
With Miracuves’ 9flats Clone, you can launch a peer-to-peer vacation rental platform equipped with all the right monetization levers — right out of the box.
FAQs
How does 9flats generate revenue?
9flats earns money by charging service fees to guests and hosts, offering paid listing promotions, taking commissions on partner services, and applying margins on currency exchanges for international bookings.
Is 9flats profitable in 2025?
While exact figures are private, 9flats operates an asset-light, scalable model. With increasing travel demand and digital adoption, its fee-based revenue streams make it a sustainable business in 2025.
What are the main income sources for 9flats?
The core income sources include guest and host service fees, promotional listing charges, cancellation/change penalties, affiliate commissions, and FX transaction margins.
Can startups use the same revenue model as 9flats?
Yes, but building it from scratch requires complex infrastructure. Startups can replicate the 9flats model faster and affordably with Miracuves’ white-label 9flats clone solution.
Does Miracuves offer a 9flats clone with monetization features?
Absolutely. The Miracuves 9flats Clone includes service fee settings, promotional tools, cancellation policy management, payment integrations, and partner module support — all designed for revenue scalability.
