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Pricing tools compared · UK

Airbnb’s suggested prices vs PriceLabs: a real test on our own lodge

On our own two-bed lodge, over the same 76 nights, Airbnb suggested a lower price than PriceLabs on 65 of them. But over October half-term it suggested about 31% more, and every one of those nights is now booked. Here is the whole test, night by night.

By the PeakRate team. We're UK holiday-let hosts. Prices and features checked on each company's own website on 18 October 2026; they change, so check before you buy.

Prefer to watch? Airbnb's Suggested Prices vs PriceLabs: 76 Nights on One Real Lodge on our YouTube channel.

The short answer

Most nights

Airbnb suggested less on 65 of 76 nights
about 11% less at the median
less on all 39 nights still open (median 12% less)

October half-term

Airbnb suggested about 31% more (nights of 23–31 Oct)
Sat 24 Oct: £200 vs £140
all 9 nights are now booked

Christmas and New Year

Airbnb suggested about 12% less (23–31 Dec)
New Year’s Eve: £230 vs £311
24, 25 and 31 Dec already booked

Our maths from our own data, read 17 October 2026: Airbnb’s suggested price ÷ PriceLabs’ price − 1, per night, medians. The open nights haven’t sold yet, so neither tool is proven right on them.

Is this Airbnb Smart Pricing?

Not exactly, and the difference matters. Smart Pricing is off on this listing. The Airbnb figures here are Airbnb’s nightly price tips: the suggested price Airbnb shows under each night in your calendar. Airbnb describes price tips as “personalised recommendations based on factors like your listing’s location and amenities, your past bookings and the latest prices in your area”.

On Smart Pricing, Airbnb says: “This tool uses the same factors as price tips to automatically update your price based on demand within the price limits you set.” Same factors is not the same numbers, so we call these Airbnb’s suggested prices, not Smart Pricing’s. If you use Smart Pricing you won’t see price tips at all. For how Smart Pricing works, see our guide to Airbnb Smart Pricing, and for cost and control, PriceLabs vs Airbnb Smart Pricing.

What we compared

The lodge: The Sahara, our own two-bedroom lodge at Warton, Lancashire.
PriceLabs’ price: PriceLabs sets our live prices. Our settings: minimum £110, base £160, no maximum. Hospitable then adds a 5% Airbnb markup, so the live Airbnb price is PriceLabs’ price × 1.05, rounded down (for example, 31 Dec: £311 → £326).
Airbnb’s suggested price: the nightly price tip from our Airbnb host calendar, with Smart Pricing off.
Booked or open: each night’s status in Hospitable. No guest data was read.
When: everything read on 17 October 2026, for the 76 nights from 17 October to 31 December 2026 (PriceLabs showed no prices from 1 January).
The maths: we compare Airbnb’s suggestion with PriceLabs’ own price, before Hospitable’s 5% markup. Against the live Airbnb price the gaps are a little wider on the low side and narrower on the high side (median −16% overall, +27% over half-term).

One caveat about booked nights: the price on a booked night is today’s calendar price, not necessarily what the guest paid. Bookings were made earlier, at whatever price was live then. So we say “now booked”, never “booked at £X”, and we don’t put a money figure on any week.

Most nights: Airbnb suggested less

Airbnb’s suggestion was below PriceLabs’ on 65 of the 76 nights, about 11% lower at the median. On a quiet Tuesday, 3 November, PriceLabs said £127 and Airbnb suggested £98. On 41 nights Airbnb’s suggestion was below our £110 minimum.

39 of the nights are still open, and Airbnb suggested less on every one (median 12% less). Those nights haven’t sold yet. If they book at PriceLabs’ price, holding was right; if they stay empty, Airbnb may have had a point. Nobody can call that yet.

October half-term: Airbnb suggested more

Lancashire’s October half-term is Monday 26 to Friday 30 October 2026. Over the nights from Friday 23 to Saturday 31 October, both weekends included, Airbnb suggested about 31% more than PriceLabs at the median, and more on 8 of the 9 nights. For Saturday 24 October it suggested £200 against PriceLabs’ £140. All nine nights are now booked.

For context only: in PeakRate’s stored data, the only two same-size (two-bed) listings with a one-night price for that Saturday were showing £240. Two listings is a hint, not proof, and those readings can include fees.

Christmas and New Year: Airbnb suggested less again

From 23 to 31 December, Airbnb suggested about 12% less than PriceLabs at the median, and less on every night. On New Year’s Eve it suggested £230 against PriceLabs’ £311. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve are already booked (and so is New Year’s Day, just outside the 76 nights).

What to do with your own calendar

Neither tool knows your market. On the nights that mattered most here, they disagreed by 31% one way and 12% the other. So:

Find the nights where your tool and Airbnb’s suggestion disagree most. Big gaps usually sit on school holidays, events and the festive weeks.
Look up the same-size listings guests would compare you with, for those exact nights.
See what they’re asking, and which have booked. Then set your price.

What each costs

Airbnb’s price tips are free and built into your Airbnb calendar. PriceLabs is $19.99 a month per UK listing, in US dollars, plus taxes, after a 30-day free trial, and lets you set rules like a minimum price. Prices as published on 18 October 2026 — check their sites for the latest. Our PriceLabs pricing page has every tier.

Night by night: all 76 nights

Night	Status now	PriceLabs’ price	Airbnb’s suggested price	Airbnb vs PriceLabs	Live Airbnb price
Sat 17 Oct	Now booked	£110	£120	+9%	£115
Sun 18 Oct	Now booked	£111	£101	−9%	£116
Mon 19 Oct	Now booked	£114	£101	−11%	£119
Tue 20 Oct	Now booked	£117	£103	−12%	£122
Wed 21 Oct	Open	£115	£104	−10%	£120
Thu 22 Oct	Now booked	£113	£103	−9%	£118
Fri 23 Oct · half-term	Now booked	£121	£184	+52%	£127
Sat 24 Oct · half-term	Now booked	£140	£200	+43%	£147
Sun 25 Oct · half-term	Now booked	£128	£177	+38%	£134
Mon 26 Oct · half-term	Now booked	£132	£179	+36%	£138
Tue 27 Oct · half-term	Now booked	£130	£161	+24%	–
Wed 28 Oct · half-term	Now booked	£144	£170	+18%	£151
Thu 29 Oct · half-term	Now booked	£140	£157	+12%	£147
Fri 30 Oct · half-term	Now booked	£141	£185	+31%	£148
Sat 31 Oct · half-term	Now booked	£141	£132	−6%	£148
Sun 1 Nov	Now booked	£125	£107	−14%	£131
Mon 2 Nov	Open	£125	£98	−22%	£131
Tue 3 Nov	Open	£127	£98	−23%	£133
Wed 4 Nov	Open	£131	£106	−19%	£137
Thu 5 Nov	Open	£132	£104	−21%	£138
Fri 6 Nov	Now booked	£143	£125	−13%	£150
Sat 7 Nov	Now booked	£139	£127	−9%	£145
Sun 8 Nov	Open	£113	£98	−13%	£118
Mon 9 Nov	Open	£110	£98	−11%	£115
Tue 10 Nov	Now booked	£110	£96	−13%	£115
Wed 11 Nov	Now booked	£111	£97	−13%	£116
Thu 12 Nov	Now booked	£110	£99	−10%	£115
Fri 13 Nov	Now booked	£141	£119	−16%	£148
Sat 14 Nov	Now booked	£139	£118	−15%	£145
Sun 15 Nov	Open	£122	£103	−16%	£128
Mon 16 Nov	Open	£120	£95	−21%	£126
Tue 17 Nov	Open	£110	£96	−13%	£115
Wed 18 Nov	Open	£110	£96	−13%	£115
Thu 19 Nov	Open	£110	£97	−12%	£115
Fri 20 Nov	Now booked	£139	£109	−22%	£145
Sat 21 Nov	Now booked	£140	£124	−11%	£147
Sun 22 Nov	Now booked	£124	£104	−16%	£130
Mon 23 Nov	Now booked	£110	£98	−11%	£115
Tue 24 Nov	Now booked	£110	£98	−11%	£115
Wed 25 Nov	Now booked	£110	£98	−11%	£115
Thu 26 Nov	Open	£110	£97	−12%	£115
Fri 27 Nov	Now booked	£141	£152	+8%	£148
Sat 28 Nov	Now booked	£139	£125	−10%	£145
Sun 29 Nov	Open	£117	£98	−16%	£122
Mon 30 Nov	Open	£110	£98	−11%	£115
Tue 1 Dec	Open	£110	£100	−9%	£115
Wed 2 Dec	Open	£118	£100	−15%	£123
Thu 3 Dec	Open	£120	£98	−18%	£126
Fri 4 Dec	Now booked	£144	£173	+20%	£151
Sat 5 Dec	Now booked	£142	£118	−17%	£149
Sun 6 Dec	Open	£123	£101	−18%	£129
Mon 7 Dec	Open	£116	£100	−14%	£121
Tue 8 Dec	Open	£111	£100	−10%	£116
Wed 9 Dec	Open	£114	£101	−11%	£119
Thu 10 Dec	Open	£120	£107	−11%	£126
Fri 11 Dec	Open	£135	£119	−12%	£141
Sat 12 Dec	Open	£128	£113	−12%	£134
Sun 13 Dec	Open	£118	£103	−13%	£123
Mon 14 Dec	Open	£110	£99	−10%	£115
Tue 15 Dec	Open	£110	£99	−10%	£115
Wed 16 Dec	Open	£114	£100	−12%	£119
Thu 17 Dec	Open	£120	£105	−12%	£126
Fri 18 Dec	Open	£165	£142	−14%	£173
Sat 19 Dec	Now booked	£176	£161	−9%	£184
Sun 20 Dec	Now booked	£162	£144	−11%	£170
Mon 21 Dec	Open	£185	£170	−8%	£194
Tue 22 Dec	Open	£191	£170	−11%	£200
Wed 23 Dec · Christmas/New Year	Open	£240	£215	−10%	£252
Thu 24 Dec · Christmas/New Year	Now booked	£260	£224	−14%	£273
Fri 25 Dec · Christmas/New Year	Now booked	£262	£232	−11%	£275
Sat 26 Dec · Christmas/New Year	Open	£260	£230	−12%	£273
Sun 27 Dec · Christmas/New Year	Open	£244	£209	−14%	£256
Mon 28 Dec · Christmas/New Year	Open	£229	£218	−5%	£240
Tue 29 Dec · Christmas/New Year	Open	£228	£223	−2%	£239
Wed 30 Dec · Christmas/New Year	Open	£259	£219	−15%	£271
Thu 31 Dec · Christmas/New Year	Now booked	£311	£230	−26%	£326

Our data: The Sahara, read 17 October 2026 (Airbnb host calendar and price tips, PriceLabs calendar, Hospitable booking status). “Now booked” shows today’s calendar price, not necessarily what the guest paid. The live Airbnb price is PriceLabs’ price × 1.05 (Hospitable’s Airbnb markup), rounded down; 27 October is booked on Airbnb, so it shows no live price. Percentages are our maths.

Questions hosts ask

Are Airbnb’s price tips the same as Smart Pricing?

Not necessarily. Airbnb says Smart Pricing “uses the same factors as price tips”, which is not the same as the same prices, and with Smart Pricing on you don’t see price tips. In this test Smart Pricing was off, so the figures are Airbnb’s suggested prices (price tips).

Did Airbnb suggest lower prices than PriceLabs?

On most nights, yes: lower on 65 of 76 nights, about 11% at the median, and lower on every night still open. But over October half-term it suggested about 31% more, and over Christmas and New Year about 12% less.

Which was right?

We can’t say yet on the open nights, because they haven’t sold. Over half-term, where Airbnb suggested more, every night is now booked. The useful lesson is to check the nights where the tools disagree against same-size competitors.

Do booked nights show what the guest paid?

No. The calendar shows today’s price for a booked night, which may differ from the price when the guest booked. That’s why we only say a night is now booked.

How much do Airbnb’s price tips and PriceLabs cost?

Airbnb’s price tips are free in your Airbnb calendar. PriceLabs is $19.99 a month per UK listing, in US dollars, plus taxes, after a 30-day free trial (as published on 18 October 2026).

Where PeakRate fits

The check that mattered in this test — your price against the same-size listings guests compare you with, on the nights where the tools disagree — is the one we built PeakRate to do.

We run holiday lets in the North West and used PriceLabs on our own lodges. What we wanted was simple: to see our price against the specific listings our guests actually compare us with, night by night, and know what to change. So we built PeakRate to do that.

You choose your competitors, included. Accept the ones PeakRate finds, add any listing by its link, or remove one. No paid upgrade needed.
Every competitor, every night. Their price, when they're booked, and who just cut or raised, next to a suggested price for you.
Built for UK hosts. Priced in pounds, with UK school and bank holidays, and Airbnb's UK fee.
Nothing changes until you approve it. PeakRate connects directly to your property management system and sends the prices you approve. Today that's Hospitable; more are coming soon. See the latest integrations.
Simple pricing. Solo is £19 a month for one property, Host £49 for up to 3, Pro £129 for up to 10, Portfolio £279 for 25. 30-day free trial, no card.
A free listing audit that compares your Airbnb listing with similar ones nearby, even if you're not on Hospitable.

Start your free 30-day trial Or audit your Airbnb listing free →

Sources

Our own data, The Sahara: Airbnb host calendar and nightly price tips, PriceLabs listing calendar and settings, Hospitable booking status (read-only, read 17 October 2026)
Airbnb Resource Centre, "Review your price" (article 655): airbnb.co.uk/resources/hosting-homes/a/review-your-price-655 (read 18 October 2026)
Airbnb Resource Centre, "Using Airbnb pricing tools" (article 707): airbnb.co.uk/resources/hosting-homes/a/using-airbnb-pricing-tools-707 (read 18 October 2026)
Airbnb Help Centre, custom pricing and price tips (article 474) and Smart Pricing (article 1168): airbnb.co.uk/help/article/474, airbnb.co.uk/help/article/1168 (read 18 October 2026)
PriceLabs plans: hello.pricelabs.co/plans/ (read 18 October 2026)
Lancashire County Council, school term dates 2026/27: lancashire.gov.uk/schools-and-education/school-term-dates-and-holidays/ (read 18 October 2026)
PeakRate stored competitor prices for The Sahara (context only; thin): read 17 October 2026

Airbnb, PriceLabs and Hospitable are trademarks of their owners. This is an independent comparison by PeakRate, which makes a competing product; we've stuck to what each company publishes about itself.