# Airbnb Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/airbnb/ 18 people recommended Airbnb in Hacker News comments, 24 had mixed feelings and 152 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 8 of 12 months, in 13 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule. **Verdict:** Criticized more than recommended, mainly for hidden fees, host cancellations and listings that misrepresent spaces; those who recommend it cite longer stays with kitchens, self check-in and support when something goes wrong. Summary written by Claude from the comments below. ## What people warn about - Cancellations and poor problem resolution (4 comments in the sample): "Airbnb would only offer us a refund plus maybe like 10%. They would not make any effort to rebook us at an equivalent property." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50190336)) "AirBnb can only be used if you are willing to accept the risk of having an unacceptable or even no reservation upon arrival." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49513345)) "I've had several AirBnb hosts cancel. Airbnb provided an alternative option the first time but the second time did not." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50190500)) - Harm to housing and rents (4 comments in the sample): "In an economy where there is a housing shortage local population needs affordable and long-term (6-months+) rental contracts or they don't have stability." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46315397)) "Airbnb disregarded their impact on rents in touristic cities, and competed with hotels by running faster than regulations." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48536468)) "AirBnb came and just said "fuck that" and bypass complitely the licence système and or building and operating permit" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46313945)) - Listings differ from descriptions (2 comments in the sample): "The decline in service, misadvertising of spaces, poor customer service and general decline in value stop me from continuing to use AirBnB." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50190348)) "You can never be sure a listing will have what you think it will and Airbnb does very little to investigate what a property offers." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50189926)) - Hidden fees and charges (2 comments in the sample): "Instead AirBNB thought they could get cute and pretend that this fixed part of the charge is not part of the price at all" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50190230)) "I was ready to quit over the huge fees, the fact those fees were hidden when searching, and the absurd rules BS." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50189624)) ## Why people recommend it - Few problems with hosts (3 comments in the sample): "Pretty much everyone I know (including myself) has maybe 1-2 bad experiences over dozens of stays." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50190659)) "I’ve stayed in many cheap Airbnbs while traveling myself and didn’t have that experience myself." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50190148)) "I've not once had any unreasonable charge or conflict with a host" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50190323)) - Responsive support when issues arise (2 comments in the sample): "AirBnb was surprisingly responsive and so far it's been a couple of months without any issues" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49995395)) "plus I get Airbnb support if anything goes wrong" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49244698)) - Full kitchens for longer stays (2 comments in the sample): "it’s fantastic for those longer trips where you want some extra amenities in the room like a kitchen" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45922284)) "same with Airbnb and having a full kitchen everywhere I go" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48941655)) - Better value than hotels (1 comment in the sample): "I find you get more space & amenities for the same price, but it's not much - if any - cheaper." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50190232)) ## Where to get it - [Visit the official site](https://www.airbnb.com/) ## The badge A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged. ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "Airbnb", https://hackerapproved.com/p/airbnb/ (18 recommend, 24 mixed, 152 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026). Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.