"Vacasa takes 30%? That's insane!" Most STR owners react that way until they actually try DIY-ing for 6 months. Here's the real net math comparing three options on a $300k owned property.
The three options compared
| Item | DIY | Evolve | Vacasa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fee | 0% | 10% of rev | 25-35% of rev |
| Listing creation + photos | You | Evolve | Vacasa |
| Pricing optimization | You | Evolve | Vacasa |
| Guest messaging 24/7 | You | Evolve | Vacasa |
| Cleaning coordination | You hire+manage | You hire / Evolve manages | Vacasa |
| Maintenance dispatch | You | You arrange | Vacasa |
| Supplies + amenities | You | You | Vacasa (markup) |
Net math on a $5,500/mo gross listing
| Item | DIY | Evolve | Vacasa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross | $5,500 | $5,500 | $5,500 |
| - PM fee | $0 | $550 | $1,650 |
| - Airbnb fee 15.5% | $853 | $853 | $853 |
| - Cleaning + supplies | $700 | $700 | $850 (markup) |
| Owner net | $3,947 | $3,397 | $2,147 |
| Owner time/mo | 90 hrs | 25 hrs | 3 hrs |
| $/hour | $44 | $136 | $716 |
When each option wins
- DIY: 1 property + 6+ hours weekly available + within 30-min drive — net wins by $1,800/mo over Vacasa
- Evolve: 1-3 properties + day job + you arrange cleaning + want $/hour - Evolve is the math-best middle path for most
- Vacasa: remote ownership (you don't live near property) OR luxury market where their photographer + branding lifts ADR 15-20% AND offsetting the fee
Hidden costs to verify
- Vacasa markups on cleaning + supplies (often 20-40% over wholesale)
- Evolve doesn't handle cleaning — you still need to find + pay a cleaner
- Vacasa minimum stay length may differ from yours
- Both PMs lock you to their own dynamic pricing — sometimes underprices
- Termination clauses (60-90 days, sometimes longer)
Related: Co-hosting models · STR vs LTR.
Sources: Vacasa + Evolve public fee schedules (verified 2026-04), PriceBnb host PM-comparison survey (n=46, 2026-03 to 2026-05). Net math is reference scenario; actual contracts vary.