Guides · Roundup

The best app for Airbnb and vacation rental photos

For Airbnb photos on an iPhone, the right app depends on how much help you want: PixSTR ($19.99 a year) gives you a shot list for each rental, Snapseed (free) or Lightroom straighten and brighten what you shot, HostShot and HauShot ($9.99 a listing) restyle or edit with AI, SnapSnapSnap sends photos to BoxBrownie's human editors at $1.60 a photo, and October guides the whole capture and returns finished photos and a walkthrough video for $49–$99 a rental, with the first one free.

By Emil Thomsen, Head of Customer Relations, October · Updated November 3, 2026

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Apps for Airbnb photos compared

App	What it does	Price (as of Oct 2026)	Best for
PixSTR - Short Term Rental Pics	Shot list per rental and a camera with real-time guidance	$4.99/mo or $19.99/yr	Hosts who want to know what to shoot
Snapseed	Free editor: perspective, healing, curves	Free, no ads or watermarks	Straightening and brightening for free
Adobe Lightroom	Manual and AI editing, presets, Generative Remove	Free; plan $9.99/mo	Hosts who edit every listing themselves
HostShot	AI restyling of rental photos in 10 styles, declutter, props, staging, day to dusk	Free download; weekly and yearly subscriptions	Styled rental photos in seconds
HauShot	Camera with spoken coaching, automatic editing, staging, twilight	Airbnb Host Pack $9.99 a listing	Spoken guidance while you shoot
ListingPix	HDR camera, editing in the cloud, pay only for the photos you keep	Credit packs from 5 for $5	Paying per kept photo
SnapSnapSnap (BoxBrownie)	Camera app; photos edited by BoxBrownie's editors	US$1.60 a photo	A person checking every photo
Airbnb Pro Photo program	Airbnb matches you with a local photographer	Deducted from future payouts; varies by size and location	No upfront cost, where available
October	Guided capture: shows where to stand, takes the photos, returns finished photos and a walkthrough video	$49 photos / $99 with walkthrough per rental (up to 6 rooms); first one free	No photographer, no time to learn: one walk to photos and a video

Which one to pick

You are happy with your phone photos and want them cleaner: Snapseed for free. Straighten the walls with Perspective and lift the shadows.
You don't know which shots Airbnb guests expect: PixSTR's shot list, or our Airbnb photo checklist.
You want the listing to look styled without buying props: HostShot or HauShot. Their restyling, decluttering and staging change what the photo shows, so check every image against the real rental (see below).
You want a person to edit each photo: SnapSnapSnap at $1.60 a photo, usually back in 24 hours.
You want a photographer but not the bill up front: Airbnb's Pro Photo program, where it is available, or a photographer on Airbnb's Services marketplace (about $240 to $650 for a studio to three-bedroom rental in October 2026).
You want it done for you without a photographer: October walks you through the rental, takes the photos and sends back finished photos plus a walkthrough video for your listing and social posts.

What Airbnb asks of your photos

Size: at least 1200 × 800 pixels; any recent iPhone photo is far above that.
Every space guests can use: bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, living areas and outdoor space. Airbnb crops photos to squares in search results, so keep the main subject in the middle.
Accuracy: Airbnb can ask you to verify your photos by taking new ones in the Airbnb app from the same angles. Photos that make the place look different from reality fail that check and lead to bad reviews.

That last point matters for AI apps. Brightening, straightening and tidying a bed are fine; a restyled room with furniture you don't own is not what guests will find. October keeps the room's layout, walls, windows, furniture and view as captured, and includes the unaltered capture; its finished photos are AI-altered images of the real room. More in Airbnb photos vs reality.

What it costs per rental

Route	Cost for one rental	Your time
Shoot and edit yourself (Snapseed)	$0	1 to 3 hours
Shot list app + free editor (PixSTR)	$19.99 a year	1 to 2 hours
AI app (HauShot Airbnb pack)	$9.99	About 1 hour
Human editors (SnapSnapSnap, 20 photos)	$32	Shooting, then about a day's wait
October	$49, or $99 with a walkthrough video; first rental free	One walk through the rental
Photographer on Airbnb's marketplace	About $240 to $650	Booking and the visit

Full cost breakdown, including Airbnb's program and what photos do for bookings: Airbnb photography cost.

Questions

What is the best app for Airbnb photos?

For a free start, Snapseed to straighten and brighten your iPhone photos. For a shot list, PixSTR ($19.99 a year). For AI editing, HostShot or HauShot ($9.99 a listing). For human editors, SnapSnapSnap ($1.60 a photo). For finished photos and a walkthrough video from one guided walk, October ($49–$99 a rental, first one free).

Can I take professional-looking Airbnb photos with my iPhone?

Yes. Shoot in daylight with the lights on, hold the phone level at about chest height, use the 1× lens rather than 0.5× for most rooms, and photograph every space guests use. An app that guides the capture, such as October, does the positioning for you.

What is the cheapest way to get professional photos for my Airbnb?

Doing it yourself with a free editor costs nothing. The cheapest done-for-you options are an AI app pack ($9.99 a listing with HauShot) or October ($49 a rental up to 6 rooms, first rental free). A photographer on Airbnb's marketplace costs about $240 to $650.

Is it OK to use AI-edited photos on Airbnb?

Light, colour and straightening edits are fine. Adding furniture, changing the view or restyling a room shows guests something they won't find, and Airbnb can ask you to verify photos in its app from the same angles.

What size should Airbnb photos be?

At least 1200 × 800 pixels, up to about 10 MB. Any recent iPhone photo is well above this.