Airbnb vs. Coupang: Cyclical Volatility vs. Steady Scale in Revenue
Key Points
Coupang currently looks stronger on revenue, generating consistently higher quarterly totals than Airbnb across the past eight quarters without displaying the extreme seasonal peaks and valleys seen in the lodging company's financial results.
Over the last eight quarters, Coupang demonstrated a mostly steady quarter-over-quarter upward trajectory in revenue, while Airbnb recorded a predictable, repetitive pattern of quarter-over-quarter volatility.
Investors should monitor whether the revenue gap between the two companies continues to widen over time, or if the trend lines narrow in upcoming reporting quarters.
- 10 stocks we like better than Airbnb ›
Airbnb: Cyclical Fluctuations in Quarterly Revenue
Airbnb (NASDAQ:ABNB) manages a global digital lodging marketplace that operates by seamlessly connecting independent property hosts offering short-term private rooms, primary residences, and vacation homes with travelers seeking unique temporary stays and localized experiences.
Airbnb recently integrated its extensive inventory of property listings directly into the American Express travel booking system, and it introduced new social networking features alongside advanced artificial intelligence search tools.
Coupang: Steady Expansions in Quarterly Revenue
Coupang (NYSE:CPNG) operates a diverse retail business that provides direct e-commerce shopping, specialized fresh grocery delivery, online video streaming, luxury fashion marketplaces, financial technology activities, and rapid restaurant food ordering services to its international customer base.
It established new product distribution agreements with several American food and sports nutrition exporters to bring foreign goods into South Korea, while navigating an ongoing regulatory review conducted by the Korea Fair Trade Commission regarding a number of concerns, including shifting discount costs to suppliers.
Why Revenue Matters for Investors
Revenue gives investors a comprehensive look at the total amount of capital flowing directly into the company from all of its global sales activities before any operating expenses, overhead costs, or corporate taxes are subtracted. This metric reveals whether an organization is successfully attracting customers and growing its overall business volume over time.
Airbnb vs. Coupang Revenue over the last 8 quarters.
Quarterly Revenue for Airbnb and Coupang
| Calendar quarter | Airbnb Revenue | Coupang Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2024 | $3.7 billion (quarter ended Sept. 30, 2024) | $7.9 billion (quarter ended Sept. 30, 2024) |
| Q4 2024 | $2.5 billion (quarter ended Dec. 31, 2024) | $8.0 billion (quarter ended Dec. 31, 2024) |
| Q1 2025 | $2.3 billion (quarter ended March 31, 2025) | $7.9 billion (quarter ended March 31, 2025) |
| Q2 2025 | $3.1 billion (quarter ended June 30, 2025) | $8.5 billion (quarter ended June 30, 2025) |
| Q3 2025 | $4.1 billion (quarter ended Sept. 30, 2025) | $9.3 billion (quarter ended Sept. 30, 2025) |
| Q4 2025 | $2.8 billion (quarter ended Dec. 31, 2025) | $8.8 billion (quarter ended Dec. 31, 2025) |
| Q1 2026 | $2.7 billion (quarter ended March 31, 2026) | $8.5 billion (quarter ended March 31, 2026) |
| Q2 2026 | $3.6 billion (quarter ended June 30, 2026) | $8.9 billion (quarter ended June 30, 2026) |
Data source: Financial Modeling Prep. Data as of Oct. 22, 2026.
Foolish Take
Airbnb experiences seasonal sales fluctuations typical of the travel industry. The summer months are popular for travelers, and so, the company's revenue tends to spike in the third quarter. Even so, Airbnb has maintained consistent year-over-year sales growth, demonstrating it remains a top lodging provider.
As an e-commerce site, Coupang's revenue has been steadier than Airbnb's, but its sales trend reveals that could be changing. In 2025, the company suffered a massive data breach that came to light in November of that year. This put a stain on its reputation, and the South Korean government fined Coupang over $400 million in that country's largest data breach penalty.
South Korea represents Coupang's primary source of sales, accounting for a reported 84% to 90% of income. Moreover, the South Korean government named Coupang's founder the de facto controlling entity of the company. This can subject it to stricter regulatory scrutiny.
These factors contributed to Coupang's sales growth declining sequentially over the past several quarters. For instance, in Q3 of 2025, revenue rose 18% year over year. That dropped to 11% in Q4 as the data breach was publicized. In Q1 of 2026, year-over-year sales growth slowed to 8%, then dropped to 4% in Q2. This suggests Coupang is struggling to gain customers, and it could be some time before it can recover from the data breach's damage to its reputation.
Should you buy stock in Airbnb right now?
Before you buy stock in Airbnb, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Airbnb wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $355,124!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,296,254!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 901% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 210% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
See the 10 stocks »
*Stock Advisor returns as of October 25, 2026.
American Express is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Robert Izquierdo has positions in Airbnb. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Airbnb and American Express. The Motley Fool recommends Coupang. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Recommended Articles
