Whether it’s the first time you’re moving to a new city or the tenth, hunting for a new place to stay is always a bit of a pain! First, you’ve to go through several websites to find the best room finder and this can be a hassle in itself. If the search ended here, it wouldn’t be so bad. But instead, you then need to find a room or apartment that matches what you’re looking for, speak to several landlords and renters, and then haggle the rent price to reach your budget.

However, sites like Nestpick and its alternative Roomi can help make your search quicker and easier. In this article, we’ve looked at the key offerings by both of these companies to help you choose your perfect match.

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Features: What filters & preferences do these room finders offer to help you find your perfect room?

Sites like Nestpick and Roomi can help to speed up the renting process. But when you want to find rooms for rent, it’s important for you to narrow down as much as you can from the very beginning. This will make reaching your ultimate goal of the perfect rental that much easier. You might want an entire apartment to yourself or a certain kind of roommate. Or, you might want to move with your pet and would prefer a quiet neighborhood. Whatever your requirements may be, the best room finder will help you filter down your choices. Read on to learn how Nestpick and the Nestpick alternative Roomi, differ in these areas.

No fee apartments

Despite being a room finder app, Nestpick does not have any apartment listings of its own. All of the listings you’ll find on the site are those that are posted through partner websites and these may be subject to extra fees. The Nestpick alternative Roomi, however, lists all apartments with no extra fee. This means, when you see the price of an apartment on Roomi, that’s exactly how much it will cost you!

Pet-friendly apartments

Nestpick does give you the option to filter apartments by whether pets are allowed, but not by what type of pet. Roomi enables you to find out whether it’s cat-friendly, dog-friendly, or other pet-friendly. This means you can even find apartments that allow you to live with your pet bird or hamster!

Related: Pet Fees: The Detailed Costs Of Moving In With Your Furry Best Friend

Subletting

To find a sublet on Nestpick, you will again need to look at options listed on its partner companies. Roomi prioritizes your safety and lets you invite potential roommates to take background checks before they move in. You can also message them via the Roomi app or website through a secure connection.

Filtering rooms based on amenities

Nestpick gives you 20 amenities to filter your search by such as gender, appliances like TV and washing machine, and so on. But, you know what’s more convenient? A room finder that updates its filters to include important ones like being able to choose a non-binary roommate. At the end of the day, the Nestpick alternative Roomi gives you all the filters Nestpick has and then some!

Filtering rooms based on Listing Type

Both of these room finders help you find rooms for rent by filtering out listing types. But again, the number of options you have varies quite a bit on each app. For example, Nestpick allows you to choose between a room, studio, apartment, and corporate housing. Roomi, on the other hand, first checks if you want an entire place, your own room, or a shared room. And then, you can also choose how many rooms you’d prefer the listing to have.

Related: Sharing a Studio Apartment with a Friend: Hacks for Keeping Your Friendship & Sanity Intact

Filtering rooms based on House Rules

House rules play a key role when choosing the place you’re going to be living in, whether that’s for a short period or a longer duration. Nestpick has no option to filter through house rules. You can choose amenities and listing type but that’s all, and many websites similar to Nestpick are the same. Roomi, however, lets you choose exactly which house rules you’ll be comfortable with and then shows you listings based on this.

Pricing: Are these room finder apps free or paid?

Budgeting is one of the biggest points you’ll have in mind when moving to a new place. So if you’re spending any money, you want to make sure it’s worth it. Sites like Nestpick and Roomi have different versions that you can choose from depending on what you need. To start off, we’ve compared these two-room finders based on cost and utility.

Allowing Free Listings

Since Nestpick does not offer listings of its own, you are free to view all the listings on the website at no cost. Roomi has both paid and free plans. In the free version, you can sign up and post listings without paying a penny. You can also search through all available listings for free and activate up to two listings within the app or website.

In-App Messaging

When you click on a listing on Nestpick, it will reroute you to the partner website that the listing is from. This way, you enter a third-party website that you might not be familiar with and maybe wary of. But, as the Nestpick interface does not allow you to message listers directly, this is a step you’d have to take.

Roomi, on the other hand, lets you send five messages or swipes every day in the free plan. If you choose the Roomi Gold plan which is priced at a very reasonable $29.99 a month, you can send unlimited messages, get a ranking boost that shows you seven times as many listings, and get ID verification – keeping you safe always! So if your question is whether spending about a dollar a day on Roomi is worth it, the answer is definitely yes!

Related: Is Roomi free to use?

Security: How do these apps ensure that the listings are credible?

Nestpick’s process to allow listers to post is fairly simple. All you have to do is send them contact information and wait for the team to respond. If you’re looking for a place to rent, you don’t even have to sign up on the portal. Once you click on a listing you like, you’ll be redirected to another site where you can complete your request.

Nestpick alternative Roomi is a little more serious when it comes to security. Here’s how they ensure your safety:

  • You’ll only be shown properties that have been listed by verified individuals
  • Different levels of verification are offered and the level of the lister’s verification is transparently displayed for you to see
  • If you’re uncomfortable or concerned about something you see, you can easily report it to Roomi’s 24/7 moderation team

So, Which Is the Best Room Finder For You?

When it comes down to it, you want to use the best room finder available. So, is Nestpick legit? From our research, yes it is. But is it the best way to find rooms for rent? That’s a question you can answer with all of the details this Roomi and Nestpick review has covered. Whether it’s amenities, value for time, security, or even just functionality, which room finder do you think is the better choice? Hint hint: it’s Roomi, of course!

Related: How do I browse people (roommates) on Roomi?

Roomi is your one-stop option to list or find rooms, find roommates to settle into a new city easily. Download the app and sign up today!