No doubt about it — moving to a new city is a life-changing decision that feels both exciting and scary. There are a lot of things you need to consider: rent, cost of living, the livability of the city, type of neighborhood, and more. These factors can cause quite a hassle, but coupled with the thought of finding a good roommate? Now, that’s immensely stressful.
With a city as big as New York, there are a ton of ways to look for roommates. There isn’t a lack of websites for this purpose, but there sure are certain features and elements that set the best apart from the basics.
Sure, you’ll have Facebook groups and Craigslist posts to explore. However, a more advisable way to find good roommates is by using roommate finder apps like Roomster, or the Roomster alternative, Roomi.
Roomster vs Roomi: Main Differences
Don’t worry about the stress of seeking the best roommate finder; we’ve done so for you!
Pricing: Are These Roommate Finder Apps Free or Paid?
Roomi definitely comes out on top when compared with other roommate finder websites. This is because Roomi has no monthly subscription fees, no costs for messaging, and signing up and listing a space on Roomi is free. It’s even free to search for a place to rent.
However, to get the absolute best out of Roomi, it’s advisable to subscribe to its paid services. Roomi has three available subscription plans: the Premium plan for personal use, the Solo Agent, and the Business Unlimited plan for business users.
These paid plans include background checks, identity verifications, messaging plans, listing credits, profile boosts, and listing boosts. All of these are tailored to your needs with the following benefits:
- Access to unlimited messages and swipes in your search for potential roommates
- Post five to unlimited active listings simultaneously.
- Free bookings
- Fully verified status upgrade
- Ability to boost listings with subscriptions
Roomster allows users to pay for a 3-day subscription, which is enough to test the app. But a Roomster subscription costs $9.99 to $49.99. The subscription is automatically renewed after a month unless you cancel it manually. And based on some Roomster reviews, several users have complained about the exorbitant fees charged for things like viewing messages.
Related: Is Roomi free to use?
Security: Can These Apps Help Me Find Roommates I Can Trust?
If you want to live with another person in a new city, it’s vital that you find someone who’s trustworthy and safe. Sharing your living space with another person is a big deal.
You would probably like to live with someone who takes hygiene seriously, respects boundaries, and is reliable. This is where roommate finders come in. Roommate finder apps such as Roomster and Roomi are great, but it’s normal to ask questions like, ‘Is Roomster legit?’ or ‘How well is my profile protected?’.
ID and Contact Infomation Verification
Roomster allows users to verify their identity using social media, email addresses, phone numbers, and identification with a simple process. However, due to voice-over-IP services, it has provided a entryway for scammers. Also, verifying your identity with Roomster isn’t an appealing process. Roomster requires you to send a scanned picture of your verification, then pay $14.99 to begin ID verification.
Moreover, Roomster reviews regarding the quality of ID Verification have not been positive, with users concerned about the additional fee required for identity verification. But with Roomster’s alternative, Roomi, identity verification comes with your subscription.
In order to assure users’ safety, Roomi makes sure to verify the identity of every user on the platform. Users are required to submit a government issued-ID before they can become verified users. And with this, you get a verified badge that’s useful in speeding up your search for a roommate.
Additionally, Roomi makes use of GlobaliD, a digital identity platform that puts you in control of your identity and your data. With GlobaliD, you can have your number and email verified by Roomi, while your privacy is assured.
Privacy and Security of Profiles
Roomster allows you to create a profile where you can post stories, pictures and social media links to its community. They also ensure that all the information you add is authentic.
Source: Roomi
Roomi, however, allows users to share meaningful information that makes all the difference when searching for roommates. Visible information on a Roomi profile includes age, profile photo(s), preferred location, budget (if entered), move-in date, summary, work info, interests, roommate preferences, lifestyle, and more.
Roomi also offers its users secure in-app messaging, keeping the information shared between you and your potential roommate private. Another reason Roomi stands out as a great roommate finder app is that you can request for the deletion of all personal information after successfully finding a roommate. Users can do this under the General Data Protection Regulation Act by contacting Roomi customer support, or by filling out a form.
24/7 Support & Content Moderation
It’s definitely disappointing to think you’re well on your way to finding a roommate while using a roommate finder app, only to realize that it’s not legit. You don;t have to worry about that with Roomi, as the platform has an in-house moderation team that works to remove spam profiles and fake listers from the platform.
24/7 customer support is also provided with an enlightening FAQ page to answer all your questions and make your roommate searching easier.
Roomster provides customer service as well, yet some reviews say that they weren’t as useful, nor as around the clock as Roomi’s customer service.
Criminal Background Check
Roomi does optional criminal background checks by Garbo™ for user profiles so that you know who you’ll be living with. Submitting your profile to Roomi for a criminal background check helps to boost roommate matches.
User Profiles: Which App Makes It Easier to Find Your Perfect Roommate?
Most people have fallen victim to phony Craigslist ads and scammers on Facebook while searching for rooms for rent and roommates. With all this in mind, Roomi made it a priority to make the process easier and stress-free. Both Roomster vs Roomi are great, but Roomi definitely takes the cake when you compare their features.
With Roomi, you can filter choices for potential roommates. It may be awkward to ask a potential roommate some specific questions, which is why Roomi has provided the option of filtering roommates based on neighborhood, gender, budget, location, and more. With Roomi’s roommate matching algorithm, you can be sure of finding a roommate perfect for you. Roomi has an age filter, an LGBTQ+-friendly filter, and even a house rules filter.
Even more, using Roomi is a breeze! Here’s how:
Step 1: Log in to your Roomi account.
Source: Roomi
Step 2: From the homepage, put in your location, then click ‘Renter’ to find potential roommates around the area. You can also choose your filters (gender, age, maximum budget, etc.) to narrow down your search.
Step 3: Roomi will then show you a list of potential roommates based on your applied filters. All you have to do now is send a message through Roomi’s in-app messaging feature and you’re all set.
Related:How do I browse people (Roommates) on Roomi?
So, which is the best roommate finder for you?
There are a good number of roommate finder apps out there, but comparing Roomster with Roomi, there’s no doubt that Roomi is the better choice. Roomi is user-friendly with a clean design and can simplify your roommate search while assuring your privacy and keeping your needs in mind.
Source: Roomi
More than that, Roomi has all the basic features you need when finding roommates without needing to pay for extra features, unlike Roomster. Roomi also offers criminal background checks, 24/7 customer support, and a wider variety of search filters. So, considering all of these factors when talking about Roomster vs Roomi, the obvious winner is Roomster. Download the app today!
