While websites like Craigslist can help you find roommates, they come with financial risks and a lot of stress. Imagine having to pick one roommate from 1000 reaching out. Invariably, choosing a roommate will often end as guesswork or you may not get the best person possible. Alternatively, using a roommate finder like Roomi or Roomzoom is a better way to find safe roomies. Knowing fully well that no two apps are exactly the same, let’s find out which roommate finder is best for you.

Pricing: Are these roommate finder apps free or paid?

Living in any metro city is generally expensive. As such, having a budget for most endeavors, including a roommate search, is usually a wise choice. Especially if you’re new to the city. You don’t want to spend all you have without knowing what’s next. You also want to make sure you get the best value for your money. Thus, discovering a roommate finder within your budget is important. Also, it bears repeating that free doesn’t always mean good as many free platforms have been known to be havens for scammers and spammers. So, how do the Roomi and Roomzoom roommate finder services compare in terms of pricing? Let’s find out.

Roomzoom is free to use for roommate search. All you have to do is signup, answer a series of questions about lifestyle and personality… and that’s all. The service delivers a ranked list of roommate matches based on your responses, making you do much of the legwork to find the perfect match.

Roomi is also free to use. As a free user, you can send up to 5 messages/swipes daily and can post or activate 2 listings. However, Roomi also recently launched the Roomi Gold subscription plan that significantly improves your chances of finding a safe roomie that matches your preferences perfectly. What you pay is dependent on your tier. You can be sure, as you’ll see below, that there is much to benefit from opting for a paid plan.

Related: How To Find Roommates In NYC

Security: Can these apps help me find roommates I can trust?

If you have a roommate, you want to be sure that your life won’t be at risk. You want to know you have someone you can trust in case of an emergency. You want to know that they are really who they claim to be. It means that as important as it is to find roommates, finding a safe roomie is even more so. This is especially true when you’re just moving into the city and you don’t have trusted people around. You want to be sure that even before you meet up, your roommate’s identity has been verified. This way, you know you’ll have a safe roomie.

A surer way is to use a roommate finder that goes the extra mile to verify the identity of its users and conduct background checks when doing a roommate search. That way, you can be certain anyone you get matched with is at least who they say they are. So how does Roomzoom and Roomzoom alternative, Roomi, get this done?

While Roomzoom saves you a lot of time and energy in finding a roommate, the website encourages you to meet up in person before making a decision. That’sabout it. Roomi, on the other hand, shows more concern for your security. It completes a background check and identity verification on its users. This way, you can be sure that whoever you get matched with is really who they say they are, and not just playing to the gallery. This security concern is perhaps what makes Roomi the best way to find a roommate.

Verification of roommate contact info

Roomzoom verification is limited to addresses for those listing a residence. Contrarily, Roomi is more thorough with the verifications, allowing its users a chance to get their identities verified while keeping the information private. It utilizes GlobalID Verification. The GlobalID is a digital identity platform that verifies by using government-issued IDs and keeps the information secure without sharing details with others.

Related: 10 Types Of College Roommates: Hogwarts Edition

ID verifications for potential roommates

Roomzoom carries out no identity verification. Just sign up, fill out your details, answer a few questions, and boom! You’ll receive a list of roommates based on your preferences. There is nothing really like ID verification for potential roommates.

Roomi, on the other hand, allows for ID verifications. Imagine the confidence you’ll have knowing that your roommate is really who they claim they are. Roomi does this by verifying a government-issued ID against the profile to see if the information matches. To give you the needed push to get this done, users who complete the ID verification get a verification badge that increases their chances of finding the perfect roommate.

Privacy & security of profiles

Privacy and data breach have become rampant these days. So it’s smart to apply caution when sharing personal information. With Roomzoom, the information you give them is displayed on your profile. Roomi goes the extra mile, securing your information with GlobaliD. It also puts the power right in your hands, allowing you to delete or alter your information at will. You can also reach out to potential roommates on the app using the secure in-app messaging option. This prevents you from having to share any unnecessary private information with a potential roommate. How amazing is that for a roommate finder!

24/7 support & content moderation

Roomzoom has quite a small team. They keep an eye out for potential scammers and spammers. Usually, once identified, such accounts are usually removed. They also ask that users who find suspicious accounts report them. Roomzoom alternative, Roomi has an in-house content moderation team that provides support and also moderates content, identifying any bad listings and spam messages.

Criminal background check

Should you require it, Roomi will carry out a criminal background check against several international and local criminal databases. Once done, the user gets a verified partners badge which guarantees you at least five times more visibility, increasing your chances of finding the perfect roommate. Roomzoom does not have any such feature and that can potentially expose you to dangerous prospects.

Related: How To Stay Sane When Your Roommate Isn’t Taking Care of Sparky

User Profiles: Which app makes it easier to find your perfect roommate?

Using all the information you provide, Roomzoom creates a user profile for you. This profile is visible to anyone with a Roomzoom account. Members can also vote for one another, thus improving their ranking and visibility.

Roomi was designed to make finding a roommate easy, safe, and quick. We all have our preferences. When conducting a roommate search, those preferences become a luxury. But it’s a luxury you can afford with Roomi. The app uses a roommate matching algorithm that employs preset filters to match you to a roommate. You can apply filters relating to anything, such as age, gender, interests, neighborhood, duration, move date, budget, and even house rules. What’s more? The app’s so easy to use that even if you’re not techy, you can find your way around.

So, does that mean you can get a senior roommate? Yes. Just make sure to adjust your age filter accordingly during your roommate search. What if you want an LGBTQ+ friendly or a non-binary roommate? By all means, go ahead and select it in your filter, and the roommate matching algorithm will do the rest.

So, which is the best roommate finder for you?

Finding a roommate can be a daunting task, but roommate finders make it easier. Roomzoom may generate matches faster, but if you had to decide based on value, preferences, and security guarantees, Roomzoom alternative, Roomi, is the best website to find a roommate. With it, you have all you want and more. With over 50,000 roommates worldwide and world-class client service, you can rest assured you’re in good hands when you use Roomi for your roommate search.

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