Living alone or with people other than your family may sound appealing, but there’s a lot that needs to be considered when making that decision and actually moving to a new place. One is deciding whether to have an entire place on your own or finding a roommate to live with. Nonetheless, making any big move requires a lot of thinking, deciding, and ultimately, action.

You could start by using room finders to explore listings and potential rooms for rent, but which room finder is the best one to use? Don’t fret! In this article, we will help you by comparing two room finders: Spareroom and Roomi – a Spareroom alternative. We’ll guide you through the many features that room finders have (or don’t have), the prices, and the benefits that you can receive.

Related: The Do’s And Don’ts Of Sharing An Apartment For The First Time

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

Admittedly, not all room finders can provide you with the search options and benefits that you need. So, here’s a quick guide on the features, like filters and pricing, of Roomi and Spareroom to help you decide which room finder to use.

No fee apartments

One feature that makes Roomi the best room finder is its no-fee listings. With no-fee apartments, you don’t have to worry about paying any extra charges or a broker’s fee on top of your rent. On the other hand, many of Spareroom’s listings require you to pay an additional fee and you’ll only see listings without it if you filter your search.

Pet-Friendly Apartments

When moving to a new place, we can’t just leave our pets behind. That’s why Roomi offers pet-friendly filters to make your search for rooms for rent easier! Simply choose the appropriate filter (Has Dog, Has Cat, Has Other Pet) and Roomi to narrow down your choices to find the best room for you. Spareroom also has listings that allow pets, but they only offer a “Pets considered” filter. Additionally, according to some Spareroom reviews, many experienced being refused by landlords despite being listed under the pet filter.

Subletting

Aside from the no-fee listings and extensive filtering, Roomi also offers subletting to its users. You can easily find a roommate with the help of Roomi’s many features, not to mention the secure in-app messaging and thorough verification! While Roomi’s worldwide subletting services are available online, Spareroom only has subletting options in the UK.

Filtering rooms based on amenities

To make sure you’re comfortable in your new apartment, it’s important to check that it has everything you need. This could be anything from an in-unit washer and air conditioning, to a resident’s gym or even a doorman. Thankfully, Spareroom alternative Roomi has all these filters and more to choose from. Plus, with Roomi’s room-matching algorithm, it’s easy to find a suitable room that fits your criteria. Spareroom also offers filters, but you can only choose based on room size and whether you’d like it to be furnished or not.

Filtering rooms based on Listing Type (entire place/shared rooms)

Both Roomi and Spareroom have filters based on listing type. You can choose to look for an entire place, a private room, or a shared room. However, with websites like Spareroom, sometimes the listings being shown don’t exactly fit the filter that you chose. As a Spareroom alternative, Roomi makes sure to show you the listing type that you’re looking for to help you narrow your search.

Filtering rooms based on House Rules

We all live differently, but when finding rooms for rent, we need to factor in some house rules like having couples over or being allowed to smoke or not. This is key to preventing any misunderstandings between you and your roommates or your landlord. Luckily, both Roomi and Spareroom have filters for house rules, but many Spareroom reviews report that the filters are confusing and don’t always work.

Related: 7 Ways To Make A New Roommate Feel Welcome

Pricing: Which app offers the best free and paid features?

Allowing Free Listings

In Roomi, all users are given two free credits to either create two new listings or activate any pending or deactivated listings. But with a Roomi Gold subscription, you can get the most out of this Spareroom alternative! You’ll have access to five more listings which will be boosted for 7x more views, and be able to send unlimited messages. More than that, you can get a Fully Verified badge on your profile and have free bookings for only $29.99 monthly or $14.99 weekly.

Spareroom has two types of listings: Free Ads and Bold Ads. Any Spareroom user can post a listing for free, but Bold Ads are featured above the free listings and give users Early Bird access to contact the lister right away. However, with Free Ads, you’d have to wait seven days before you can contact the listing. The upgrade to Bold Ads costs $10.99 for seven days, and many Spareroom reviews share that the paid feature is too expensive for what little it offers users.

In-app messaging

One great feature that Roomi has is its secure in-app messaging. Roomi users can easily message any potential landlords or roommates without having to worry about their conversations being leaked. Similarly, Spareroom also has in-app messaging, but many users complain that there are delays in sending a message. In other cases, messages have been archived and it’s a struggle to get them back.

Related: 10 Important Factors For An Ideal Roommate

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

Before finding rooms for rent, it’s crucial to ensure that the room finder you’re using is credible and can keep your private information safe. The great news is that with Roomi, you don’t have to worry about any of this!

The Spareroom alternative takes the privacy and security of its users very seriously by having a comprehensive verification process and a support team readily available 24/7. One verification process that Roomi users take is providing a copy of their lease, utility bill, or any government-issued ID. Once checked, a particular badge will be added to your profile to show the level of verification you have. Another step that Roomi takes to protect its users is having all private information secure in the app and hiding your listing address from other Roomi users. Instead, only an approximate location will be shown to potential renters.

Just like Roomi, Spareroom constantly monitors the message content and listings in their app to look out for spam content. Their messaging system has an automated filter to report any tell-tale language scammers use and prevent it from being sent. However, some Spareroom reviews report that there are many fake listings on the app, despite its content moderation team.

So, Which Is the Best Room Finder For You?

Deciding on a room finder isn’t something you can do overnight. That’s why we’ve highlighted the essential features and benefits that you need to look for to help you decide which room finder to use. Considering Roomi’s many offerings and Spareroom’s honest reviews, there’s no doubt that you’d be able to find the most appropriate room with Spareroom alternative, Roomi.

Related: Can I list multiple rooms?

While both room finders have similar features, Spareroom falls short with unreliable filtering and fewer options. In Roomi, you can apply specific filters to fit your needs and then easily navigate your way around the app to find rooms for rent. Plus, you can message other users without having to worry about your security.

So, what are you waiting for? Download Roomi on the app store or Google play store now!

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