The 10 Best Apps for Finding Your Next Apartment | Real Estate

When you start looking for a new apartment, chances are you have a finite amount of time before you need to move.

It can be challenging to find the right place to call your next home, and securing it before it gets snapped up by another renter makes the search even more pressing. In a competitive market, available apartments come and go at a moment’s notice, and a rental open house can feel more like a face-off with other renters than a tour of the space.

Fortunately, there are rental apps that not only provide up-to-date apartment availability and more precise search options, but also speed up the application process, helping you act quickly once you’ve found your next home. For instance, some rental apps have evolved to provide renters’ financial information to potential landlords and allow tenants to pay rent once a lease has been signed.

Here are 10 popular and free rental apps you can use to find your next apartment available on both iOS and Android:

Best for Comparing Rental Rates

The Zillow Rentals app (Apple, Android) gives users access to spaces for rent throughout the country, with the ability to search more than one city, neighborhood or ZIP code at once to capture all areas of interest. You have the ability to personalize a search with specific features such as pet policy, in-unit laundry or on-site parking, and then save the searches that interest you most. Zillow applies its Zestimate technology – best recognized to estimate the market value of a home – to show Rent Zestimates, making it easier for renters to compare an asking rent with others in the local area. Rental listings also note if the area has legal protections against discrimination regarding LGBTQ individuals, housing vouchers or source of income. Reviewers say a big advantage is that the app allows them to quickly search up-to-the-minute rental listings, but there are some complaints regarding scammers and rental amounts differing from the apartment complex’s website or when you contact the property manager by phone.

Best for Scoping Out the Neighborhood

Trulia Rentals (Apple, Android) helps streamline inquiries with its one-click feature, which puts interested renters in direct contact with the property manager, without having to fill out an inquiry form for every apartment they’re interested in or search for a phone number. The Trulia Neighborhoods feature provides photos and drone footage of the neighborhood, with details including surveyed opinions from local residents on safety and walkability, whether local laws protect gender identity and sexual orientation in housing, as well as employment and public accommodations. The “Affordability” tab on each rental listing automatically calculates the ideal income to comfortably rent at the asking rate, based on Trulia’s recommendation that you rent within a third of gross household income. Parents can also search for homes to rent in a desired school district by searching by school or district. Some reviewers wish there was a messaging feature that enabled them to directly message property managers. Another common complaint is the lack of search filters, such as a senior housing filter.

Best for Curated Apartment Options

Apartment List (Apple, Android) initially opens to ask you a series of questions about your next rental – location, budget, how you prioritize those details and what amenities are most important to you. Once you’ve answered these questions, Apartment List presents categorized groups of rental listings that match everything you want or are a bit kinder on your budget, among other options. When going through the listings, you can create a short list of favorites by approving or rejecting your options like you would on a dating app. When you note that you like a particular rental listing, the app can reach out to the property on your behalf to start an inquiry. The personalized renter questionnaire and swipe features are popular, but reviewers say the app sometimes gives results that are not close to the set parameters and there’s no way to search without giving your email and other personal information.

Best for Real-Time Availability

Apartments.com’s app (Apple, Android) provides real-time availability with a focus on including details on the amenities apartment communities offer and additional fees renters can expect. Filters make it easy to search within your own parameters, from school information to commute to work or other spots you frequent. Apartments.com also verifies its listings to cut down on the possibility of scam listings or dated information. A transportation feature in the app notes the distance to nearest airports and access to public transit.. You can also search for nearby restaurants and college campuses. However, some users say the app can be buggy at times.

Best for Major City Searches

HotPads (Apple, Android) is best known for its apartment listings in major cities, but the app displays inventory throughout the country. Features include neighborhood details, such as nearby schools and a walk score, to help you get a feel for the area around the apartment you’re considering. If you find a listing that you think would be a great fit for a friend or family member, the share button allows you to send the information with a couple of simple clicks. Like many other apps, similar availabilities are shown at the bottom of a listing, but on HotPads you can also see other properties listed by the same property manager, in case you’re interested in inquiring about more than one availability at once. While you can use filters to narrow down your search, such as by senior housing communities, student housing or low-income restricted houses, users say they wish there were more filters when it came to preferred amenities.

Best for Completing the Renting Process

Zumper (Apple, Android) offers instant alerts as rental listings that meet your needs come online. Zumper also partners with TransUnion to provide you with your credit report so you can submit a rental application to a landlord securely through the app. Renters can take advantage of features such as booking tours, prequalifying for an apartment, making an offer on a rental and, in some markets, even paying rent once you’ve signed a lease. Rent trends also show you how an apartment’s rent compares to the current average rent in the area, and how the average has changed in recent weeks. You can also use Zumper to book short-term accommodations since Zumper has partnered with Vrbo, Booking.com and others to offer short-term and vacation rentals.

Best for When You’re Out and About

Homesnap (Apple, Android) doesn’t offer a rental app separate from its sale listings app, but you have the ability to look exclusively for properties to rent. The app’s signature feature still works, allowing you to take a photo of a home with a “for rent” sign and the app will find the active listing for you to check out the details. On the map feature, you can also view recently rented properties to compare an asking rent to what current tenants are paying in the area. The app spotlights the media details of a property, including photos, commute calculation and street and map views of the address in question. The app will also ask if you’d prefer to be redirected to the Homes.com app, which it says is the better solution to search for homes and agents. Homesnap and Homes.com are both owned by CoStar Group.

Best for Boundary Search Options

Rent Group Inc.’s app (Apple, Android) allows you to find available visit times and book a tour for the apartments you’re interested in. You can narrow your search based on certified residents’ reviews, which are obtained by a Rent.com survey of residents. Rent.com makes its boundary search, which is common in other apps, even more useful by being able to focus on more than one area that may not be connected. If a property recently lowered the asking rent, you’ll see it noted at the top of the listing. Leasing office hours are also clearly noted on property information so you know when you’ll be able to reach someone directly with an inquiry. Some users say the app is difficult to use.

Best for Providing Landlords With Info

Apartment Guide (Apple, Android) provides high-definition photos and floor plans for a deeper look at available spaces. The app lets you save listings and send interesting ones to a friend for a second opinion. With the ability to contact property managers and landlords directly from the app, you’re also able to provide information they’ll want to approve your application, like income, credit score, move-in date and whether you have any pets. Fellow users appear to leave reviews on this app more than other platforms, which can help provide an honest insight into a community or property manager. Users say they encounter glitches when using the app, and some have said that information can sometimes be inaccurate.

Best for Providing Property Basics

The PadMapper app (Apple, Android) provides rental availabilities in a clean, simple presentation to make it easy to check out apartment details, building amenities and more. While you can contact property managers or leasing agents through the app, the individual name or managing company isn’t always visible to the user, so you don’t have the ability to follow up without hearing back first. To help make sight-unseen touring easier, PadMapper advises app users to ask about using easily accessible options like FaceTime, Google Hangouts or Skype. PadMapper doesn’t have as many reviews in the app stores as some other apartment rental apps, and some users said there were too many bugs, including broken filters.