Most apartment-dwellers these days are either working professionals or students. If you’re one of the two, we’re sure you’ve fantasized about staying in a huge central NYC crib, like Monica and Rachel. Or maybe one like Penny’s small-but-sweet one-bedroom in Pasadena. However, the sky-high rent prices for such locations are bound to leave you stumped.

Apartment rent prices are rising rapidly by the day, making it next to impossible for a single person to afford them. Add to that bills for utilities and food, and you may as well just move back in with your parents.

Because of this, more and more people in cities aroundd the world are looking for roommates. Having a roommate helps you to split costs and save more. It also means you won’t have to do all the cooking and cleaning yourself. You can split your chores as your schedules allow.

Related: How to Make a Roommate Chore Chart and Maintain Peace

If you’ve freshly moved out of your college dorms or parents’ place, you may not be used to living alone. Finding a roommate gives you a live-in companion so that you always have someone to talk to. Of course, it also means that their friends will frequent your place. That can be a great thing too! Meeting new people in this way will help you broaden your social network. If you get along with your roommates, chances are you’ll like their friends too.

How do I find a reliable roommate?

Obviously, not all roommates are worthy of the Roomie of the Year award. They may be a terrible roommate, or maybe they’re just not the right fit for you. Either way, it’s super important to find a reliable roommate you can trust to share your space with. And, let’s be honest, it wouldn’t be very fun living with someone like Sheldon, either.

To avoid a messy apartment situation after it’s too late, you need to do your roomie research from the start. A lot of people looking for new places are moving from a different city, state or even country. And naturally, you’d need to book a place before you arrive. This means you won’t get to see the place in person before finalizing it. If you’re moving in with a roommate you’ve never met, you also need a trustworthy platform to connect with them.

Without a doubt, finding a reliable roommate also means you need to vibe with them. This can include having shared interests and personalities that complement each other. But how do you determine that if you’ve never met, or barely talked?

Related: Top 5 Things To Consider When Choosing A Roommate

We’ve curated a list of the best roommate finder apps that address most, if not all, of your concerns. Try them out to find your very own Roomie of the Year!

1. Roomi

Available in multiple cities across the world, Roomi is easily one of the best roommate finder apps out there. With this all-in-one platform, you can find rooms, roommates, and coliving space listings all in one place!

The Roomi app uses a unique algorithm that helps you find your perfect match in just a few taps. There are multiple filters you can select to let the app know exactly what you’re looking for. Some of the filters include location, gender preferences for your roommate, smoking habits, pets, and many more.

The Roomi app also asks you to enter some fun facts about yourself and your interests. This allows your potential roommates to determine if you’re the right match for them. Plus, you get to choose whether you want to see completely or partially-verified profiles and if they’ve linked their social media. However, stalking them online won’t be necessary because all Roomi users undergo a thorough background check before being accepted!

Roomi also ensures your safety using Global iD, a software system that individually verifies your contact information while maintaining user privacy. Requiring users to upload a profile picture also helps to make sure the profile is real. However, if you have any questions or concerns, Roomi offers 24/7 support to help you out.

Found someone you think might be a good fit? Chat directly with your potential roomies in-app to protect each of your private details until you’re ready to share more information.

Wondering how expensive all this is going to be? The answer is not at all! While some premium features do require a subscription, here’s what you can do completely free of charge:

• Browse through various rooms and roommate listings
• Send up to 5 messages in a day
• Post up to 2 active listings

If you then decide you want to boost your listings or save on booking fees, you can do that for just $29.99 per month or $14.99 per week. Once you’ve upgraded, you’ll also be able to send and receive unlimited messages through the app!

2. Roommates.com

Roommates.com is available in all cities across the USA. Being one of the best roommate finder apps, its tagline simply reads, “find your perfect match”.

While searching roommates and listing rooms on the app are free, purchasing an upgrade is definitely more convenient when hunting for roommates. With plans starting from $15.99, you can access premium benefits like reading messages you’ve received, which you can’t do on the free plan.

To ensure its users’ safety, Roommates.com verifies your email account, your Facebook profile, and your contact information. However, you need to verify each profile individually, which can be time-consuming. For a one-time fee, you can also get your legal ID verified, which will help you find more matches. The only downside is that the app doesn’t conduct criminal background checks. This means you could potentially end up living with an ex-con without even knowing it.

Roommates.com lets other users see if you’re looking for a room or a roommate, your location, and your last app activity. Once you’ve matched with someone, they can see your gender, sexual orientation, monthly budget, and location. Roommates.com also uses a matching algorithm that only connects you to people who fit the same interests, budget, and preferences.

Read more about its features and find the best Roommates.com alternative on our blog.

3. Roomzoom

RoomZoom is a web app designed to take the guesswork out of finding a roommate. Born out of its founder’s personal needs, RoomZoom is considered one of the best roommate finder apps in New York City. And it’s free!

To use the app, all you have to do is sign up. You’ll then be asked some questions about your lifestyle and personality. This data will then be used to deliver a ranked list of roommate matches. After that, due to the lack of filters, you will have to sift through the list yourself to narrow down your potential roommate. This can be pretty tedious, especially if you’re facing a time crunch.

Using all the information you provide, Roomzoom creates a profile for you, which is visible to anyone with a Roomzoom account. No background checks are conducted on its users. Instead, the app encourages you to meet potential matches in person before you make a decision. However, this isn’t always a good idea if you don’t know who you’re meeting.

However, to protect you from scams, RoomZoom’s team keeps an eye out for potential scammers and spammers. Once identified, such accounts are usually removed. Users can also report suspicious profiles by themselves.

Not interested in moving to NYC? Find the best Roomzoom alternative covering a wide range of cities on our website.

4. Roomgo

Roomgo is considered one of the world’s largest and best roommate finder apps. It operates out of several countries, including the USA, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, the UK, and New Zealand.

Roomgo offers free (Basic) as well as paid (Premium) subscriptions. The Premium plan allows renters access to Basic rooms on priority, with unlimited access to all room ads. If you’re looking to rent, Premium also gives you access to profiles of all the flatmates on the platform and allows you to contact them.

To get on with your roommate search, Roomgo requires you to enter the location you want to live in, the kind of place (and people) you’re looking for, as well as some fun facts about yourself.

In terms of verification, Roomgo moderates all the ads posted on the platform to ensure they’re safe. The app also makes sure your personal data remains personal, with the option to update it. However, it doesn’t individually background-check each user, so you’ll only know what they choose to tell you. For something a little more secure, you can learn more about the best Roomgo alternative here.

5. Perfect Strangers of NYC

Perfect Strangers of NYC was created after its founder struggled to find a place to live in New York City. It’s considered one of the best roommate finder apps by New Yorkers. The app helps people find rooms and mates in areas like Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens.

Perfect Strangers of NYC helps you find roommates by asking you to fill out a questionnaire or connect with a roommate matchmaker, who helps you find your ideal roommate. However, Perfect Strangers only allows you to be matched with a roommate once you’ve shortlisted an apartment – which can range from $800-$1800.

The app is known for conducting a financial background check of its users, to confirm if they can afford the rent and other utilities. Once you pass the financial verification process, you will be introduced to the pre-vetted roommates. If you’re ready to finalize your roommate application, you will also need to pay a $50 application fee.

The majority of the website’s support team is made up of real estate agents who help you through the lease signing and drawing of agreements. They also provide you with virtual tours of the rooms since you may not be able to visit the site before booking.

Rooms and roommate listings, along with their profile info, are available to view on the website, even to unregistered users. While this info is removed once you pay your lease, it’s not very secure. To make sure your information stays yours, check out this Perfect Strangers of NYC alternative.

6. SpareRoom

SpareRoom operates out of the US and the UK and claims to consider its users’ safety its top priority. While the app does have 24/7 moderators to monitor ads and content, it doesn’t vet every user who joins the platform.

You can get started on the app for free, which allows you to contact ads over 7 days old. If you wish to answer newer ads, you must subscribe to get Early Bird Access. The minimum period of subscription is 7 days ($10.99) and the maximum is a year ($139), with more options in between.

Spareroom also provides filters that you can use to help narrow down your search. Some of these can include price range, type of room, and age of potential roommates.

Read more about some of the best roommate finder apps, including the SpareRoom alternative that lets you refine your search with a lot more filters.

7. Aya

Aya provides listings to budget-friendly homes and rooms for rent all over New York City. Sub-letting is also an option with Aya.

While sifting through all the apartment listings, Aya allows users to filter the listings based on the number of bedrooms and bathrooms available. The app also shows you the name and gender of those already living in the spaces listed, but it doesn’t allow you to contact them.

Applying to rent a place is relatively simple. While Aya doesn’t charge a brokerage fee, its completely-online application form does require an application fee to be submitted.

Aya also verifies and credit-checks its users. However, in case of a query, you may have to wait longer than usual for it to get resolved. Learn more about the best roommate finder apps and find the best Aya alternative, which provides 24/7 online support.

8. Erasmusu

Erasmusu is a social network/student community for international students studying in the European Union. If you’re one of them, the web app can aid you in various things, like finding roommates.

As an international student, you may have little knowledge of where you’re staying. Erasmusu is one of the simplest and best roommate finder apps for you. It’s free to create your profile and look for rooms. When you want to book a room, though, you will have to pay a service fee. This is determined based on different factors, like where you’re coming from or which country you’ll be staying in. This may make it difficult to plan your finances beforehand.

Erasmusu also allows you to subscribe to monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, or yearly premium plans, starting from €25.99. Additionally, Erasmusu users can sign up for profiles that are either verified or non-verified. A profile is verified after vetting a user’s email ID, which doesn’t actually offer a great deal of security. If this is something you’re worried about, take a look at the best Erasmusu alternative, which addresses these concerns.

9. Diggz

Diggz is one of the best roommate finder apps operating within the US, though it doesn’t cover all 50 states quite yet.

Diggz allows users to create a profile and use its services for free. However, the free version doesn’t allow more than 5 instant messages a day. Upgrading to Diggz Premium will give you 10 instant messages per day, a boost on your profile, access to extra search filters, and unlimited likes. You can subscribe for $23.99 per month, or opt for weekly packages starting at $14.99.

Diggz offers verification through the accounts that the users connect Diggz to, like Facebook, Apple, or Google. Besides that, it uses its own AI technology to ensure users’ privacy as well as moderate content. Diggz doesn’t provide a criminal background check, though, which can be important in cities with a high crime rate.

To look for roommates, you can filter your search criteria based on gender, age, budget, and city. However, that’s about it for the filters on Diggz and there’s nowhere to state your interests or preferences. Check out the best Diggz alternative, which provides you with a lot more filters to narrow down your search.

10. RoomSync

RoomSync has been featured by multiple publications in their lists of the best roommate finder apps. It’s primarily used by on and off-campus student housing providers to help students look for roommates.

The app doesn’t have a membership fee. However, it does require you to secure your housing before looking for roomies. Adding to that, you must get an invitation or passcode from your housing provider to begin using the app. RoomSync has a fun, dating app-like interface, where you can swipe left and right to “skip” or “like” potential roommates.

You can use multiple filters like academic majors and housing options to sift through profiles. RoomSync also requires users to connect their social media profiles as a form of verification. This may not always be accurate, however, as fake social media profiles can easily be created.

RoomSync also prevents the use of certain offensive words and phrases to help moderate the content. However, according to reviews, the app is quite buggy and users don’t always receive message notifications. Avoid this by checking out the best RoomSync alternative instead.

11. iRoommates

iRoommates offers rooms for rent worldwide. The app has two types of membership: Full Access and Free Access. With the Free Access membership, you can search for roommates on the website. However, you will only be able to contact people who have listed their contact information as “free.” This may severely limit your options if you don’t wish to subscribe.

With Full Access, you can directly contact potential roommates via email or phone. Pricing varies according to the state and area you’re interested in. Members may also visit the profile page of each landlord in order to learn more about them and their properties. However, this membership expires automatically after 90 days. For multiple free features or a standard subscription fee, check out our favorite iRoommates alternative.

To sign up to iRoommates, you have to use either your Facebook, Google account, or your email address. The app also offers tenant screening reports, which include credit and criminal reports, eviction reports, and employment and rental history verification reports. It also ensures the privacy of its users’ data through its own privacy policy, which you can find on the website’s FAQ section.

12. LiveWith

LiveWith is one of the best roommate finder apps that you can access for free. However, for now, it’s only available to download for iOS.

It offers three subscription plans to its users: Starter Plan, Gold Plan, and Platinum Plan. The Starter Plan is free and lets you post up to two listings, overall. The Gold Plan provides you with 18 listings, while the Platinum Plan includes over 200 listings.

You can either log in via Facebook or use your email address to sign up, but some reviews suggest that the process doesn’t work well. In fact, some users found that the login page just keeps buffering without moving forward.

If you do manage to set up an account on LiveWith, your basic information like ID, name, photo, gender, and location is available to the public. Besides this, you have the option to share more of your data with potential matches.

Read more about its features and find the best LiveWith alternative on our blog.

13. Roomster

Roomster operates out of 192 countries and is available to use in 18 different languages. The app also works with multiple currencies, so you won’t have to constantly refer to a currency converter.

Based on several reviews, the entire process of finding a roommate on Roomster seems pretty quick. It allows users to pay for a 3-day subscription to test the app too. However, the weekly and monthly subscriptions are $14.95 and $29.95, respectively. Plus, if you opt for a subscription to Roomster, it is automatically renewed each month. So, you’ll need to remember to unsubscribe if you want to stop payments.

Verifying your profile allows the app to make sure it’s authentic, which can be important for the safety of all its users. Roomster allows you to verify your identity using either social media, email addresses, or phone numbers. You may also add all three to your profile to boost your credibility.

Still, it’s worth noting that anyone – including scammers – can add an email address to confirm their account. Fake phone numbers are also quite easy to verify through different methods, like voice-over-IP services. That’s why Roomster also lets you verify yourself using your legal photo ID.

However, this process isn’t very convenient for users. You’ll need to send a scanned picture of your photo ID then pay $15 to start verification. The app also asks you to submit your credit card information for payment.

The Roomster mailbox allows you to view and send in-app messages, however, there is a fee for this service. Read more about the best roommate finder apps and find a Roomster alternative, where you don’t have to pay to get your ID verified!

14. Nooklyn

Operating in multiple cities in America, Nooklyn is a roommate community. It allows you to find apartments to rent, roommates and sublets, and homes for sale.

With Nooklyn, you can sign up and search rental spaces for free. Besides this, you can request a tour, contact landlords, and message real estate agents. If you’d like to submit an application, however, you’ll need to first pay a fee of $9.29. This is on top of the security deposits you’re required to pay while booking a place.

As a Nooklyn user, you need to use an e-mail address, but providing your phone number is optional. Users also need to undergo ID verification to confirm the authenticity of their profiles. The problem is, Nooklyn also collects information about you and your online activities. It taps into your location, the pages you view, your searches, and even your messages. This can include info that you may not want to be stored, like messages with sensitive information or search history.

With Nooklyn, you can like user profiles that display compatible move-in dates and rental budgets and message them straight away. Read more about the best roommate finder apps and our top Nooklyn alternative, where you don’t need to pay to submit an application.

15. Silvernest

Silvernest is one of the most aesthetically pleasing and best roommate finder apps operating in the US.

The app requires its users to sign up and post listings starting at $29.99/month, which includes a 5% service fee to use the platform. When users sign up for Silvernest, they are checked by human verification specialists. Since most other such apps use only AI for verification, this platform is better at weeding out fake profiles. After all, humans can think for themselves when presented with information they’re not familiar with.

Silvernest also promotes user safety by issuing a zero-tolerance policy for dishonest, scam users and all forms of discrimination. However, it’s important to note that the platform will share your profile with anyone who’s paid for an upgraded service. Read more about its features and the best Silvernest alternative, which doesn’t share your info with anyone!

16. Renthop

Renthop lets you search for apartments around various neighborhoods in New York City.

RentHop Pro plans provide members with monthly Pro Credits for posting listings. Renthop offers three Pro plans – Silver, Gold, and Platinum. The plans are available for $69, $149, and $199, respectively. Each plan provides you with a certain number of monthly Pro credits (150, 400, 600) that allow you to post, repost, or feature multiple listings.

Without a subscription, you can post up to a maximum of five listings for free.

You can sign up for Renthop’s services by authorizing the connection to either your Google or Facebook account. However, that is the only method Renthop uses to verify its users.

You can read more about the best roommate finder apps and a Renthop alternative, which gives you multiple features for a flat price.

17. Roomiematch

Roomiematch is said to be one of the best roommate finder apps due to its advanced security measures. It claims to “take out the trash for you” by fending off scammers and spammers.

The app also collects info on the IP address of the user when submitting a profile. Roomiematch then uses human verification specialists to verify responses given by users when signing up. Additionally, Roomiematch will only share your profile with matched roommates who have also paid for an upgraded service.

Roomiematch allows you to join for free but you’ll have to pay $19.95 annually to look for roommates. This gives you access to the contact info of matched roommates so you can reach out to them. Roomiematch also has a content moderation team to verify applications and ensure profiles are genuine.

However, according to reviews, paying for the service doesn’t ensure you’ll find a roommate. Additionally, many reviews state that the platform’s customer service support isn’t great. Learn about the best Roomiematch alternative with a 24/7 support team.

18. Cirtru

Standing for “circles of trust”, Cirtru can help you find houses, rooms, and roommates easily, safely, securely.

As a free roommate finder, Cirtru is convenient for everyone to use. Its customized search results will always offer you the best options, taking into account your preferences. It also allows you to take a virtual apartment tour in case you can’t visit the place in person. Similarly, if you already have a place, you can upload a tour for potential roommates to view.

To filter your roommate search, Cirtru asks for information about where you want to live, what you’re looking for in a potential roommate, and some amusing facts about yourself. It has users from over 20,000 businesses and college networks, meaning that there are both students and professionals on this app.

Cirtru also takes the protection of your personal data very seriously. According to reviews, finding roommates on the app is effortless as there are no scammers or spammers. However, Cirtru’s platform does not verify the identities of all its users. Read more about the best roommate finder apps Cirtru and its alternative that background-checks all its users.

19. RoomMatch

RoomMatch helps you find roommates and rooms that suit your lifestyle. It is a free website app that allows you to use its services by simply signing up, after which you answer a series of lifestyle and personality questions. You’ll then be shown a list of profiles based on how they match your preferences.

Due to its free nature, Roommatch does not carry out any contact info verification. However, to maintain user privacy, Roommatch asks users not to display their personal contact information publicly. Instead, users are encouraged to make use of the app’s own built-in messaging feature.

Roommatch creates a user profile for you using the information you provide. Basic information relating to age, gender, moving date, occupation, and budget is displayed to all users. This can help you find the relevant people more quickly. However, since the app creates a profile for you, you can’t select what you want or don’t want to display.

Read more about the best Roommatch alternative, where you have all the control over your profile.

20. Roomaters

Of all the best roommate finder apps on this list, Roomaters is the only one to use matching technology with assistance from a relationship psychologist.

The app features a special personality test administered by a psychologist to help you find your ideal roommate. Consequently, the filter options are limited because the app relies on its own quizzes rather than user-specific filters.

Roomaters also is free to use, but some reviews say that the app has a lot of scammers. As for verification, many reviews for the roommate finder suggest that they are unable to fill in their own details. The lack of verified addresses is also a cause for concern. Read more about its features and find the best Roomaters alternative, which provides you with a seamless profile-creation process!

Be smart about picking your roommates

Having so many apps to help you find the perfect roommate certainly makes renting easier. And while this list of best roommate finder apps makes it a piece of cake, doing your own research is equally as important. Especially when it comes to finding someone to live with you.

To help you out, Roomi carries out an extensive background check on all its users before allowing them to access the platform. It also verifies every listing to ensure a safe searching experience. Plus, Roomi gives you the power to search for roomies using multiple criteria – by all the things that matter most to you! Give it a try today to see what it could do for you.

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