Home prices and mortgage rates in the United States have continued to rise. As a result, some people are no longer able to buy and have turned to renting, which has grown much more inexpensive in recent years — especially since rents were cheaper than mortgages in roughly three out of five major metros at the start of 2024, according to Zillow.

If you’re downsizing, starting out, or taking a much-needed vacation, it might be difficult to find a rental that suits all of your wants and preferences. Fortunately, we done the research and discovered the ten greatest websites and apps for renting a house and the five top sites for holiday rentals.

We considered ease of use, app availability, search choices, and other factors to help you book a rental before someone else does.

10 Best Home Rental Websites and Apps

Each of the top ten rental websites or apps excels for a variety of reasons, including screening prospective tenants, comparing costs, ease of use, having the most listings, and attracting eligible candidates.

1. Realtor.com

You might believe Realtor.com is only for home purchasers, but the site also displays thousands of rental properties. It is run by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and only accepts rental listings from property owners or managers. It features a variety of options, including the most recent listings, pet-friendly rentals, apartments with in-unit laundry, rentals with pools, and more. Each part provides a fast overview of the building, the pricing, the size of the unit, and the location, making it simple to immediately rule out (or rule in) the best rental option.

2. Apartment Guide

It can be nerve-wracking to try and find an apartment sight unseen. That’s where ApartmentGuide shines. It has tons of full-color images and 3D tours of prospective rentals. Simply put in your city, ZIP code or preferred neighborhood, and its extensive list of filters go to work to find the best rental for you. Apartment Guide works directly with property managers, meaning you’ll find exclusive deals that you may not find on any other apartment listings. Download the app, available in the Apple App Store and Google Play App Store, and easily save your favorite apartments to refer to later.

3. Zillow 

The Zillow app for Apple and Android allows you to search hundreds of listings based on city, neighborhood, or ZIP code. Using the company’s “Zestimate” technology, you can personalize your search by comparing the asking rent to see if you’re getting the best deal. Zillow also allows you to search for options with on-site parking or in-unit laundry, and the app allows you to quickly search for up-to-the-minute rentals, ensuring you get a fair shot at a property before it is snatched up.

Searching for a rental is similar to searching for a home on Zillow. The website’s home page has a large map of the state or local area so you can search for a rental near work, school or the neighborhood dog park. Unfortunately, you can’t filter saved homes in the app.

4. Apartments.com 

Although the app can sometimes be buggy, Apartments.com’s app for Apple and Android provides real-time availability on over 1.4 million listings, including apartments, houses, condos and townhomes. There is also a focus on the amenities an apartment complex or home offers and additional fees you can expect to pay. You can see the closest access to public transportation and the distance to the nearest airport, nearby restaurants and college campuses. Both the app and website make it easy to filter your search, plus you can apply online, sign your lease, and even pay your rent from any device.

5. Rentometer 

Rentometer is a comprehensive site that helps potential renters check rent prices instantly by searching a property by building type, size of rental, and address. You can quickly evaluate current market rents with its QuickView rent estimate, which includes average and median rent prices in a specific area.

When you need rent comp data, download a detailed list in .CSV format right from the website. If you’re cost-conscious, don’t waste time searching for rentals in areas that are outside your budget. Rentometer can help you check rent prices instantly across the U.S. to find the best place for you and your budget.

6. RentCafe

When looking for a rental, you may look at price, location and amenities. Scammers understand what amenities you need and make up fake rental listings to grab your attention, and money. That’s why RentCafe only lists rentals directly from top property managers in the area, so you don’t need to worry about vetting the authenticity of each posting. RentCafe shows you a unit’s real-time availability, which in a competitive market can be a lifesaver.

Read Also: The Ultimate Guide to Renting vs Buying a Home

The site even serves as a management platform that you can use to renew your lease or communicate with your rental manager. You can view and compare the features of your apartment picks side by side, check property ratings and reviews from verified residents, schedule a tour of a rental directly on the property’s calendar at a time that suits you, and apply online at your convenience.

7. Rent.com

The Rent.com app for IOS and Android lets you book a tour for any apartment you want to see. You can also narrow your search based on residents’ reviews, which is handy if you’re moving to an unfamiliar area. Searching by location is easy because you can focus on more than one area at one time and if a rental recently lowered its asking rent, it will be noted on the property page.

While the website has a smaller selection of listings than Trulia or Zillow, it does provide a bonus — Moving Center — where you get free moving quotes. If you scroll to the bottom of the website, it has sections for rentals near me, apartments and houses to rent by city, rentals by state, popular searches, and a “let us help” area with tons of helpful information.

8. Trulia Rentals

Trulia Rentals puts you in direct contact with a property manager without having to fill out an inquiry form for every apartment you’re interested in. The Trulia Neighborhoods feature provides details on the safety and walkability of a specific neighborhood and offers residents’ reviews, photos and drone footage of local areas.

The listings ‘affordability’ tab automatically calculates the income necessary for you to comfortably rent at the current asking rate, based on Trulia’s recommendation. With 35+ filters and custom keyword search, you can easily find a home or apartment to rent that meets your needs and budget. The Trulia app is available for both IOS and Android.

9. Apartment List

Apartment List starts by asking you a series of questions about your preferred size of rental unit, your budget, location and essential amenities, such as in-unit laundry and parking availability. Once you’ve answered these questions, Apartment List matches you with listings based on your needs and income.

If you use the app, which is available for Android and IOS, you can create a list of favorites, and the app will reach out to the property manager on your behalf. However, you can’t search the website and save listings without giving your name, email, phone number and other personal information. If you’re not comfortable with this step, you may want to try other rental sites instead.

10. Zumper

Zumper is unique in that you can receive (via the IOS or Android app) instant alerts as rental units become available based on your search criteria. You can book tours, prequalify for an apartment, make an offer on a rental, and, depending on the market, even pay rent once you’ve signed a lease. You can also see how a specific apartment’s rent compares with similar units in the area.

Zumper has also partnered with booking.com and VRBO, so you can book a short-term rental to give you time to get acquainted with the area. Since landlords often look at credit reports when renting a property, Zumper has partnered with TransUnion to provide you with your credit report. You can also submit a rental application securely through the app. 

Best Websites for Renting in the UK

Here is a list of the ten websites you should not overlook while looking for a property to rent in the UK.

1. RightMove

Whether you are thinking about buying or renting, Rightmove has your back. The UK’s largest property portal will let you surf across thousands of rooms and houses until you find your own perfect fit. You can browse properties by map, looking at tube or rail stations and also drawing your area of interest directly on the screen. Plus, the team can help users sorting out their finances by providing them with advice and guidance about the appalling world of mortgages.

2. Zoopla

Zoopla is a huge property website focused on supplying users with all the information they may need in order to make properly informed decisions. Introducing themselves as great defenders of transparency and efficiency, people at Zoopla put it all on paper when it comes to rental agreements. On their website, they also have a fantastic chart with the numbers of available properties and the average asking rent for every UK region.

3. Open Rent

Open Rent makes “renting the way it should be”. It offers different features for tenants and landlords, making sure to meet the needs of both. The website claims to have 1,5mln+ users and they all pay no admin fees (that can save you about 300 pounds!). Get in the crowd and look for your perfect room based on travel time, area or budget.

4. Find a Hood

Find a Hood is the right place to be if you know exactly what you want (and what you don’t). To get started users are asked to rate on a scale from 1 to 10 the importance of twelve key factors about rental properties — spacing from occupation to crime rate and religion — and to complete a quick questionnaire. The platform will automatically match their needs with the thousands of possibilities in its database, presenting renters with the best-customised options. It’s like magic.

5. Gumtree

Founded in London in 2000, Gumtree has almost 20 years of experience in helping its users find the best deals on the rental market. Tenants can create their own personal profiles and save their favorite properties. The graphic is nice and clear and let users get in touch with landlords in the easiest way ever. Extra point: the platform is active virtually all over the world, so start planning your next trip.

6. SpareRoom

Operating in the UK as well as in the USA SpareRoom will let you find not only the perfect accommodation but also the perfect flatmates. The search can be refined by commute time, travel zone, or tube line. Alternatively, let the “Where to Live Wizard” guide you around according to the neighborhood qualities you select: central or chilled? Modern or historic? With almost 100k active offers, the team claims that on SpareRoom “every 3 minutes someone finds a flatmate”. Let’s go find yours.

7. MoveBubble

Introducing themselves with the hashtag #doingitforrenters, Movebubble is all about tenants’ needs. The service is accessible through an app for iOS or Android which, among other features, comprises an instant chat between tenants and agents which will “put you ahead of the competition” and answer your doubts in less than 30 minutes. Perfect if you have no time to waste.

8. RoomGo

Formerly known as EasyRoommate, RoomGo makes it super easy to find a brand new accommodation. Tenants just have to type in their area of interest and start scrolling through thousands of offers. Rooms are checked manually and it’s also possible to easily arrange viewings with landlords directly from the website. Furthermore, renters can see people searching in the same area and find the right person for their flat-share.

9. Ideal Flatmate

At Ideal Flatmate, people firmly believe in the philosophy of flat-sharing. The platform aims at helping tenants to find the best property and the best people with whom to share it, thanks to a network of both private landlords and agencies. The magic happens through an innovative Compatibility Quiz designed by the Ideal Flatmate’s team. We’re eager to try it.

10. RoomBuddies

RoomBuddies is here to help UK renters find their dream flat or house share since 2006.  Contacts between tenants and landlords are free and direct since the website works as an introductory service, leaving users free to get organized as they prefer.

Final Thoughts

According to Zillow’s 2022 Consumer Housing Trends Report, approximately two-thirds of renters search for properties via rental websites. However, finding the ideal apartment or vacation rental site that meets all of your requirements might be difficult.

“When looking for a rental app or website, choose one that offers convenience and a pleasant search experience,” says Nadia Balint, Senior Marketing Manager at RentCafe. “Moving is stressful enough; make it easier for yourself by doing as much as possible online. Browse a wide range of properties validated by verified renter reviews, filter, store, and organize your favorites, contact places with inquiries or tours, and, if possible, apply and sign your lease online.” Also, be extra cautious of rental scams or websites that demand you to input personal or financial information.