Comparison

PadMapper Apartment Finder vs Section8

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

PadMapper Apartment Finder

Discover millions of apartments and rooms for rent. Easily filter by price, size, amenities, and pet-friendliness. Connect directly with landlords and avoid scams with a robust anti-spam system.

Highlights
  • Millions of apartment listings
  • Roommate and sublet listings
  • Anti-scam protection
  • Filter by price, bedrooms, amenities
  • Pet-friendly filters
  • Save favorite listings
  • Direct landlord contact
Features
Read full description

With over a million listings available each month, PadMapper has something for everyone. Whether you're a recent college grad on a budget looking for your first cheap place or a seasoned renter searching for a penthouse in the big city, you’ll be able to hunt apartments that fit your budget. Using PadMapper is pretty awesome:   • Find listings for roommates and sublets: Now anyone can reach our network of millions of renters on PadMapper or Zumper to list their room, apartment, or other shared accommodations for free.   • Avoid scams and shenanigans: Kiss questionable listings goodbye because we protect you with a anti-spam algorithm to make sure only high-quality, legitimate listings are posted. We'll help you hunt apartments with ease.   • Find the perfect place: We make it easy to find exactly what you want. Ballin' on a budget? Filter your apartment search by price, so you don't exceed your monthly rent budget. Hunting for apartments with a big family? Specify the number of bedrooms & bathrooms you need. Looking for an upscale apartment? Tap filters for doorman, a pool, a roof deck, and many more amenities. Bringing Fido or Fluffy? We can help you find a pet friendly place for them too.   • Save your favorites for later. Once you’ve narrowed down your top choices, simply save and come back to them later.   • Contact PadMapper and Zumper landlords quickly. One tap connects you to landlords once you find the place you want. No broker fees. Search for no fee apartments for rent in NYC, Chicago, Boston, LA, San Francisco, Toronto, Montreal, and anywhere else in the U.S. and Canada! • Reach PadMapper's network of millions of renters by listing your room, apartment, or other shared accommodations for free. Confidently post and search listings for roommates and sublets on PadMapper knowing we protect you from spam and scams.   We've been receiving some great reviews:   "I was feeling very discouraged about finding an apartment, until a friend told me about PadMapper. It's been extremely helpful in seeing a LOT more availability in one place, rather than trying to seek out multiple websites and/or spending hours on end driving up and down streets to see if I see any signs." — HogFanMich *****   "I've been using PadMapper for the past several years, and am so glad that they've released this new iPhone app. It's a lot faster than any other app at searching for apartments and always my go to for when my lease is up." — EdwardStarcraft *****   "Don't know what I'd do without it! Thank you for your service. I LOVE this app! Thank you." — Li-n-Luv-n *****   Connect with us online! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/padmapper Twitter: https://twitter.com/padmapper Usage of the PadMapper app is bound by the PadMapper terms of service - https://www.padmapper.com/tos. Privacy Policy: https://www.padmapper.com/privacy Notice of Collection: https://www.padmapper.com/privacy#ccpa-notice-of-collection Do Not Sell My Info: https://www.padmapper.com/privacy#ccpa-do-not-sell   We love to hear from you! Reach out to us with feedback or questions about PadMapper or Zumper at hello@padmapper.com.

About

Section8

This app guides users through the process of finding affordable housing. It breaks down each step, offers rent calculation, appointment reminders, and apartment complex lookups. Users can call complexes directly, access required documents, and switch between English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Highlights
  • Step-by-step housing process guidance
  • Rent calculation tool
  • Appointment reminders
  • Apartment complex map lookup
  • Direct calling to complexes
  • Document sharing
  • Multilingual support (English, Spanish, Portuguese)
Read full description

This app simplifies the process of finding affordable Section 8 housing in Utah County. Tap on each step to see what to do next. When you finish, a green checkmark will appear. Then move to the next step! Steps guide you through what can otherwise be a complicated process, helping you to calculate rent, set reminders for important appointments, and look up possible apartment complexes on a map. Once you’ve found an apartment you like, you can call them right from the app, and when you visit the potential apartment, links to all of the required documents are ready to share right from the app. Finally, to make the process even easier, you can instantly click back and forth between English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Screenshots

PadMapper Apartment Finder4 screens
Section84 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PadMapper Apartment Finder at 4.8 against Section8's 3.1. PadMapper Apartment Finder also leads on ratings volume (7.1K vs 36) and device support. Section8's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and review sentiment (50% vs 25%). On price and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PadMapper Apartment Finder holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PadMapper Apartment Finder has 7.1K ratings behind it against 36, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 25% of PadMapper Apartment Finder's written reviews are positive against 50% of Section8's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
PadMapper Apartment Finder versus Section8: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPadMapper Apartment FinderSection8
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (7.1K ratings) — better3.1 (36 ratings)
Positive reviews25.2% of reviews50.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7.1K — better36
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks—
AdsNo—
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — better—
Requires iOS17.412.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size87 MB67 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPadMapper, Inc.Jared Warren

Customer experience

PadMapper Apartment Finder

All ratings7,103 ratings
Positive94.9%
Neutral2.1%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews155 reviews
Positive25.2%
Neutral7.7%
Negative67.1%

Section8

Written reviews8 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

PadMapper Apartment Finder

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Listings not showing up in search
  • Inability to delete account or change email
  • Incompatibility with older devices
  • Incorrect rent information

Requested features

4 requests
  • Price range filter below $3000
  • Option to exclude 'tech dorm' listings
  • Ability to post from desktop
  • More detailed property information

Section8

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

PadMapper Apartment Finder

No in-app purchases

None

Section8

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PadMapper Apartment Finder free?
PadMapper Apartment Finder is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Section8 free?
Section8 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PadMapper Apartment Finder or Section8?
PadMapper Apartment Finder is rated higher. PadMapper Apartment Finder averages 4.8 out of 5 from 7.1K ratings, while Section8 averages 3.1 from 36 ratings.

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