# AroundMe vs SpareRoom US

The clearest difference is ads: SpareRoom US at none against AroundMe's shown. SpareRoom US also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 weeks). AroundMe's advantage is review sentiment (60% vs 34%) and ratings volume (24K vs 5.9K). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. AroundMe sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 6 months and SpareRoom US sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for AroundMe against 4.6 for SpareRoom US. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 24K and 5.9K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 60% of AroundMe's written reviews are positive against 34% of SpareRoom US's.

AroundMe ships an update every 6 weeks, SpareRoom US every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | AroundMe | SpareRoom US |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (24K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aroundme/id290051590/reviews)** | [4.6 (5.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spareroom-us/id427956675/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **24K** | 5.9K |
| Positive reviews | **60.2% of reviews** | 33.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 35 MB | 60 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Flying Code Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/951615399) | [Flatshare Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/397979250) |

## What reviewers say

### AroundMe

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aroundme/id290051590)

Discover essential services and points of interest in your vicinity. This app quickly identifies your location and lists nearby banks, restaurants, gas stations, and more, providing distances and contact details.

**Highlights:** Identify nearby businesses, Listings with distances, Map view and routing, Add to contacts, Email business info, Wikipedia information

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 6 Months Premium | $0.99 | per 6 months |
| Yearly Premium | $1.49 | per year |
| Upgrade to Ad-Free AroundMe | $2.99 | one-time |
| Premium Lifetime | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💻 Useful for travel
- 🗺️ Helps find nearby amenities
- ⭐ Great app overall

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🗓️ Outdated business listings
- 🔍 Incomplete search results
- 🔋 Battery drain issues
- 🔒 Forced location permissions

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes and freezes
- Incorrect or missing business data
- Unreliable directions and distance information

**Requested features**

- Add post office/post box search
- Improve search accuracy and coverage
- Allow disabling of weather feature
- Provide more customization options


### SpareRoom US

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spareroom-us/id427956675)

Find your ideal room or roommate across the US. Filter by lifestyle preferences like profession, student status, dietary choices, and pet ownership. Connect with thousands of listings nationwide to discover your perfect living situation.

**Highlights:** Roommate filtering by profession and student status, Filter by dietary preferences and pet ownership, Thousands of room-sharing opportunities nationwide, On-the-go searching and management, Award-winning customer support

**Features:** Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Boost | $9.99 | one-time |
| 7-Day Upgrade | $12.99 | one-time |
| 1-Week Upgrade | $15.00 | one-time |
| Verification | $15.00 | one-time |
| 14-Day Upgrade | $23.99 | one-time |
| 30-Day Upgrade | $25.99 | one-time |
| 30 days Bold Advertising | $25.99 | one-time |
| 4-Week Upgrade | $30.00 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 🤑 Helped find a roommate quickly
- 💰 Affordable
- 👍 Convenient features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Paid features required to fully utilize
- 🤖 Fake/bot accounts
- 🤷‍♀️ Lack of user engagement
- 🔒 Lack of security/verification
- 🤬 Poor customer service

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent app crashes
- Login/account issues
- Inability to upload photos
- Glitchy location search

**Requested features**

- Background checks for users
- Better filtering and search options
- Improved verification process
- Easier profile customization


## Frequently asked questions

### Is AroundMe free?

AroundMe is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is SpareRoom US free?

SpareRoom US is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, AroundMe or SpareRoom US?

AroundMe is rated higher. AroundMe averages 4.6 out of 5 from 24K ratings, while SpareRoom US averages 4.6 from 5.9K ratings.

### Do AroundMe or SpareRoom US have ads?

AroundMe shows ads; SpareRoom US does not.

### Which is updated more often, AroundMe or SpareRoom US?

AroundMe ships an update every 6 weeks, and SpareRoom US every 3 weeks. Most recently, AroundMe was updated on October 30, 2026 and SpareRoom US on October 29, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*