Comparison

Redfin vs California Regional MLS

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

Head to head
About

Redfin

Discover your dream home with personalized recommendations and up-to-the-minute property details. Connect with local agents, schedule tours, and get preapproved for a mortgage. Stay ahead of the competition with real-time notifications and AI-powered insights.

Highlights
  • Personalized property recommendations
  • Real-time listing updates
  • Connect with local agents
  • Schedule home tours
  • Mortgage preapproval
  • AI-powered listing insights
  • Dark mode
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

We’re excited to announce that Redfin is now part of Rocket Companies. It’s the same great app you love, now with more ways to make owning a home more affordable with Rocket Mortgage®.* Whether buying, selling, or renting your next home, Redfin can help you every step of the way. Receive personalized recommendations and real estate listings updated every two minutes.** Browse photos and see up-to-date property details. Connect with a local Redfin agent. Get preapproved for a home loan with Rocket Mortgage. Book tours to suit your schedule. The Redfin app lets you do it all in one place – so you can stay ahead of the competition with confidence and speed. Have a question about a Redfin listing? Get quick answers on for-sale listings from our AI assistant, Ask Redfin. And give your eyes a break with dark mode, designed for a more comfortable search experience – day or night. Some of our most popular features: Find homes first • Filter by price, property type, and school district to find your dream home. • Customize your search: Instantly see every house, apartment, condo, and townhome that meet your search criteria. • See listings first with real-time notifications: We'll notify you within five minutes when a home comes on the market that matches your saved search criteria. • Search on all your devices: Save your favorite homes and searches to your Redfin account and access them anytime, anywhere on the app or the Redfin website. • Search by school: Search for homes near specific schools and school districts. • Learn more about your costs: Calculate mortgage, property tax, HOA, and insurance with our mortgage calculator on real estate for sale, directly within your search. • Commute feature: See how long your commute will be from your dream home. Tour homes fast • Schedule home tours instantly: Book a tour with a local Redfin agent, right from the app.† • Plan open house visits: Get directions and attend every open house in your area. • Share homes with your search partner: Easily share your favorite homes from the app (or via text, email, or social media), before you book a tour. Get a competitive edge • Speed that gives you an edge: Our partnership with Rocket Mortgage streamlines the preapproval process so you can move fast when it matters most. • Don’t miss out: We’ll tell you which homes are likely to sell the fastest so you don’t miss the perfect home. • Build your home buying know-how: Sign up for free Redfin home buying classes and real estate events. • Gain exclusive insights: Read comments about what a home is really like, written by Redfin agents after they tour the home. • Sold home data: Get the latest data on sale prices of nearby homes in most markets. • Find accurate home data: Most MLS real estate listings refresh every two minutes.* Disclaimers: *All mortgage lending products and information are provided by Rocket Mortgage, LLC | NMLS #3030; www.NMLSConsumerAccess.org. Licensed in 50 states. For additional information, please visit RocketMortgage.com. Rocket Mortgage is an affiliate of Redfin. You aren't required to use its lending services. Learn more at Redfin.com/afba. **50% of MLS listing updates received by Redfin will post within two minutes. †Tours subject to property and agent availability. Photos, floor plans, and 3D tours may not be available on all listings. Photos for illustrative purposes only. Screens simulated. Individual results may vary. Equal Housing Opportunity. (844) 759-7732. CA DRE #01521930

About

California Regional MLS

Access real estate listings and client communication tools on the go. Share branded app experiences with clients, search properties by school or commute time, and view detailed listing information with maps and history.

Highlights
  • Branded client app sharing
  • In-app chat with clients and agents
  • Agent-only listing access
  • School and drive time search
  • Mortgage calculator
  • Spot tool for listing info
  • Property boundary maps
Read full description

The CRMLS app, designed for agents who are members of California Regional MLS, provides on-the-go access to the CRMLS platform. An agent login is required. Highlights: • share a branded app with your clients • chat with clients and with other agents about listings in the app • access agent-only listing information • search by schools or by drive time • use TouchID for quicker sign in • quickly calculate a mortgage payment • draw tool • spot tool - just point your phone in the direction of a home to quickly get all the listing info Listings in the app feature: • property boundaries on a satellite map view with nearby amenities • visual history for price and status changes and past sales • information on schools • street view • commute times to saved locations Integration with the CRMLS Matrix platform features: • your saved searches • your full list of contacts • your carts • your portfolio of listings • the CRMLS Agent Roster Have a comment or enhancement request? Please visit www.crmls.org/support.

Screenshots

Redfin4 screens
California Regional MLS4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Redfin at none against California Regional MLS's shown. Redfin also leads on ratings volume (1.6M vs 9.2K) and update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks). California Regional MLS's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, review sentiment 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Redfin against 4.9 for California Regional MLS. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Redfin has 1.6M ratings behind it against 9.2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 42% of Redfin's written reviews are positive against 49% of California Regional MLS's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Redfin ships an update weekly, California Regional MLS every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Redfin versus California Regional MLS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRedfinCalifornia Regional MLS
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (1.6M ratings)4.9 (9.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews42.1% of reviews48.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.6M — better9.2K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedAd-supported
Best chart rank#54 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size190 MB62 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRedfinCRMLS Inc

Customer experience

Redfin

All ratings1,635,858 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral2.2%
Negative2.1%
Written reviews936 reviews
Positive42.1%
Neutral10.0%
Negative47.9%

California Regional MLS

All ratings9,202 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral1.6%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews78 reviews
Positive48.7%
Neutral10.3%
Negative41.0%

User reviews

Redfin

From 1.6M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fastest real-time updates
  • 👍 Excellent app layout and navigation
  • 💰 Transparent pricing and commissions
  • 🏡 Comprehensive home details and insights
  • 🗺️ Helpful commute time and location features

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes and glitches
  • 🔍 Inaccurate or missing property information
  • 🤖 Unhelpful recommendation algorithm
  • 🗺️ Clunky map and search experience
  • 🙅‍♀️ Poor customer support and agent performance

California Regional MLS

From 9.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Convenient when on the go
  • 💡 Useful mortgage calculator
  • 🚀 Simple and easy to navigate
  • 👍 Great app to share with clients

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
  • 🐛 Freezes and lags
  • 🐛 Issues with loading photos and information
  • 🐛 Unreliable and inaccurate data
  • 🐛 Missing key features and filters

Bugs and requests

Redfin

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App resets search filters and map view randomly
  • Notifications not working as expected
  • Incorrect or outdated listing information
  • Inability to remove unwanted property recommendations

Requested features

5 requests
  • Allow filtering by commute time and school ratings
  • Add option to remove unwanted cities/areas from search
  • Improve 'Favorites' management and organization
  • Provide more transparency on property sale history
  • Integrate seamless scheduling for property viewings

California Regional MLS

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Search bar issues
  • Login and sign-in problems
  • Crashing and freezing
  • Outdated and missing information
  • Compatibility issues with newer devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to save/like listings
  • More filters and customization options
  • Faster and more reliable updates
  • Improved search functionality
  • Better integration with other platforms

In-app purchases

None

Redfin

No in-app purchases

None

California Regional MLS

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Redfin free?
Redfin is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is California Regional MLS free?
California Regional MLS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Redfin or California Regional MLS?
California Regional MLS is rated higher. Redfin averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.6M ratings, while California Regional MLS averages 4.9 from 9.2K ratings.
Do Redfin or California Regional MLS have ads?
California Regional MLS shows ads; Redfin does not.
Which is updated more often, Redfin or California Regional MLS?
Redfin ships an update weekly, and California Regional MLS every 5 weeks. Most recently, Redfin was updated on September 24, 2026 and California Regional MLS on September 24, 2026.

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