Comparison

Private Property vs Balwin Access

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

Head to head
About

Private Property

Discover a vast selection of properties for sale and rent. Get instant notifications for new listings, customize your search with advanced filters, and explore detailed property information with photos and videos. Tools like affordability and bond calculators are also included.

Highlights
  • Unique property feed with instant notifications
  • Advanced property search with over 400,000 listings
  • Customizable search filters
  • Detailed property information with photos and videos
  • Affordability and bond calculators
  • Save and share favorite properties
Features
Read full description

Search a wide range of properties for sale and to rent from estate agents, developers, banks and homeowners. Whether you’re a first-time buyer or experienced investor, we’ll help you find your next property quickly and easily. Our elegant app offers a fast, slick and easy property search experience. KEY FEATURES: UNIQUE PROPERTY FEED • Receive instant notifications of new properties on the market. • Customise your feed and only see the properties that you’re interested in. ADVANCED PROPERTY SEARCH • Search over 400,000 properties for sale and to rent. • Use our handy filters like 'pet-friendly' to personalise your results. • Find out which properties are On Show in your area. • Find a great deal by searching for Bank Sales and Repossessed Properties. DETAILED PROPERTY INFO • Big, beautiful photos and HD videos help you get a real feel for the property. • See the ongoing property costs like rates and levies. SAVE AND SHARE • Save your favourite properties so that you can easily review them later. • Share the properties you love with your friends and family. USEFUL TOOLS • Work out how much home you can afford with our affordability calculator. • Calculate your monthly repayments on a property with our bond calculator. Download and start searching for property today – it's free! GET IN TOUCH: Have any questions or feedback? Please get in touch with our support team at ios@privateproperty.co.za RATE US: Had an amazing Private Property experience? Take a moment to rate us! MORE FROM US: For more property related content visit our website: https://www.privateproperty.co.za And follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/propertysa https://twitter.com/propertysa https://www.instagram.com/privatepropertysa https://www.youtube.com/privatepropertySA

About

Balwin Access

Features
Read full description

Balwin Access – Smarter Living for Your Estate Balwin Access gives you secure and convenient control of your estate life – all in one place. Whether you’re managing guest access, receiving important estate notices, or tracking deliveries, Balwin Access keeps you connected and in control. Features: Secure Guest Access: Invite guests and view your visitor history easily. Push Notifications: Stay informed with real-time updates for estate notices, apartment alerts, deliveries, and more. Estate Documents: View important estate policies, forms, and updates right from your phone. Event Updates: Never miss a community event, maintenance notice, or announcement. Delivery Alerts: Know exactly when your deliveries arrive. Built for residents in Balwin Estates, the app makes everyday estate living simpler, smarter, and more secure. Download Balwin Access today and take control of your estate experience.

Screenshots

Private Property4 screens
Balwin Access4 screens

Verdict

The call

Private Property and Balwin Access are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Private Property ships an update fortnightly, Balwin Access every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Private Property versus Balwin Access: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrivate PropertyBalwin Access
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.1 (13 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews24.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings13 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.614.0.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size42 MB56 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPrivate Property Holdings (PTY) LtdBalwin ICT (Pty) Ltd

Bugs and requests

Private Property

Reported bugs

69 issues
  • App is so slow, takes forever to pick up area
  • App doesn't show anything when searching for a house in a certain area
  • App no longer allows search by selecting an area
  • Alerts disappear
  • Favorite icon doesn't highlight until leaving and returning to property page
Show 64 more
  • App can't search anymore, requires deleting and reloading
  • Terribly glitchy, can't search for properties
  • New update requests local network access
  • Property search returns no results after recent update
  • Favorited listings disappear after reopening app
  • App still not functional after update
  • New update broke app, no properties from alerts
  • Notifications come through but don't lead to advert, blank home page
  • Push notifications take to blank page
  • New update made app harder to use
  • Saved locations gone
  • App overview shows new offers, but nothing when opened
  • New search options complicated
  • Feed feature missing
  • Lost all saved favorites and alerts after update
  • App freezes all the time
  • Cannot install without banking details
  • App only works in portrait mode on iPad
  • Duplicate listings in push notifications
  • Stuck on 'Tell us what you are looking for' screen
  • App doesn't load after filtering on suburb
  • App freezes often, requires constant reinstallation
  • Incessant notifications for the same property
  • Push notifications sent multiple times
  • Swiping through image gallery is buggy
  • Stuck in media on iPad, cannot go back
  • App crashes immediately when clicking on property notification email
  • Cannot view properties in landscape mode
  • App doesn't load or crashes
  • Filters badly and doesn't show right properties
  • Favourites don't work
  • App keeps resetting/throwing users out
  • Filters not great, properties not meeting requirements still shown
  • Search criteria doesn't work
  • App crashes randomly and frequently
  • App crashes immediately
  • App doesn't fit on iPhone screen
  • App is too basic
  • App errors and no buttons to continue
  • Dialogue box bug, cannot close pop up
  • No pagination, cannot get beyond first list of houses
  • Sort functionality broken
  • Western Cape link is broken
  • Saved favorites not visible (previously)
  • Clicking property on map gets app stuck, requires uninstall
  • App doesn't work in landscape mode
  • App freezes and closes
  • App crashes and gets stuck
  • Picture quality poor (previously)
  • No way to go back a step in some cases
  • UI is terrible
  • Cannot play video and go back, or quit and return
  • App crashes more than a drunk driver
  • App is too basic
  • App crashes constantly
  • Search criteria does not work
  • App not structured right
  • Filter not working when browsing by region
  • App crashes and gets stuck on first page
  • Properties for sale are all sold
  • App keeps crashing
  • Search is useless, shows properties in wrong locations
  • New version filter still does not work
  • App doesn't load

Requested features

19 requests
  • Include property listing date
  • Agent to state property specifications correctly
  • Include rates and taxes in advert
  • Use recent property pictures
  • Option to report sold properties still listed
Show 14 more
  • Filter for back up power and water
  • Filter for garden or not
  • Filter option between monthly and per day rentals
  • Landscape mode on iPad
  • Filter by sqm or other size parameters
  • Map feature
  • Filter for 'available from' date
  • Option to get alerts on the app, not email
  • Bring back suburb feed format
  • Filter out agent listings
  • Add reference number search
  • Narrow down radius search to 1km increments
  • Ability to filter or add notes to favorites
  • Filter by agency

Balwin Access

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Private Property

No in-app purchases

None

Balwin Access

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Private Property free?
Private Property is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Balwin Access free?
Balwin Access is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Private Property or Balwin Access have ads?
Neither Private Property nor Balwin Access shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Private Property or Balwin Access?
Private Property ships an update fortnightly, and Balwin Access every 2 weeks. Most recently, Private Property was updated on October 8, 2026 and Balwin Access on October 1, 2026.

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