Comparison

SpareRoom vs Samaritan Partner

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

Head to head
About

SpareRoom

Find your ideal room or flatmate with the UK's leading platform. Browse thousands of listings across the UK, connect with potential housemates, and secure your perfect living situation on the go.

Highlights
  • Room and roommate search
  • Thousands of UK listings
  • On-the-go access
  • User support
  • Connect with housemates
Features
Read full description

As the UK’s number 1 flatshare site, we’ve helped over 13,000,000 people to find their perfect room or roommate. With our apps, you can do it all while on-the-go. Repeatedly featured by Apple as App Of The Day and in the categories of Your New Home, Apps for the Weekend, What’s Hot, and Popular Apps and Games. Rated by The Sunday Times as one of the top apps on the App Store. SUITABLE FOR EVERYONE Whether you’re starting university, relocating to the UK, tired of living alone, weighing up what to do with an empty room, or, quite simply, searching for another flatmate or flatshare, we’re the service for you. UNRIVALLED CHOICE With thousands of flatsharing opportunities to choose from in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and right across the UK, you’ll be able to find your perfect flatmate or flatshare. OUR PHILOSOPHY Experience has taught us that flatsharing is as much about the people as it is about the property. To help you find the best of both, we provide unparalleled tools, choice, and support. As a result, on average, every 3 minutes someone finds a flatmate through SpareRoom. HELP & SUPPORT Our award-winning customer support team are here to help you with your search. If you require support, come across a problem, or want to provide feedback, you can get in touch by email (support@spareroom.co.uk) or phone (1 877 834 2909).

About

Samaritan Partner

Manage and support members with this comprehensive tool for care providers. Sign up new members, create action steps, manage funds, and communicate directly for real-time support.

Highlights
  • Sign up new members
  • Create action steps
  • Manage funds
  • Graduate members
  • Direct member messaging
Features
Read full description

The Samaritan Partner app is your essential tool for managing and empowering Samaritan Members. Perfect for on-the-go care providers, this app lets you carry out every capability of the desktop website version of the partner dashboard. With the Samaritan Partner app, you can: - Sign Up New Members quickly and seamlessly. - Create Action Steps to help Members stay on track with their goals. - Use Funds to meet Members’ needs or transfer to samaritan debit cards - Graduate Members as needed. - Message Members for direct, real-time communication.

Screenshots

SpareRoom4 screens
Samaritan Partner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Samaritan Partner at none against SpareRoom's 13. Samaritan Partner also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). SpareRoom's advantage is ratings volume (4.2K vs 4). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. SpareRoom sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Samaritan Partner asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Samaritan Partner holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SpareRoom has 4.2K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SpareRoom ships an update fortnightly, Samaritan Partner every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
SpareRoom versus Samaritan Partner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpareRoomSamaritan Partner
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (4.2K ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews48.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings4.2K — better4
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB70 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperFlatshare LtdSamaritan

Customer experience

SpareRoom

All ratings4,153 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral3.4%
Negative4.4%
Written reviews396 reviews
Positive48.7%
Neutral13.4%
Negative37.9%

Samaritan Partner

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

SpareRoom

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes and sign-outs
  • Inconsistent behavior between app and website
  • Issues with updating and editing listings

Requested features

4 requests
  • Better messaging/communication tools
  • More advanced search and filtering options
  • Improved verification of listings and users
  • Feedback/review system for landlords/tenants

Samaritan Partner

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

9 purchases

SpareRoom

One-time9
  • Boost$9.99
  • 7-Day Upgrade2 variants$12.99
  • 1-Week Upgrade2 variants$15.00
Show 6 more
  • Verification$15.00
  • 30-Day Upgrade$15.49
  • 14-Day Upgrade$23.99
  • 2-Week Upgrade$25.00
  • 30-Day Upgrade2 variants$25.99
  • 4-Week Upgrade2 variants$30.00
None

Samaritan Partner

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SpareRoom free?
SpareRoom is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Samaritan Partner free?
Samaritan Partner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SpareRoom or Samaritan Partner?
Samaritan Partner is rated higher. SpareRoom averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4.2K ratings, while Samaritan Partner averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do SpareRoom or Samaritan Partner have ads?
Neither SpareRoom nor Samaritan Partner shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SpareRoom or Samaritan Partner?
SpareRoom ships an update fortnightly, and Samaritan Partner every 2 weeks. Most recently, SpareRoom was updated on November 1, 2026 and Samaritan Partner on September 11, 2026.

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