Comparison

SpareRoom vs Perks

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

Perks

Access exclusive discounts of up to 50% off at various hotels, restaurants, shops, and more. Search for offers by keyword or location, browse categories, and save your favorites for future use. Requires a valid Perks card to register and log in.

Highlights
  • Exclusive discounts up to 50% off
  • Search offers by keyword or location
  • Browse deals by 7 categories
  • Map function to find nearby discounts
  • Save favorite offers
  • Leave reviews on redeemed offers
  • Suggest new venues
Features
Read full description

Are you a Perks cardholder? Download the Perks mobile app for free today to make the most of your Perks card by continuously saving on the go. Login for instant access to all your EXCLUSIVE discounts of up to 50% off at various hotels, restaurants, cafés, golf courses, bowling alleys, gyms, leisure centres, high street shops, hairdressers, cinemas and much more across the country! As one of the leading employee rewards programmes across the UK and Ireland, Perks brings over 1,500 substantial savings to your fingertips with something for everyone to enjoy from all your local favourites to big, nationwide brands. With the Perks app, you can: • Search for specific offers with ease by keyword or location using the search bar. • Browse our 7 categories to find deals tailored to you. • Use the map function to find the nearby discounts on your doorstep, or look for offers in a different town by simply adjusting the map or by typing the location in the search bar. • Leave reviews on any offers you have redeemed to share your experience with other Perks members. • Save your favourite offers for later, enabling you to save time and time again! • Suggest venues to us for possible discounts in the near future… And redeeming an offer on the app is simple: • Choose your favourite(s) offer from the 1,500 available • Press the ‘How to Use’ button on the full offer page and follow the redemption instructions • Visit the venue to avail of your offer, and enjoy! Take the tour to best familiarize yourself with how the app works, and be sure to visit regularly to enter exciting competitions and ensure you don’t miss out on the newest offers! “I love the app. It’s very handy when you’re in a new town and you would like to see what offers are close” Please note: You must have a valid Perks Card in order to register and/or login on the app. We’re here to help! Got a question, suggestion or need help accessing the app? please Contact Us at info@perksdirectory.com

Screenshots

SpareRoom4 screens
Perks4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: SpareRoom at 4.7 against Perks's 3.0. SpareRoom also leads on review sentiment (49% vs 14%) and ratings volume (4.2K vs 2). Perks's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Perks asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SpareRoom holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SpareRoom has 4.2K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 49% of SpareRoom's written reviews are positive against 14% of Perks's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SpareRoom ships an update fortnightly, Perks every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
SpareRoom versus Perks: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpareRoomPerks
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (4.2K ratings) — better3.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews48.7% of reviews — better14.3% of reviews
Number of ratings4.2K — better2
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB67 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperFlatshare LtdCLUB MARKETING SERVICES LTD

Customer experience

SpareRoom

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

Perks

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive14.3%
Neutral4.8%
Negative81.0%

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

Perks

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

Perks

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SpareRoom free?
SpareRoom is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Perks free?
Perks is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SpareRoom or Perks?
SpareRoom is rated higher. SpareRoom averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4.2K ratings, while Perks averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.
Do SpareRoom or Perks have ads?
Neither SpareRoom nor Perks shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SpareRoom or Perks?
SpareRoom ships an update fortnightly, and Perks every 2 months. Most recently, SpareRoom was updated on October 29, 2026 and Perks on October 24, 2026.

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