Comparison

SpareRoom vs MealShift

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

MealShift

Earn money by delivering food for local restaurants. Choose your own shifts and vehicle, and get paid a fixed hourly rate plus per-delivery earnings and tips. Sign up to start earning cash quickly.

Highlights
  • Flexible shift work
  • Choose your own vehicle
  • Fixed hourly pay
  • Per-delivery earnings
  • Tips and bonuses
  • Restaurant-provided vehicles
  • Location-based job offers
Features
Read full description

Earn extra cash working shifts delivering food for local restaurants and takeaways with MealShift! With MealShift, you’re hired directly by local restaurants and takeaways, and get paid for the number of hours you choose to work, plus for each delivery you make. Download the MealShift Driver app today to sign-up and get started! Work shifts, not orders. With MealShift you get hired for shifts. So, no more rushing around from restaurant to restaurant or chasing delivery hotspots. Be your own boss. You decide when and where you work, and when you take time off! You can also choose which vehicle you would like to drive whenever you want – whether it’s your car, moped, or bike, or even the restaurant’s vehicle. You’re the boss! Excellent pay. Earn a great, fixed hourly rate, AND get paid for each delivery you make, plus any tips and bonuses. The more you work the more you earn! No vehicle? No problem! Many of our restaurant partners provide their own vehicles for you to drive if you don't have one. MealShift is currently available in the following cities, towns and their surrounding areas: Peterborough Kings Lynn Wisbech Spalding Download the MealShift Driver app today to sign-up and get on the road earning cash in as little as a few hours! Application tracks users' location to allow driver-users to receive time-sensitive job offers relevant to the current location even when the app is closed or not in use. Please note that location background mode may dramatically decrease battery life.

Screenshots

SpareRoom4 screens
MealShift4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: SpareRoom at 49% against MealShift's 0%. MealShift's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). 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. MealShift asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
SpareRoom versus MealShift: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpareRoomMealShift
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (4.2K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews48.7% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings4.2K — better—
Update frequencyFortnightlyFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB154 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperFlatshare LtdMealShift LTD

Customer experience

SpareRoom

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

MealShift

Written reviews5 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative80.0%

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

MealShift

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

MealShift

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SpareRoom free?
SpareRoom is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MealShift free?
MealShift is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do SpareRoom or MealShift have ads?
Neither SpareRoom nor MealShift shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SpareRoom or MealShift?
SpareRoom ships an update fortnightly, and MealShift fortnightly. Most recently, SpareRoom was updated on October 21, 2026 and MealShift on October 5, 2026.

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