Comparison

SpareRoom vs Roome

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

Roome

This app simplifies student housing by helping users find properties, connect with compatible housemates, and manage shared living spaces. It offers features for property search, housemate matching, group collaboration, and bill management, all tailored for students.

Highlights
  • All-in-one property search
  • Housemate matching by preferences
  • Student-only room listings
  • Group collaboration for house hunting
  • Effortless bill management
  • Advanced search filters
Features
Read full description

Roome is an all-in-one student housing app designed to simplify your student housing journey from start to finish. Whether you’re searching for a property, finding like-minded housemates, or managing your shared space, Roome offers the features you need to make student life easier. Features That Make Roome Essential for Students: - All-in-One Property Search: Skip the hassle of multiple sites! Roome compiles listings from top platforms so you can find the best student properties all in one place. - Housemate Matching: Connect with compatible students by matching preferences. Whether you’re looking for individuals or groups, Roome helps you build the perfect housemate team. - Room Listings Just for Students: Browse hundreds of rooms in student-only properties. Discover available spots and connect directly with students looking for housemates in your city. - Group Collaboration Made Easy: Add friends to your group, search for houses or housemates together, and share favorite listings effortlessly. Make group inquiries in just a few taps! - Effortless Bill Management: Simplify your monthly bills by setting up, splitting, and tracking costs right within Roome. Why Choose Roome? - Student-Centric: Tailored for students, Roome is the only app that fully understands your unique housing needs. - Like-Minded Matches: Find and connect with individuals or groups who share similar interests and lifestyles. - Seamless Sharing & Saving: Bookmark your top choices and share them with your group to get everyone’s input. - Advanced Filters for Your Perfect Place: Refine your search by distance, price, number of bedrooms, and more to find the right fit faster. - Connect with a Student Community: Access Roome’s exclusive community features to enhance your student living experience. Ready to make smarter housing decisions and find your ideal student home? Download Roome today!

Screenshots

SpareRoom4 screens
Roome4 screens

Verdict

The call

SpareRoom and Roome both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 92% of Roome's written reviews are positive against 49% of SpareRoom's. Roome also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 13) and update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly). SpareRoom's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (4.2K vs 2). On price, rating, 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. Roome asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SpareRoom holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. 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 complicate that: 49% of SpareRoom's written reviews are positive against 92% of Roome's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SpareRoom ships an update fortnightly, Roome every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
SpareRoom versus Roome: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpareRoomRoome
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (4.2K ratings) — better4.5 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews48.7% of reviews91.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4.2K — better2
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB75 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperFlatshare LtdRoome.Uni Ltd

Customer experience

SpareRoom

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

Roome

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive91.7%
Neutral4.2%
Negative4.2%

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

Roome

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

Roome

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SpareRoom free?
SpareRoom is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Roome free?
Roome is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SpareRoom or Roome?
SpareRoom is rated higher. SpareRoom averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4.2K ratings, while Roome averages 4.5 from 2 ratings.
Do SpareRoom or Roome have ads?
Roome shows ads; SpareRoom does not.
Which is updated more often, SpareRoom or Roome?
SpareRoom ships an update fortnightly, and Roome every 5 days. Most recently, SpareRoom was updated on October 26, 2026 and Roome on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons