# SpareRoom vs Now Students

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Now Students at none against SpareRoom's 13. SpareRoom's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 9 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SpareRoom sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Now Students asks for nothing beyond the download.

SpareRoom ships an update fortnightly, Now Students every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SpareRoom | Now Students |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (4.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spareroom/id400181250/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **4.2K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 48.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 9 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 60 MB | 32 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | +4 | 4+ |
| Developer | [Flatshare Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/397979250) | [NOW STUDENT LIVING LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1701075433) |

## What reviewers say

### SpareRoom

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spareroom/id400181250)

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:** Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Boost | $9.99 | one-time |
| 7-Day Upgrade | $12.99 | one-time |
| 1-Week Upgrade | $15.00 | one-time |
| Verification | $15.00 | one-time |
| 30-Day Upgrade | $15.49 | one-time |
| 14-Day Upgrade | $23.99 | one-time |
| 2-Week Upgrade | $25.00 | one-time |
| 30-Day Upgrade | $25.99 | one-time |
| 4-Week Upgrade | $30.00 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Great for finding rooms/flatmates
- 💡 Useful features like filters
- 🌟 Positive overall experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 💰 Expensive paid features
- 🤖 Fake/unresponsive listings
- 🚫 Discrimination in listings

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


### Now Students

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/now-students/id6458144834)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SpareRoom free?

SpareRoom is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Now Students free?

Now Students is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do SpareRoom or Now Students have ads?

Neither SpareRoom nor Now Students shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SpareRoom or Now Students?

SpareRoom ships an update fortnightly, and Now Students every 9 months. Most recently, SpareRoom was updated on October 26, 2026 and Now Students on October 11, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*