Finding a new apartment to rent can be difficult. After all, many major cities are experiencing a housing shortage already. Coupled with rising rent prices, many apartment searchers can’t afford the available apartments they keep finding.
Luckily, there are many more apartments on the market than you might know. In fact, not every rental site shows every apartment available in one particular city. Each rental site also caters to a different audience.
No matter your needs, using one of these best rental apps for iPhone and Android can help you find your new place in no time.
Realtor.com is one of the most popular websites to use when looking to buy a home. While the app is known for listing homes for sale, they also have a rental section. All you need to do is tap Rentals on the homepage, and you can see rentals in your area.
Realtor.com has a great search function to sort by bedrooms, bathrooms, and pricing. You can also see nearby schools and the available amenities for each unit. Realtor.com also cross-references listings with other popular rental sites, so think of it like a search engine for finding rentals.
However, unlike traditional rental websites, you will need to go through an agent to contact the person listing the unit. Unless, however, you search that building’s phone number and give them a call yourself.
Download: Realtor.com Real Estate for iOS | Android (Free)
2. Zillow Rentals
Zillow, another popular home-buying website, also has an exclusive rental app which happens to be one of the best. While Realtor.com Rentals has more apartments listed, Zillow Rentals is geared more toward house rentals. In fact, Zillow Rentals seems to have more house rentals than any other rental app.
Like the traditional website, it also includes a sorting feature that shows nearby schools and amenities. So if the apartment life isn’t for you, but you are still only able to rent, give Zillow Rentals a try. After all, Zillow is one of the most recognizable names in searching for real estate, so you’ll be in good hands.
Download: Zillow Rentals for iOS | Android (Free)
Apartments.com, to date, is one of the most popular apartment searching sites. It’s so popular that Realtor.com uses those listings to populate its own rental section. Most people start searching for apartments on this website. Thankfully, the site has an exclusive iPhone and Android rental app to make searching for apartments even easier.
However, its popularity has a downside. Apartment.com is so popular that many units in larger cities are rented out quickly. Alternatively, if you live in a rural or suburban area, this could be your best chance at finding a good unit, as those won’t get rented out as fast. Other apartment-searching apps, while packed with more features, might not suit smaller areas.
Download: Apartments.com Rental Finder for iOS | Android (Free)
4. Rent. Apartments & Homes
Another popular site, Rent.com has an app to make searching for rentals on your mobile device easier than ever. Whether you’re looking for an apartment or a house, Rent.com is the best choice.
The Rent app has the largest database of both houses and apartments for rent. While the previous websites we mentioned seem to cater to one or the other, Rent.com has a healthy balance of both. It’s perfect for those who just want to rent and have no preference for building type or want to see both options available.
The app also has great neighborhood info as well as a pet filter, so you can make sure you find something that fits all of your needs.
Download: Rent. Apartments & Homes for iOS | Android (Free)
5. HotPads
For those who live in busy metropolitan areas and can’t seem to get a place, HotPads would be the best choice for you. HotPads does what apartment agents do, or used to do, before the days of the internet.
The HotPads app will notify you whenever new units are available. That way, no matter how busy your day is, you can stay up to date on your apartment search.
Unfortunately, HotPads, one of the best rental apps, is only available in select cities, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Fransisco, and Washington, DC.
Download: HotPads for iOS | Android (Free)
6. Apartment List
Apartment List is another popular app for finding a great deal. Like other popular listing sites, there are plenty of sorting options to find apartments that fit your criteria.
However, the Apartment List just requires a few questions to gather a list of all available apartments. This is best for those who are too busy to do an in-depth search and would prefer an algorithm search for them.
For pet lovers, Apartment List seems to have the best feature to find out if a unit allows pets and has more pet-friendly listings than other sites. While other rental sites do contain pet information, Apartment List is more in tune with the needs of pet owners.
This would be the best choice if you have pets or just need additional apartment-hunting options from an established listing app.
Download: Apartment List for iOS | Android (Free)
7. Zumper
Zumper is the apartment searching app for the modern person. Designed for those wanting to find apartments that aren’t listed anywhere else, Zumper is a must-download.
Unlike traditional apartment finder apps, Zumper also shows available rooms for rent. This offers even cheaper options for finding your next place to live and is a great option for college students.
Landlords can list properties directly on the website without having a selling agent or needing to be part of an agency—many of the other apartment rental apps do have this requirement. This means that buyers can potentially find smaller apartments unavailable on any other app at a lower price.
After all, without agency or agent fees, the landlords will also be saving money. Zumper also makes it easy to pay your rent right in the app. This incredibly convenient feature saves time and makes paying rent a breeze.
As for now, Zumper is available in several major cities, including Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Denver, and Boston. It’s also available in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Vancouver.
Download: Zumper for iOS | Android (Free)
Your New Apartment Is Within Reach
Using one or more of these popular apartment-searching apps can help you find your new apartment, where you can make many new memories.
The housing market has proven difficult for new home buyers and renters. However, that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck. These rental apps offer a multitude of features that can help you sort through the chaos and find a place that feels like home.
Give these apps a try and see what you can find. The only thing these apartment apps won’t do is move all of your stuff to your new place!