Not Sure How to Find a Roommate? Here Are 10+ Roommate Finder Apps and Websites That Will Do It for You

I think it’s safe to assume we’ve all binged on Friends at some point in life. And we’ve probably fantasized about finding a roommate that cleans and cooks like Monica, or one who’s willing to take care of the bills when your audition doesn’t work out as Chandler does. Or at least about hosting one Friends-like Thanksgiving dinner with your roomie.

As owning a place comes with a lot of difficulties in today’s market, renting is gaining more popularity among Americans. Whether you’re a live-in landlord or a tenant who’s looking to occupy that vacant room in your apartment, you’re probably dreading the moment when you will have to start looking for a new roommate and dive into thousands of ads on the internet not knowing where to start or who to trust.

We understand the burden because we’ve all been there, so in an attempt to show you the best way to find a roommate, we’ve compiled a list of useful apps and websites that do just that.

Circle for Roommates

The concept of a ‘circle of friends’ lies at the very foundation of this roommate app. Circle believes you’d be better off moving in with friends, or friends of your friends. Yes, you’ve got it right, I’m referring to Facebook friends. For the app to work, though, both you and all the other users need to log in with your Facebook accounts and share locations. You swipe through people’s cards by liking or disliking them until you’ve found the right match. At the moment this roommate app is only available for iOS.

CirTru

Everyone wants to find a trustworthy roommate and, with this new finder called CirTru (Circles of Trust), you just might. Because the people running this roommate app are all about trust and security, every new user goes through identity verification, before being able to list or contact other users. The app offers you further verification options, such as employment, education, background check, and even government-issued ID check. Your details are always kept private and you can anonymously communicate with other users through the app’s internal chat. Listing and looking for rooms through CirTru is 100% free. You also enjoy unlimited conversations with other users and, for a small fee, you can request background checks on potential roommates.

EasyRoommate

With a user-friendly layout and years of experience in the market, EasyRoommate is one of the most established portals for roommate searches. The company describes itself as a website that matches people with a spare room with those in need of one. You can subscribe for free whether you want to list a room or look for a housemate. However, there are some features that you may only be able to unlock in exchange for a small fee, including having unlimited access to all users and the ability to get in touch with someone before non-paying members.

Diggz

Virtually liking people should be a pretty familiar practice for you if you own a social media account, so you’ll probably find Diggz fun. You search through potential roommates ranked by their proprietary algorithm and hit the ‘Like’ button whenever you find someone you think you could live with. If they’ve liked you back, then it’s a ‘Match’ and you can start chatting. The website employs A.I. to prevent scammers from ever joining the app, however, communication with users can stay on the platform until you feel it’s safe to give out your contact information, or even meet up with people. Lastly, for newfound roomless roommates, the platform can even find a new apartment. And to top it off subscribing to Diggz is completely free.

Roomiematch

This website is focused on helping you find a roommate that matches your personality, but you’ve probably already figured that out from its name. At Roomiematch, submissions are verified by human reviewers who are particularly careful to rule out any scammers, spambots or real people with shady intentions. They also run an IP Address Actual Location Analysis on subscribers’ computers so they can share the actual cities in which you can find your next roommate. Unless you want to go straight for their premium account, subscribing to Roomiematch is free.

Roomi

Another curated roommate finder app out there, that’s available for both iOS and Android is Roomi. The app is renowned for the background checks it performs on applicants so that you don’t run the risk of connecting with a scammer, or worse, moving in with one. To ensure you are choosing a trusted individual, the app displays a badge on the profiles of those who have completed all the steps of the verification. If you’re the one listing a spare room, it gets taken off the market as soon as you’ve found your new housemate. And to successfully seal the deal, the app will transfer your roommate’s part of the rent on the move-in day. No fuss, no muss.

SpareRoom

If you don’t have much in common, then sitting in the kitchen with your roommate as you wait for the coffee to finish brewing can sure be awkward. That’s why SpareRoom gives you the option of personalizing your search in order to find the right match for your living situation. The app is available on App Store and Google Play as well. And because we all need some good old fashion face-to-face interaction too, you can attend SpeedRoommating, every week in Manhattan or Brooklyn. Go ahead and book yourself a spot at the next gathering for free. You go into a bar, get yourself a drink and work your way through the crowd until you’ve found yourself a roommate.

Roomster

Let’s face it, whenever you find someone interesting on a roommate finder app, you probably go straight to their Twitter, Facebook or Instagram accounts for a quick scan. You’ve been through this before – he described himself as a plant lover on the app, but then put out a cigarette in the potted-basil. You just can’t have that again. Conveniently enough, to register on Roomster, you can log in with any of the previously mentioned accounts, making it easier to conduct a proper investigation of your picks’ online profiles. The app is available for iOS and Android.

Listings Project

Although Listings Project isn’t specifically a roommate finder app, it’s a great way to get your room listed and shared with the website’s subscribers. In 2003 the founder, Stephanie Diamond, started sharing housing and studio opportunities friends sent her with her artist community. It started out as a social practice artwork, grew considerably every year, and became a business. Today, her project includes artists, creatives, and other professionals who are working together to build like-minded communities. You can list your spare room—$30 to list by Tuesday morning—in an email that is sent out to subscribers on Wednesday mornings. It is free to subscribe.

Nooklyn

If you’re living in New York and looking for a roommate, Nooklyn might be the solution for you. Most of its listings are in Brooklyn, but you can also do searches in Queens or Manhattan. All submissions are Facebook verified. Download the app for iOS, create an account and get busy. This roommate finder app enables you to message potential roommates, but also save apartments you liked, schedule a tour and even apply.

RoomZoom

Founded in 2015, RoomZoom was designed to make the process of finding a roommate easy, safe, and fast. This roommate app works on an algorithm that determines who would be the best roommates and subletters for you. Therefore, it’s really important to create a profile that reflects your preferences as truthfully as possible. The subscription is free and although at the moment they are only operating in New York, RoomZoom is looking to spread its network in other cities as well, so stay tuned!

Is your favorite roommate finder app on this list? If we missed it, please drop us a line at media@rentcafe.com and we’ll consider adding it!