Apartment & Real Estate Search · Tool Face-Off

Zillow vs Apartments.com

Quick answer

Zillow wins on sheer data breadth and home-buying tools, but Apartments.com is the sharper knife if renting is all you care about.

Our pick

Zillow

The one-stop shop for buyers, sellers, AND renters

4.3★

Apartments.com

Laser-focused on rentals, and it shows

4★

Active listings (approx.)

160M+ properties (sale + rental)

~1M rental units

For-sale listings

Yes — full MLS coverage

No — rentals only

Zestimate / price estimate

Yes — Zestimate on nearly every home

No equivalent tool

Virtual tours / 3D walkthroughs

Yes, widely available

Yes, on many listings

Online rental applications

Yes, but varies by landlord

Yes — standardized, free to apply

Tenant screening (landlord side)

Basic credit/background checks

Robust: credit, background, eviction history

Landlord listing fee

Free for 1 listing; $29.99/wk after

Free basic; premium from ~$9.99/wk

Rent payment collection

Yes — Zillow Rent Payments (free)

Yes — via Apartments.com platform

Neighborhood crime & school data

Yes — detailed neighborhood stats

Basic neighborhood info only

Map search & filters

Excellent — draw-your-own-zone tool

Good — standard radius/map search

Mortgage calculator & lender match

Yes — full mortgage marketplace

iOS / Android app rating

4.8 iOS / 4.7 Android

4.7 iOS / 4.5 Android

Zillow

Mobile App★★★★½

Ease of Use★★★★½

Landlord Tools★★★☆☆

Listing Volume★★★★★

Data & Insights★★★★★

Rental Features★★★½☆

Apartments.com

Mobile App★★★★☆

Ease of Use★★★★☆

Landlord Tools★★★★½

Listing Volume★★★★☆

Data & Insights★★★☆☆

Rental Features★★★★½

Worth knowing

Zillow gets over 200 million unique monthly visitors — it's basically the Google of real estate.
Apartments.com is owned by CoStar Group, one of the largest commercial real estate data companies on Earth.
Zillow's Zestimate algorithm has been sued over accuracy disputes — take those estimates with a pinch of salt.
Apartments.com listings often include verified availability, reducing the frustrating 'ghost listing' problem.
Zillow tried (and failed) to flip homes itself via Zillow Offers, losing over $500M before shutting it down in 2021.

Zillow's 'Make Me Move' feature lets homeowners name a fantasy price at which they'd sell — essentially a legal way to troll buyers.

If you want

You're hunting for an apartment to rent

Apartments.com has cleaner rental filters, better landlord tools, and more reliable availability data for renters.

→ Pick Apartments.com

If you want

You're buying (or thinking about buying) a home

Zillow's MLS coverage, Zestimate, mortgage tools, and agent network make it the undisputed choice for buyers.

→ Pick Zillow

If you want

You're a small landlord listing a rental

Apartments.com offers cheaper premium listings and stronger built-in tenant screening.

→ Pick Apartments.com

If you want

You want deep neighborhood data before committing

Zillow's school ratings, crime maps, and commute tools go far deeper than anything Apartments.com offers.

→ Pick Zillow

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