6 Best Zillow Alternatives
Gina is a licensed real estate salesperson, experienced trainer, and former high school educator of 1,000+ learners. She writes for Fit Small Business with a focus on real estate content.
Aloun Khountham is a contributor to Fit Small Business. Her real estate experience stems from over five years as a New York City real estate operations executive focused on implementing processes, procedures, and new technology solutions designed to help agents succeed.
This article is part of a larger series on Real Estate Lead Generation and Marketing.
Zillow is one of the most popular website listing platforms that boasts the most listings and traffic compared to Zillow competitors. However, other listing website alternatives can also help increase your exposure, target niche audiences, and provide additional features that Zillow cannot. We’ve researched almost a dozen listing websites to determine the six best Zillow alternatives based on cost, listing and advertising features, integrations, and customer support options.
- Realtor.com: Best for real estate agents looking for multiple channels of customer support
- Trulia: Most affordable alternative for advertising pricing structure
- Apartments.com: Ideal for agents and brokers focusing on rental properties as their niche
- Homes.com: Recommended for real estate professionals who want to receive leads from free exclusive listings
- Homesnap: The best platform for agents to manage their listings and advertising from their mobile phone
- RealtyTrac: Top listing platform for professionals who work with distressed properties
Best Zillow Alternatives at a Glance
Provider | Starting Price | Free Trial | CRM Integration | Customer Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Free | ✔ | ✔ | Phone and email |
 | $200 per month | ✕ | ✔ | Live chat, phone, and email |
 | $29 per lead | ✕ | ✔ | Phone and email |
 | $199 per month, per property | ✕ | ✔ | Phone and email |
 | Call for custom pricing | ✕ | ✔ | Phone and email |
 | $49 per month | ✕ | ✔ | Phone and email |
 | $49.95 per month | ✔ | ✔ | Phone and email |
Realtor.com: Best for Agents Looking for Customer Support
Overall Score:
4.26 / 5
What We Like
- Ability to market listings on Facebook and Instagram
- Agent reviews listed on profiles
- Extended customer service hours
What's Missing
- No free trial
- Advertising cost based on ZIP codes
- Cannot edit layout or square footage of listing via the dashboard
Realtor.com Monthly Search Volume:
- 27.4M
Realtor.com is one of the few real estate websites that allow real estate agents to advertise for lead generation and manage and market their listings simultaneously. With the multiple functions available on the real estate platform, it’s beneficial to agents to have multiple support channels for any issues that may arise. They may contact support through live chat, phone, or email. Realtor.com also has extended hours of support not limited to just business hours.
Similar to Zillow, Realtor.com has one of the higher monthly search volumes at 27.4 million searches a month compared to Zillow at 34.8 million. Realtor.com’s pricing structure is also similarly structured to Zillow Premier Agent, with advertising pricing varying by ZIP code. However, Realtor.com has a flat monthly advertising cost in addition to the ZIP code selection.
Although Zillow does allow agents to manage listings directly on the website back-end, Realtor.com will pull data in from the multiple listing service (MLS), allowing agents to only edit photos, listing descriptions, and open houses. Any other listing information that may feed incorrectly, like price, bedrooms or baths count, and other property details, must be edited on the MLS.
Agent Essentials toolkit dashboard example (Source: Realtor.com)
Realtor.com Features
- Customized ads displayed on search results
- Detailed reporting on listing performance
- Listing presentation tools
- Options for international exposure
- Listing exposure on over 750 real estate website
Realtor.com Reviews
The reviews for Realtor.com are a combination of consumers and real estate professionals. Therefore, it’s difficult to give a definite rating. In reviews on G2.com, the agents mentioned setting up the profile was quite easy, and it was a great platform to begin obtaining leads as a new agent. Another agent mentioned the ease of data pulling in from the MLS, resulting in the most accurate information.
One agent mentioned the profile design for agents didn’t have the best layout options. They mentioned that general information was listed on their profile before listing information, and they preferred to highlight their listings instead. For agents who prefer a better agent profile, consider using Homes.com, which has a dedicated tab for agent listings.
Realtor.com Pricing
Pricing for Realtor.com is not directly listed on the website. The pricing structure is based on ZIP codes, and a few third-party sites list the price to be around $200 per month.
Trulia: Most Affordable Pricing Structure for Advertising
Overall Score:
4.14 / 5
What We Like
- Listings can be submitted manually
- Combined advertising with Zillow through Premier Agent
- Pay-per-lead pricing structure
What's Missing
- Trulia reviews don't transfer to Zillow profile
- Leads flow automatically into Zillow’s Agent Hub
- No live chat support option
Trulia Monthly Search Volume:
- 14.6M
Trulia is a residential real estate search engine that Zillow purchased in 2015. As a subsidiary of Zillow, Trulia contains much of the same features and functionality except for its pricing structure. While Zillow’s pricing is based on ZIP codes, Trulia’s pricing is on a cost-per-lead basis. The Trulia pricing structure provides transparent costs, instead of a model based on area and impressions, which means you will still pay a fee even if you don’t receive any leads at all.
Similar to Zillow, if agents would like their listings to feed into Trulia, then they must use a partner site to feed to Trulia. Their partners include ListHub.net, Point2Agent.com, and vflyer.com, to name a few. Similarly, agents can also edit some portions of their listings via their agent profile. Otherwise, they’ll need to edit the listing where the listing feed is originating from.
Although Zillow owns Trulia, the client experience on the website is quite different. Prospective clients will have a different overall experience when viewing your listings. Trulia’s site contains neighborhood overviews that provide website visitors information, including schools, restaurants, local reviews, and neighborhood photos. This information may help your clients make quicker and more educated decisions when it comes to your listings.
Trulia agent profile example (Source: Trulia)
Trulia Features
- Agents can upload listing videos
- Client reviews on agent profile
- Trulia provides email scripts
- Mortgage calculators
- Customer relationship management (CRM) integration
- Available social media integrations
Trulia Reviews
Trulia is rated 3.9 out of 5 based on 242 reviews. Similar to Realtor.com, the reviews contain buyer, renter, and seller experiences, but the agents who have left reviews received great leads from the site. Some mentioned Trulia allowed prospective clients to find their listings easily. Most agents who were satisfied with the listing site used it for their rental properties and closed those deals quickly.
Dissatisfied agents mentioned the removal of Trulia reports once Zillow acquired the site. Agents felt they were up charged for added features and were disappointed that Trulia’s feed from the MLS showed some inaccuracies. For agents who want more transparent pricing, Apartments.com’s fixed charges may be a better alternative.
Trulia Pricing
The cost per lead received on Trulia is $29.
Apartments.com: Ideal for Rental Agents & Brokerages Focused on Rental Properties
Overall Score:
4.07 / 5
What We Like
- Ability to list properties for free
- Agents can manage listings directly on agent portal
- High monthly search volume
What's Missing
- No properties for sale
- Listings are sorted in search by listing type—ads first
- Need to manually refresh listings
Apartments.com Monthly Search Volume:
- 22.5M
Apartments.com is a rentals-only platform that allows landlords, brokerages, and real estate agents to post listings. Despite being rental only, there are a variety of property types available like homes, condos, and duplexes. When an agent lists a rental property on the platform, it feeds to the top five most popular rental websites, including Apartments.com. Other websites are ForRent.com, Apartmenthomeliving.com, Apartmentfinder.com, and Apartamentos.com—extending exposure for your properties.
Although it’s a rental-only site, it has a fairly high monthly search volume coming in at 22.5 million compared to Zillow’s 34.8 million, which also contains sales listings. If agents do focus on both sales and rentals, then it would be a good opportunity to use the free option from Apartments.com combined with another Zillow alternative for sales and rental listing exposure.
The big differentiator for Aparments.com compared to Zillow and other alternatives is the ability to manage your listings directly within the website. Other sites will only feed listings from the local MLS and limit your editing capabilities However, on Aparments.com, you are required to manually refresh listings every 20 days. The website also contains integrated property management tools for landlords to receive rental applications, screen tenants, and collect rent.
Apartment.com rental application example (Source: Apartment.com)
Apartment.com Features
- Online tours available
- Ability to collect payments via platform
- Receive rental applications
- Can generate a lease for signature
- Resident management portal for maintenance requests
- Tracking rental property expenses
Apartment.com Reviews
Real estate professionals using Apartment.com have rated the platform a 3.9 out of 5. Agents have specifically mentioned the benefit of Apartments.com acquiring Cozy.com—providing agents and landlords with a rental portal. This includes rental applications, leasing, and collection of rent. Moreover, some agents shared that customer service was helpful when needed.
Although you can manage and add listings directly from the agent portal, some agents found it difficult to get listings up due to validation requirements. For agents who would like a different rental alternative, consider using Trulia, which also has a rental search function, but integrates with the MLS feed.
Apartment.com Pricing
- Free account: Allows anyone to list unlimited properties for free
- Pro paid account: The paid account for $199 per month comes with syndication to six other rental sites for your rental property along with 3D tours, lease forms and e-signatures, financial tracking, and maintenance requests. The pro account also allows social retargeting ads with an added $399 per month fee.
Homes.com: Best for Agents Looking for Free Exclusive Listing Leads
Overall Score:
4.07 / 5
What We Like
- Property inquiries are sent to listing agents for free
- Lead text alerts available
- Can add virtual tour link to listing
What's Missing
- Limited social media integrations
- No live chat support option
- Agent website only available with Pro+ account
Homes.com Monthly Search Volume:
- 3.9M
Homes.com provides a platform to market both sales and rental listings and receives the listings feed through your local MLS. It requires an agent to create a profile to claim their listings, similar to claiming listings on Zillow. We named Homes.com the best real estate website for agents to receive free exclusive leads because all leads inquiring about your exclusive listings will be sent directly to you rather than other agents.
Other alternative listings sites, like Zillow Premier Agent, allow other buyer’s agents to advertise their contact information on another agent’s exclusive listings. This means an agent may post their listing for free on Zillow and get exposure, but you won’t necessarily receive any direct leads like on Homes.com.
The Homes.com navigation bar highlights finding an agent first before showcasing homes for sale and rent. This feature is beneficial because visitors will first focus on reaching out to an agent, so agents don’t necessarily need exclusive listings to receive a lead. Real estate agents are able to optimize their profiles to increase consumer engagement within the agent search page.
The Pro+ account includes a verified Google My Business page, a website, listing analytics, and an enhanced agent profile to increase your real estate business success. A Pro+ account ensures clients find you and your website on Google Search and Maps, and the listings analytics will provide insight into who’s viewed your listings. These features are designed to increase your audience and help you generate more leads.
Listing management page on Homes.com (Source: Homes.com)
Homes.com Features
- Pulls in listings from local MLS
- Free profile on Homes.com
- Available educational programs, including webinars and events
- Available monthly payment calculator
- Home Values provide property valuations
- Agent reviews directly on profiles
Homes.com Reviews
Users have rated Homes.com a 3.9 out of 5. One agent was hesitant to restart their relationship with Homes.com after using the platform a few years prior. They were happy they rejoined the platform as they could close a high number of deals in the first few months, getting a return on their investment.
However, another real estate agent was disappointed in the lack of customer service over the years. They felt the platform had its limitations with its marketing capabilities, and there was little support assistance when needed. Agents who would like more customer service may consider utilizing Realtor.com’s platform for their high customer service ratings.
Homes.com Pricing
- Call for custom pricing
Homesnap: Best for Managing Listings & Ads on Mobile Phone
Overall Score:
3.99 / 5
What We Like
- Ability to manage leads on the go with mobile phone
- Available in-app messaging
- Pro account can manage social media ads
What's Missing
- No free trial available
- Can't edit listings on desktop or laptop
- Clients must be able to use mobile technology
Homesnap Monthly Search Volume:
- 135K
Homesnap is one of the few mobile-only real estate platforms for agents and prospective buyers and sellers. It allows real estate professionals to manage their business through a mobile application and will receive any listing questions and inquiries instantly to their phone. Leads received through Homesnap are free for the agents. However, a paid professional plan includes additional features like profile optimization, automatic posts, and review management.
Zillow’s Premier Agent model is based on paying for advertisements placed next to other agents’ listings, whereas with Homesnap, there are no pop-ups or competing ads on your listing. The platform is valuable to agents who were successful in obtaining their own listings, so other agents cannot benefit from your efforts by paying for more advertisement.
Although listings on Homesnap do not have any agent advertisements next to them, the professional account on Homesnap allows agents to advertise on some heavily trafficked websites like Instagram, Facebook, Waze, and Google. Additionally, the Pro+ account allows agents to manage their reviews and business page on Google to increase their online reputation.
Homesnap Google business profile (Source: Homesnap)
Homesnap Features
- Pulls in listing from MLS feed
- Has a “safety time” feature
- Listing alerts for new listing and price changes
- Ability to track transactions with pro account
- Can create comparable market analysis report on phone
- Homesnap Showings helps schedule and manage showings
Homesnap Reviews
Homesnap earned a 3.2 out of 5-star review rating. Real estate agents found the platform helpful and supportive in improving their online business reputation. Some agents enjoyed the heat maps and the ability to look at detailed information about the property to answer their clients’ questions.
The main complaints from real estate agents include the mobile app having a busy interface that tries to include too much information in a small space. Another agent found that Homesnap didn’t work well with their local MLS. For agents whose MLS doesn’t function well with the app, consider a platform like Trulia, where you can add listings manually.
Homesnap Pricing
- Homesnap Pro +: $49.99 per month if you choose a monthly subscription; otherwise, the annual cost is $599
RealtyTrac: Top Listing Platform for Distressed Properties
Overall Score:
3.89 / 5
What We Like
- Focus on distressed properties
- Free trial available for 7 days
- Ability to export foreclosure properties
What's Missing
- Not able to list properties that aren't in foreclosure
- No social media integrations
- Low monthly search volume
RealtyTrac Monthly Search Volume:
- 104K
RealtyTrac is primarily focused on the distressed property market that includes foreclosures, homes on auction, and bank-owned properties. Brokerages and agents who choose to focus their real estate niche on these types of properties can leverage the target audience on this site to better market their listings.
Although the monthly search volume is low compared to Zillow, the audience that lands on this real estate site is more targeted than other sites that also include rentals and general properties for sale. The audience can vary from real estate agents looking for listings to lenders to individuals looking for an investment property.
Zillow does list foreclosure and homes on auction, but the website does not have a filter for bank-owned properties like RealtyTrac does. Prospective buyers on RealtyTrac can also filter the listings based on online auction, recently sold, and occupancy.
One standout filter available on the platform is the Deal-O-Meter. It allows clients to filter the listings by a range of return on investment (ROI). The search results will only show properties with estimated profits within that range. This feature is particularly helpful if an investor needs to meet certain numbers in the portfolio, or it can help identify to buyers which property has the most potential.
RealtyTrac mobile application example (Source: RealtyTrac)
RealtyTrac Features
- Foreclosure search widget can be added to websites
- Largest database of foreclosure and distressed properties
- Daily updates on auctions
- Off-market deals available
- Unlimited saved searches
- 500 monthly property downloads
RealtyTrac Reviews
Clients who left positive reviews of RealtyTrac mentioned the benefits of having a large selection of investment properties in one place. They enjoyed the search function and available filters to find the right property. Clients have rated the website 4.4 out of 5 on RealtyTrac’s Facebook business page.
Some agents believed they were not receiving enough leads with the subscription plan and felt that other agents were getting the same leads. Other agents mentioned their dissatisfaction with the automatic renewal after the seven-day free trial and found it difficult to get a refund from RealtyTrac. If agents would prefer a more straightforward pricing structure, consider using Homesnap to market your listing.
RealtyTrac Pricing
- Monthly subscription: $49.95 per month
- Buyer/seller leads: $10 for each buyer or seller lead if the exclusive territory owner or agent does not accept the lead within 18 hours
- Member service request leads (MSR): $5 per lead for new members who join RealtyTrac (leads are assigned to an agent within their territory to begin working with right away)
How We Evaluated the Top Zillow Alternatives
Selecting the best real estate website to market your listings is necessary to generate leads and satisfy your seller clients. Although Zillow is the most trafficked listing website, Zillow competitors have reasonable pricing, can reach your niche audience, and provide further support than Zillow can. We’ve evaluated their pricing, features, integrations, and considered past customer reviews to identify which site is the best alternative to list and market your listings.
With a 4.26 out of 5 score, we’ve selected Realtor.com as the best Zillow alternative. It has a straightforward pricing structure that includes a flat advertising fee along with advertising costs varying by ZIP code. The platform has the highest monthly search volume out of the six Zillow competitors evaluated. Realtor.com also has real estate marketing tools to help agents promote their brand and listing’s exposure. The added live chat support option and extended customer support hours added to the platform’s recommendation.
Other criteria used to evaluate Zillow alternative listing websites:
25%
Pricing
20%
General Features
20%
Listing & Advertising Features
10%
Integrations & Advanced Features
10%
Customer Reviews
10%
Expert Score
5%
Help & Support
25% of Overall Score
We compared each website’s pricing structure based on a monthly subscription, price per listing, advertising costs, and price by ZIP code. We also took into consideration if the website offered a free trial.
20% of Overall Score
The general features evaluated whether an agent was able to list a property, create a profile, advertise for leads, and if the site allows reviews on the agent profile.
20% of Overall Score
A real estate listing marketplace should include the ability to update listings and allow agents to edit photos and videos as needed. The site should also allow for listing advertisement, IDX integrations, and claim properties that are your own exclusive listings.
10% of Overall Score
The ability to have advanced features like an IDX website, CRM, social media integration, and workflow automations enhance your overall business practice. Additional features include alerts, and marketing assistance can ensure you are maximizing listing exposure.
10% of Overall Score
Based on customer feedback for each listing website, with particular attention given to reviews of the product and monthly search volume to certify the platform meets agent satisfaction.
10% of Overall Score
Expertise in the field and firsthand experience with the websites allow us to evaluate the standout features, value for the money, and ease of use for each Zillow competitor’s listing system.
5% of Overall Score
We looked into the hours available for customer service support and if clients were able to obtain support through telephone, email, or live chat.
*Percentages of overall score
