16 Top Property Websites in the UK
The big two property search websites in the UK are Rightmove and Zoopla. However, it may surprise you to learn that you could miss out on your perfect home if you limit your search to these two sites.
Many other sites have alternative search facilities or a specialist focus, ideal if you dream of waterside living, a brand-new home or are looking for student or retirement living.
Property portals have become central to the home buying and renting process in recent years. They provide buyers and renters with a one-stop-shop of potential new homes and allow sellers to increase the number of people viewing their property dramatically.
It is important to remember that online property portals are different to online estate agents. Whilst online and high street agents will list only their properties on their websites, property portals will list properties from a range of agents or private sellers and landlords. The listing will include a link to the estate agent or owner marketing the property.
Here we review the 16 best property portals in the UK.
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1
Rightmove
Rightmove is the UK’s biggest property portal, both in terms of its inventory of properties and number of users, making it the go-to property portal for buyers, sellers and renters.
Pros:
- Rightmove has excellent search features, including personalised keyword sorts and a ‘draw search’ feature that allows users to draw their preferred area on a virtual map. If you set up a free account, you can save your search criteria and map outline.
Cons:
- Only estate agents can list properties on Rightmove, so those sold or rented privately are not included.
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2
Zoopla
Zoopla is another of the UK’s leading property websites and one of Rightmove’s biggest competitors. It offers properties for sale and rent across the UK, alongside useful tools for researching property values, sold prices and local housing markets. Homeowners can also use Zoopla to get an estimated value for their property and track how that value changes over time.
Pros:
- Zoopla offers useful tools that go beyond simply searching for properties. Its Travel Time Search can help buyers and renters find homes within a chosen journey time, while its property value and sold-price information is useful for researching both individual homes and local property markets.
Cons:
- Like Rightmove, only estate agents can advertise on Zoopla.
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3
OnTheMarket
Of the smaller property search portals, OnTheMarket is one of the most prominent. It is an uncluttered and user-friendly property portal with a large selection of properties to buy and rent from estate agents across the UK. One of its key features is its “Only With Us” properties, with thousands of listings each month appearing on OnTheMarket 24 hours or more before they are advertised on Rightmove or Zoopla.
Pros:
- OnTheMarket offers alternative ways to search if you are looking for something specific. For instance, a new build home, a retirement home or student accommodation.
Cons:
- Lags behind both Rightmove and Zoopla in terms of listings and number of users. Like its two competitors, OnTheMarket only allows estate agents to advertise on its site.
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4
Prime Location
As its name suggests, Prime Location focuses particularly on the middle and upper tiers of the property market. It features premium homes to buy and rent across the UK, as well as new homes, overseas properties and commercial property. PrimeLocation is part of the Zoopla group but has a particular appeal to buyers searching for higher-value and more exclusive properties.
Pros:
- PrimeLocation is particularly useful if you're searching for premium or higher-value property. As well as UK homes for sale and rent, you can browse new homes, overseas properties and commercial property.
Cons:
- Prime Location has a smaller user base and fewer listings than the other big players, but it is excellent if you want to buy, sell, or rent a premium property. Prime Location only allows estate and lettings agents to advertise, so you won’t find listings from private sellers or landlords.
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5
PLACEBUZZ
Placebuzz is a promising easy-to-use property search portal which connects users to thousands of homes that are available to Buy and Rent across the UK. As well as offering an array of properties, Placebuzz provides unique tools such as area guides which allows the user to discover more about specific locations within the country.
Pros:
- Placebuzz has created many helpful features with the user in mind, from being able to save and share your favourite property searches or enquiries to having access to constructive property articles on the Placebuzz blog, there is so much on offer to make everyone’s house hunting journey feel as smooth as can be.
Cons:
- Only agents can currently list on Placebuzz, private listings are not accepted.
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6
Mouseprice
Mouseprice stands out from many traditional property portals because of its focus on property data, valuations and market insights. It provides information on individual properties and local house prices, alongside an Automated Valuation Model (AVM) that estimates property values. More advanced property data and analysis tools are also available through Mouseprice Pro, making the website particularly useful to property professionals as well as homeowners and buyers.
Pros:
- Lots of property data in different formats
- Automatic valuations
- Great for estate agents
Cons:
- You must pay for full access
- Some of the data is excessive for the average buyer
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7
Waterside Properties
If it’s a waterside property you’re looking for, then this portal is excellent. Waterside Properties specialise in homes for sale or rent by water, whether that’s a marina, the sea, a river or a lake. Sellers have to use a Waterside Network Affiliated Estate Agent to be listed on this site.
Pros:
- Waterside Properties looks great and is the only property website we know that exclusively lists water-front homes.
Cons:
- The search functionality is limited to just location, price, property type and minimum bedrooms.
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8
Home.co.uk
Home.co.uk is one of the UK’s long-standing property search websites, bringing together listings from estate agents and private sellers, as well as offering useful market insights and property data.
Pros:
- Home.co.uk not only provides property listings but also includes extensive market intelligence, such as asking price trends, time-on-market reports, and rental yield calculators. It’s particularly useful for buyers, landlords, and investors who want to analyse the market before making decisions. Unlike some portals, it allows both estate agents and private sellers to advertise properties.
Cons:
- The site’s interface isn’t as modern or user-friendly as bigger portals like Rightmove or Zoopla, and the property inventory is smaller, meaning some listings you’d find elsewhere may not appear here.
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9
Nestoria
Nestoria describes itself as a property search engine rather than a traditional property portal. It brings together property listings from different sources across the web, allowing users to search them from one place. When you find a property you’re interested in, Nestoria directs you to the website where the original property listing appears.
Pros:
- Nestoria has straightforward search criteria and can be useful for searching properties from a range of different sources in one place. This makes it a useful additional search tool for buyers and renters who want to look beyond the major property portals.
Cons:
- Because it is a vertical search engine, there are many properties to trawl through to find what you’re looking for.
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10
Property Heads
Property Heads combines a property portal with elements of a property-focused social network, offering listings from estate agents alongside information about local areas and home improvement services. One interesting feature is its price-per-square-metre information, which can make it easier to compare the relative value of different properties where sufficient floor-area data is available.
Pros:
- There’s an Ask The Neighbours feature allowing interested buyers to get the inside track by asking any questions of users who live nearby. For example, how long does it take to walk to the station? Is it safe to walk alone at night? Are there good bars and restaurants nearby?
Cons:
- Some of PropertyHeads' additional property information depends on the data available for each individual listing, so features such as price per square metre may not be available for every property.
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11
Find a hood
Find a Hood helps you find where to live. The website allows you to set up 10 different criteria that describe your ideal place to live. It then lists 15 locations that best match your answers.
Pros:
- It gets you to look at neighborhoods you might not have considered otherwise
Cons:
- It's a little confusing to understand how the system has chosen those locations and the design and layout look very messy.
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12
One Dome
One Dome aims to bring more of the home-buying journey together in one place. Alongside its property search, its HomeBuyer Service brings together services such as mortgages, conveyancing, insurance and moving assistance. Users can also access tools and services such as mortgage calculators, conveyancing and mortgages in principle. The full HomeBuyer Service currently starts from £999, subject to eligibility and terms.
Pros:
- They take care of the home buying process, so less work for you
- Access to many different services (mortgages, conveyancers etc.)
Cons:
- High cost to use full service
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13
Gumtree
Gum Tree is one of the UK’s best-known classified advertising websites and includes a dedicated property section. Unlike the major property portals, it can include adverts from private landlords and individuals as well as property-related businesses, making it particularly useful for people looking for rental accommodation and rooms.
Pros:
- The property section is particularly good for rental accommodation, with a large selection of private landlords offering an entire property for rent or a room in a shared house.
Cons:
- Gumtree is less useful for mainstream residential property sales, as relatively few homeowners sell their properties privately. As with any classified advertising platform, users should also take appropriate care when dealing directly with advertisers.
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14
OpenRent
Open Rent specialises in residential lettings and connects landlords directly with tenants, without relying on a traditional high-street letting agent. Tenants can search for properties and communicate directly with landlords, while landlords can access services including property advertising, tenant referencing, tenancy creation and rent collection. Its focus on direct communication and lower costs has made it a popular alternative to traditional letting agencies.
Pros:
- No Estate Agent Fees
- Direct Landlord-Tenant Communication
- Transparent Process
- Comprehensive Services for Landlords
Cons:
- Limited Property Management Support
- Less Local Expertise
- Fewer Premium Properties
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15
SpareRoom
SpareRoom is one of the UK’s leading websites for finding rooms to rent, flatshares and flatmates. Rather than focusing on whole properties for sale or rent, it specialises in people looking for a room, those with a spare room to let and people who want to find others to rent a property with. Users can search by location and use more detailed criteria to find accommodation and flatmates that suit them.
Pros:
- Huge choice of rooms and flatshares across the UK
- Search by location, budget and other preferences
- Useful "Buddy Ups" feature for finding people to rent a property with
- Particularly useful for renters, students and people moving to a new city
Cons:
- Primarily focused on rooms and shared accommodation rather than whole properties
- – Some newer adverts require paid Early Bird access before free users can contact the advertiser
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16
Crystal Roof
Crystal Roof is a property and neighbourhood research website designed to help buyers and renters understand an area before they move there. Rather than simply showing properties for sale or rent, it provides detailed information about individual locations and their immediate surroundings. Users can research factors such as schools, transport, crime, demographics, green spaces, noise, flood risk and local amenities.
Pros:
- Detailed neighbourhood information at postcode level
- Useful for researching an unfamiliar area before buying or renting
- Covers factors that aren't always obvious from a property listing
- – Helps buyers compare different locations as well as individual properties
Cons:
- It isn't a traditional property portal, so you won't use it primarily to find homes for sale
- – Some of the more detailed information requires paid access
