What is the Best Website to Find Rental Apartments?

Apartment rentals in the United States have reached unprecedented levels in recent years, especially among Millennials and Gen Z. Still, finding an apartment in a decent location with all the right amenities remains an intimidating challenge. What is the best website to find rental apartments? Let’s take a closer look at five top websites and determine which one is truly the best.

Rent.com

Rent.com has listings for apartments and houses, but it doesn’t cover short-term rentals or commercial properties. People looking for long-term rentals will find many impressive details, including filters for pet accommodations, fitness centers, laundry facilities and other crucial amenities. You can also narrow your search down to these specific features:

• Customized price range
• Square footage
• Number of bedrooms and bathrooms
• Type of community, such as off-campus housing and senior living

The website has a convenient, scannable layout with listings on the left side and a map on the right. As you zoom in on the map, the listings automatically change to make your search easier. All listings have HD images of the available room(s) and the building’s various amenities. The most high-quality listings also have 3D virtual tours.

Rent.com automatically highlights the listings with ongoing deals and discounts, so it’s one of the best websites to find cheap rental apartments

Apartments.com

Apartments.com is perhaps best known for having Jeff Goldblum as a celebrity ambassador, but it stands out from its competitors because of its emphasis on renters’ rights. The help center has great resources for struggling renters and the contact information for each listing is thorough and transparent.

It has a wider target audience than Rent.com, as it caters short-term and long-term renters alike. The listings have all the expected information, including monthly rent, square footage, floor plans, etc. The projected move-in date is also a nice touch, especially for people looking to change locations quickly for work or school.

The website’s layout is flipped, this time with the listings on the right and the map on the left. Each listing has a virtual tour with indoor and outdoor images, but not all of them have videos. Some listings also have detailed descriptions of the apartment’s culture and nearby attractions.

Zillow

Zillow.com is a real estate website that focuses on the state of local housing markets as well as specific listings. It provides detailed market insights and predictions to help people find the most affordable homes and apartments. That means the number of listings exceeds most of its competitors. If you want all of the options, Zillow is the best website to find them.

Due to the number of listings, Zillow allows you to set extremely narrow search parameters. You can narrow it down to condos and one-bedroom apartments with unique floor plans. Each listing also includes helpful information about the price history, nearby schools, the neighborhood and legal protections you would receive.

PadMapper

PadMapper.com is all about maps, as the name suggests. It shows apartment listings just like the other websites, but there’s a lot more emphasis on location. It discusses the neighborhood, access to public transportation, local attractions and other helpful information about the community.

PadMapper also shows listings from other websites, including Apartment Guide, ForRent and Airbnb. That means you might run into older listings with outdated information or lots of short-term rentals. It might be the best website to find rental apartments based purely on location, but if you’re looking for the newest listings, other sites might be better options.

Apartment Guide

ApartmentGuide.com has a generic layout at first glance, but more unique features get revealed as you navigate the site. First off, the search function allows you to include custom keywords. Other sites have searches for specific types of apartments and locations, but Apartment Guide also allows you to make factors like air conditioning and pet availability your number one priority.

This website’s virtual tours also stand out from competitors. A higher percentage of listings have video and image tours, and some even allow you to connect with the property manager via Zoom or FaceTime. If you’re skeptical about scams and inaccurate listings, Apartment Guide is the website for you.

Which Website is the Best?

So, what’s the verdict? Which of these five options is the best website to find rental apartments in your area? Based on our observations, the best overall website goes to Zillow. It has most of the same apartment information as the other sites, but it also provides helpful real estate market insights to keep buyers informed.

Still, the other sites are better in specific categories. PadMapper has the most comprehensive maps. Apartment Guide has the best filters and virtual tours. Rent.com and Apartments.com have the most convenient user interfaces.

Find Your Next Living Space

Searching for a new apartment is stressful, especially if you’re pressed for time and/or have a limited budget. These five websites will help you find your next living space with the right location, price range and amenities. Zillow might be the best overall, but another site might suit your needs better. You won’t know until you try!