The main Zoopla alternatives for UK renters are Rightmove, PrimeLocation, OnTheMarket, OpenRent and SpareRoom — and they do different jobs. PrimeLocation belongs to the same group as Zoopla, so it shows largely the same letting agents' homes under another name. Rightmove, which calls itself the UK's number one property portal, is the biggest step sideways. The other three carry rentals Zoopla doesn't: OpenRent's free landlord adverts never leave OpenRent, some OnTheMarket listings appear there first or only, and SpareRoom is built for rooms in shared homes.
So the useful question is not which site replaces Zoopla, but which gaps you need to fill. Below: what each alternative carries, how their alerts compare, and how to get one alert from all of them.
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What are the best alternatives to Zoopla for renters?
The best alternatives to Zoopla for renters are Rightmove as the main rival, PrimeLocation for Zoopla's own homes, OpenRent for private landlords, OnTheMarket for agents' early and exclusive listings, and SpareRoom for rooms. Each one fills a different gap.
| Site | Who advertises there | What it has that Zoopla doesn't | Alerts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rightmove | Letting agents, plus OpenRent landlords who pay extra | Homes from agents who don't advertise on Zoopla | Instantly, daily, every 3 days or every 7 days; up to 14 homes in each email |
| PrimeLocation | Letting agents — same group as Zoopla | Little: largely the same homes | No published alert settings found |
| OnTheMarket | Letting agents | "Only With Us" homes, shown there first or only | No published alert settings found |
| OpenRent | Private landlords | Free adverts that never leave OpenRent | An email when a matching home is added |
| SpareRoom | People letting rooms and looking for flatmates | Room and flatshare adverts | A morning summary plus instant alerts |
None of these sites publishes how quickly its "instant" alert actually reaches you, so the alert column compares the settings each one offers, taken from each site's own pages. If you rent in Scotland, add the Scottish portals too — Citylets, ESPC and ASPC are covered in our guide to Rightmove alternatives.
Is PrimeLocation the same as Zoopla?
PrimeLocation is not a rival to Zoopla — it is part of the same business. Houseful, the group behind both, lists Zoopla and PrimeLocation side by side in its Zoopla business, and Zoopla announced in October 2012 that it had moved Zoopla, FindaProperty and PrimeLocation onto a single technology platform, with agents uploading to that one system.
Because agents' uploads have gone through that one platform since 2012, the two sites carry largely the same agents' homes. That makes PrimeLocation the closest like-for-like swap if you want to stop using Zoopla itself — a different site and a separate set of saved searches over the same pool of listings.
It also means PrimeLocation adds little that Zoopla doesn't already have. If what you want is more homes rather than a different front door, PrimeLocation on its own won't get you there.
Is Rightmove a good alternative to Zoopla?
Rightmove is the obvious alternative to Zoopla — it describes itself as the UK's number one property portal — but it is not a bigger copy of Zoopla with everything included. Letting agents and landlords choose which portals to pay for, and a home on one is not guaranteed to be on the other.
The clearest example is OpenRent. Its £29 advertising package puts a landlord's advert on Zoopla and partner sites, with Rightmove sold as an optional extra on top. OpenRent stopped offering Rightmove to landlords in July 2024, and today a landlord has to pay more to reach it. So an OpenRent home can be on Zoopla and missing from Rightmove — worth knowing before you drop Zoopla for Rightmove.
Rightmove's alerts give you four frequencies — instantly, daily, every 3 days or every 7 days — and each email lists no more than 14 new or reduced properties in its body, with the full count at the top. Choose instantly. How long "instantly" takes in practice is covered in our guide to Rightmove alerts and their timing.
Which rentals does Zoopla not show?
Zoopla does not show OpenRent's free adverts or OnTheMarket's exclusive listings, it shows some agents' homes a day or more after OnTheMarket does, and it is not built for rooms in shared homes. Those are the gaps an alternative can actually fill.
OpenRent's free adverts
OpenRent lets landlords advertise for free, and a free advert appears on OpenRent only — not on Zoopla, Rightmove or any partner site. These are private landlords letting without an agent, and the only ways to see their homes are OpenRent itself or a tool that checks it. OpenRent's search pages offer to email you when a new home matching your search is added.
OnTheMarket's "Only With Us" listings
OnTheMarket says some agents list homes exclusively with it, and others show homes there for 24 hours or more before they reach Rightmove or Zoopla, with a countdown clock until release. The agent chooses the window, which OnTheMarket says is generally 24 hours but can be longer. Its page talks about properties without separating lettings from sales, so it doesn't say how much of this is rental stock — but where an agent uses it, a Zoopla-only search sees the home a day late or not at all.
SpareRoom's rooms and flatshares
SpareRoom is the site for rooms in shared homes and for finding flatmates. One rule catches newcomers out: free adverts under 7 days old can only be contacted by users who upgrade, while Bold adverts and any advert over 7 days old are free to contact. Upgrades start at £15 for 7 days, according to SpareRoom's FAQ in October 2026. If you are not paying, Bold adverts are the new ones you can answer straight away.
Which Zoopla alternative has the fastest alerts?
No portal publishes how quickly its "instant" alert goes out, so the fair comparison is the settings each one offers — and the setting that matters on every site is its fastest option.
- Zoopla: you name each saved search and set how often it alerts you; in the app, a search can send a push notification, an email or both. Our guide to Zoopla alerts covers the setup.
- Rightmove: instantly, daily, every 3 days or every 7 days, with up to 14 homes in each email.
- SpareRoom: a summary email each morning of the last 24 hours' matches, plus instant alerts for new adverts.
- OpenRent: an email when a home matching your search is added.
- PrimeLocation and OnTheMarket: we could not find published alert settings for either.
Two things matter more than which portal you choose. First, set every alert you keep to its fastest option — a daily summary can reach you up to a day after a home went up, and by then it has had a day of enquiries. Second, every portal you add is another inbox and another copy of the same flat: an agent who advertises on Rightmove, Zoopla and PrimeLocation sets off three alerts for one home if you keep an alert on each.
How do you get alerts from every Zoopla alternative at once?
The simplest way to cover every Zoopla alternative is one alert that checks them all, and that is what Dwellio does: it checks Rightmove, PrimeLocation, OnTheMarket, OpenRent, SpareRoom and Leaders, and sends one alert per home, however many of those sites it appears on.
Dwellio doesn't check Zoopla directly, and for most homes it doesn't need to. PrimeLocation carries largely the same agents' homes, so Zoopla's rentals arrive through PrimeLocation — alongside OpenRent's free adverts, OnTheMarket's early listings and SpareRoom's rooms, which Zoopla doesn't carry.
Matching is done on the address, so a flat on Rightmove, PrimeLocation and OnTheMarket is one alert, not three. Our piece on property alert apps that cover all portals explains what to check before you trust any tool's coverage claim.
Signing up is free and takes no card: you get 3 alerts, with matches sent 3 times a day and 10 emails included. Pro is £9.99 a month and sends each home within minutes of it appearing. It starts with a 7-day free trial, and the card is taken at checkout, not at sign-up. Create a free account to set your first alert.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best alternative to Zoopla for renters?
Rightmove is the biggest alternative, and calls itself the UK's number one property portal. For homes Zoopla does not carry, add OpenRent for private landlords' free adverts, OnTheMarket for agents' "Only With Us" listings and SpareRoom for rooms in shared homes. PrimeLocation belongs to the same group as Zoopla, so it mostly shows the same agents' homes under another name.
Is PrimeLocation owned by Zoopla?
In effect, yes. Houseful, the group that owns Zoopla, lists PrimeLocation as part of its Zoopla business, and Zoopla moved PrimeLocation onto the same technology platform as Zoopla in October 2012. Since then both sites have taken agents' uploads through that one platform, so they carry largely the same agents' homes.
Are OpenRent listings on Zoopla?
Some are. OpenRent's £29 advertising package puts a landlord's advert on Zoopla and partner sites, with Rightmove sold as an optional extra. OpenRent's free advert appears on OpenRent only, so those homes are not on Zoopla, Rightmove or any other portal.
Does OnTheMarket get listings before Zoopla?
Some of them. OnTheMarket says certain agents show homes with it for 24 hours or more before Rightmove and Zoopla, marked "Only With Us" with a countdown clock, and that some agents list with it exclusively. The agent sets the window, and OnTheMarket does not say how many of these homes are rentals rather than sales.
Can I see Zoopla's rentals without using Zoopla?
Mostly, yes. PrimeLocation belongs to the same group and carries largely the same agents' homes, so a PrimeLocation search or alert covers most of Zoopla's rental stock. Dwellio does not check Zoopla directly, but it checks PrimeLocation alongside Rightmove, OnTheMarket, OpenRent, SpareRoom and Leaders.