The Best Rental Apps for Anyone Searching for a New Apartment

Hunting for a new apartment in a major urban hub can be overwhelming. Where to start? Like everything these days, there’s an app for that. And with our guide to the best rental apps, you should have no problem finding your next abode. If you’ve ever looked for a rental in a competitive real estate market (or been forced out of an apartment quickly because your landlord isn’t renewing your lease), you know that good apartments tend to get snatched up faster than you can say “security deposit.”

By using the best rental apps, you can simply hop on your phone (you don’t even have to get up and grab your laptop!) and scan your city (or the one you plan to move to) for places that are available in real-time. They’re also packed with convenient features, like the ability to submit your credit report and a rental application and the option to pay your rent directly through the app. 

Here’s the lowdown on some of the best apps available nationwide, including those most popular in major cities across the country:

Major markets: Major U.S. cities like New York, San Francisco, LA and Boston, or Canadian cities like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver

What it’s about: For a simple, no-frills guide to renting an apartment, PadMapper is here to save the day. Simply set your price range and whether you’re looking for a short- or long-term rental, and you’re ready to start your search.

Standout feature: Can find short and long-term rentals. 

Major markets: Apartments.com services just about every major city in the US, and some minor cities too, like Irvine, CA, Federal Hill, MD, and Staten Island, NY. 

What it’s about: If your search focuses strictly on an apartment and not a home or room for rent, be sure to check out Apartment.com. This rental app returns a list of apartments with the most up-to-date availability based on the filters you select. This helps cut down on the amount of time and hassle it takes you to find a legitimate apartment that actually meets your needs. 

Standout feature: Each apartment listed is verified to reduce the possibility of scam listings or information that’s out of date. 

Major markets: According to their Rent Report, the most popular cities on the app include New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Dallas, among others.

What it’s about: According to Zumper CEO Anthemos Georgiades, the company aims to make renting an apartment just as easy booking a hotel by allowing renters to get prequalified and even make a deposit directly through the app.

Standout feature: Their “Instant Apply” feature, which guarantees that a landlord will review your application for designated properties.

Other useful features: Zumper allows you to filter listings by a variety of criteria, such as number of bedrooms, price range, and pet policy. You can also set an alert to get a notification as soon as a new property that fits your criteria hits the app so you have the chance to snag it before someone else does.

Major markets: Most (if not all) of them.

What it’s about: Zillow is pretty synonymous with people looking for a new home (or just looking because those real estate listings are so damn habit-forming). But even the most devoted user may not know that the site also has a rental app where you can search more than 400,000 apartments, condos, and single-family homes for rent across the country.

Standout feature: Been eyeing that trendy area of town, but not sure if you can swing the rent? Zillow offers a rent affordability calculator that filters for rentals that fit your budget.

Other useful features: Like Zumper, Zillow allows you to set up notifications for new listings. You’re also able to call or email directly from the app.

Major markets: The popular rental markets featured on the app include New York, L.A., Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and San Jose.

What it’s about: Real estate isn’t just about the place or the price—it’s about location, location, location—and Trulia provides much of that local context all in one easy-to-use place.

Standout feature: Neighborhoods offers the skinny on everything from hot new restaurants to how dog-friendly the ‘hood is, all curated from surveys and reviews from real locals who live there.

Other useful features: Filter by the usual stuff — or choose proximity to public transit (available in some metro areas).

Major markets: Although they have listings in rental markets across all 50 states, HotPads names major urban hubs like New York, L.A., Chicago, San Francisco, San Diego, San Antonio, and Philadelphia among their Top Cities.

What it’s about: Got apartment-hunting FOMO? As the name implies, the map-based app lets you know which properties are particularly “hot.” The app will share how many times a particular listing has been viewed and how many times an agent has been contacted about a property, so you know what your competition looks like.

Standout feature: Read starred neighborhood reviews and peruse demographic highlights to get a feel for the area.

Major markets: Available in most markets. The website features listings in Atlanta, Houston, Phoenix, Seattle, Raleigh, Charlotte, L.A., Washington D.C., Columbus, Tampa, Chicago, Miami, Austin, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Dallas, Philadelphia, Denver, Cincinnati, and St. Paul on the front page.

What it’s about: If the anonymity of searching for an apartment on the internet feels more impersonal than convenient to you, RENTCafé may be the app for you. It features listings exclusively from property managers, so you don’t have to worry about a third-party agent who may misrepresent a place just to score a commission.

Standout feature: You can also access a secure lease and submit a rental application through the app.

Other useful features: Once you’ve moved in, RENTCafe also has a “Resident” app where you can pay your rent, submit maintenance requests, and renew your lease.

Major markets: Available in most markets. The homepage has listings for apartments in Arlington, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Birmingham, Boston, Brooklyn, Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Nashville, Pheonix, Portland, Reno, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, Washington D.C., and more.

What it’s about: It’s one thing to read what a landlord or rental agency says about a listing, but it’s another to see what previous tenants think of the property. Apartment Guide lets you review and view reviews of complexes to know what they’re really like. This inside scoop lets you know what you’re getting into with the apartment manager, property management company, other tenants, and more, so you don’t have to find out the hard way.

Standout feature: Aside from the review feature, Apartment Guide offers some of the best virtual listing tours around, so you can really get a feel for a place even before you bother to take a tour.

Other useful features: Tons of filters to help you sift through listings to find the right place for you.

Major markets: The site has a distinct focus on New York City rentals, but it has a nationwide feature showing listings throughout most major metropolitan areas.

What it’s about: If you’re looking for a place in NYC, it’s hard to beat RentHop’s detailed profiles of properties and their hyperlocal neighborhoods, including nearby stores, schools, landmarks, and restaurants. Click on the map to see all listings in the area in an instant.

Standout feature: Price comparisons with similar apartments throughout the same area —a feature that’s available for major metropolitans throughout the US.

Other useful features: Individual listings mention the closest public transit stops and schools, and evaluate the quality of the listing to help you determine if it is legit.