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SpareRoom Review

Worth it

Should I use SpareRoom?

Over 17 million registered users! - spareroom.com

· 5 days ago

Buy if you're hunting a room or roommate in the UK or US — it's free, has 17M+ users, and is the category default. Skip it for whole apartments, vetted listings, or anything needing contracts, payments, or deposit protection.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 20+ public sources; review snippets were truncated, so no numeric Trustpilot rating could be verified.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo usable evidence in sources reviewed
  • Security posture

Pricing

£0

Free

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Premium ad boost£9.99/week

Best for

  • UK and US room-hunters
  • Flatmates seeking housemates
  • Landlords renting a spare room
  • Students in big cities

Not for

  • Whole-apartment renters — rooms and flatshares only
  • Anyone wanting vetted or verified listings
  • Renters needing contracts, payments, or deposit protection
  • Budget buyers unwilling to pay weekly fees for visibility

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

SpareRoom publishes its own scam guides — never pay deposits before viewing in person

medium

Premium ad pricing is weekly (£9.99/1wk); costs compound in slow markets

medium

Landlords report sudden price increases for listing ads

medium

2,481 app-user credentials found in infostealer logs — use a unique password

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free to post ads and search listings
  • 17M+ users — deepest roommate pool in UK and US
  • iOS and Android apps with search and alerts
  • Users report fast inquiries and successful matches

Cons

  • Ad visibility upgrades cost up to £9.99 per week
  • Scam listings common enough to warrant official warnings
  • Users publicly frustrated: 'Getting sick of Spareroom'
  • No vetting of subletters; users report deposit disputes

Sources & method

- 9 sources - No known platform vulnerabilities; the real risks are scam listings and stolen user credentials from device malware.

official x3review x4security x1news x1
  • User credentials in infostealer logs, Hudson Rock lists 2,481 credentials tied to the SpareRoom UK app domain in infostealer data. This reflects compromised user devices, not a confirmed SpareRoom breach.
  • Platform-acknowledged scam activity, SpareRoom publishes official scam-avoidance guidance, indicating fraud is an ongoing issue on the marketplace.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 3/5

    Rating

  • £0

    Starting price

  • 9

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 3/5. Free core; weekly ad fees sting
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Simple posting; App Store review says 'Worked great'
  • Feature depth: 3/5. Search, alerts, profiles; no payments or contracts
  • Support quality. No usable evidence in sources reviewed
  • Security posture: 2/5. Scam guides needed; user credentials in infostealer logs
  • 17M+ Registered users self-reported by SpareRoom
  • Yes Free tier post ads and browse for free
  • £9.99 Premium ad, 1 week UK pricing via third-party review
  • $6M Funding raised September 2016

Pricing

Free

£0

  • Post an ad free
  • Browse and search listings

Premium ad boost

£9.99/week

  • Upgraded visibility for your listing
  • Longer multi-week bundles available

Security

No known platform vulnerabilities; the real risks are scam listings and stolen user credentials from device malware.

  • User credentials in infostealer logsHudson Rock lists 2,481 credentials tied to the SpareRoom UK app domain in infostealer data. This reflects compromised user devices, not a confirmed SpareRoom breach.⁷
  • Platform-acknowledged scam activitySpareRoom publishes official scam-avoidance guidance, indicating fraud is an ongoing issue on the marketplace.⁶
Full analysis

Based on 20+ public sources; review snippets were truncated, so no numeric Trustpilot rating could be verified.

Free, massive UK/US roommate marketplace. Great for room-hunters; useless for whole homes. Watch scams and weekly ad fees.

Methodology

Based on 20+ public sources; review snippets were truncated, so no numeric Trustpilot rating could be verified.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. How the site works — SpareRoom FAQspareroom.com
    official
  2. SpareRoom Costs & Featuresflatmate-websites-uk.no1reviews.com
    review
  3. Trustpilot reviews of spareroom.comtrustpilot.com
    review
  4. Has anyone used the Spareroom App for NYC apartments?reddit.com
    review
  5. Getting sick of Spareroom — Reddit r/londonreddit.com
    review
  6. Scams to look out for — SpareRoom blogblog.spareroom.co.uk
    official
  7. SpareRoom UK app — Hudson Rock infostealer datahudsonrock.com
    security
  8. SpareRoom Raises $6M in Fundingfinsmes.com
    news
  9. SpareRoom US — Google Playplay.google.com
    official

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