Rightmove vs Zoopla? Which is Best?

Silicon Valley has Microsoft, IBM, Google, Facebook, Apple, Samsung, and others you rack your head to remember. Real Estate Portals have Rightmove.co.uk, Zoopla.co.uk, On The Market, and many others.

In the past, if you wanted to buy or sell a property, the first thing you would think to do is search through newspapers or some old directories. In the 21st century, however, we have the world at our fingertips with the powers the internet has granted us. The internet is a madhouse, and you can happen to stumble upon anything, just anywhere. However, on topics like real estate, certified property portals are the only truly credible media.

Property Portals are generally websites that enlist and give information concerning all properties that are available for sale or purchase. Rightmove.co.uk and Zoopla.co.uk are the most popular in the UK. While the modes of operation of each property portal might be different, they all have a common factor: agents.

Think of these portals as big canopies that consist of a host of online estate agents. The portals have the numbers, and the agents need the numbers for their businesses. So, they enlist their properties here.

You should know that this blog does not aim to pick the best of the two estate portals unequivocally. What we aim to do, however, is compare and contrast between them. We will attempt to list the pros and cons of each portal. These facts will help you make a choice depending on the specificities of your situation.

Without further ado, let's dive in!

Rightmove

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Rightmove.co.uk is just right! In existence since the beginning of this millennium, they are the oldest in the portal business. They thus, boast of unparalleled experience and expertise in real estate. Over the years, they have garnered a massive follower base, and honestly, most times, you think of Rightmove.co.uk before any other.

They generate revenue by billing online agents that advertise properties on their website. In 2017 alone, they generated up to £267.8 million in revenue. They claim to operate a two-sided property model, serving a vast audience for property listings on one side and 20,000 advertisers of available properties on the other side. They release a House Pricing Index monthly, depicting changes in asking prices of houses in England and Wales.

Zoopla

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Privatised only last year, Zoopla UK was founded in 2007. Starting business a whole seven years later than their competitor, they have indeed come a long way. They have made commendable strides and more than made up for relatively late entry into the real estate market. Over the twelve years of their existence, they have grown and bought up many other real estate businesses that have immensely improved the efficiency and operations of their business.

Owning a searchable directory of UK residential properties, Zoopla has developed an automated algorithm that provides a computed valuation estimate for any property in the UK. Amongst the businesses they have purchased in past years, Zoopla also operates as a property and comparison search website.

Unlike Rightmove.co.uk, Zoopla is not reliant on estate agents for cash, and are more into portals in the ideal sense of the word. They make about 50% of their revenue from their comparison websites like uSwitch, and only 25% from estate agent revenue, as opposed to the 77% that Rightmove.co.uk generates.

Rightmove or Zoopla?

Following up on what was earlier discussed, beneath are some grounds upon which the strengths and weaknesses of Rightmove.co.uk and Zoopla will be judged. Ultimately, you will notice that there is not one real winner of this 'contest' and that their suitabilities is dependent on the specific needs you have.

1. Numbers

First things first, you should note that individuals are not capable of selling the property themselves on either of these two portals. All transactions must be made through online agents.

If you are looking to sell your property through an online agent, this is of utmost importance to you. Now, "numbers" has come up several times. What exactly do we mean?

Traffic. That's all. Which of these estate portals is the most popular and visited? The higher the popularity, the higher the frequency of visits, and the higher the chances of selling your property. Currently, Rightmove.co.uk boasts of a whopping 127.5 million visits per month, as opposed to the 50 million visits per month that Zoopla.co.uk has. We have a winner.

You want higher propensity to sell your property in good time? Rightmove.co.uk is the right choice for you!

2. How Rich?

No, we are not comparing the revenues of these companies. What we mean is this: What is the wealth of properties they have enlisted? In other words, how many properties are available? For a property buyer, you would probably need a portal that has more properties. With a broader variety, there is a lesser margin for errors and an accomplished sense of fulfilment in having made the best choice.

Again, Rightmove has it, beating Zoopla's 927,000 by a 173,000 margin. Please, do the math!

3. Versatility

In this Rightmove co uk vs Zoopla co uk 'war', we will judge versatility as a function of how many services each portal can render. The only way to fully discover this is by judging based on the number of smaller related companies in the business it has swallowed up.

With each company retaining its functionality when bought over, they extend the reach of their buyers. As discussed earlier, Zoopla is indeed merciless! She has bought up nothing less than nine businesses to aid her efficiency and improve versatility. She has undergone a lot of restructuring over the years and even formed alliances with Digital Property Group of A&N Media in an October 2011 merge.

Rightmove has barely ever completely bought another company over, and it is not because of some self-sufficiency. It has not undergone any major restructure either. With obviously improved versatility, the odds are in Zoopla's favour this time.

4. Most Customer Friendly

As expected, both competitors have both IOS and Android apps that you can download from app stores online. It is no news that privately-owned companies operate more friendly systems than their public counterparts. This again gives Zoopla an edge in this feud.

Both have information on house prices, and will also link you up with an agent to aid and ease transaction processes. However, Zoopla gives an instant value for your property. It has fantastic tools for both buyers and sellers that Rightmove lacks. Its search engines work with better precision; it is highly adjustable and has add-ons that can draw a map, and help with distance estimation of proposed property from your location. Ultimately, Zoopla is usually more helpful in pinning down locations than Rightmove.

5. Distribution

It is not enough that you have millions of properties up for sale. Where are their locations?

Rightmove, with the highest property listings, has the best distribution of properties across the entire UK. Thus, it is more than likely that you find a property in any area you search. All the properties they have are not all restricted in some particular locations. This is another plus for Rightmove, as opposed to Zoopla.co.uk.

Rightmove vs Zoopla Listings Gap

Who is currently dominating the market? Well according to research Rightmove has the largest database of active properties changing every day. However, Rightmove is holding the current largest traffic and property listings compared to Zoopla.

Last Word

Contact Emoov

In all, we reiterate that Zoopla.co.uk and Rightmove.co.uk, though competitors, are the best portals around. While there is always room for improvement, each one can be tailored to suit your specific needs.

Are you thinking of selling your property this year and are looking for an alternative to the traditional high street estate agent? Here at Emoov we offer two competitively priced estate agency packages that utilize both Rightmove.co.uk and Zoopla.co.uk as well as hundreds of other property portals to advertise your property.

This services also enables you to upgrade your listing to a Rightmove and Zoopla premium listing for just £95 including VAT. Statistics show that 35% more property brochures are viewed when premium listed, which undoubtedly increases the chance of attracting a buyer.

What is Zoopla?

Zoopla is one of the major property portals in the UK, that allows users to buy, sell, rent, and research properties through the portal. Since it was founded in 2008, its popularity has continued to surge and has since grown to become one of the leading property portals in the UK alongside Rightmove. On the platform, you can advertise or view comprehensive property listings, including everything from property descriptions to high-quality images, detailed floor plans, and insider neighbourhood information. It also provides nifty tools for estimating property values, monitoring market trends, and connecting with local real estate agents.

How to Advertise on Zoopla?

Advertising your property on Zoopla is straightforward, whether you intend to sell or rent it. To begin, you must become a Zoopla Agent, as the platform does not accommodate private sellers or landlords. However, you need not worry, as numerous Zoopla Agents are available to assist you in selling your property. Once you have selected a suitable Zoopla agent, simply get in touch with them. From there, you and your agent will collaborate on an advertising strategy, pricing, duration, and the visuals to be used. Sit back, relax, and monitor the success of your property through Zoopla's platform.