Rightmove vs Zoopla vs OnTheMarket: Which Property Portal Is Best for Buyers?

The UK Property Portal Landscape

Three portals dominate online property search in England and Wales: Rightmove, Zoopla, and OnTheMarket. All three aggregate listings submitted by estate agents, allow buyers to search by location and criteria, and display sold price histories sourced from HM Land Registry. Beyond these basics, they differ significantly in market share, data quality, tools, and how they make money.

Listing Volume and Market Coverage

Rightmove is the market leader by a significant margin. Industry estimates consistently put Rightmove's share of online property searches at 55–65%, with the platform accounting for more unique monthly visitors than Zoopla and OnTheMarket combined. Virtually every estate agent in England and Wales lists on Rightmove as a matter of commercial necessity.

Zoopla holds the second position, with meaningful market share particularly in Scotland (where it acquired S1Homes) and Wales. Zoopla's parent company, Silver Lake-backed Houseful, also owns or has stakes in several adjacent proptech businesses, giving it a broader data infrastructure.

OnTheMarket was launched in 2015 by agents seeking to reduce their dependence on Rightmove's pricing power. It has grown steadily since listing on AIM, but its listing volume remains lower than the two market leaders. Following its acquisition by CoStar in 2023, it received significant investment and has been expanding its data offering.

**In practice**: If you are a buyer, you should search Rightmove first for market coverage, but check Zoopla for properties that occasionally appear there first, particularly new developments and some agent exclusives.

Data Quality

All three portals receive listing data from agents via data feeds. The quality of that underlying data — accuracy of floor area, EPC rating, number of rooms — depends on what the agent submitted. None of the portals systematically verify agent-submitted data.

Sold price data on all three portals comes from HMLR Price Paid Data. Rightmove and Zoopla have historically had better historical depth in their sold price databases; OnTheMarket's sold price data is less comprehensive for older transactions.

Zoopla is the only portal to prominently display an automated valuation estimate alongside listings and sold price data. As covered in our separate guide, these estimates have known limitations and should not be treated as formal valuations.

Search and Filter Tools

**Rightmove** offers the most mature search experience. Advanced filters allow you to search by floor area (where data is available), tenure (freehold/leasehold), new build status, shared ownership, retirement properties, and more. The draw-a-search tool lets you define a custom search area rather than relying on radii or postcode boundaries.

**Zoopla** has broadly similar search functionality. Its "value" section provides additional market data — local price trends, sold prices by street, and estimate data. The interface has historically been seen as slightly less clean than Rightmove's but is functionally comparable.

**OnTheMarket** has invested in its search interface since the CoStar acquisition. Its map-based search and alert functionality are good, but the filter options remain somewhat narrower than Rightmove's.

Buyer Tools

All three portals offer property alerts, saved searches, and the ability to contact agents directly. Rightmove additionally offers:

• **Full market stats**: Days on market, number of views, price reduction history (visible to agents, partially to buyers)
• **School checker**: Ofsted ratings and distances from the property
• **Broadband checker**: Indicative speeds (drawn from Ofcom data)
• **Mortgage calculator**: Basic repayment calculator integrated into listing pages

Zoopla integrates a mortgage comparison tool (powered by its sister company Mojo Mortgages) and displays more prominent market data alongside listings.

OnTheMarket has partnered with mortgage brokers and conveyancers to offer post-listing services, which critics argue introduces commercial conflicts into what should be neutral property search.

What None of Them Show

None of the three portals shows:

• Full EPC certificate history (only current certificate where lodged)
• Flood zone classification in detail
• Listed building or conservation area status
• Radon or ground stability risk
• Title register information or lease details

For this data, you need to look beyond portals to primary sources: the HMLR EPC Register, the Environment Agency, Historic England, and HM Land Registry. Property Passport UK aggregates these sources and presents them alongside sold price data for any property address.

The Honest Assessment

**Use Rightmove** as your primary search tool. It has the most listings, the most mature search interface, and the strongest agent coverage.

**Use Zoopla** as a secondary check, particularly if you are interested in market-level trend data or valuations for a property you already own.

**Check OnTheMarket** if you are looking at a market segment where agents are actively listing there first, or if you find the CoStar data integration useful.

**Do not rely on any portal** for the due diligence data that actually determines whether a property is safe to buy. EPC history, flood risk, title tenure, and planning history require different sources entirely.