{"id":31483,"date":"2024-04-18T16:51:55","date_gmt":"2024-04-18T23:51:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=31483"},"modified":"2026-04-13T09:00:38","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T16:00:38","slug":"buyer-zillow-vs-trulia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-zillow-vs-trulia\/","title":{"rendered":"Zillow vs Trulia: Company Profiles and How They Compare"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gone are the days of driving through a neighborhood trying to spot \u201cfor sale\u201d signs in front of houses. Today\u2019s house hunters hop on the information highway, instead. You can find listings on numerous websites, but two of the biggest are Zillow and Trulia.<\/p>\n

If you type \u201chomes for sale\u201d plus the area where you\u2019re looking into a search bar, these two sites will pop up near the top of any results. If you don\u2019t want to waste time on your home search, or you need to find a great agent to sell your home<\/a>, how do they compare? If you\u2019re considering the benefits of Zillow vs. Trulia, which site might be best for your real estate needs?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s dive into the answers that will help you decide which website to work with during your home selling or buying journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

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\n \"homelight\n <\/div>\n \n

A Top Agent Can Find the Right Deal For You<\/h3>\n

HomeLight can connect you with a top-performing, trusted agent who has the experience to find you the right house at the right price. We analyze over 27 million transactions and thousands of reviews to determine which agent is best for you based on your needs.<\/p>\n \n

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Editor\u2019s note: The specifics of buying programs can change. Please visit the company websites for the most up-to-date information.<\/em><\/p>\n

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What is Zillow?<\/h2>\n

Zillow<\/a> is one of the oldest \u2014 and largest \u2014 real estate listing websites. The company was founded in December 2004<\/a> and launched Zillow.com in February 2006<\/a>. From there, it grew to quickly dominate the market. Today, the website receives more than 57 million monthly visits<\/a>. For comparison, the second largest real estate website is Realtor.com, which receives\u00a0about 30 million monthly visits.<\/p>\n

Zillow aggregates multiple list service<\/a>, or MLS, listings nationwide. Before Zillow, you had to sign up with an agent to get access to this data. But now, Zillow functions as a lead generator for agents \u2014 collecting data on interested buyers and sellers and charging agents for access to those leads.<\/p>\n

Just because you see an agent\u2019s face and number next to a listing doesn\u2019t mean that they represent the seller. Zillow accepts and places paid advertisements for agents \u2014 it\u2019s up to you to dig deeper to find online testimonials about their quality<\/a>, interview past clients, and request their sales data.<\/p>\n

Like other real estate sites, Zillow provides a wide range of housing data statistics<\/a> that help home sellers, buyers, agents, and industry analysts track consumer housing trends.<\/p>\n

Landlords pay to list their apartments for rent on Zillow, and it\u2019s a good source for renters who are apartment hunting. Zillow also connects buyers to mortgage lenders, providing information about rates and reviews of their services. The company doesn\u2019t currently buy homes directly, however. They used to, which we\u2019ll touch on later in this post.<\/p>\n

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What is Trulia?<\/h2>\n

Trulia<\/a>, founded in 2005<\/a>, ranks third to Zillow for internet traffic. Their site receives 10 million monthly visitors<\/a> searching for places to buy or rent, or looking for help with a mortgage. Like Zillow, users can search homes for sale near them from a nationwide database.<\/p>\n

Trulia adds value to website visitors through neighborhood reviews<\/a> and deep dives. Their local insights help home shoppers find the best place to live. Users \u2014 actual people who live where you\u2019re thinking of buying a house \u2014 leave reviews that can guide your search.<\/p>\n

While they have a different look, Trulia offers many of the same features as Zillow \u2014 and there\u2019s a reason for that. They\u2019re owned by the same company. Zillow bought Trulia in 2015<\/a> but has continued to operate the website separately.<\/p>\n

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Zillow vs. Trulia: How are they different?<\/h2>\n

The sites both have the core function \u2014 providing home shoppers with searchable listings \u2014 but they do have a few differences.<\/p>\n

For-sale-by-owner (FSBO) listings<\/h3>\n

Zillow allows for-sale-by-owner, or FSBO<\/a>, listings. Owners can submit their homes<\/a> directly and get listed<\/a> on the site. While Trulia allows FSBO listings, you have to go through Zillow<\/a> to get your home listed. The difference between them is the ease of listing.<\/p>\n

Other real estate websites don\u2019t allow homeowners to post their own FSBO listings, so searching on Zillow and Trulia might show you more results.<\/p>\n

Neighborhood information<\/h3>\n

Trulia Neighborhoods<\/a> is a great resource for people shopping in unfamiliar neighborhoods, cities, or states. When you search a neighborhood<\/a>, you can see current and historical pictures, read summaries of what it\u2019s like to live there, access neighborhood and crime data, and more. For some neighborhoods, they\u2019ll dive into fitness options, dog parks nearby, and schools.<\/p>\n

Zillow doesn\u2019t have a comparable feature on their website.<\/p>\n

Search filters<\/h3>\n

You know you want a place with three bedrooms, but would you prefer two baths over one? If you\u2019re buying a condo, do you want A\/C? Search filters allow you to narrow down results, sometimes filtering hundreds of listings to just a few great options.<\/p>\n

Zillow and Trulia have the basics \u2014 number of bedrooms and baths, and housing type \u2014 but Zillow has more robust filters. On Zillow, you can select square footage, amenities such as a pool or water view, parking options, and more. Trulia doesn\u2019t present all of these as search options \u2014 but you can input them as keywords in case the listing agent has included them in the home\u2019s description.<\/p>\n

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How are they the same?<\/h2>\n

Beyond these smaller differences, the websites primarily have similar features.<\/p>\n

iBuyer services<\/h3>\n

iBuyers<\/a> (instant buyers) offer to buy homes for cash \u2014 saving you the hassle of minor repairs, decluttering, and keeping your house clean for showings. They specialize in working with sellers who need a quick, easy close. Other real estate platforms, such as Opendoor and Offerpad<\/a> or HomeLight\u2019s Simple Sale<\/a>, also provide sellers with a no-obligation, all-cash offer.<\/p>\n

Zillow used to have an iBuyer service, Zillow Offers, but they closed it in 2021<\/a>. Trulia doesn\u2019t have an iBuyer service, either.<\/p>\n

Home value estimates<\/h3>\n

Both companies have home value estimator tools<\/a>. Sellers can plug in their address and receive an estimate of its value. Zillow and Trulia base their estimates on local market sales data.<\/p>\n

Because they\u2019re owned by the same company, they draw on the same data sets. You likely won\u2019t see many differences between their home value estimates.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re wondering what your home might be worth, try HomeLight\u2019s free Home Value Estimator<\/a> tool now. Enter your address<\/a> and get a preliminary estimate of home value in under two minutes.<\/p>\n

Listing sources<\/h3>\n

Both Zillow and Trulia draw their listings from the MLS, partners, brokers and agents, third-party feed services, and FSBOs. Their listings will appear the same, though their search options are different.<\/p>\n

Apps and useful tools<\/h3>\n

Prefer to do your home shopping on your phone? There\u2019s an app for that! While each website\u2019s app offers different features, they both allow you to search and save listings.<\/p>\n

Zillow\u2019s App<\/a><\/h4>\n