Zillow vs Redfin vs Realtor: Which Has the Best Data

All three sites show mostly the same homes, since most listings come from the same local MLS databases. The differences are in how fast listings appear, how accurate the details are, and the extra tools. Most serious buyers use more than one.

Zillow

• Biggest audience and the widest mix: MLS listings, homes for sale by owner, new construction and a large rental section.
• The Zestimate, Zillow's automated value estimate, is shown on most homes, including ones not for sale. It's a useful starting point but can be off by a lot on unusual homes.
• Weak spot: the contact buttons on a listing often connect you with agents who pay Zillow for leads, not the listing agent.

Redfin

• Redfin is a brokerage with its own agents, so in the areas it serves it gets listings straight from the MLS, and updates can be very fast.
• The Redfin Estimate is its own value estimate, and it shows sold-home data and market trends clearly.
• Sorting by price per sq. ft. is built in to its list view, which Zillow doesn't offer.
• Redfin is now part of Rocket Companies, the mortgage lender, so expect mortgage offers along the way.

Realtor.com

• Run with the National Association of Realtors' backing, and it pulls from a very large number of MLSs, which gives it a reputation for accurate listing status (active, pending, sold).
• Good neighborhood information, such as noise and flood risk on many listings.
• Less traffic than Zillow, so fewer for-sale-by-owner homes.

Which has the best data?

• Freshest listings: often Redfin in areas where it's a broker, and Realtor.com for status changes.
• Widest range of homes, including rentals: Zillow.
• Home value estimates: treat all of them as rough. A local agent's comparable sales are more reliable.
• Sold prices: all three show them in most states. In non-disclosure states, sale prices may be missing everywhere.

Comparing price per square foot

Price per square foot is one of the quickest ways to compare homes of different sizes. Redfin lets you sort by it. On Zillow, you'd normally open each listing to find it, so Zillow Price/SqFt adds it to every listing card in your search results. For a single home, the free price per square foot calculator does the math from price and size.

A practical setup

Set saved searches on two sites (Zillow plus Redfin or Realtor.com), and have your agent send MLS alerts, which are usually the fastest. See how to set up Zillow alerts.