Flatmates.com.au is Australia's best-known share-house site, owned by REA Group, the company behind realestate.com.au. Flathive is a newer alternative. Both let you list a room for free; they differ in what's free after that, how boosting works, and what comes with the site.
This comparison is based on Flatmates.com.au's own website and help centre, checked in 2026. Where a feature wasn't advertised anywhere we could find, it's marked "not shown" rather than assumed absent. For the wider picture, see our Australian comparison with Flatmate Finders, Facebook and Gumtree.
Flathive vs Flatmates.com.au at a glance
| Feature | Flathive | Flatmates.com.au |
|---|---|---|
| Listing a room or profile | Free | Free; upgraded plans (Basic, Full, Pro, Guarantee, Bonus) available |
| Searching | Free | Free |
| Messaging | Free in-app chat (message up to 3 listings without a listing of your own; create a free listing to message more) | Messaging everyone, phone numbers and multiple listings are paid-upgrade features; free listings become "free to message" after 14 days |
| Boosting a listing | $10 for 30 days, any listing, no plan needed | Top of its suburb for 7 days; only for listings on an upgraded plan; max 8 boosted per suburb |
| ID verification | Optional, $5 one-off, checked against government ID | Mobile verification for everyone; optional passport/driver's licence check via Equifax on upgraded plans |
| Live chat | Real time | Not shown (a support chat exists, not user-to-user) |
| Map search | Yes | Yes |
| Scam protection | AI scam detection on listings and messages | Listing moderation, a scam-avoidance guide and a report tool |
| Photo privacy (blur) | Yes | Not shown |
| 360° photos | Yes | Not shown |
| Compare places side by side | Up to 4 rooms, with the real weekly cost and a score for each | Not shown |
| Tenancy agreement | Free residential tenancy agreement, filled in online | Not part of the listing plans |
| Team up for a whole place | Yes — group chat and one joint application sent to the landlord | Team-ups available |
| Property management | $5 per property per month | Not offered |
Where Flathive is ahead
Free really means free. On Flathive, listing, searching and messaging are all free. On Flatmates.com.au, reaching everyone straight away and showing your phone number are paid upgrades.
Boost without a plan. A Flathive Boost is $10 for 30 days on any listing. On Flatmates.com.au, Boost lasts 7 days and you need an upgraded plan before you can buy it.
The paperwork is included. Once you've found your flatmate, Flathive fills in a free residential tenancy agreement online with you.
Safer and more private. AI scam detection runs on listings and messages, and you can blur your photos so only verified users, or people you're actually talking to, see them.
Better tools for deciding. Real-time chat, 360° room photos, and a compare view that puts up to four rooms side by side with rent, bills and the real weekly cost.
Where Flatmates.com.au is ahead
Scale. 40,000+ active listings a month and REA Group behind it — if you need a room this week, that pool is a real advantage Flathive is still building toward. It also shows rentals from realestate.com.au alongside share houses.
Which should you use?
List on both. Flathive is free to list on, so it costs nothing to reach more people, and if you want to boost a listing, Flathive's is cheaper and doesn't need a plan. See the side-by-side table on our Flathive vs Flatmates.com.au page, or list your room free.
Flatmates.com.au is referenced here for comparison only and is a trademark of its owner. Features, pricing and availability change — confirm directly with Flatmates.com.au before deciding.