· buying · 2 min read
Zillow vs Realtor: Zillow Dominates Traffic But Lacks 33% of Realtor.com Listings
Zillow wins on traffic and engagement, but Realtor.com carries roughly 33% more listings overall. A data-driven look at the gap between the two platforms.
Most comparisons between Zillow and Realtor.com examine the platforms from a real estate agent’s perspective. This analysis instead uses Similarweb and Ahrefs data plus property-level listing information to evaluate both platforms across traffic, engagement, and listing availability.
Key Findings
Traffic dominance. Zillow receives 121% more monthly visits than Realtor.com and generates over 500% more pageviews. Users browse approximately 10 additional listings per visit on Zillow compared to its competitor.
Listing coverage gap. Despite Zillow’s traffic advantage, Realtor.com contains approximately 33% more property listings overall. The disparity varies by state, ranging from 3% to 56%.
Search vs. direct traffic. Zillow derives 56% of traffic directly from users initiating searches on the platform, while Realtor.com captures 54% of its traffic from search engines, indicating stronger organic discoverability despite fewer listings.
Rankings and Performance
Both platforms rank #1 and #2 respectively within the real estate category in the United States. Zillow’s domain rating matches Realtor.com at 91, though Zillow accumulates 87% more backlinks from only 9% additional referring domains.
Mobile App Usage
- Android: Zillow’s app maintains 2.4 times more daily active users than Realtor.com’s Android application.
- iOS: Zillow shows approximately 7.5 million reviews (4.8-star rating) versus Realtor.com’s 615,000 reviews (4.7-star rating), suggesting about 10x higher iOS adoption.
Demographic Insights
Both platforms demonstrate nearly identical audience demographics with no significant generational or gender preferences favoring either service.
Land Listings Analysis
For land-specific listings, the gap narrows considerably. Approximately 19% of Realtor.com land listings lack corresponding Zillow entries, compared to the 33% figure for all property types.
Market Implications
The analysis reveals a paradox: Zillow dominates user behavior and engagement despite hosting fewer total listings. Real estate professionals may withhold listings from Zillow deliberately, while consumers frequently remain unaware of this discrepancy when searching for properties.
