The search for an apartment can be a lengthy and frustrating process. Apartments come in all shapes and sizes, but finding the right fit for you can take some deep digging. Whatever importance cost, having roommates, proximity to campus, or overall location may have to you, there can certainly be a “perfect" apartment that fits your criteria. Luckily, alongside word-of-mouth and campus flyers, there are plenty of apartment apps that can help you find the ideal apartment so that you can enjoy your college experience. Apps allow you to search for apartments based on your preferences, thus streamlining the process and hopefully leading to a signed lease sooner rather than later. Here are some popular apartment hunting apps to consider:

Zillow

Zillow is a popular app for finding any type of real estate, including apartments for rent. Zillow allows you to search for apartments in your area, showcasing a map with rent prices and locations of apartments. If the selection does not appeal to you after clicking around on the map, Zillow allows you to filter the search to your preferences. You can set your own criteria for price, number of beds and bathrooms, and even square footage and year built. If an apartment interests you, you can click on its picture will enable you to see the amenities and price-history of the place. With filters and thorough descriptions, Zillow is a terrific app to search for apartments.

Realtor.com

Realtor.com is another trendy app which can help find your ideal apartment. Simply by searching your area, realtor.com provides a list of apartments available for rent with an outside photo of the place shown, as well. Like Zillow, you can filter your preferences for beds, baths, and price in addition to filtering for allowance of pets, certain amenities, and in-unit features such as washers/dryers. If you see an apartment you like, you can find in-depth details ,including a map, an overview of the apartment complex, features of the complex, and more on realtor.com.

Hotpads

Hotpads is a branch of Zillow that is equally effective in finding apartments. Upon searching your desired range of locations the app provides a large map of available apartments in your area. Once again, all filters come into play, and the app also allows you to sort the apartments listing results per factors such as newest, most popular, and the highest/lowest price. Clicking on an interesting apartment leads you to more descriptions about the place itself. Hotpads apartment descriptions include how many views an apartment has received, giving you a sense of how many people might be interested.

Trulia

Another branch of the large real estate company Zillow, Trulia could also be the app that will guide you to your dream apartment. Like its counterparts, Trulia shows a map when searching your area for apartments. However, this smaller branch of Zillow tries to stay distinct from its sibling apps by including a feature on the map showing exact locations of schools and food places, in addition to a color-coded map showing affordability, commute times, and hazards in the specified area. With just a click you can find all of this information, and more details about specific apartments once you have found one that you like.

Apartments.com

With a straightforward name, apartments.com is easy to find and another app to add to your list. Once reaching the map that showcases available apartments, you are presented the opportunity to read a guide of the town which you looked up. This feature allows you to learn more about the area where you plan to live and potentially compare apartment prices with those in other towns near your campus- this is a bonus in case the rent in your university town is high. In addition, like Trulia, apartments.com provides a feature that enables you to pinpoint restaurants and transit in the area too. Clicking on an apartment provides the standard description, but it also includes reviews from people.

Rent.com

Another straightforward and user-friendly app, rent.com is the last app on this decently sized apartment hunting app lineup. Rent.com provides a larger map than its counterparts, enabling you to compare prices and availability of apartments in many nearby towns. Clicking on an apartment will lead you to a thorough description that includes highlights, floor plans, amenities, pet allowance, reviews, and ratings.

Though it is a long process, finding your dream apartment can do wonders for your motivation, happiness, and enjoyment during college. Apps can help streamline your preferences and make apartment hunting less stressful and even fun. Having that perfect apartment can set the stage for academic focus and get-togethers with friends, and hopefully your time in that apartment provides you with some great memories to reminisce about down the road.