Almost every Kiwi has a Trade Me account, and its Property section includes a Flatmates Wanted category. Flathive is built only for flatting: rooms, flatmates, and the paperwork around moving in. Here's how they compare when you're looking for a flatmate or a room.
This comparison is based on Trade Me's own website, help pages and app listing, 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 four-way NZ comparison with Roomies and Flatshare.
Flathive vs Trade Me at a glance
| Feature | Flathive | Trade Me Flatmates |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A site only for rooms, flatmates and shared homes | A general marketplace (auctions, jobs, motors); flatmates are one category inside Property |
| Listing a room or profile | Free | Standard Trade Me listing fees apply — check their current fees |
| Flatmate profiles and matching | Flatmate profiles with lifestyle and search-style preferences | A plain classified ad, no profile or matching system |
| Messaging | Free in-app chat, in real time | Contact by phone or email through the listing |
| Creating a listing in the app | Yes, on iOS and Android | The app exists, but Flatmates listings can only be created on desktop |
| Map search | Radius and map search on every search | Exists for general Trade Me Property, not the Flatmates category |
| Scam protection | AI scam detection on listings and messages | Published flatmate-scam warning guides |
| ID verification | Optional, $5 one-off, checked against government ID | Site-wide Trade Me trust tools |
| Photo privacy (blur) | Yes | Not shown |
| 360° photos | Built into the listing gallery | Property listings can link to an external virtual tour |
| Tenancy agreement | Free residential tenancy agreement, filled in online | Not part of the flatmates listing |
| Team up for a whole place | Yes — group chat and one joint application | Not offered |
| Compare places side by side | Up to 4 rooms | Not shown |
Where Flathive is ahead
Built for flatting, not adapted to it. Every listing has per-room details, house rules and the people you'd live with. People looking for a room post flatmate profiles, so room owners can browse and message them directly.
Free to list. Listing a room or a flatmate profile costs nothing on Flathive.
Talk without handing out your number. Flathive's real-time chat keeps the conversation in the app, so you don't share your phone number or email with strangers before you've met.
Scam checks that run for you. Trade Me publishes good warning guides. Flathive also runs AI scam detection on listings and messages, to catch problems before you have to spot them yourself.
From finding to moving in. A free New Zealand residential tenancy agreement, team-ups to rent a whole place with others, and a compare view for up to four rooms.
Where Trade Me is ahead
Audience. Trade Me's reach in New Zealand is enormous, and most people already have an account. It also shows whole-property rentals from agents in the same place. Flathive is still building that kind of reach.
Which should you use?
List on both. Trade Me gives you its huge audience; Flathive is free to list on and gives you flatmate profiles, real-time chat, team-ups and a free tenancy agreement. See the side-by-side table on our Flathive vs Trade Me page, or list your room free.
Trade Me is referenced here for comparison only and is a trademark of its owner. Features, pricing and availability change — confirm directly with Trade Me before deciding.