When you’re ready to sell your property in 2025, choosing the right portal can make the difference between a quick sale and months of waiting. With over 1.2 million properties currently listed across the UK’s main portals, understanding where buyers actually look is crucial for getting your house sold faster.
The three major players: Rightmove, Zoopla, and OnTheMarket: each offer different advantages. However, the most successful sellers don’t choose just one. They work with estate agents who list across multiple platforms to maximize exposure and speed up their sale.
The Numbers: Traffic and Reach
The visitor numbers tell a clear story about where house hunters spend their time. Rightmove dominates with over 125 million monthly visitors, while Zoopla attracts around 55 million visitors per month. This traffic difference directly impacts how quickly your property gets seen by potential buyers.
Rightmove lists approximately 1.1 million properties, giving it the largest inventory of any UK property portal. Zoopla follows with around 927,000 listings, while OnTheMarket operates as an independent portal with a growing inventory and a meaningful share of UK listings.
These numbers matter because more visitors generally mean more viewings, and more viewings typically lead to faster sales. However, the quality of those visitors and the tools available to them also play important roles in the selling process.
Rightmove: The Market Leader
Rightmove’s position as the UK’s largest property portal brings several advantages for sellers. The platform works exclusively with estate agents, ensuring quality control and professional property presentations. Its straightforward interface makes property searching simple, which keeps buyers engaged longer.
The platform offers better property distribution across the entire UK, meaning buyers searching in any region find relevant listings more easily. This geographic reach is particularly valuable if you’re selling in areas outside major cities, where buyer pools might be smaller.
Average selling times vary by region, but recent data shows properties in areas like the East Midlands average around 67 days on Rightmove. The platform also provides premium listing options, including Featured Property placements that give additional visibility for properties that need extra exposure.
Another advantage is Rightmove’s media partnerships. Selected listings appear in major national newspapers including The Times, Telegraph, Daily Mail, and Evening Standard, extending your property’s reach beyond online searches.
Zoopla: Feature-Rich Alternative
While Zoopla has fewer visitors than Rightmove, it compensates with superior technology and search precision. The platform’s modern interface includes heat maps showing popular areas, advanced filtering options, and tools that let buyers draw custom search areas on maps.
Zoopla’s mobile app, downloaded over 11 million times with a 5-star rating, provides instant property valuations and market insights. These features appeal to serious buyers who want detailed information before arranging viewings, potentially leading to more qualified enquiries.
The platform’s distance estimation tools help buyers understand commute times and local amenities, which can be particularly valuable for family homes or properties in suburban locations. However, research indicates that incorrectly priced properties on Zoopla take 2.4 times longer to sell than those priced accurately from the start.
OnTheMarket: The Third Major Portal
OnTheMarket operates as an independent portal alongside Rightmove and Zoopla. It typically has a smaller audience than the other two, but it still reaches a distinct pool of motivated buyers.
The platform focuses on clear search tools, straightforward listings, and strong mobile performance. Some agents also use OnTheMarket to release new listings first, which can generate early enquiries.
For most sellers, OnTheMarket works best as part of a multi-portal strategy. Listing on all three portals increases total visibility and ensures you capture buyers who prefer OnTheMarket as their primary search site.
Which Portal Sells Fastest?
Based on traffic volumes and market coverage, Rightmove typically provides the fastest path to sale for most properties. The platform’s superior visitor numbers and broader geographic distribution create more opportunities for buyer interest, which translates to quicker sales in most market conditions.
However, selling speed depends heavily on several factors beyond portal choice:
- Accurate pricing from the start
- Quality photography and descriptions
- Local market conditions
- Property type and condition
- Seasonal timing
The most effective approach involves listing on both Rightmove and Zoopla simultaneously. This strategy captures buyers who prefer either platform while maximizing your property’s total exposure.
The PE Homes Advantage
At PE Homes, we understand that portal choice shouldn’t limit your selling success. That’s why we list all our properties on Rightmove, Zoopla, and OnTheMarket, giving you maximum market exposure without the premium price tag of traditional estate agents.
Our fixed-fee approach means you get comprehensive portal coverage for a fraction of what percentage-based agents charge. While traditional agents might charge £3,000-£5,000 in commission, our transparent pricing gives you professional service and multi-portal listing for significantly less.
This approach is particularly valuable in today’s market, where buyers might start their search on one platform but cross-reference properties on others before making decisions. By ensuring your property appears everywhere serious buyers look, we increase your chances of a faster sale.
Shared Ownership Considerations
Shared ownership properties require special consideration when choosing portals. These properties often appeal to first-time buyers who tend to research extensively online before viewing. Having your shared ownership property listed across multiple platforms becomes even more important because the buyer pool is more specific.
PE Homes specializes in shared ownership sales, understanding the unique challenges these properties face. We ensure your shared ownership listing includes all necessary information about ownership percentages, ground rent, and staircasing options across all portals.
Our experience shows that shared ownership properties benefit particularly from Zoopla’s detailed filtering options, which help buyers find properties within their specific ownership percentage requirements. However, Rightmove’s larger traffic volume often generates the initial interest that leads to successful sales.
Making Your Choice
Rather than choosing between portals, successful sellers in 2025 focus on choosing the right estate agent. The best agents provide multi-portal listing as standard, ensuring your property reaches buyers wherever they prefer to search.
Consider these factors when selecting your selling strategy:
Portal Coverage: Ensure your agent lists on both Rightmove and Zoopla at minimum
Pricing Accuracy: Work with agents who provide realistic market valuations
Professional Presentation: Choose agents who invest in quality photography and descriptions
Local Knowledge: Select agents familiar with your specific area and property type
Communication: Work with responsive agents who keep you updated throughout the process
At PE Homes, we combine comprehensive portal coverage with local expertise and transparent pricing. Our online estate agent approach gives you the benefits of professional property marketing without the traditional agent premium.
The property market in 2025 rewards sellers who maximize their exposure while pricing accurately from the start. By working with an agent who understands both the technology and the local market, you position your property for the fastest possible sale across all major platforms.
Whether you’re selling a standard residential property or navigating the complexities of shared ownership, the key to success lies in comprehensive market coverage, professional presentation, and realistic pricing. The portal war matters less than ensuring your property appears where your buyers are looking.
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