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Real Estate · head to head

LoopNet vs Zillow

LoopNet logo

LoopNet

Real Estate

Commercial property listing marketplace owned by CoStar, where searching is free and the paid product is advertising exposure for brokers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zillow logo

Zillow

Real Estate

Consumer property search site whose actual product, Premier Agent, is paid lead placement sold to agents and brokers, not the free listings buyers browse

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only LoopNet has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: LoopNet loopNet is owned by CoStar, the dominant CRE data provider, so paying for LoopNet placement indirectly reinforces a single company dominant position across both listings and data in commercial real estate.; Zillow leads are frequently sold to multiple agents at once, so an agent is often bidding against competitors for the same buyer rather than buying an exclusive introduction.
  • They diverge on capability: LoopNet covers Free listing search, Zillow covers Consumer listing search.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LoopNet and Zillow actually diverge.

Attributes where LoopNet and Zillow differ
AttributeLoopNetZillow
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelFree to search; paid tiers for listing advertisersquote
Free tierYesNo

Identical on both: platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Real Estate).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in LoopNet

  • Free listing search
  • Tiered ad packages
  • CoStar network exposure
  • Syndication
  • Lead and view analytics
  • Saved search alerts

Only in Zillow

  • Consumer listing search
  • Premier Agent placement
  • Lead connections
  • Performance dashboards
  • Zillow Flex
  • Agent profile and reviews

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

LoopNet

  • A broker wanting one listing to reach both general public searchers and CoStar professional subscriber base without a second paymentnot Zillow
  • A property owner marketing a for-sale or for-lease asset who wants syndication across 150+ partner sites from a single listingnot Zillow
  • A tenant or investor searching for available commercial space for free without needing a paid accountnot Zillow
  • A brokerage comparing LoopNet advertising spend against its overall CoStar data subscription, since both are owned by the same companynot Zillow

Zillow

  • An agent in a competitive metro wanting listing-page visibility on homes they do not personally representnot LoopNet
  • A team wanting predictable lead volume to feed a follow-up system, accepting shared, non-exclusive leadsnot LoopNet
  • A brokerage evaluating Zillow Flex as a pay-on-closing alternative to upfront advertising spendnot LoopNet
  • A buyer or renter using the free consumer search, who is not Zillow paying customer at all and should understand that agent placement on a listing does not mean that agent represents the sellernot LoopNet

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

LoopNet

  • LoopNet is owned by CoStar, the dominant CRE data provider, so paying for LoopNet placement indirectly reinforces a single company dominant position across both listings and data in commercial real estate.
  • Paid tiers scale from Silver at roughly $131 a month upward, and Gold and Platinum pricing is not published, making budget comparison against competitors like CREXi harder to do cleanly.
  • Because listing quality and exposure correlate with ad spend tier, owners and brokers who cannot justify higher tiers get less visibility even for genuinely strong properties.
  • As a marketplace dependent on the CoStar data ecosystem, any pricing, policy or antitrust exposure affecting CoStar Group (including the June 2026 price-fixing lawsuit naming major brokerages) has knock-on relevance for LoopNet advertisers.
  • Free searchers and casual browsers create high traffic volume that is not itself the paying customer, so lead quality for advertisers varies and includes non-serious enquiries.

Zillow

  • Leads are frequently sold to multiple agents at once, so an agent is often bidding against competitors for the same buyer rather than buying an exclusive introduction.
  • Reported lead-to-close conversion of roughly 1 to 3 percent means most paid connections do not become closed transactions, and the advertising spend has no guaranteed return.
  • Cost per connection varies heavily by ZIP code and competition, so budgeting is unpredictable and can spike in desirable areas without warning.
  • The agent shown as a contact on a listing is frequently not the listing agent, which has drawn criticism for consumer confusion about who actually represents the seller.
  • Placement is rented, not owned; an agent who stops paying loses visibility instantly, unlike a website or CRM investment that continues to compound in value.

Pricing, plan by plan

LoopNet

Free
  • Search (public)Free
    • Free browsing of listings, no account required for basic search
  • Silver listing plan$undefined/month
    • Entry paid advertising tier for brokers and owners
  • Gold / Platinum$undefined/month
    • Higher-visibility placement and expanded marketing tools, quote for exact pricing

Zillow

On request
  • Premier Agent$undefined/month
    • Consumer search and listings are free; agents pay for lead placement
    • Average cost per connection roughly $139 (non-major metro) to $223+ (major metro)
    • Monthly spend commonly $200-600 small markets, $1,500-5,000+ major metros

Which should you pick?

Choose LoopNet if

  • You need free listing search.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want tiered ad packages.
LoopNet review

Choose Zillow if

  • You need consumer listing search.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want premier agent placement.
Zillow review

Questions people ask

Is LoopNet or Zillow better?
Neither clearly leads. LoopNet starts at Free and Zillow at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, LoopNet or Zillow?
LoopNet has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for LoopNet and On request for Zillow.
Does LoopNet or Zillow run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use LoopNet for free?
Yes. LoopNet has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Zillow starts at On request.
What is LoopNet best used for?
LoopNet is most often used for a broker wanting one listing to reach both general public searchers and costar professional subscriber base without a second payment, a property owner marketing a for-sale or for-lease asset who wants syndication across 150+ partner sites from a single listing, a tenant or investor searching for available commercial space for free without needing a paid account, a brokerage comparing loopnet advertising spend against its overall costar data subscription, since both are owned by the same company. Of those, a broker wanting one listing to reach both general public searchers and costar professional subscriber base without a second payment and a property owner marketing a for-sale or for-lease asset who wants syndication across 150+ partner sites from a single listing are not what Zillow is typically brought in for.
What can LoopNet do that Zillow cannot?
LoopNet covers Free listing search, Tiered ad packages, CoStar network exposure, Syndication. Zillow covers Consumer listing search, Premier Agent placement, Lead connections, Performance dashboards.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

LoopNet: Is LoopNet free to use?

Searching and browsing listings is free. Payment is required only if you are the one advertising a property for sale or lease.

Zillow: Do home buyers or sellers pay Zillow?

No. Consumer search, Zestimates and listing browsing are free. Zillow revenue comes from agents and brokers paying for Premier Agent placement and leads.

LoopNet: Who owns LoopNet?

CoStar Group, which acquired it in 2012 for roughly $860 million; it remains part of the same company that owns the CoStar data subscription product.

Zillow: Does the agent shown on a Zillow listing represent the seller?

Not necessarily. Premier Agent placement can show a paying advertiser as the contact even when they are not the actual listing agent.

LoopNet: How much does listing advertising cost?

The Silver plan starts around $131 a month; Gold and Platinum tiers are priced higher with more placement and marketing tools, quoted directly.

Zillow: Is there a cheaper alternative to paid placement?

Zillow Flex offers a pay-on-closing model instead of upfront ad spend in select markets, trading a lower risk of wasted spend for a referral fee on closed deals.

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