William H Brown

If you’re in the UK, I’d think of “best real estate companies” in three buckets: the portals people search on, the estate/letting agents people instruct, and the specialist platforms for renting or comparing agents.

Quick recommendation

Best UK property portals — what people actually use

1. Rightmove — the first place most UK buyers and renters check. Semrush ranked Rightmove as the UK’s most-visited real-estate site in July 2026, with 52.9 million monthly visits, well ahead of Zoopla. (semrush.com)
2. Zoopla — the best second portal to use alongside Rightmove, especially for price history, sold-price context and not missing listings. Semrush put Zoopla second among UK real-estate websites with 17.98 million monthly visits in July 2026, and a YouGov survey commissioned by Zoopla found that UK consumers most expected homes to be listed on Rightmove and Zoopla. (semrush.com)
3. OnTheMarket — worth checking, but I’d treat it as a secondary portal rather than your main one. Some agents use it heavily, and occasionally properties appear there that you might not spot elsewhere, but Rightmove and Zoopla remain the core two for most people. (zoopla.co.uk)

My practical advice: set alerts on Rightmove and Zoopla. If you’re serious about a specific town or postcode, also register directly with the best local estate agents, because good agents often call their applicant list before a listing gets wide attention.

Best estate agents for selling

There isn’t one “best” estate agent across the UK. The best choice is usually the branch and individual negotiator with the strongest record in your postcode and property type. GetAgent says it compares agents using Land Registry and major portal data, looking at sale time, asking price achieved, properties listed and fees, and it has helped over 1.2 million UK homeowners since 2015. (getagent.co.uk)

That said, these are the big names I’d include on a shortlist:

1. Connells Group / Countrywide brands

Best for: broad national coverage, mainstream sales, lettings, mortgages and property services.

Connells Group is one of the UK’s biggest property-services groups; it reported supporting 86,000 property exchanges in 2025, around one in ten UK home sales, and a lettings portfolio of over 128,000 properties. (connellsgroup.co.uk) Countrywide, part of the same wider group, includes many familiar local brands such as Bairstow Eves, Bridgfords, Hamptons, John D Wood, Taylors, Slater Hogg & Howison, Palmer Snell and others. (countrywide.co.uk)

Use if: you want a large, established network.
Watch out for: don’t accept add-on mortgage, conveyancing or insurance products without comparing independent alternatives.

2. Purplebricks

Best for: online/hybrid selling and lower-fee packages.

Purplebricks says independent Zoopla whole-market data showed it had the highest average UK estate-agent market share in 2024 among major agents it tracked, ahead of William H Brown and Connells. It also says Purplebricks/Strike have sold over 328,000 homes combined. (purplebricks.co.uk)

Use if: you want a recognisable online brand and a more fixed-fee style of service.
Watch out for: online/hybrid agents can work well, but in a slower market you may want a strong local negotiator who actively chases buyers, viewings and chains.

3. eXp UK

Best for: self-employed local estate agents operating under a national platform.

TwentyCi reported that in Q2 2025, online agents’ overall market share was 4.8%, and that eXp was the number-one online/hybrid agent and the largest brand in the country for new instructions during that quarter. (twentyci.co.uk)

Use if: you find a strong individual eXp agent with excellent local results.
Watch out for: the individual agent matters more than the logo.

4. Savills, Knight Frank, Strutt & Parker

Best for: prime London, country houses, estates, rural property, high-net-worth and international buyers.

For high-value property, the brand can matter more because buyer networks, photography, PR and international reach are more important. Chambers’ UK-wide high-net-worth estate-agent rankings list Knight Frank, Savills, Russell Simpson and Sotheby’s in Band 1. (chambers.com)

Use if: you’re selling a premium London home, country house, estate, waterfront property or anything likely to appeal to wealthy domestic/international buyers.
Watch out for: fees can be higher; negotiate and compare against a strong local independent.

5. Foxtons

Best for: London lettings, and some London sales markets.

Foxtons reported a portfolio of over 32,000 tenancies and described itself as London’s number-one lettings agent brand and the UK’s largest lettings agent brand in its 2025 full-year results. (investegate.co.uk)

Use if: you’re a London landlord who wants a high-volume lettings machine.
Watch out for: London renters and sellers can have strong views on particular agencies, so check recent branch reviews and fees carefully.

Best UK rental platforms

1. Rightmove — best first stop for whole-property rentals.
2. Zoopla — best second stop so you don’t miss listings.
3. OpenRent — best for renting directly from landlords or for landlords who want a lower-cost way to advertise and manage referencing/tenancy setup. OpenRent describes itself as the UK’s largest letting platform, serving over 8.9 million users. (openrent.co.uk)
4. SpareRoom — best for rooms, lodgers and flatshares. SpareRoom calls itself the UK’s number-one flatshare site and says someone finds a flatmate through the platform every three minutes. (spareroom.co.uk)

My “best overall” picks

If you want the simple UK stack I’d actually use:

• Buying: Rightmove + Zoopla + register with 3–5 local agents.
• Selling: GetAgent first, then invite 3 agents to value: one strong local independent, one big chain, and one online/hybrid option.
• Renting: Rightmove + Zoopla + OpenRent; use SpareRoom if you’re open to a room or flatshare.
• Letting as a landlord: OpenRent for DIY/low-cost; Foxtons or a strong local letting agent for London/full management; Connells/Countrywide brands for broad national coverage.
• Prime property: Savills or Knight Frank, plus a strong local specialist.

The most important rule in the UK: choose the best local performer, not just the biggest national brand. The branch, negotiator, pricing strategy and buyer database usually matter more than the logo on the board.

In the UK, the way people find, buy, sell, and rent homes is slightly different from other countries. Rather than contacting a single "realtor," the entire property market is digitized. Almost every property search starts online via massive aggregation sites, followed by dealings with local high street offices or modern hybrid brokers.

The top brands and companies that people actually use across the UK are broken down by how they are utilized.

1. The Digital Giants: Property Portals (Where the Search Starts)

If you are looking to buy or rent in the UK, you will inevitably use these three platforms. Individual estate agents list their properties here, making them the most heavily used real estate "products" in the country.

• Rightmove: The absolute king of UK property. If a home isn't listed on Rightmove, it practically doesn't exist. It has the largest market share and the most comprehensive list of properties for sale and rent nationwide.
• Zoopla: The chief rival to Rightmove. While it has slightly fewer listings, Zoopla is highly favored for its user experience, historic sold-price data, and its "estimate" tool, which tracks the fluctuating value of almost every home in the country.
• OnTheMarket: Owned by global real estate giant CoStar, OnTheMarket has grown aggressively. Many agents list their properties here 24 to 48 hours before they appear on Rightmove or Zoopla, making it highly popular for serious buyers looking for a "first look".

2. The Premium & Prestige Brands (For High-End & Country Homes)

For luxury flats in London, historic country estates, or premium commuter-belt homes, the UK relies on highly respected heritage brands.

• Savills: Synonymous with high-end UK property and historic estates. Savills has a massive high-street presence and is globally renowned for its industry-leading market research and data-led valuations.
• Knight Frank: The ultimate gold standard for premium real estate. Whether you are looking at a multi-million-pound townhouse in Belgravia or a sprawling estate in the Cotswolds, Knight Frank is the go-to agency for high-net-worth individuals.
• Fine & Country: This is a highly successful network of independent, boutique estate agents operating under a single premium brand license. They are consistently praised for high-quality property presentation, video tours, and targeted marketing.

3. The Mainstream National Chains (High Street Giants)

If you are buying, selling, or letting a standard family home, semi-detached house, or city flat, you will likely deal with one of the major national corporate networks.

• Connells Group: By far the largest estate agency network in the UK. While you might not see the "Connells" name on every high street, they own a massive portfolio of the country’s most popular local brands, including William H Brown, Barnard Marcus, Bairstow Eves, and the premium brand Hamptons.
• LSL Property Services: Another massive national network. They are the power behind major household-name high street brands like Your Move and Reeds Rains, commanding a massive share of the UK rental and sales market.
• Foxtons: The dominant force in London. Instantly recognizable by their sleek, café-style offices and green-and-yellow branded Mini Coopers, Foxtons is known for its highly proactive (and aggressive) sales tactics. They charge some of the highest fees in the industry but are incredibly effective at finding buyers and tenants in the capital.
• Andrews: Operating across the South and Midlands, Andrews is a highly respected regional network that won the prestigious Network of the Year award at the Trusted Agent Awards, recognized for exceptional customer service.

4. Hybrid & Personal Agents (The Modern Way to Sell)

For those looking to save money on traditional 1.5% to 2% high street commission fees, "hybrid" and "personal" agency models have become incredibly popular.

• Yopa: Currently the most popular and stable hybrid estate agent in the UK. They assign a dedicated local estate agent to value your home and manage the process, but you pay a flat, fixed fee (starting around £1,000 to £1,500 depending on location) rather than a percentage of your sale price.
• Purplebricks: The pioneer of online estate agency. After being acquired by rival firm Strike, the two brands consolidated under the Purplebricks name. They offer a budget-friendly flat-fee model and remain a household name for sellers wanting to manage their viewings and offers digitally.
• eXp UK & EweMove: These represent the fast-growing trend of "self-employed personal estate agents". Instead of dealing with a rotating roster of office staff at a corporate agency, you hire one local independent broker who handles your property personally from the initial valuation all the way to completion.

A Quick Tip on Choosing:

If you are buying or renting, you don't really choose the company—you simply go where the property is listed (usually by setting up alerts on Rightmove or Zoopla).

If you are selling or letting your home, it is always best to invite three agents to value your property:

1. One dominant local independent (look around your neighborhood to see whose "For Sale" and "Sold" boards are most common).
2. One major national corporate brand (like a Connells-owned brand or Foxtons).
3. One hybrid/fixed-fee agent (like Yopa) to compare costs against traditional commission rates.