The quick verdict
Both platforms take lifestyle seriously. Here's the honest split.
Choose CoHabby if you...
- Want unlimited free messaging, not a 5-message cap
- Want a native mobile app for a search that happens on the go
- Prefer a numerical compatibility score to filter-based browsing
- Don't want to pay up to $23.99/month just to keep talking
- Want fast, reliable search on iOS, Android, and web
Stick with Diggz if you...
- Want in-app credit and background checks on candidates
- Do your entire search from a desktop browser
- Are searching in Canada, which CoHabby doesn't cover
- Prefer filtering a large pool yourself over algorithmic scoring
How we compared these platforms
We compared CoHabby and Diggz on compatibility approach, messaging limits, pricing for seekers and listers, screening tools, platform availability, performance, and user sentiment. CoHabby is our product. We'll be transparent about our bias and honest about where Diggz has real strengths, because it has a few.
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | CoHabby | Diggz |
|---|---|---|
| Compatibility approach | Synergy Score 0–100 across 40+ dimensions | 20+ lifestyle filters, no numerical scoring |
| Messaging (free tier) | Unlimited for seekers | Capped at 5 messages |
| Premium pricing | None for seekers; $2.99/mo lister plan | ~$8.99/week to $23.99/month |
| Mobile app | Native iOS + Android + Web | Web-only, no mobile app |
| Credit / background checks | Not built in | In-app credit and background checks |
| Performance | Native apps, fast search | Documented 10+ second search loads under scaled traffic |
| Verified profiles | Profile + photo required before messaging | Profile-based with optional screening |
| Coverage | Major US metros, expanding | Major US metros + Canada |
| Scam prevention | Account-based, in-app-only chat | Screening tools help vet candidates |
| Best for | Mobile-first compatibility matching with free messaging | Desktop searches where credit/background checks matter most |
The real story: good filters, capped conversations
Diggz deserves credit for taking lifestyle seriously earlier than most. Since 2015 it has offered 20+ criteria filters — tobacco use, cleanliness, eating habits, how much you want to interact with the people you live with — and that's meaningfully better than the location-and-price boxes on general rental sites. Its in-app credit and background checks are a genuine strength too: being able to screen a candidate without leaving the platform removes real friction.
The problem starts when you try to talk to someone. The free tier caps you at 5 messages. Five. A typical roommate search involves reaching out to a dozen or more people just to get a handful of replies, so in practice the cap means the free tier is a preview, not a search. Beyond it, premium runs roughly $8.99 per week to $23.99 per month — at the top end, eight times CoHabby's lister price, charged to the person with the least leverage in the transaction: the seeker.
No mobile app in 2026
Diggz is web-only. There is no iOS app, no Android app. Roommate searching is a bursty, on-the-go activity — you answer messages on the bus, check new matches at lunch, coordinate viewings from wherever you are. A browser tab doesn't send push notifications when a compatible person messages you. In a category where response speed often decides who gets the room, that's a structural handicap, not a cosmetic one.
Performance under load
There's also the speed issue. An infrastructure case study documented Diggz search pages taking 10+ seconds to load as traffic scaled. Performance may have improved since, and we'd note it neutrally either way: a web-only product with a public history of slow search is something to factor in when your search window is short.
Filters are not scores
The deeper difference is philosophical. Diggz's 20+ filters let you exclude people: no smokers, no night owls. That's useful, but everyone left in the pool looks equally acceptable, and you're back to judging photos and bios. CoHabby computes a Synergy Score from 0 to 100 across 40+ living dimensions for every pair of users, so the pool comes ranked: the person who matches your sleep schedule, cleanliness standard, guest policy, and kitchen habits scores measurably higher than the one who merely clears your filters. You can preview the approach with our roommate compatibility quiz.
What using CoHabby looks like
You create a profile, answer the lifestyle questionnaire, and browse matches ranked by Synergy Score — on a native iOS or Android app or the web. Messaging is unlimited and free for seekers. Every user must complete a profile with photos before messaging anyone, and all chat stays in-app. Listing a room costs $2.99 per month, flat.
The numbers that matter
The average cost of replacing a bad-match roommate, including lost rent, cleaning, and re-listing, ranges from $1,500 to $1,750. Screening tools like credit checks reduce financial risk, and Diggz does that part well. But most failed roommate arrangements fail on habits, not credit scores — the 2 a.m. dishes, the revolving guests, the thermostat war. That's the layer a numerical compatibility score addresses and a filter set doesn't.
What Diggz users actually say
"The filters are legitimately good — I could screen out smokers and early risers. But five free messages? I burned through those in one evening and hit a paywall mid-conversation."Seeker, consumer review
"No app in this day and age is wild. I kept missing replies because there are no push notifications on a website you forgot you had open."Roommate seeker, online review
"The background check feature gave me real peace of mind before signing with a stranger. That part I'd genuinely recommend."Lister, US metro, consumer review
The pattern: users respect the filters and value the screening tools, but the message cap and missing mobile app are the recurring complaints. If screening is your top concern regardless of platform, our safe roommate search and scam prevention guides cover what to check before you sign anything, on any site.
Who CoHabby is built for
CoHabby is built for people who want lifestyle compatibility quantified, a search that lives on their phone, and messaging that doesn't stop at five.
CoHabby works well for:
- Roommate seekers who need to contact many people quickly, without a message cap or weekly fees
- Mobile-first searchers who want push notifications and a native app, not a desktop tab
- People who tried Diggz and hit the 5-message wall mid-conversation
- Homeowners and listers who want compatibility-ranked inquiries for a flat $2.99 per month
- Anyone choosing between several plausible roommates who wants a comparable number, not a hunch
Honest caveat: CoHabby might not be for you if...
- Built-in credit and background checks are your deciding factor — Diggz has them, we don't yet
- You're searching in Canada, where Diggz operates and CoHabby doesn't
- You're in a city CoHabby doesn't cover yet
About CoHabby
CoHabby is a compatibility-first roommate finder app available on iOS, Android, and the web. Founded by CJ Emerson and Fatine Bouanane, CoHabby matches people across 40+ living dimensions covering sleep schedules, cleanliness standards, noise tolerance, guest preferences, cooking habits, and more. Each match includes a Synergy Score from 0 to 100 that predicts how well two people will coexist as housemates.
CoHabby is free for anyone looking for a roommate or housemate, with unlimited messaging. Listers pay a single subscription at $2.99 per month. The platform currently covers major US metro areas including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, Austin, Miami, and more.