Daft vs MoveIn, what you actually get for €0 vs €80
An honest comparison of listing a rental property on Daft.ie and MoveIn. Pricing, features, audience reach, and which one makes sense for a private landlord in 2026.
Daft has been the default Irish property portal for nearly three decades. If you've ever rented or rented out a property in Ireland, you've used it. So this comparison isn't an attack. Daft is a serious product that does a lot right. But it's also expensive for private landlords, and the things it charges for aren't always things you need. Here's the honest breakdown.
The headline number
| Listing type | Daft.ie | MoveIn |
|---|---|---|
| Standard 30-day listing | €60 to €80 | Free |
| Premium / featured upgrade | €30 to €50 extra | Coming with founding-landlord discount |
| Re-list after 30 days | Pay again | Free re-list, no penalty |
| Letting agent monthly subscription | €2,000+/year | Not yet, coming with agent tools |
For a private landlord with one property that lets quickly, the difference is straightforward: €0 vs €60 to €80 per let. For a landlord turning over two or three tenancies a year, that's €120 to €240 a year that stays in your pocket.
Where Daft is genuinely better right now
Let's be honest about this part:
- Audience size. Daft has roughly 80% to 85% of Irish renter search traffic. They've been compounding that lead since 1997. MoveIn is new; we don't have that yet.
- Letting agent coverage. Every Irish estate agency is integrated with Daft. If you want listings from agencies in your search, Daft has them all in one place.
- Brand habit. "Have you Daft'd it?" is a verb in Ireland the way "Google it" is globally. That muscle memory is real.
If you only ever post to one site and you need maximum exposure on day one, Daft is still the default. We're not pretending otherwise.
Where MoveIn is genuinely better
That said, here's what you get on MoveIn that Daft doesn't offer:
1. Free for private landlords, forever
Not free for a month. Not free for the first three listings. Free forever for private landlords (one or two properties, no agency). This is the wedge, and it's a promise, not a launch promotion that will quietly disappear when you renew.
2. AI price intelligence on every listing
Every listing on MoveIn gets an AI-generated price score (0 to 100) computed against current market data for the area, property type, and bedroom count. Renters see whether your asking rent is "Great value", "Fair price", "Above market", or "Overpriced", and they filter on it.
This sounds like a disadvantage if you're over-pricing. It's actually an advantage if you're priced reasonably: well-priced listings get 3× the click-through rate of over-priced ones, and competing landlords who are squeezing for an extra €100/month look worse next to your fairly-priced listing.
3. A mobile listing flow that takes 4 minutes
Daft's listing form is, charitably, dated. It was built around a desktop user who has 20 minutes and a folder of pre-edited photos. MoveIn's listing flow is designed for a landlord on their phone at 9pm: autofill via Eircode, automatic geocoding, AI-drafted description if you want one, and drag-and-drop photo upload.
4. RTB-aware tooling
We ask for your RTB registration number on signup. We don't let listings publish without a BER rating. Inquiries automatically include the date the property became available and the lease length, which means fewer back-and-forth messages and fewer non-starter applications.
5. Inquiry quality controls
Every inquiry on MoveIn goes through the platform (no exposed email or phone until you choose to share them). You can decline, accept, or message without leaving your inbox, and the renter's profile shows their search history and budget, giving you a sense of fit before you reply.
Where they're roughly tied
- Photo uploads. Both allow 8 to 10+ photos, drag to reorder.
- Map view. Both show your property on a map for renters.
- Eircode-based search. Both supported.
- Edits after publishing. Both allow free edits to the listing copy, price, and photos.
So which should you use?
If you're a private landlord with one or two properties, the honest answer in 2026 is: list on both. Cross-post your listing to MoveIn first (free, 4 minutes), then mirror it to Daft (€60 to €80, 15 minutes). Take inquiries from whichever platform brings the better applicants. The cost is the Daft fee plus 15 minutes of your time.
If your goal is to stop paying the Daft fee, the equation is simpler:
- If MoveIn brings you a tenant within your first 4 weeks → you saved €60 to €80, no Daft listing needed.
- If it doesn't → you can always list on Daft as backup, no penalty.
Most landlords who try this approach find that within 2 to 3 letting cycles, MoveIn alone is enough, and they stop paying Daft.
If you're an agent with 20+ properties on the books, Daft is currently the right place. Agent tooling on MoveIn is still in development. We'll let agencies know when it's ready; in the meantime, our focus is private landlords, where the cost difference is most punishing and the wedge is sharpest.
The honest summary
Daft is bigger, more established, and currently has more renter traffic. MoveIn is free for private landlords, has better tooling, and shows renters a price-fairness score that's unique in the Irish market.
For most private landlords in 2026, the right move is to give MoveIn a try alongside Daft for one letting cycle, then decide based on what actually worked. There's no cost to finding out.