Dibz"HouseSigma vs REALTOR.ca (2026): which is better, and is there a third option?"
HouseSigma vs REALTOR.ca compared on coverage, sold prices, value estimates, AI and apps in 2026, plus Dibz, the GTA app that combines the best of both.
HouseSigma is better for research and REALTOR.ca is better for coverage. HouseSigma shows sold prices and a value estimate in Ontario, B.C. and Alberta; REALTOR.ca shows every MLS® listing in Canada but generally no sold prices for Toronto and no value estimate. If you're searching in the Greater Toronto Area, Dibz is a third option that combines both: every TRREB MLS® listing for sale and for rent, plus sold prices, value estimates and listing history with a free account.
These are Canada's two most popular home search apps. In Ontario, people search Google for "housesigma" and "realtor ca" more than for "houses for sale" itself: Google's Keyword Planner puts both in its 100,000–1,000,000 searches a month band in Ontario alone. Here's how they compare in October 2026.
Disclosure: Dibz is our product. We checked HouseSigma and REALTOR.ca on October 13, 2026, and we've been fair to both.
HouseSigma vs REALTOR.ca at a glance
| HouseSigma | REALTOR.ca | Dibz | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Run by | HouseSigma Inc. Brokerage | REALTOR.ca Canada Inc. (CREA subsidiary) | Plancier; operated by HighPoint Homes Realty, Brokerage |
| Coverage | Ontario, B.C., Alberta | All of Canada | Toronto, GTA and nearby cities (TRREB MLS®) |
| Toronto sold prices | Free account | Generally not | Free account |
| Value estimate | SigmaEstimate | — | Range + confidence |
| Listing history | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Rentals | ✓ | ✓ | Filter by basement, upper, main, house, room, condo |
| AI assistant | SigmaAI | — | Dibz AI |
| Shared lists | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Invite by link |
| Drive times to your places | Not confirmed | Commute info | ✓ |
| iPhone rating (Canada) | 4.8 (about 55,000) | 4.6 (about 127,000) | Beta on TestFlight |
| Android | 4.8 on Google Play | 4.7 on Google Play | On Google Play |
| Cost | Free | Free | Free |
A dash means we didn't find the feature; 'Not confirmed' means we couldn't verify it either way. Ratings change daily.
Source: Dibz review of each service, the Canadian App Store and Google Play, October 13, 2026
Coverage: REALTOR.ca wins
REALTOR.ca shows MLS® listings from real estate boards across Canada, which is why it had 633 million visits in 2025. HouseSigma covers Ontario, B.C. and Alberta, and says it has no timeline for other provinces. If you're searching outside those three, REALTOR.ca is the clear choice.
Sold prices: HouseSigma wins in Ontario
This is the biggest difference. HouseSigma shows sold prices after a free sign-in and advertises many years of sales history. Sites like it have been able to show GTA sold prices to registered users since 2018, when the Competition Bureau's case against TREB ended.
REALTOR.ca leaves sold prices to each board. Nova Scotia and Greater Vancouver now share them, but TRREB generally doesn't. On October 13, 2026, REALTOR.ca's "Recently Sold" page for Toronto showed only 98 homes, most marked "Price Unavailable".
Value estimates: HouseSigma wins
HouseSigma has SigmaEstimate, and its own FAQ is refreshingly honest that "there is no perfect AVM". REALTOR.ca has calculators for mortgages, affordability and land transfer tax, but no home value estimate.
The apps: both are well-liked
Both have large, happy user bases on the Canadian App Store: HouseSigma at 4.8 from about 55,000 ratings and REALTOR.ca at 4.6 from about 127,000. HouseSigma added SigmaAI chat and AI listing summaries in 2026. REALTOR.ca has a draw-your-boundary map, saved searches and a REALTOR® directory.
What do users ask for? We read 3,061 public reviews of both apps. The most common requests were finer filters (181 reviews), more saved searches (78) and easier access to sold prices and price history (60). The most common complaints were crashes and slowness (357) and redesigns that removed features (309).
The verdict
- Choose REALTOR.ca if you're searching across Canada or outside Ontario, B.C. and Alberta.
- Choose HouseSigma if you're in Ontario, B.C. or Alberta and want sold prices and a long sales history.
- Choose Dibz if you're in Toronto or the GTA and want every MLS® listing and the research tools in one app.
The third option for the GTA: Dibz
Dibz is built on the live TRREB MLS® feed through PropTx, so in the GTA it has the same listings as REALTOR.ca, and it adds the research HouseSigma is known for, plus tools neither has:
- Sold and leased prices, listing history and price cuts with a free account.
- The Dibz Value Estimate with a range and a confidence level, and a rental estimate with yield.
- Rental filters by the part of the house: basement, upper, main floor, whole house, room or condo, plus pets from the MLS® field.
- Shared lists you can invite a partner to by link, and drive times to your saved places on every card.
- Discover, a swipe-through feed of homes that match your search.
- Schools, neighbourhoods, transit and property lines on the map, and search by MLS® number.
- Dibz AI, alerts by push or email, and no third-party ads.
Honest limitations: Dibz only covers the TRREB MLS® area in Ontario, and its sold history goes back about two years, much less than HouseSigma's. The iPhone app is in beta on TestFlight while it's in App Store review; Android is on Google Play, and the full app works at dibz.ca.
For more options, see our lists of HouseSigma alternatives and REALTOR.ca alternatives.
FAQ
Is HouseSigma better than REALTOR.ca?
For research in Ontario, B.C. and Alberta, yes: HouseSigma shows sold prices and a value estimate, which REALTOR.ca generally doesn't for Toronto. For coverage across Canada, REALTOR.ca is better. In the GTA, Dibz combines REALTOR.ca's complete MLS® listings with sold prices and value estimates.
Is HouseSigma accurate?
HouseSigma's listings come from MLS® boards, so they're as accurate as the source. Its SigmaEstimate is an automated estimate, and HouseSigma itself says no AVM is perfect. Treat any estimate as a starting point and compare it with recent sales nearby.
Why doesn't REALTOR.ca show sold prices in Toronto?
REALTOR.ca shows sold prices only where the local board shares them. TRREB, which covers Toronto and most of the GTA, generally doesn't share them on REALTOR.ca. Apps licensed for TRREB's sold data, such as Dibz, HouseSigma and Zolo, show them to registered users.
Is HouseSigma a brokerage?
Yes. HouseSigma Inc. is a licensed brokerage, and it describes itself as a technology platform, listings portal and brokerage.
Are HouseSigma and REALTOR.ca free?
Yes, both are free. HouseSigma asks you to sign in to see sold prices, as board rules require.
Sources
- HouseSigma, HouseSigma: coverage FAQ, sign-up FAQ and estimates FAQ
- HouseSigma on the App Store (Canada) and Google Play
- REALTOR.ca Canada Inc., REALTOR.ca 2025 in numbers and sold prices by board
- REALTOR.ca on the App Store and Google Play
- RECO: Supreme Court declines to hear TREB's appeal (2018)
- Search volumes: Google Ads Keyword Planner, Ontario, September 2025 to August 2026 (ranges only). Reviews: Dibz analysis of public App Store and Google Play reviews, October 12, 2026.
This article is general information, not financial or legal advice. Features and ratings were checked on October 13, 2026 and may change.
Dibz is a home search app for the Greater Toronto Area, built on the live TRREB MLS® feed. We write these guides from what we see in the market every day and check every rule and number against official sources, listed at the end of each article. Charts marked "Dibz analysis" are calculated from active MLS® listings on the date shown.
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