11 places to buy, sell and hire locally besides Craigslist
Craigslist still works. That's the awkward truth for anyone writing a list of alternatives — twenty-odd years on, it remains one of the fastest ways to get a sofa, a room or a used bike in front of local buyers, and it's still free for most personal ads.
But "it still works" isn't the same as "it's the right place for this". Craigslist's interface hasn't moved much, its scam reputation is earned rather than invented, and in several categories the audience has drifted elsewhere. If you're reading this, you probably have a specific reason: you don't want to hand over a phone number, you don't have a Facebook account, you're outside the US, or you posted something and your inbox hasn't been the same since.
So this isn't a list of "Craigslist killers". It's eleven places that genuinely get local listings in front of local people, what each one is actually good at, and where each one will annoy you. We've included MingList in the comparison, with its own drawbacks spelled out.
What people actually want from a Craigslist alternative
Across forums and review sites, the complaints repeat with remarkable consistency:
- Accounts. You don't want to create a login to sell one thing, and you don't want a profile that outlives the sale.
- Spam. The fear isn't theoretical. Post an ad with a visible email address and the messages start within days.
- Reach. A beautiful, private, account-free site with four visitors helps nobody.
- Category fit. Cars, rooms and jobs behave differently. The best site for a used bike is rarely the best site for a tenancy.
- Geography. Most alternatives are national or regional. Craigslist is dense in US metros and thin almost everywhere else.
Keep your own version of that list in mind while reading. The "best" alternative is the one that solves your specific complaint.
Quick comparison
| Site | Best for | Account to post | Cost | Your email | Where it works |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craigslist | US metros, housing, cars | Not required for most personal ads (phone check in some categories) | Free for personal ads; fees for dealers/brokers | Hidden — replies go through Craigslist's relay | US + selected international cities |
| Facebook Marketplace | Fast local sales with a big audience | Facebook account required | Free for local pickup; fee on shipped sales | Not shown, but your name and profile are | Worldwide |
| OfferUp | Household goods in US metro areas | Required | Free for local; fee for shipping | Not shown — in-app chat | US |
| eBay | Anything worth shipping nationally | Required | Final value fee | Not shown; usernames only | Worldwide |
| Gumtree | General classifieds in the UK and Australia | Required | Free for private ads; paid upgrades | Not shown — in-platform messages | UK, AU, SG, ZA |
| Kijiji | Local selling across Canada | Required | Free for private ads; paid bumps | Not shown | Canada |
| Nextdoor | Selling to actual neighbours | Required, plus address verification | Free | Not shown, but real name and street area are | US, UK and others |
| Mercari | Clothing and small shipped goods | Required | Selling fee | Not shown | US, Japan |
| VarageSale | Moderated local buy-and-sell groups | Required, plus admin approval | Free | Not shown — in-app | US, Canada |
| Locanto | Wide category coverage incl. services and jobs | Required | Free basic; paid upgrades | Not shown | Worldwide |
| MingList | Posting with a one-click Google sign-in, keeping your email out of the ad | Google sign-in — one click, no password | Free | Never shown — every reply goes through our relay | US, CA, UK, AU, SG (24 cities) |
The best alternative depends on what you're posting
- Selling a car. Start where the buyers are — Craigslist in US metros, Gumtree in the UK and Australia, Kijiji in Canada. Use a relay or platform messaging rather than your own address, and expect scam replies; the ones asking for a vehicle history report payment are the classic. Our vehicles classifieds category is the option with no public profile attached.
- Renting out a room. Craigslist and Gumtree still dominate by volume, and flat-share categories everywhere attract fake listings. Never send money before seeing a room. You can list a room without attaching your email on our housing classifieds page.
- Hiring locally. This is the one place where privacy cuts both ways. Candidates want to know who they're applying to, so an employer listing should name the business — the useful privacy here is keeping recruitment mail out of your personal inbox. Free job ads are on our jobs classifieds page — no job-board profile required.
- You'd rather not manage another login. MingList doesn't ask you to create one: posting takes a one-click Google sign-in, and browsing and replying need no account at all.
- You're outside the US. Craigslist's footprint shrinks fast. Gumtree (UK, AU), Kijiji (CA) and Carousell (SG) are the local defaults, and each requires an account. MingList covers London, Manchester, Sydney, Melbourne, Toronto, Vancouver and Singapore too — posting takes a one-click Google sign-in rather than a new profile to manage.
Does Craigslist show your email address?
By default, no. Craigslist has relayed replies for years — a buyer emails an address on the listing and Craigslist forwards it, so your own address stays off the page. The exception is the one people forget: if you paste your email into the body of the ad text, or attach a photo that contains it, it's public like anything else on the page.
That's the pattern to watch on every site in this list. The platform's messaging system can be private and your ad text can still give you away. For the full mechanism, see how to post without sharing your email.
How to choose, in one pass
Write down the one thing that annoyed you most last time. If it was spam, prioritise a relay. If it was account creation, prioritise a site with a lightweight sign-in. If it was silence — no replies at all — then audience size beats privacy features, and you should post in two or three places instead of one. Then check that the site actually has users in your city, because a privacy-first platform with no local buyers solves nothing.
FAQ
What is the best free alternative to Craigslist?
It depends on where you are and what you're selling. In the US, Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp have the largest local audiences; in the UK and Australia it's Gumtree; in Canada it's Kijiji. If what you want is to post without building a profile, MingList asks only for a one-click Google sign-in and is free in all five countries we cover.
Are there Craigslist alternatives that don't require an account?
A few, though most mainstream sites added account requirements over the years because an account is how they moderate and market. On MingList, browsing and replying never need an account, and posting takes a one-click Google sign-in: you write the ad, add a photo and publish, and replies reach you through our email relay rather than a visible address.
Do classified sites show your email address to buyers?
Most modern platforms don't show it directly — they use in-app messaging or a relay. The risk is what you add yourself: an address typed into the ad text or visible in a photo is public. Check your own listing before you publish it.
Is it safe to meet someone from a classified ad?
Meetings are usually fine and occasionally aren't, which is why the standard advice still holds: meet in a public place, in daylight, take someone with you for high-value items, and don't accept payment screenshots or overpayments. No site on this list — including ours — verifies users or handles the payment, so that part is on you.
Which Craigslist alternative works outside the United States?
Craigslist's coverage outside the US is thin. Gumtree is the default in the UK and Australia, Kijiji in Canada, and Carousell in Singapore. MingList covers London, Manchester, Sydney, Melbourne, Toronto, Vancouver and Singapore, plus 17 US cities, with posting behind only a one-click Google sign-in.
No account to browse or reply. Your email is never shown. Every reply reaches you through MingList's anonymous email relay. Free to post, free to browse.