YooSell vs Purplebricks 2026: Fees, Features and Services Compared

Two of the most talked-about alternatives to traditional estate agents in the UK right now are YooSell and Purplebricks. Both list your property on Rightmove. Both remove the percentage commission that high street agents charge at completion. Both give you more control over your sale than a traditional agent. But the similarities end there. Their fee models, service structures, and the financial risk they carry for sellers are fundamentally different in ways that matter significantly depending on your property, your timeline, and how much of your sale price you want to keep.

This guide compares YooSell and Purplebricks side by side on every criterion that affects your sale outcome: fees, what's included, Rightmove listing quality, buyer experience, flexibility, and the hidden costs that most comparison guides leave out. All figures are taken directly from both companies' live websites as of August 2026.

Purplebricks 2026: How It Works and What It Costs

Purplebricks is the UK's largest online and hybrid estate agent by market share. Originally launched in 2012 and sold to Strike for £1 in 2023 following financial difficulties, it has since relaunched with a revised package structure under its own branding. In 2026, Purplebricks operates a one-package model with two payment methods: pay upfront or pay on completion.

Purplebricks 2026 Pricing (for properties valued £201,000 to £300,000)

Pay Upfront: £999

The lowest-cost route. You pay £999 on instruction regardless of whether your property sells. An additional £80 Anti-Money Laundering (AML) fee applies to all transactions, bringing the true upfront cost to £1,079.

Pay on Completion: £150 upfront + £2,099 on completion

You pay £150 at the start and £2,099 when your property sells. This option requires the use of Purplebricks' own conveyancing partner. If the sale falls through after you've committed to this route, the £150 is non-refundable. The £2,099 completion fee is only owed if the sale goes ahead.

Both packages include the same features:

• Rightmove Premium and Featured Listing

• Zoopla and OnTheMarket listings

• Professional photography and floor plan

• Video tour

• For Sale board

• Expert agent engaged throughout

• Listings, viewings, offers, and sales agreed available 24/7

• Expert negotiators for every offer

• Dedicated sales progression

• Purplebricks Switch Product

Purplebricks Add-Ons (optional extras, not included in base price)

• Assisted Viewings: £499 (no sale, no fee on this add-on)

• Drone Photography: £199

• Elevated Photography: £99

• EPC Certificate: £119 (if you don't already have one)

• Home Report (Scotland only): from £480

What to Watch With Purplebricks

The Pay Upfront package at £999 (plus £80 AML) is owed on instruction and is non-refundable if the property does not sell. Viewings are not accompanied in either base package. If you need someone to host your viewings, the £499 Assisted Viewings add-on brings the Pay Upfront total to £1,578, and the Pay on Completion total, if the sale completes, to £2,748 (including £80 AML).

The Pay on Completion route requires you to use Purplebricks' conveyancing partner, which removes your freedom to shop around for the best conveyancing rate independently. The £150 upfront payment is non-refundable in all circumstances.

YooSell 2026: How It Works and What It Costs

YooSell is a self-service selling platform built for the Midlands market. Rather than a fixed fee owed at instruction or on completion, YooSell operates on a monthly subscription with zero commission at completion. Every plan includes a Rightmove listing. You manage your own viewings through an integrated booking calendar and communicate with buyers directly through the platform's messaging system. Every buyer is ID-verified through biometric checks and proof of funds confirmation before they can contact you.

YooSell 2026 Pricing

Starter: £49.50/month (first month free)

Includes: Rightmove listing, YooSell platform listing, AI-written property description, AI photo enhancer, floor plan creator, viewings booking diary, direct buyer-seller chat, up to 10 photos, downloadable For Sale sign template, email support with 48-hour response.

Enhanced: £99.50/month (first month £49.50) - Most Popular

Includes everything in Starter, plus: up to 20 photos, premium photo layout on the listing page, enhanced social media sharing, property video placement, 24-hour support response.

Premium: £109.50/month (first month £49.50)

Includes everything in Enhanced, plus: up to 50 photos, priority in local search results, featured listing at the top of local searches, AI-assisted pricing valuation report, advanced analytics covering views and enquiries, 12-hour support response.

On every plan: Rightmove listing, zero commission at completion, no tie-in contract, cancel anytime, ID-verified buyers.

YooSell vs Purplebricks: Direct Comparison

The Fee Comparison That Actually Matters

Let's run the real numbers on a typical UK property to show what each option costs in practice.

Scenario: Selling a £280,000 Property Over 6 Months

YooSell Starter: 5 months at £49.50 after the free first month = £247.50 total. Zero at completion.

YooSell Enhanced: £49.50 in month one, then 5 months at £99.50 = £547 total. Zero at completion.

Purplebricks Pay Upfront: £999 + £80 AML = £1,079 upfront. Zero at completion. Non-refundable if it doesn't sell.

Purplebricks Pay on Completion: £150 upfront (non-refundable) + £2,099 on completion = £2,249 total if it sells. £150 lost if it doesn't.

Purplebricks Pay Upfront + Assisted Viewings: £999 + £80 + £499 = £1,578 total if viewings are needed.

Traditional high street agent at 1.42% inc. VAT: £3,976 at completion.

On a £280,000 property, YooSell's Enhanced plan saves approximately £532 versus Purplebricks Pay Upfront and approximately £1,702 versus Purplebricks Pay on Completion. Versus a traditional high street agent, the saving is approximately £3,429.

Use YooSell's free Cost Saving Calculator to run the exact saving for your specific property value.

Rightmove Listing: How Do They Compare?

Both YooSell and Purplebricks list your property on Rightmove. But there are meaningful differences in how that listing is positioned.

Purplebricks includes Rightmove Premium and Featured Listing in both packages. A Premium listing gives your property a larger photo display. A Featured listing places your property at the top of relevant searches for a set period. Purplebricks also lists on Zoopla and OnTheMarket, giving your property presence across three major portals.

YooSell lists on Rightmove on every plan from Starter upwards, and includes Zoopla on all plans. OnTheMarket is not currently included. The Premium plan adds priority placement in local search results and a featured listing position at the top of local YooSell searches.

If maximising portal presence across three platforms is your priority, Purplebricks' inclusion of OnTheMarket gives it a slight edge. If the core goal is Rightmove and Zoopla exposure at the lowest cost, YooSell delivers that from £49.50 per month with zero risk of paying a fee if the sale does not proceed.

Photography and Presentation: A Real Difference

This is one of the clearest practical differences between the two platforms.

Purplebricks includes professional photography and a professionally produced floor plan in both packages, along with a professional video tour. These are produced by Purplebricks' network of local photographers and are sent to your property as part of the instruction process. For sellers who do not want to arrange photography themselves, this is a genuine advantage.

YooSell provides an AI photo enhancer, a floor plan creator tool, and guidance for taking your own photographs. The Enhanced and Premium plans add premium photo layout on the listing page and video placement. Sellers on YooSell arrange their own photography or use a local photographer independently.

The quality of YooSell listing photography depends on the seller. A well-shot set of photos taken on a modern smartphone with YooSell's guidance produces results comparable to professional photography for most standard properties. For sellers who want professional photography arranged for them without any additional effort, Purplebricks has the advantage on this specific point.

Viewings: Who Handles Them?

Neither platform handles viewings as standard in its base offering.

With Purplebricks, you host your own viewings. An agent is available throughout the process and can assist, but accompanied viewings require the £499 add-on. With this add-on applied on the Pay Upfront package, the total rises to £1,578.

With YooSell, you manage your own viewings through an integrated booking calendar. Buyers request viewing times through the platform and you confirm directly. There is no additional charge for the viewings calendar; it is included on all plans.

In both cases, the seller hosts their own viewings on the base package. The difference is that YooSell's viewings calendar is a built-in self-service system, while Purplebricks charges separately for assisted viewing support. If you are comfortable conducting your own viewings, this distinction has no practical impact. If you need someone else to host them, Purplebricks offers it at £499 and YooSell does not currently offer this service.

Buyer Verification: Where YooSell Has a Clear Edge

This is the most significant feature difference between the two platforms.

YooSell ID-verifies every buyer through biometric identity checks and proof of funds confirmation before they can contact you or submit an offer. Every enquiry you receive comes from a financially confirmed, identity-verified buyer. Wasted viewings from unqualified or unverified buyers are significantly reduced.

Purplebricks does not include equivalent buyer verification as a standard feature. Buyers can enquire and book viewings without pre-verification of their identity or financial position. This is standard practice across almost all UK estate agents, online and high street, but it means you may spend time on viewings and offer stages with buyers who are not yet in a position to proceed.

For sellers in the Midlands and across the UK, this distinction is worth weighing carefully. One wasted viewing or a late-stage fall-through from an unverified buyer can cost more in time, stress, and renegotiation than the entire platform fee.

Sales Progression: The Post-Offer Experience

Once an offer is accepted, the conveyancing process begins. This is where the two platforms diverge significantly in their approach.

Purplebricks offers dedicated sales progression support as part of both packages. A member of their team proactively chases solicitors, updates you on progress, and manages the communication chain through to exchange. The Pay on Completion package requires you to use their conveyancing partner, but that conveyancing relationship is managed through their platform. According to ReadySteadySell's August 2026 review of Purplebricks, post-offer progression is one of the areas where it generally performs well compared to pure online agents.

YooSell's post-offer progression is seller-led. You communicate directly with your solicitor and the buyer. The platform gives you access to trusted conveyancing partners, but the process management is in your hands. For sellers who are organised, proactive communicators, this works well. For sellers who prefer someone else to manage the chase, YooSell's approach requires more involvement.

Conclusion

YooSell and Purplebricks are both legitimate, well-structured alternatives to traditional high street estate agents. Both remove percentage commission. Both list on Rightmove. Both give sellers more control than a traditional agent relationship. But the two platforms are built around different philosophies and they suit different sellers.

Purplebricks is best suited to sellers who want professional photography, a video tour, an assigned agent, and dedicated sales progression arranged for them, and are prepared to pay £999 to £1,079 upfront regardless of outcome, or £2,249 in total on the Pay on Completion route. It is a genuine full-service alternative to a high street agent at a significantly lower fixed cost.

YooSell is best suited to sellers who want the lowest possible total cost, zero financial risk if the sale does not proceed, ID-verified buyers as standard, and full direct control over every stage of their sale. From £49.50 per month with Rightmove on every plan and zero commission at completion, it is the most cost-efficient route to a Rightmove-listed sale available in the UK market in 2026.

On a £280,000 property, the difference between YooSell's Enhanced plan and Purplebricks' Pay on Completion route is approximately £1,702 in favour of YooSell. On a £400,000 property, the saving versus a traditional high street agent at the average 1.42% commission is approximately £5,183 on YooSell's Enhanced plan.

Here is your clear next step. Use YooSell's free Valuation Calculator to find out what your property is worth in the current market. Then run your numbers through the Cost Saving Calculator to see exactly what you would save. When you're ready to list, register on YooSell and go live on Rightmove from £49.50 per month with zero commission at completion.

Read YooSell's full Property Guides for practical advice on every stage of preparing and managing your sale.