vs
Rubberdesk
Seek vs Rubberdesk
Rubberdesk's AI match still ends with a 10% broker fee. Seek doesn't.
"Rubberdesk's AI match still ends with a 10% broker fee. Seek doesn't."
| Seek | Rubberdesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage | 15,000+ spaces globally | UK only |
| Tenant fees | None — ever | None to tenant (but broker earns 10% of deal) |
| Broker commission | £0 — operators pay flat subscription | 10% of annual rent — broker commission on closed deals |
| Direct-to-operator | Yes — every enquiry goes direct | No — routed via broker team |
| Reverse marketplace | Broadcast — operators pitch you | No — you search, they match |
| Spaces available | 15,000+ globally | 7,500 UK offices |
| Time to shortlist | 60-sec quiz → operator proposals within hours | 20-second match + 1–3 days for viewings via broker |
We're not going to pretend they're not good at some things. They are.
Rubberdesk's algorithm surfaces options in under 20 seconds. Good if you have clear criteria and want a quick starting point.
7,500 offices across the UK, covering significant square footage. Solid breadth for domestic searches.
Standard filter-and-browse interface — similar to consumer property portals. Comfortable if you've used Rightmove or Zoopla.
Rubberdesk's headline is that it takes their AI 20 seconds to produce a shortlist. That's genuinely fast. But the 20-second match is the beginning of your search — not the end of it.
The 20-second match is real. The days that follow are not. Seek's quiz takes 60 seconds — and operators whose spaces match will contact you within hours, directly.
These aren't arguments. They're structural differences you can verify yourself.
Seek lists 15,000+ buildings globally. Rubberdesk covers the UK. Different scales.
Rubberdesk's AI finds options fast. But when you want to view or negotiate, you go through their broker team, who earn 10% on your deal. Seek removes that layer entirely.
Rubberdesk's model: you search and filter. Seek's Broadcast: you submit your brief once, operators whose spaces match pitch you. No chasing listings.
Brokers were a tool for an information-scarce market. In 2026, live pricing, direct operator contact, and instant availability are available without one.
Most operators list live pricing. You can compare rates across dozens of spaces without calling anyone.
Space listings show current availability, headcount capacity, and move-in windows. No need for a broker to 'check what's available'.
An enquiry goes straight to the operator. You negotiate with the person who owns the building — not someone who earns a commission on the outcome.
The short-form licence agreement can be reviewed and signed within a day
Rubberdesk frames the licence agreement as a formality — something the broker handles as paperwork. But the fact that a formal agreement exists means there is something to negotiate. And whoever is doing the negotiating is getting paid to close the deal.
If a broker adds value in 2026, it's advisory — for large enterprise multi-city searches requiring simultaneous coordination across markets. But that advisory service typically comes bundled with the 10% commission, not as a separate, transparent fee. Seek is for everyone else.
See if Seek's model works for your search →We've made the case against broker commission. But Rubberdesk has legitimate strengths worth knowing about.
Rubberdesk has ~4,000 Australian listings across major cities — significantly more than Seek currently offers in AU. If your search includes Australia, Rubberdesk's AU inventory is an advantage worth knowing about.
If you're running a multi-city search across 5+ markets simultaneously and need a coordinator to manage viewings, broker relationships, and documentation across all of them — a full-service broker can add real value here. It's not the only way to do it, but it's a legitimate use case.
If your legal or compliance team requires specific contract clauses, standardised supplier onboarding, or jurisdiction-specific provisions — a broker experienced in your sector can navigate that faster than a direct negotiation. This is niche but real.
If one of these fits your situation, use that knowledge. But for most companies — UK search, sub-5,000 sq ft, straightforward requirements — Seek's direct-to-operator model removes a cost layer without sacrificing access.
Three-minute quiz. Operators pitch you directly. No broker, no fee.
3 minute office Finder →I built the thing that makes my job obsolete.
Peter spent years as a commercial property broker watching tenants pay 10–15% of their annual rent in fees they didn't see coming. Seek is his answer: a direct-to-operator platform where operators pay a flat subscription and tenants pay nothing. The incentive structures are completely different.
Broker fees are typically 10% of the annual rent — sometimes 15%. The figures below show what that actually means on a lease. Seek charges operators a flat monthly subscription. There's nothing equivalent.
60 seconds. Tell us your team size, location, and move-in date. Operators whose spaces match will pitch you directly — no broker, no commission.
3 minute office Finder →No account creation required.
See exactly what a broker would charge on your lease — and what you keep going direct with Seek.