AreaChecker vs CrystalRoof

Both services turn official UK open data into area reports by postcode. The core difference is the model. AreaChecker is entirely free: every section and every figure, with no account and no subscription. CrystalRoof is freemium: substantial free sections, with full access by subscription – £7.99/week, £12.99/month or £29.99/3 months as observed on its pricing page on 11 August 2026.

What was behind CrystalRoof’s subscription (11 Aug 2026)

• The noise section (road, rail, aircraft and other noise sources)
• Resident reviews (reading them requires sign-up/subscription)
• Some overview rows (e.g. professional occupations, residents with degrees)
• Map interaction for free users (drag, zoom and overlay selection)
• PDF report downloads (listed as a subscriber feature on its pricing page)

What CrystalRoof offers that we don’t

Fairness cuts both ways. CrystalRoof has resident reviews (qualitative texture no open dataset provides), a noise model, an instant valuation tool, and reports at every geographic level from country down to ward. AreaChecker has chosen not to build resident reviews, and covers noise and valuations only to the extent official open data allows. If those features matter to you, CrystalRoof may be worth it.

What AreaChecker does differently

• Everything is free – crime, deprivation, income, schools, transport, house prices, demographics, housing, broadband, air quality and politics, all on one page with nothing blurred
• Source, licence and data date shown against every figure, so you can verify any number at its official origin
• Honest gaps – where a nation doesn’t publish a dataset (e.g. street-level crime in Scotland), the page says so instead of showing a blank
• No tracking cookies – see privacy

In development at AreaChecker

The report is growing, and everything added stays free: amenities and points of interest with distances (supermarkets, GPs, hospitals, green space), noise, and water quality – bathing-water and beach ratings for coastal areas. This page will be updated as each section ships; nothing here is promised by a date.

New to this comparison because StreetCheck disappeared? Here’s what happened, and the full alternatives comparison.