Facebook Marketplace vs Kijiji: which is better for buyers?

Facebook Marketplace vs Kijiji for buyers, checked October 2026
	Facebook Marketplace	Kijiji
Listings	More in most Canadian cities, especially furniture and household goods	Fewer for everyday goods; buyers tend to search with filters
Account	A Facebook account to message, and in practice to browse	Browse without one; a free account to message
Cars	Vehicle filters for make, model, year and price; no reliable private-seller filter	Cars and trucks with a For Sale By filter (owner or dealer), maximum kilometres and CARFAX Canada price labels
Rentals	Many listings, and many scams	A structured rentals section; Kijiji calls itself the most visited for rentals
Paid listings	Sponsored listings mixed into results	Top Ads above results, unaffected by your sort order
Newest first	A sort option on desktop	Most Recent, with Top Ads still on top
Alerts	In-app notifications for some searches; many people find them unpredictable	Saved-search alerts once a day on the web; daily or weekly in the app
Sellers	Real-name profiles with history and ratings	Member profiles that show less about the person
Buyer protection	Only for orders paid through Facebook’s checkout, not local pickups	None for private deals; you pay the seller directly
French	Available in French	Fully bilingual, with deep roots in Quebec

Where Facebook Marketplace wins

Volume. For furniture, kids’ gear, tools, electronics and everyday household things, Marketplace usually has more listings in Canadian cities, and more listings means better odds on price and condition. In one Canadian seller’s test reported by Atlas Kings, the same listing drew 236 clicks on Marketplace against 13 on Kijiji. That is one test, not a census, but it matches what most buyers notice.

Speed. Sellers are already in the app and reply quickly, often within hours. Things also sell faster, which cuts both ways for a buyer.

Knowing who you’re dealing with. A Facebook profile shows how long someone has been on the site, sometimes mutual friends, and Marketplace ratings. Kijiji profiles say much less.

Shipped items with protection. For the items that can be bought through Facebook’s own checkout, Purchase Protection applies. It does not cover local pickups or deals arranged in Messenger.

Where Kijiji wins

Cars. Kijiji’s Cars and Trucks section was built for cars. You can filter by maximum kilometres and by For Sale By, which separates owners from dealers, something Marketplace can’t do reliably. Listings carry CARFAX Canada price labels, from “Great price” to “Higher price”, based on the average market price for similar vehicles (a partnership the two announced in April 2025). More in buying a used car on Kijiji.

Rentals. Kijiji’s rentals section has structured details, and Kijiji calls itself Canada’s most visited marketplace for rentals and autos. Facebook is busy for rentals too, but it has a scam problem there: in the US, the Federal Trade Commission found that about half of the rental scams reported in the 12 months to June 2025 started on Facebook.

Quebec. Kijiji launched in Montreal and Quebec City in 2005 and is fully bilingual. Many Quebec sellers still list there first.

No Facebook required. You can browse Kijiji without an account, and message sellers with a free one. For buyers who left Facebook or never joined, it is the obvious first stop.

Buyers with a plan. Atlas Kings’ seller-side view: Facebook wins on speed and volume, Kijiji on buyer quality. Fewer people, more of them searching with filters for exactly what they want. That makes Kijiji calmer to shop.

Is Kijiji dead?

No. It is smaller than it was for everyday goods, because many casual sellers now list on Facebook first. But it remains a major Canadian marketplace, with a strong position in cars and rentals and a loyal base in Quebec. We haven’t found a reliable public figure for its traffic in 2026, so we won’t quote one; Kijiji’s own claim, in an April 2025 announcement with CARFAX Canada, is that it is the most visited marketplace in Canada for rentals and autos.

What has changed is how you use it. Kijiji’s alerts are slow (once a day on the web), and its paid Top Ads sit above your results whatever sort order you pick. Buyers who get good results from Kijiji today search it alongside Marketplace, not instead of it. Our Kijiji tips for buyers cover the search habits that help.

Which is safer?

The scams are the same on both sites. A deposit to “hold” the item, an e-Transfer before you’ve seen it, a seller who is out of town, and a request to move to text or WhatsApp. On cars, Kijiji’s own advice applies on either site: never send a deposit before inspecting the vehicle, and remember that Kijiji does not partner with any shipping, inspection or escrow companies.

Facebook’s profiles give you a little more to judge a seller by. Kijiji’s lower volume means fewer scam listings in absolute terms, but not fewer per listing. For the Kijiji versions, read Kijiji scams.

Shop both without doubling the work

Checking two sites usually means two sets of filters, two sets of alerts and twice the scrolling. Sift is a free browser extension that works on both. On a computer, in Chrome, Edge or Brave:

One set of filters on both sites. Blocked words, distance from your home, dealers and branded titles all apply to Facebook Marketplace and Kijiji alike.
The paid listings gone. Facebook’s sponsored listings and Kijiji’s Top Ads are hidden, so “newest first” really is newest first.
No repeats. Listings you’ve already opened, and sold ones, are hidden or dimmed on both sites.
Price drops marked. Sift remembers the prices it has seen and badges a listing when the price falls.
Alerts that are faster than Kijiji’s. Watch up to 10 searches across the two sites, checked as often as every 15 minutes, instead of Kijiji’s once a day. See Kijiji alerts for how they compare.
The same search on the other site. One click from any listing opens the matching search on the other site.

It runs on a computer only, not in the Facebook or Kijiji apps.

Questions people ask

Is Facebook Marketplace better than Kijiji?

For volume, usually. Most Canadian cities have more furniture, household goods and electronics on Marketplace, and sellers reply faster. For cars, rentals and Quebec, Kijiji holds up well, and its car search can show private sellers only. If you’re hunting for something specific, search both.

Is Kijiji still popular in Canada?

Yes, in specific categories. Kijiji describes itself as Canada’s most visited marketplace for rentals and autos, and it still has a big following in Quebec, where it started in 2005. For general second-hand goods, many sellers now list on Facebook first, so the choice there is often thinner.

Which is safer, Kijiji or Facebook Marketplace?

Neither is safer in itself. The same scams run on both, built around deposits, payment before you see the item, and moving the chat to text or WhatsApp. Facebook profiles tell you a bit more about a seller. On either site, meet in person, check the item, then pay.

Is Kijiji free for buyers?

Yes. Browsing, messaging sellers and buying cost nothing on Kijiji. You need a free account to message. The paid features, such as Top Ads, are for sellers who want more attention.

Can I search Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace at the same time?

Not with either site’s own tools. You can keep the same search open in two tabs and check both. On a computer, Sift runs on both sites and opens the same search on the other site in one click from any listing.

Sources

01Atlas Kings Facebook Marketplace vs Kijiji
02Kijiji Help Centre Creating search alerts (May 2026)
03Kijiji Help Centre Sorting search results (June 2026)
04Kijiji Help Centre Avoiding vehicle scams (May 2026)
05TechAlliance (Kijiji and CARFAX Canada release) CARFAX Canada and Kijiji partner to deliver improved vehicle valuations (April 2025)
06Meta Help Centre How Purchase Protection works
07Federal Trade Commission Rental scams hit home (Data Spotlight, December 2025)
08Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre Merchandise fraud