Questions, answered in plain words.

Xzerno helps people in Chicago find a roommate they can actually live with. You answer questions about how you live, and Discover shows who fits, in plain words.

Yes. Xzerno is free to use.

Chicago. Every member is looking for a roommate in Chicago.

Anyone 18 or older looking for a roommate in Chicago.

With your email and a password, or with Google. If you use email, we send a link to confirm your address.

Xzerno runs in your browser at app.xzerno.com, on your phone or computer. You can also add it to your Home Screen and open it like an app.

Your photo, the parts of Chicago you’re looking in, your move-in window, your budget range and your interests. Your Living Style answers stay private; Xzerno uses them to show who fits.

Every profile starts as a Draft. When you publish, it appears in Discover, and only signed-in members can see it. Profiles never show up on the open internet.

Yes. Switch back to Draft or Private any time under Profile → Publishing. It leaves Discover, and only people you connect with can still see it.

Yes, one photo is needed to publish.

Yes, under Settings → Account. You can deactivate (your profile is hidden and you can come back any time) or delete. A deleted account is removed after 30 days, and signing back in before then keeps it.

The questions about how you live: About Yourself (sleep, cleaning, guests, cooking), Living Rules (how you’d like the home to run) and Work Schedule (when you’re home).

No. Living Rules are preferences. On their own, they never rule anyone out.

The few things you won’t live with. Xzerno suggests them from your answers, and only the ones you confirm count. Nobody else ever sees them.

You’re hidden from each other, both ways. Neither of you is told.

Discover shows published members looking in Chicago, with how well you fit, in plain words. You can filter by budget, move-in, areas, interests, age, smoking, pets, noise, overnight guests and working from home.

It’s how much your answers line up, said in words: Strong fit, Good fit, Some alignment, or Not enough shared answers yet when there isn’t enough to go on.

You both answered 7 questions the same way.

Questions you answered differently. You see the topic, like “Guests”, never how the other person answered. It’s what to talk about before you move in.

Because living together isn’t a number. Words tell you what you agree on and what to talk about.

Tap Connect. When they say yes too, messaging opens. Nobody can message you until you both say yes.

Yes, in the app, and as push notifications on any device where you turn them on (Settings → Notifications).

From their profile or your conversation. You stop seeing each other everywhere and can’t message each other. They’re never told. You can unblock in Settings → Blocked.

It declines a connection request quietly. The other person isn’t told, and they can’t send you another request.

From their profile or a conversation. Pick a reason, add details if you want, and you can block them at the same time. Our team reviews every report, and the other person is never told who reported them.

It depends on the neighborhood. Half of a two-bedroom ran about $1,025 a month in Rogers Park and about $1,950 in Lincoln Park (Zumper, as of Oct 6, 2026).

The busy season runs from May through August. Things slow down from October to January.

Usually, yes. Most Chicago landlords require every adult who’ll live there to apply and be named on the lease. It’s the landlord’s rule, not a city law. A roommate who isn’t on the lease is legally a subtenant of whoever is, and on one shared lease, each roommate can be held responsible for the full rent. General information, not legal advice.