How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Rankite is independent; if a vendor ever pays for a featured spot, that listing is clearly labeled Partner.
Key takeaways
- Four of the nine tools here are genuinely free for landlords (Stessa, Avail, TurboTenant, Innago), so a landlord with under 10 units has no reason to pay for software until a specific paid feature earns it.
- Free plans make money from your tenants or from upgrades: watch the payment fees (tenants pay $2.50 per ACH transfer on Avail's free plan, $2 per transfer on Innago) and the unit caps on paid tiers.
- If you want one flat fee with no per-unit math, RentRedi at $12 a month billed annually is the cheapest paid option with unlimited units, and Buildium's Essential plan at $62 a month is the most capable small-portfolio platform.
- Tenant screening is usually tenant-paid, not landlord-paid, so it should not drive your choice. Pick on rent collection reliability, accounting depth and lease tools instead.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Stessa | Investors who care about accounting and tax reporting first | Free (Essentials); paid from $12/month (Manage, billed annually) | Yes (Essentials plan is free) |
 Avail | DIY landlords who want free listing syndication and solid leases | Free (Unlimited); Unlimited Plus $9/unit/month | Yes (Unlimited plan is free) |
 TurboTenant | Landlords who want the deepest free tier with no unit limit | Free ($0/month); Essentials $12.42/month | Yes (free forever, no unit cap) |
 Innago | Landlords who want one free system with no paywalls or tiers | Free ($0/month) | Yes (completely free, no monthly fees) |
 RentRedi | Small portfolios that want one flat fee with no per-unit pricing | $12/month (Grow, billed annually) | Free trial (30 days) |
 TenantCloud | Landlords who want a ladder toward team tools and owner portals | $15/month (Starter, billed annually) | Free trial (14 days) |
 DoorLoop | Growing portfolios that want a modern, all-in-one management platform | $69/month (Starter, billed annually, up to 10 units) | Free trial (30 days) |
 Buildium | Small-to-mid portfolios that need the deepest accounting in the category | $62/month (Essential) | Free trial (14 days) |
 Landlord Studio | Accounting-focused landlords who manage from their phone | Free (GO plan, first 3 units); PRO from $12/month | Yes (GO plan free for first 3 units) |
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
The best property management software for small landlords
Here is the blunt version: most landlords with under ten units do not need paid software at all, and the companies know it. Four products on this list are free for landlords with no unit caps, which means your decision is not about price. It is about which free tier has the accounting depth and lease tools you will still want in two years. Nine platforms, prices checked on vendor pricing pages, with the free-plan catches spelled out.
#1
Stessa
Best for: Investors who care about accounting and tax reporting first
Visit stessa.com
Starting priceFree (Essentials); paid from $12/month (Manage, billed annually)
Free planYes (Essentials plan is free)
Stessa started as an investor's accounting tool and it still shows: the free Essentials plan includes unlimited properties, automatic bank feeds, basic financial reports, online rent collection, vacancy marketing and tenant screening. For a landlord whose biggest pain is tax season, the Schedule E report and accountant tax package on paid plans are the headline features. The Manage plan at $12 a month billed annually adds unlimited lease agreements, legal forms and accelerated rent payments; Pro at $28 adds advanced reporting and unlimited receipt scanning.
The catch is focus. Stessa is the strongest free accounting tool on this list and merely an adequate leasing tool. Listing syndication and lead management are thinner than TurboTenant or Avail. Use Stessa if your books are the problem; use one of the leasing-first tools if filling vacancies is the problem.
What we like- Free plan includes unlimited properties, bank feeds, rent collection and tenant screening
- Schedule E reporting and tax packages built for investors
- Cash management with interest on balances
Watch out for- Full rent-collection and leasing automation improves on paid plans
- Less of a leasing tool than Avail or TurboTenant, more of an investor's accounting hub
#2
Avail
Best for: DIY landlords who want free listing syndication and solid leases
Visit avail.co
Starting priceFree (Unlimited); Unlimited Plus $9/unit/month
Free planYes (Unlimited plan is free)
Avail's free Unlimited plan is one of the strongest in the category: listing syndication to major rental sites, rental applications, TransUnion screening reports, state-specific lawyer-reviewed leases with digital signatures, online rent collection and maintenance tracking, all at $0 per unit. The Realtor.com connection gives listings extra distribution, and applications submitted from Realtor.com process noticeably faster.
The money has to come from somewhere, and on the free plan it comes from tenants: $2.50 per ACH bank transfer versus waived ACH fees on Unlimited Plus. Unlimited Plus at $9 per unit per month adds FastPay, custom lease clauses, a branded property website and priority support, but at ten units that is $90 a month, which invites comparison with flat-fee competitors. Avail is best for landlords who stay on the free plan and let tenants choose their payment method.
What we like- Free plan lists on top rental sites and includes state-specific leases with e-signatures
- Owned by Realtor.com, which helps listing visibility
- Rent reporting to credit bureaus for tenants
Watch out for- Free plan tenants pay $2.50 per ACH bank transfer, so the "free" shows up in their rent
- Unlimited Plus at $9 per unit per month gets expensive fast at 10-plus units
#3
TurboTenant
Best for: Landlords who want the deepest free tier with no unit limit
Visit turbotenant.com
Starting priceFree ($0/month); Essentials $12.42/month
Free planYes (free forever, no unit cap)
TurboTenant's pitch is simple and the pricing page backs it up: a free plan at $0 a month, forever, with no fees or contracts, covering listings, applications, screening, online rent collection and maintenance requests for 1 to 50 doors. With over a million landlords on the platform, it is the default recommendation for a first-time DIY landlord, and the free accounting tools on paid plans (Essentials $12.42 a month, Pro $16.48) add Schedule E reporting and automatic bookkeeping when the portfolio grows.
The limitations are deliberate. Free-plan accounting is manual transaction entry; automatic imports and tax reports need Pro. And the free experience includes regular nudges toward paid plans and the Autopilot full-service management option. If you want the most complete free toolkit and can tolerate the upsells, this is it.
What we like- Free plan genuinely covers listings, screening, rent collection and maintenance with no unit cap and no contract
- 1 million-plus landlords means the workflow is battle-tested
- Screening fee is tenant-paid ($45)
Watch out for- Deeper accounting (Schedule E, automatic transaction import) requires Pro at $16.48 a month
- The product upsells paid plans and services throughout the interface
#4
Innago
Best for: Landlords who want one free system with no paywalls or tiers
Visit innago.com
Starting priceFree ($0/month)
Free planYes (completely free, no monthly fees)
Innago is the only product on this list with no paid plan at all: free for landlords at any unit count, with no feature paywalls and no upgrade prompts gating features. Rent collection, tenant screening, digital lease signing, maintenance requests, document storage and financial tracking are all included. The company earns from small tenant-paid fees instead: $2 per ACH rent payment, 2.99 percent for card payments, and per-applicant screening fees.
That model has two edges. Landlords pay nothing, ever, which is unbeatable for a 3-unit owner. But the accounting tools are lighter than Stessa's, and the lease builder gets mixed reviews next to Avail's lawyer-reviewed templates. Innago is the right pick for a landlord who wants one system, zero software cost and no upsell pressure, and who does taxes with an accountant anyway.
What we like- No pricing tiers, no feature paywalls, no monthly fees at any unit count
- Covers rent collection, screening, lease signing, maintenance and reporting
- 4.9-star ratings on Capterra and G2
Watch out for- Accounting depth is basic compared to Stessa or Buildium
- Lease-building tools are less polished than Avail's
- Tenants pay the payment processing fees ($2 per ACH, 2.99 percent for cards)
#5
RentRedi
Best for: Small portfolios that want one flat fee with no per-unit pricing
Visit rentredi.com
Starting price$12/month (Grow, billed annually)
Free planFree trial (30 days)
RentRedi's pricing is the simplest on this list after the free tools: one plan, one price, every feature. Grow at $12 a month billed annually includes online rent collection, tenant screening with Plaid-verified income, listing syndication, lease e-signatures, maintenance requests with a vetted vendor network, and the full accounting suite, with no unit caps and no tiered upsells. The comparison math is kind: five units on RentRedi cost $12 a month, where per-unit competitors start charging per door.
The obvious downside is that it costs $12 from the first unit while four competitors cost $0. For a landlord with two units and simple needs, the free tools win. For a landlord with 8 to 20 units who wants one bill, no per-unit arithmetic and a real support line, RentRedi is the value pick.
What we like- One flat rate ($12 a month annually, $20 semi-annually, $29.95 monthly) with unlimited units and tenants
- Full feature set including accounting on every plan
- Built-in maintenance coordination network and 24/7 support
Watch out for- No free tier, so it costs money from unit one
- A basic $5 Start plan exists but strips out screening, listings and lease signing
#6
TenantCloud
Best for: Landlords who want a ladder toward team tools and owner portals
Visit tenantcloud.com
Starting price$15/month (Starter, billed annually)
Free planFree trial (14 days)
TenantCloud used to offer a free tier and no longer does: the entry point is Starter at $15 a month billed annually (about $18 month-to-month), covering up to 10 active leases, with Growth at about $29 and Pro at about $50 adding team members, owner portals, tax reports, bank reconciliation and QuickBooks sync. The product's strength is the ladder: a landlord who grows into managing for other owners can step up to team management, task tools and custom pricing on Business without switching platforms.
The lease-count pricing model is the thing to watch. Ten active leases sounds like plenty until you count room-by-room or short-term units, and the jump from Starter to Growth is where the bill doubles. For a stable small portfolio that will not grow into management-for-others, RentRedi's flat fee is cheaper. TenantCloud earns its place for landlords with a growth plan.
What we like- Tiered plans grow with you from DIY landlord to property manager with owner portals
- Lease caps are generous (10, 30, 60 leases by tier)
- QuickBooks Online sync on Pro
Watch out for- No free plan anymore (the old free tier was removed)
- Pricing scales with active lease count, so costs rise as you add units
- Lease-building tools lag Avail's
#7
DoorLoop
Best for: Growing portfolios that want a modern, all-in-one management platform
Visit doorloop.com
Starting price$69/month (Starter, billed annually, up to 10 units)
Free planFree trial (30 days)
DoorLoop is the premium option for landlords who have outgrown the free and flat-fee tools. Starter at $69 a month billed annually (promotional; $99 list) covers up to 10 units with accounting, leasing, rent collection and tenant communication, and Pro at $149 and Premium at $209 add deeper communication tools and waive add-on fees. The interface is the most modern on this list, and the product is aimed squarely at professional management companies that want one system for everything.
For a small landlord, the math is the verdict. Three units cost the same $69 as ten, and add-on fees (business account verification at $49 on Starter, $3 per eSignature document, $2.49 per tenant ACH transaction) stack on the lower tier. This is a platform for 10 to 100 units, not for a duplex. Landlords approaching that size who want the best interface should shortlist it; everyone else should not.
What we like- Modern interface with accounting, leasing, payments and communication in one platform
- Accounting built in from the Starter plan
- Strong ratings among professional managers
Watch out for- Priced for management companies, not 3-unit landlords: Starter is $69 a month annually for up to 10 units and scales per unit above that
- ESignatures and ACH carry small add-on fees on lower tiers
#8
Buildium
Best for: Small-to-mid portfolios that need the deepest accounting in the category
Visit buildium.com
Starting price$62/month (Essential)
Free planFree trial (14 days)
Buildium is the established name in small-portfolio property management, and the pricing page shows why it costs more: Essential starts at $62 a month with full accounting, maintenance and leasing features, bank reconciliation, owner portals and two-way email and SMS threads. Growth at $192 and Premium at $400 add open API, advanced analytics and waived transaction fees. Every customer gets a 14-day trial with no credit card, and a dedicated onboarding team imports your existing data.
The fee schedule deserves a careful read. On Essential, incoming EFT rent payments cost $2.35 per transaction, eSignatures cost $5 per document, and setting up business bank accounts costs $99 each. Those per-transaction costs fade on higher tiers but matter at 20 units. Buildium is the right pick when accounting depth and reporting are the job: for simple rent collection on a few units, it is overkill at five times the price of RentRedi.
What we like- Deepest accounting and reporting of any small-landlord tool: bank reconciliation, batched reports, owner portals
- 95 percent customer support satisfaction rating
- Dedicated onboarding imports your data
Watch out for- Starting at $62 a month it is five times the cheapest paid option
- Several features carry per-transaction fees on Essential ($2.35 per incoming EFT, $5 per eSignature document)
- Onboarding is required on Growth and Premium
Starting priceFree (GO plan, first 3 units); PRO from $12/month
Free planYes (GO plan free for first 3 units)
Landlord Studio splits the difference between Stessa's accounting focus and the free leasing tools: a mobile-first app with bank feeds, receipt scanning, automatic reconciliation and a Schedule E report, free for the first 3 units on the GO plan. PRO starts at $12 a month plus $1 per additional unit past the first three, which keeps a 10-unit portfolio at $19 a month, still cheap, while adding rent collection, tenant screening and deeper reporting.
The product is accounting-first, so landlords whose main pain is filling vacancies will find the leasing side thinner than TurboTenant or Avail. And the 3-unit free cap means the free ride ends earlier than the unlimited free plans. For a landlord with 2 to 10 units who does the books on a phone and wants tax-ready records without paying enterprise prices, it is the sweet spot.
What we like- Free GO plan covers the first 3 units with bank feeds and rent tracking
- Mobile-first design with receipt scanning and auto-reconciliation
- Built-in Schedule E report for tax time
Watch out for- Free plan caps at 3 units, so unit four starts the meter
- PRO at $12 a month plus $1 per unit past the first three adds up
- Leasing tools are thinner than Avail or TurboTenant
The free-plan math nobody puts on the pricing page
Free landlord software is never actually free; the cost just moves. Compare the payment fees, because they dwarf the subscription savings at scale. Ten units paying $1,500 rent by ACH costs tenants $25 a month on Avail's free plan ($2.50 per transfer) and $20 on Innago ($2 per transfer), while the landlord pays $0 for software. On a paid plan like RentRedi at $12 a month with $1 ACH fees, the total system cost can be lower than a "free" plan with expensive payment rails.
Screening fees work the same way. TurboTenant charges applicants $45, Avail varies by state, and Innago charges $30 to $35, all typically paid by the applicant. That is standard practice and should not drive your decision. What should: who pays for ACH transfers, whether the free plan caps units or features, and whether the accounting tools produce a Schedule E without a spreadsheet side project.
Picking by portfolio size
One to three units: start free. TurboTenant or Innago give you listings, screening, rent collection and maintenance at $0 with no unit caps; Landlord Studio's GO plan is the accounting-first alternative for the first 3 units. Do not pay for software until a specific paid feature pays for itself.
Four to fifteen units: decide between free-with-fees and flat-fee. If your tenants pay by ACH and you watch the fees, RentRedi at $12 a month with $1 ACH is often cheaper all-in than a free plan with $2.50 tenant transfer fees. If accounting depth matters more, Stessa's free Essentials or Manage at $12 a month covers it.
Fifteen to fifty units: this is where paid platforms earn their keep. Buildium Essential at $62 a month brings real accounting, owner portals and bank reconciliation; DoorLoop Starter at $69 a month brings the most modern interface; TenantCloud's Growth and Pro tiers add team tools and QuickBooks sync. Run a two-week trial of two finalists with your real lease data before committing.
How we chose
We verified pricing on each vendor's own pricing page and cross-checked plan details against public reviews on Capterra, G2 and landlord communities. Products made the list only if they exist today and serve small landlords rather than enterprise property managers, which is why AppFolio and Yardi Breeze did not make the cut despite their reputations. We did not run hands-on trials: this comparison is built from pricing pages, documentation and verified user reviews, which is exactly what the "How we chose" method requires.
Frequently asked questions
Is there really free property management software for landlords?
Yes. Stessa, Avail, TurboTenant and Innago all offer free plans for landlords, and TurboTenant and Innago have no unit caps on their free tiers. Landlord Studio is free for the first 3 units. The costs show up as tenant-paid screening and payment processing fees rather than subscriptions.
How much does property management software cost for 10 units?
Anywhere from $0 (TurboTenant, Innago, Stessa Essentials, Avail Unlimited) to $69 a month (DoorLoop Starter) to $62 a month (Buildium Essential). Flat-fee RentRedi costs $12 a month regardless of unit count. The honest answer is that software cost is the wrong number to optimize: payment processing fees usually matter more.
Do tenants have to pay fees on these platforms?
Usually for screening (typically $30 to $55, paid by the applicant) and sometimes for rent payments, depending on the plan. On Avail's free plan tenants pay $2.50 per ACH transfer; on Innago they pay $2 per ACH or 2.99 percent for cards. Paid plans often waive or reduce these fees.
Can I switch from spreadsheets without losing my lease data?
Yes. Every tool here imports tenants and leases, and Buildium and DoorLoop include dedicated onboarding that imports your data for you. Export your current records as a CSV, verify the unit and tenant counts match after import, and run the old spreadsheet in parallel for one rent cycle.
What is lease administration software, and do I need it?
Lease administration usually means tracking lease terms, renewals, rent escalations and compliance dates, a bigger concern for commercial portfolios. For small residential landlords, the lease tools inside Avail, TurboTenant or Innago (templates, e-signatures, renewal tracking) cover what "lease administration" means at your scale.
Will this software do my taxes?
It will make taxes dramatically easier, but it will not file them. Stessa, Landlord Studio and Buildium produce Schedule E-ready reports; TurboTenant Pro and RentRedi include accounting suites. Export the reports and hand them to your CPA. Confirm the report format matches what your accountant wants before you commit to a platform.
Sources we checked (10)
- https://stessa.com/pricing
- https://www.avail.co/pricing
- https://turbotenant.com/pricing/
- https://www.innago.com/pricing/
- https://rentredi.com/blog/rentredi-vs-rentec-direct/
- https://rentredi.com/blog/rentredi-vs-tenantcloud-comparison/
- https://www.buildium.com/pricing/
- https://www.tenantcloud.com/review/tenantcloud-vs-doorloop
- https://www.landlordstudio.com/blog/best-rental-property-management-software
- https://innago.com/how-to-choose-the-right-property-management-software/
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has spent more than a decade helping SaaS and e-commerce brands grow through search. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.