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
- DIY landlords should start with the free options: TurboTenant is free for landlords, Avail offers a free plan, and Stessa keeps a free Essentials tier for rental accounting.
- Professional managers comparing paid platforms should look at Buildium ($62 per month for Essential, per its own homepage) first; AppFolio and Entrata publish no prices and sell through demos.
- Hemlane offers a free Landlord version with paid management services on top, which suits owners who want to self-manage with backup.
- TenantCloud's free trial lasts 14 days and its pricing is quote-based, so ask for the full schedule of payment processing fees before committing.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 AppFolio | Professional property managers with 50 or more units | See website (custom quote; no public prices) | Free demo (no free trial advertised) |
 Buildium | Growing management companies that want published, predictable pricing | $62/month (Essential plan, per the vendor's own homepage FAQ) | Free trial (14 days) |
 TenantCloud | Landlords who want a free start with room to grow into paid features | See website (quote-based; no public starting price) | Free trial (14 days) |
 TurboTenant | DIY landlords who want the core software free | Free (core software is free for landlords) | Yes (free core plan) |
 Entrata | Large operators wanting one platform for leasing, accounting and resident experience | See website (custom quote; no public prices) | No (demo only) |
 Hemlane | Owners who self-manage but want professional backup on demand | See website (quote-based) | Yes (Free Landlord version, per the vendor's own announcement) |
 Avail | Small landlords wanting simple, free rental management | See website (no public starting price found) | Yes (free plan available) |
 Stessa | Rental investors focused on accounting, bookkeeping and portfolio performance | See website (no public starting price found) | Yes (free Essentials plan) |
Is your product missing or out of date?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 software for real estate management
Picture a landlord with six units across two cities. Rent arrives by check, two tenants text about a leaking faucet, and the spreadsheet that tracks it all has not been updated since March. That is the moment property software pays for itself: online rent collection, maintenance requests that do not get lost, and books that reconcile without a Sunday afternoon of data entry. These eight platforms cover the real market, from free landlord tools to enterprise management suites.
#1
AppFolio
Best for: Professional property managers with 50 or more units
Visit appfolio.com
Starting priceSee website (custom quote; no public prices)
Free planFree demo (no free trial advertised)
AppFolio is the platform professional managers graduate to. The pitch is operational depth at scale: online applications with screening, AI-assisted leasing communication, maintenance dispatch with vendor coordination, and accounting that handles owner statements and trust accounting across hundreds of units. Inspection workflows and bulk communication tools fit teams managing scattered-site portfolios.
The barrier is entry. AppFolio publishes no prices and sells through demos, which means a sales process before you can even budget. Smaller landlords are not the audience: the platform assumes a management company with staff. For operators at 50-plus units who need everything in one system, it is the benchmark the others are measured against. Below that scale, Buildium or TenantCloud deliver more value per dollar.
What we like- Deep feature set for larger portfolios, including AI-assisted leasing and maintenance workflows
- Strong accounting with fund accounting for client portfolios
- Active marketplace of integrations
Watch out for- No published pricing, so budgeting starts with a sales call
- Minimum unit counts make it a poor fit for small landlords
- Implementation takes weeks, not days
#2
Buildium
Best for: Growing management companies that want published, predictable pricing
Visit buildium.com
Starting price$62/month (Essential plan, per the vendor's own homepage FAQ)
Free planFree trial (14 days)
Buildium earns its spot with honesty: it publishes prices when AppFolio and Entrata do not. Essential starts at $62 per month, with Growth at $192 and Premium at $400, and the 14-day trial lets a manager test real workflows before paying. The platform covers the full cycle: marketing vacancies, online applications, e-sign leases, rent collection, maintenance tickets and owner reporting.
Watch the scaling math. Per-unit pricing means a 200-unit portfolio pays materially more than a 50-unit one, so model your growth before committing. Some reviewers find the interface dated next to AppFolio's. But for a management company that wants to know the price on day one and grow into the tool, Buildium is the transparent choice in an opaque market.
What we like- Transparent published pricing in a market where rivals hide theirs
- Covers leasing, accounting, maintenance and resident portals in one login
- Open API and solid integration list
Watch out for- Per-unit pricing means costs climb with portfolio growth
- The interface shows its age in places
- Some advanced features sit on the Growth and Premium tiers
#3
TenantCloud
Best for: Landlords who want a free start with room to grow into paid features
Visit tenantcloud.com
Starting priceSee website (quote-based; no public starting price)
Free planFree trial (14 days)
TenantCloud pitches itself as the landlord platform that grows with you. The free tier covers the basics: list vacancies, collect applications, sign leases and take rent online. Maintenance requests flow through a tenant portal instead of text messages, and messaging keeps the conversation attached to the unit instead of buried in a phone.
The catch is pricing clarity. Plans are quote-based, so you cannot compare TenantCloud to Buildium's published $62 on a spreadsheet. Before signing, ask for the full schedule including payment processing fees, which are where these platforms make their margin. For a landlord testing whether software beats the spreadsheet, the free tier is a low-risk way to find out.
What we like- Generous free tier for getting started
- Online rent collection and applications included
- Maintenance request tracking with tenant messaging
Watch out for- Pricing is quote-based, which slows comparison
- Payment processing fees need checking before you commit
- Advanced accounting features are thinner than Stessa's
Starting priceFree (core software is free for landlords)
Free planYes (free core plan)
TurboTenant's model flips the usual pricing: landlords pay nothing for the core product. Applications, tenant screening, e-sign leases, rent collection and maintenance requests are free, which makes it the cheapest credible option on this list by definition. The company earns money on optional services and fees paid by applicants or tenants, so read the fee breakdown for each transaction type.
That model has a shape. TurboTenant is built for the independent landlord with a handful of units, not the management company with staff and owner clients. Accounting covers the basics but investors who live in their numbers will want Stessa alongside it. For the DIY landlord, though, free core software with no unit cap is hard to beat.
What we like- Core platform is genuinely free for landlords, not a trial
- Rental applications, screening and e-sign leases included
- Online rent collection with autopay
Watch out for- Revenue comes from add-ons and tenant-paid fees, so check who pays what
- Advanced accounting is lighter than Stessa
- Built for independent landlords, not management companies
#5
Entrata
Best for: Large operators wanting one platform for leasing, accounting and resident experience
Visit entrata.com
Starting priceSee website (custom quote; no public prices)
Free planNo (demo only)
Entrata is the enterprise answer to property management. One platform covers the marketing site, online leasing, accounting, maintenance, resident communication and business intelligence, with workflows tuned for multifamily, student and affordable housing. The resident experience is a differentiator: modern portals and apps that large operators use as a leasing advantage.
Everything about Entrata assumes scale. Pricing is custom, the sales cycle is long, and onboarding a portfolio is a project with a timeline. Operators under 100 units will find the cost and complexity hard to justify against Buildium or AppFolio. For large portfolios that want one vendor instead of five integrations, Entrata is the shortlist.
What we like- Genuinely all-in-one scope, from marketing and leasing to accounting and resident apps
- Strong multifamily and student housing workflows
- Modern interface for residents and staff
Watch out for- Enterprise pricing and sales process
- Overkill for portfolios under 100 units
- Implementation is a project, not a signup
#6
Hemlane
Best for: Owners who self-manage but want professional backup on demand
Visit hemlane.com
Starting priceSee website (quote-based)
Free planYes (Free Landlord version, per the vendor's own announcement)
Hemlane occupies the middle ground between DIY software and full property management. The Free Landlord version handles listings, applications, rent collection and maintenance requests. When you need more, paid plans add real human support: licensed managers who handle tenant placement, maintenance coordination and compliance tasks for owners who live far from their properties.
That hybrid is the appeal and the thing to evaluate carefully. Map your needs against the free version first, then price the support tier against a local manager's percentage. For the out-of-state owner with a few doors, Hemlane's backup can cost less than full management while covering the tasks that are hardest to do remotely.
What we like- Free Landlord version covers the basics at no cost
- Paid tiers add licensed manager support for leasing, maintenance coordination and compliance
- Good fit for out-of-state owners
Watch out for- The hybrid model means understanding exactly what the free version covers
- Pricing is quote-based
- Less accounting depth than Stessa or AppFolio
#7
Avail
Best for: Small landlords wanting simple, free rental management
Visit avail.co
Starting priceSee website (no public starting price found)
Free planYes (free plan available)
Avail keeps things deliberately simple. The free plan covers the landlord basics: syndicated listings, online applications, state-specific e-sign leases and online rent collection. There is little to learn and nothing to configure for an hour before first use, which is the point. It is software designed for the landlord with a duplex, not the enterprise platform with a landlord tier bolted on.
Simplicity is also the ceiling. Owners with complex accounting, many units or staff will outgrow Avail quickly. But most small landlords never need more than listings, leases and rent collection done well. If that describes you, the free plan is the fastest path from spreadsheet to software on this list.
What we like- Free plan covers listings, applications, leases and rent collection
- Clean, simple interface with little learning curve
- Built for independent landlords rather than adapted from enterprise software
Watch out for- Feature depth is intentionally limited
- Not built for management companies or large portfolios
- Payment processing details need checking
#8
Stessa
Best for: Rental investors focused on accounting, bookkeeping and portfolio performance
Visit stessa.com
Starting priceSee website (no public starting price found)
Free planYes (free Essentials plan)
Stessa is the odd one out, and deliberately so. It does not do leasing, applications or maintenance tickets. It does rental accounting: connect bank accounts, categorize transactions automatically, track income and expenses per property, and generate tax-ready reports including Schedule E worksheets. The free Essentials plan covers genuine bookkeeping, not a teaser.
That focus makes Stessa a complement rather than a replacement. Pair it with TurboTenant or Avail for the operational side and you have a complete free stack: operations in one tool, accounting in another. Investors who think in cap rates and cash-on-cash returns will find Stessa's dashboards more useful than any management platform's accounting module.
What we like- Free Essentials plan covers real rental accounting
- Automatic transaction categorization and Schedule E-ready reports
- Portfolio performance dashboards investors actually use
Watch out for- Not a full management platform: no leasing or maintenance workflows
- Rent collection is not the focus
- Best paired with a tool like TurboTenant or Avail
Software for landlords vs. software for professional managers
The market splits in two, and buying from the wrong half wastes money. Landlord software (TurboTenant, Avail, Hemlane's free tier, TenantCloud) assumes one person doing everything: the owner lists the unit, screens the tenant, collects rent and calls the plumber. Pricing is free or cheap because the feature set is operational, not organizational. There are no owner statements, no trust accounting, no staff permission roles, because a landlord does not need them.
Manager software (AppFolio, Buildium, Entrata) assumes a company: staff with roles, owner clients who get statements, portfolios in the hundreds of units. The accounting is fund-level, the maintenance workflow includes vendor dispatch, and the price reflects it. A landlord with eight units gains nothing from trust accounting and pays for complexity they will never use. A manager with 300 units cannot run owner distributions from a landlord app.
The gray zone is the growing landlord, roughly 10 to 50 units, often self-managing. That buyer should look at Buildium's Essential tier or TenantCloud's paid plans: enough structure for the portfolio, without the enterprise sales process. And every landlord-investor should run Stessa alongside whatever operational tool they pick, because rental accounting is a separate job from rental operations.
How we chose
We started with the platforms landlords and managers actually search for: property management software, landlord software and rental management software. For each candidate we checked the vendor's own pricing page first and used vendor-published FAQs and announcements where pricing pages did not render. We compared leasing, rent collection, maintenance, accounting and owner-reporting features, and noted where free plans are genuinely free versus trials. Where a price could not be verified on a vendor-published page we wrote "See website" rather than guessing.
What to look for when choosing real estate management software
Start with your unit count and your role, because those two facts eliminate half the list. Under 20 units as an owner-operator, the free tools (TurboTenant, Avail, Stessa) cover you. Between 20 and 100 units, or managing for others, Buildium and TenantCloud fit. Above that, AppFolio and Entrata enter the conversation. Buying enterprise software for a fourplex is the most common and most expensive mistake in this category.
Next, price the payment processing, not just the subscription. These platforms earn significant revenue from rent payment fees, application fees and screening markups, and those costs often land on you or your tenants. A free platform with a 3 percent card processing fee can cost more than a $62 subscription with cheap ACH, depending on your rent roll. Ask for the full fee schedule in writing before you commit to any of them.
Finally, test the maintenance workflow with a real scenario. Submit a test request, assign it, message about it, close it. Maintenance is where landlord-tenant relationships are won or lost, and it is the feature most likely to be clunky. Check the mobile experience too: tenants will interact with your software almost entirely on phones. And confirm your state's lease templates are included before you need them at 10pm on a Sunday.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free property management software?
TurboTenant's core software is free for landlords, Avail offers a free plan, and Stessa's Essentials tier covers rental accounting free. For a complete free stack, many small landlords pair TurboTenant or Avail for operations with Stessa for bookkeeping.
How much does property management software cost?
For landlords, $0 to about $30 per month covers most needs. For management companies, Buildium publishes $62 per month for Essential, while AppFolio and Entrata are custom-quoted and cost significantly more. Always add payment processing fees to the subscription price when comparing.
Do I need property management software for a single rental?
Not strictly, but the free tools make it worthwhile. Online rent collection with autopay, e-sign leases and a maintenance portal beat checks and text messages even for one unit, and TurboTenant and Avail cost nothing to try.
What is the difference between Stessa and Buildium?
Stessa does rental accounting and portfolio performance tracking; it does not handle leasing, applications or maintenance. Buildium is a full management platform covering the operational side. Investors often use both: Buildium or similar for operations, Stessa for the books.
Can tenants pay rent online with these tools?
Yes, all eight support online rent collection. The differences are in fees and methods: check whether ACH is free or discounted versus card payments, who pays the processing fee, and whether autopay and partial payments are supported.
Sources we checked (8)
- https://www.appfolio.com/
- https://buildium.com/
- http://tenantcloud.com/
- https://www.turbotenant.com/
- https://www.entrata.com/
- https://hemlane.com/
- https://www.avail.co/
- https://stessa.com/
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.