The short answer
Up to about 116 units, Rentec Direct costs less. Its PM plan, the one with owner statements and trust accounting, is $112.50 a month at 50 units on annual billing. Buildium Growth is $173. From 117 units on, Buildium Growth has the lower subscription price, and the gap grows with size: at 500 units it is $650.25 against $1,125.
That changes if you pay your tenants' bank transfer fees. Rentec includes one free incoming bank payment per active property each month. Buildium charges $1.35 per payment on Growth, on top of an online payments add-on it does not price publicly. If each of your units is its own property, so every payment is free on Rentec, Rentec PM costs less at every size Buildium's calculator covers. Even if every payment cost $0.50 on Rentec, it stays cheaper up to 193 units.
How each one prices
Rentec Direct has three plans. Starter is a flat $25 a month for up to 10 properties. Pro is $2 per unit a month, with a $50 minimum. PM, built for managers who handle owners' money, is $2.50 per unit with the same minimum. Paying for a year takes 10% off both rates: Pro drops to $1.80 and PM to $2.25, with a $45 minimum. So on PM you pay the minimum until 20 units, then the per-unit rate.
Buildium prices by bands of units, read from the calculator on its pricing page. Essential is $55.92 a month up to 20 units and $72.25 up to 40, where the plan stops. Growth is $173 a month for anything up to 50 units, then climbs in steps. Premium starts at $361.17. These are annual-billing figures shown per month. Growth and Premium also require a paid onboarding package, and Buildium does not list its price.
Monthly cost at common portfolio sizes
| Plan | 5 units | 20 units | 40 units | 50 units | 100 units | 150 units | 200 units | 500 units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rentec Direct StarterUp to 10 properties | $25 | Over limit | Over limit | Over limit | Over limit | Over limit | Over limit | Over limit |
| Rentec Direct Pro | $45 | $45 | $72 | $90 | $180 | $270 | $360 | $900 |
| Rentec Direct PM | $45 | $45 | $90 | $112.50 | $225 | $337.50 | $450 | $1,125 |
| Buildium EssentialUp to 40 units | $55.92 | $55.92 | $72.25 | Over limit | Over limit | Over limit | Over limit | Over limit |
| Buildium GrowthUp to 5,000 units | $173 | $173 | $173 | $173 | $226.83 | $261.83 | $271.25 | $650.25 |
| Buildium PremiumUp to 5,000 units | $361.17 | $361.17 | $361.17 | $361.17 | $361.17 | $361.17 | $477.67 | $1,179.67 |
Software subscription per month, on the cheapest billing option each vendor offers (usually a year paid upfront). Taxes, onboarding, add-ons and payment fees are not included.
The comparison most readers need is Rentec PM against Buildium Growth, because both include owner statements. Rentec PM stays cheaper up to 116 units. Rentec Pro, which has no owner tools, stays below Growth up to 145 units and below Buildium Essential across all 40 units Essential allows.
What bank payment fees add
Many landlords pay the transfer fee so tenants have no excuse to pay late. On that basis the subscription is only part of the cost.
Rentec lists bank payments as free on Pro and PM. The allowance is one incoming payment per active property each month, and each payment beyond it costs $0.50. For single-family rentals, where one tenant pays once a month, that means no fee at all. In a multi-unit building listed as one property, every payment after the first is charged.
Buildium charges the property manager $2.35 per bank payment on Essential and $1.35 on Growth. Card payments cost 2.99%. Premium waives incoming bank payment fees for the first year and then charges $0.60 each. At 100 units with every tenant paying by bank transfer, Growth costs $226.83 plus $135 in fees, before the payments add-on. Rentec PM costs $225, plus at most $50 if every payment fell outside the free allowance.
Features side by side
| Feature | Rentec Direct | Buildium |
|---|---|---|
| Online rent collection | Included | Extra costePay add-on on every plan |
| Tenant screening | Included | Extra costAdd-on, $17 to $20 per report |
| Listing syndication | Included | Included |
| Lease e-signatures | IncludedFree within fair use | Extra costAdd-on on Essential and Growth, included on Premium |
| Maintenance requests | IncludedThrough the tenant portal | Included |
| Income and expense tracking | IncludedLedger accounting | Included |
| Bank feeds or reconciliation | Not stated | IncludedBank reconciliation |
| Tax reports (Schedule E or 1099) | Not stated | Extra cost1099 e-filing add-on |
| Owner portal or owner statements | Higher plans onlyPM plan | IncludedOwners portal |
| Trust accounting | Higher plans onlyPM plan | Not stated |
| Multiple users | Not stated | IncludedCustom roles and permissions |
| Open API | Included | Higher plans onlyPremium only |
| Commercial properties | Not stated | Included |
| Community associations | Not stated | Included |
| Free plan or free trial | IncludedFree trial, no card | Included14-day trial, no card |
✓ included · ↑ higher plans only · + extra cost · ✕ not offered · – not stated on the vendor's pages we read. All platforms compared.
Two differences stand out. Rentec puts owner statements and trust accounting on the PM plan only, so a landlord who manages only their own units can stay on Pro. Buildium includes an owners portal on every plan and lists commercial properties and community associations, which Rentec's pricing pages do not mention.
Which one fits
Rentec Direct suits landlords and small management firms up to roughly 116 units who want accounting and free bank payments at a predictable per-unit price. It also suits anyone with ten or fewer properties who just needs the basics, at $25 a month on Starter.
Buildium suits firms past that size, where its bands rise more slowly than Rentec's per-unit rate, and firms that also manage commercial space or associations. Price the payments add-on and onboarding with Buildium's sales team before you compare totals.
What we could not verify
- Buildium's onboarding fee for Growth and Premium, and the monthly price of its online payments add-on.
- Whether Rentec Starter offers an annual discount: its FAQ does not say.
Questions people ask
Is Rentec Direct cheaper than Buildium?
On the subscription alone, Rentec Direct's PM plan costs less up to 116 units and Buildium Growth costs less from 117 units. If you pay your tenants' bank transfer fees, the gap widens, because Buildium charges $1.35 per payment on Growth while Rentec includes one free payment per active property each month.
How much does Rentec Direct cost for 50 units?
On annual billing, Rentec Pro costs $90 a month at 50 units and Rentec PM, which adds owner statements and trust accounting, costs $112.50. Paying month to month, PM costs $125.
How much does Buildium cost for 100 units?
Buildium's pricing calculator gives $226.83 a month for Growth and $361.17 for Premium at 100 units, billed annually. Onboarding and the online payments add-on are extra, and Buildium does not publish their prices.
Does Buildium charge for ACH rent payments?
Yes. The property manager pays $2.35 per bank payment on Essential and $1.35 on Growth. Premium includes incoming bank payments free for the first 12 months, then charges $0.60 each.
Run your own numbers. The calculator prices every plan we track at your unit count, and the finder picks one for you in five questions.
Sources, the vendors' own pages: rentecdirect.com/pricing-transparency, buildium.com/pricing. How we work out costs: methodology. Some links on this site may become affiliate links; see our disclosure.