Managing properties for other owners needs more than rent collection. You hold owners' money, pay their bills, take a fee and send each owner a statement. Software for this has owner portals, owner statements and, ideally, trust accounting that keeps each owner's funds separate. Most landlord apps do not have these.
Of the platforms we track, five sell plans with owner tools at a published price: TenantCloud Pro, Rentec Direct PM, Buildium, DoorLoop and, from 50 units, AppFolio (starting rate only).
Monthly cost by portfolio size
| Plan | 10 units | 25 units | 50 units | 100 units | 200 units | 500 units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TenantCloud ProUp to 60 active leases | $50 | $50 | $50 | Over limit | Over limit | Over limit |
| Rentec Direct PM | $45 | $56.25 | $112.50 | $225 | $450 | $1,125 |
| Buildium EssentialUp to 40 units | $55.92 | $72.25 | Over limit | Over limit | Over limit | Over limit |
| Buildium GrowthUp to 5,000 units | $173 | $173 | $173 | $226.83 | $271.25 | $650.25 |
| DoorLoop One | $199 | $199 | $199 | $250 | $400 | $850 |
| AppFolio Core | 50+ only | 50+ only | from $74.50 | from $149 | from $298 | from $745 |
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 cheapest option changes with size
- Up to about 20 units: Rentec Direct PM at $45 a month, its minimum. It includes trust accounting, an owner portal and owner bank payouts.
- About 20 to 60 units: TenantCloud Pro at a flat $50, as long as you stay under 60 active leases. It has a separate owner portal and bank reconciliation.
- About 60 to 115 units: Rentec Direct PM again, at $225 for 100 units, with Buildium Growth ($226.83) and DoorLoop One ($250) close behind.
- Above about 115 units: Buildium Growth, at $271.25 for 200 units and $650.25 for 500.
AppFolio Core's starting rate would sit below several of these between 50 and roughly 300 units, but it carries a minimum monthly spend that AppFolio does not publish, so we cannot place it.
Owner tools compared
| Feature | TenantCloud | Rentec Direct | Buildium | DoorLoop | AppFolio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online rent collection | Included | Included | Extra costePay add-on on every plan | Included | Extra costOnline payments are a value-added service |
| Tenant screening | IncludedPaid by the applicant | Included | Extra costAdd-on, $17 to $20 per report | Included$35 per report | Extra costScreening is a value-added service |
| Listing syndication | Included | Included | Included | Included | IncludedPay-to-list sites are an add-on |
| Lease e-signatures | Included | IncludedFree within fair use | Extra costAdd-on on Essential and Growth, included on Premium | IncludedUnlimited | Not stated |
| Maintenance requests | Included | IncludedThrough the tenant portal | Included | Included | Included |
| Income and expense tracking | Included | IncludedLedger accounting | Included | IncludedQuickBooks Online sync | Included |
| Bank feeds or reconciliation | Higher plans onlyPro: bank reconciliation | Not stated | IncludedBank reconciliation | IncludedBank transaction matching | Not stated |
| Tax reports (Schedule E or 1099) | Higher plans only1099 from Growth, tax preparation on Pro | Not stated | Extra cost1099 e-filing add-on | Included1099 forms | Not stated |
| Owner portal or owner statements | Higher plans onlyPro: separate owner portal | Higher plans onlyPM plan | IncludedOwners portal | Included | IncludedOwner mobile app |
| Trust accounting | Not stated | Higher plans onlyPM plan | Not stated | Not stated | Included |
| Multiple users | Higher plans only1 team member on Growth and Pro | Not stated | IncludedCustom roles and permissions | IncludedUnlimited | IncludedRole-based permissions |
| Open API | Not stated | Included | Higher plans onlyPremium only | Included | Higher plans onlyRead-only on Plus, read/write on Max |
| Commercial properties | Not stated | Not stated | Included | Included | Included |
| Community associations | Not stated | Not stated | Included | Included | Included |
| Free plan or free trial | Included14-day trial | IncludedFree trial, no card | Included14-day trial, no card | Not stated | Not offeredDemo only |
✓ included · ↑ higher plans only · + extra cost · ✕ not offered · – not stated on the vendor's pages we read. All platforms compared.
Beyond the subscription
Payment fees matter more here than for a landlord, because you collect rent for every owner. DoorLoop One charges you $1.50 per incoming bank payment, DoorLoop Connect nothing. Buildium charges $1.35 on Growth and sells online payments as an add-on. Rentec Direct includes one free incoming bank payment per property per month, then $0.50. On TenantCloud tenants pay $1.50 per bank payment on Pro.
Onboarding is the other cost to ask about. Buildium requires paid onboarding on Growth and Premium, and neither Buildium nor AppFolio publishes the fee.
Comparisons
DoorLoop vs Buildium · AppFolio vs Buildium · AppFolio alternatives
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: tenantcloud.com/pricing, rentecdirect.com/pricing-transparency, buildium.com/pricing, doorloop.com/pricing, appfolio.com/pricing. How we work out costs: methodology. Some links on this site may become affiliate links; see our disclosure.