Best Property Management Software for Small Landlords

How we picked and ranked these tools

Every tool here gets the same scorecard. Cost at 1, 5 and 20 units counts for 30%, core features for 25%, ease of setup and daily use for 20%, tenant-side fees for 15%, and support and reliability for 10%. Cost carries the most weight because for a landlord with a handful of doors it usually decides the question.

The scores behind this ranking are provisional. They come from each vendor’s pricing page and help documentation, checked on October 18, 2026, plus recurring themes in public reviews on sites like Capterra and Reddit. Our hands-on account tests (list a unit, take an application, run screening, sign a lease, collect a test payment) are under way, and the results will replace these scores as each one finishes. Commission plays no part in the order.

All costs below are the landlord’s subscription only. Tenant fees, screening and add-ons are listed separately.

The 10 tools, ranked

1. TurboTenant: best free option

TurboTenant’s free plan covers listing syndication, online applications, screening, rent collection, maintenance requests and basic accounting, with no unit limit stated. Your tenants pay for it: $2 per ACH payment, 3.49% on cards and $55 per screening report. Paid plans are billed yearly by unit count. Essentials costs $149 a year for 1 to 10 units and adds unlimited e-signed leases and a forms pack. Pro costs $199 a year at that size, makes tenant ACH free and drops screening to $45.

Cost: $0 at 1, 5 or 20 units on Free. Pro works out to about $16.58 a month at 1 or 5 units and $33.25 at 20, where the $399 tier for 11 to 30 units applies.

Wrong for: anyone who needs an owner portal, which it doesn’t offer. Reviewers say some tenants push back on the fees.

2. RentRedi: best flat price for 5 to 20 units

RentRedi sells one full feature set at one price, with unlimited units, tenants and teammates. It’s $29.95 month to month, $20 a month on the six-month plan, or $144 a year billed annually. Tenants pay $1 per ACH payment by default, half of what most free apps charge, and cards cost 3.1% plus $0.30. Screening runs $39.99, or $49.99 with Plaid income verification.

Cost: $12 a month at 1, 5 or 20 units on the annual plan. At 20 units that’s 60 cents a door.

Wrong for: a one-unit owner who doesn’t mind tenant fees, since TurboTenant is free. Some reviewers find core tasks take more clicks than they should, and there are complaints about deposit timing and payment reversals.

3. Avail: best free plan for state-specific leases

Avail’s Unlimited plan is free for any number of units. It includes listings on 19 sites, applications and screening, state-specific leases with e-sign, online rent and maintenance tracking. Tenants pay $2.50 per bank transfer and 3.5% on cards. Screening is a $55 bundle or $30 for a single report, and prices vary by state. Unlimited Plus costs $9 per unit a month, waives tenant ACH fees and adds faster payouts and custom lease templates.

Cost: $0 at any size on Unlimited. Plus is $9 at 1 unit, $45 at 5 and $180 at 20.

Wrong for: larger portfolios on Plus, where per-unit pricing climbs fast. Accounting is basic income and expense tracking, and reviewers mention a confusing applicant dashboard and long support waits.

4. Innago: free at any size

Innago has one plan and it’s free, whether you have 1 unit or 500. That plan includes applications and screening, online leasing with e-sign, late fee and invoice automation, work orders, messaging and online payments. Tenants pay $2 per ACH payment and 2.99% on cards by default, and you can absorb those fees if you’d rather. Applicants pay $30 to $35 for screening, plus $10 for income verification.

Cost: $0 at 1, 5 and 20 units.

Wrong for: anyone who wants real bookkeeping. The accounting is lighter than paid tools, there’s no bank sync, and only one super-admin can add users. Innago’s site doesn’t confirm listing syndication, so check before you rely on it to market a vacancy.

5. Buildium: best for 20+ units or managing for others

Buildium is full property management software, with accounting, leasing, maintenance, owner and resident portals, and standard reporting. The Essential plan costs $62 a month, or $55.80 billed annually, and its own calculator shows the same price at 20 and 40 units. The fees add up: incoming rent by EFT costs $2.35 on Essential (you choose who pays), cards cost 2.99%, and each business bank account you connect costs $99 to set up. Screening is $17 if you pay or $35 if the applicant does.

Cost: $62 a month at 1, 5 or 20 units. That’s hard to justify for one rental and about $3.10 a door at 20.

Wrong for: owners of one to five units. Live phone support starts on the $192 Growth plan, and reviewers report repeated price increases since the RealPage acquisition.

6. TenantCloud: low price up to 10 leases

TenantCloud limits plans by active leases, not units. Starter covers up to 10 leases for $180 a year ($15 a month). Its pricing page shows the monthly price as both $18 and $25, so confirm before you pay. Growth covers 30 leases for $35 a month or $29.17 billed annually, and Pro adds tax reports, bank reconciliation and an owner portal at $60 a month. Tenant ACH costs $1.95 on Starter, $1.75 on Growth and $1.50 on Pro. Cards cost 3.5% plus $0.30, and the TransUnion Full Check costs $40.

Cost: $15 a month at 1 or 5 units and $29.17 at 20, both billed annually.

Wrong for: landlords with no patience for bugs. Glitches, slow bank setup and generic support replies are recurring complaints.

7. Rentec Direct: cheapest screening and solid accounting

Rentec Starter costs $25 a month for up to 10 properties and 10 tenants, with accounting, online rent, screening, a tenant portal, maintenance, e-sign through Dropbox Sign and automated late fees. Its screening is the cheapest here: $14.95 for a basic report and $29.45 with a TransUnion credit report on Starter. Tenant ACH is $2 on Starter. Rentec Pro starts at $50 a month and adds unlimited properties, free incoming ACH, bank sync and QuickBooks sync. Rentec doesn’t publish its per-unit rate, and third-party analysis puts it near $2 a unit with a $50 minimum.

Cost: $25 at 1 or 5 units, and about $50 at 20 on Pro.

Wrong for: anyone who wants a modern interface. Reviewers often call it dated.

8. Hemlane: best for remote owners who want repair help

Hemlane mixes software with services. The free Starter plan lists your unit on Zillow, Apartments.com and seven other sites and includes screening and accounting, but no rent collection. Basic costs a $28 platform fee plus $2 per unit and adds e-sign, rent collection, late fees and $0 tenant ACH. Essential costs $28 plus $20 per unit and adds 24/7 repair coordination and state-specific leases and notices.

Cost: Basic is $30 at 1 unit, $38 at 5 and $68 at 20. Essential is $48, $128 and $428.

Wrong for: owners who live near their rentals and handle repairs themselves. Reviewers note no weekend support, and one reported a rent payment held until they upgraded.

9. DoorLoop: capable, but priced for larger portfolios

DoorLoop One costs $2.50 per unit a month with a $199 monthly minimum. It includes accounting, leasing, maintenance, payments, owner and tenant portals, a company website and unlimited users. Tenants pay $1.50 per ACH payment on One and 3.25% on cards, and screening costs $35.

Cost: $199 a month at 1, 5 or 20 units. The per-unit price only passes the minimum at about 80 units.

Wrong for: anyone under roughly 40 units. Reviewers also complain about add-on fees and chatbot-first support.

10. AppFolio: for professional managers only

AppFolio Core starts at $1.49 per unit a month, but it has a 50-unit minimum and a minimum monthly spend. The last published minimum was $298 a month in 2024, and AppFolio no longer lists the figure. It’s strong software for property management companies, with accounting, leasing, work orders and inspections.

Cost: not available at 1, 5 or 20 units.

Wrong for: every landlord this site is written for. Residents also complain about eCheck and card fees.

What property management software costs at 1, 5 and 20 units

At 1 unit, you shouldn’t pay anything. TurboTenant, Avail and Innago cost $0, and RentRedi’s $12 a month only makes sense if cutting your tenant’s fee from $2 to $1 matters to you. Buildium at $62 a month for one rental is $744 a year for features you won’t use.

At 5 units, the subscription is still $0 on the free apps, but tenant fees start to show. Five tenants paying monthly by ACH make 60 payments a year. On Avail’s free plan that’s $150 a year out of their pockets; on TurboTenant or Innago, $120; on RentRedi, $60. RentRedi costs you $144 a year to save your tenants $60 to $90, and you get a full feature set in return.

At 20 units, you make 240 rent payments a year. Tenant ACH fees total $600 on Avail’s free plan, $480 on TurboTenant Free or Innago and $240 on RentRedi. Your own subscription runs $0 on the free apps, $144 a year on RentRedi, about $350 a year on TenantCloud Growth, $399 on TurboTenant Pro and $744 on Buildium Essential. This is the size where real accounting and owner statements start to pay for themselves, especially if a partner or another owner needs reports.

Buying checklist

Before you pick, check these against your own portfolio:

• The real cost at your size. Price the plan you’d need at your current unit count and at the count you expect in two years.
• Who pays each fee. Look up the tenant ACH fee, the card fee and the screening fee, and whether you can switch who pays.
• E-signature limits. Some plans cap e-signed leases or charge per signature.
• State-specific leases. If the app supplies a lease, check that it’s written for your state.
• Late fees and partial payments. Make sure automatic late fees can be set to your state’s limit and that you can block partial payments if you need to.
• Payout speed. Find out how long rent takes to reach your bank and whether faster payouts cost extra.
• Accounting depth. Decide whether income and expense tracking is enough or you need bank reconciliation and a Schedule E report.
• Exporting your data. Confirm you can download your ledger and documents if you leave.
• Support hours. Check whether phone support is included or only on higher plans.