Best Cloud-Based Property Management Software

What cloud-based actually changes

Cloud based property management software lives on the vendor’s servers. You log in from a laptop, tablet or phone, the vendor runs the updates and backups, and you pay monthly or yearly. That’s now the default. The days of installing landlord software on one desktop are mostly gone.

For a small landlord, the cloud gives you three practical things:

• Access from anywhere. You can approve an application from work or check whether rent arrived from a hardware store aisle.
• Tenant-facing portals. Tenants pay rent, sign leases and submit maintenance requests online, which only works because the software is hosted.
• Bank connections. Bank feeds and online payments need a hosted service talking to banks and payment processors.

The trade-off is control. Your tenant records, leases and payment history sit with a company you don’t run, and your rent passes through its payment processor before it reaches you. So the checks that matter are about data, payouts and security, not features alone.

What to check before you trust a cloud tool

1. Two-factor login. Turn it on the day you sign up. Your account holds applicants’ personal details and your bank information.
2. User access. If a partner, spouse or handyman needs access, check whether they get their own login with limited rights. Innago, for example, lets only one super-admin add users. DoorLoop includes unlimited users.
3. Payout timing and holds. Ask how many business days rent takes to reach your bank and when payments can be held. Reviews of several apps, including RentRedi and Avail, mention payment delays.
4. Data export. Export a rent roll and a profit-and-loss report during the trial. If the export is useless, so is switching later.
5. Bank account limits. TurboTenant’s free plan allows one connected bank account. Buildium Essential charges $99 per business bank account.
6. Mobile app. TurboTenant, RentRedi, Buildium, DoorLoop and Stessa all list mobile apps.

The picks

TurboTenant: best free cloud option

TurboTenant runs in a browser and on a mobile app, and its free plan covers listings, applications, screening, online rent, maintenance requests and basic accounting. Tenants pay $2 per ACH payment and 3.49% on cards. Applicants pay $55 for screening.

Paid plans are annual only. Essentials is $149 a year and Pro is $199 a year for 1 to 10 units. Pro adds automatic bank transaction import, unlimited connected bank accounts, free tenant ACH and phone support.

Wrong for: anyone who needs an owner portal or full accounting without paying for Pro.

RentRedi: best mobile-first

RentRedi was built around its phone app, for landlords and tenants alike. One plan includes every feature, priced at $29.95 monthly, $20 a month on a 6-month plan, or $12 a month billed annually. Units, tenants and teammates are unlimited.

Tenant ACH is $1, cards 3.1% plus $0.30, and screening costs the tenant $39.99 or $49.99 with income verification. Reviewers raise two-factor login friction and at least one reported account-takeover incident, which is a reason to treat login security seriously on any platform.

Wrong for: landlords who prefer to work on a desktop and find app-first flows slow.

Buildium: best cloud accounting past 20 units

Buildium is a full cloud property management system with double-entry accounting, owner and resident portals, leasing, maintenance and reporting. Essential costs $62 a month, or $55.80 billed annually, and held that price at 20 and 40 units on its calculator.

Watch the transaction fees: $2.35 per incoming EFT on Essential, 2.99% on cards, $99 per business bank account. Reviewers note price increases in recent years and live phone support only from the $192 Growth plan up.

Wrong for: 1 to 5 units, where $62 a month is a lot to pay for accounting you won’t use.

DoorLoop: best for 40 units and up

DoorLoop One charges $2.50 per unit a month with a $199 monthly minimum, and includes accounting, leasing, maintenance, payments, owner and tenant portals, a company website, unlimited users and a full API. Tenant ACH is $1.50 on One and free on Connect ($4 per unit, $299 minimum).

Because of the minimum, you pay $199 whether you have 1 unit or 79. At 20 units that’s almost $10 per door. It starts making sense around 40 units and up. Reviewers also mention add-on fees and chatbot-first support.

Wrong for: anyone under about 40 units.

Stessa: best cloud bookkeeping

Stessa’s free Essentials plan connects to your bank, sorts transactions by property and produces basic reports, for unlimited properties. It also offers rent collection ($2 tenant ACH to an outside bank, $0 into Stessa’s cash management account), screening and maintenance tracking. Manage at $12 a month billed annually adds the Schedule E report.

Reviews mention bank feeds that need frequent reconnecting. It’s single-entry style accounting, which is fine for most landlords with a few properties.

Wrong for: landlords who want one app for everything, or who need double-entry books.

Moving from spreadsheets to a cloud tool

Most small landlords come to cloud software from a spreadsheet and a bank app. The move goes smoothly if you do it in order:

1. Start at a clean date, such as the first of a month or the start of the tax year.
2. Enter properties, units and current leases with rent, deposit and due date.
3. Connect the rental bank account and set the start date for imported transactions.
4. Invite tenants to the portal with a month’s notice before the first online rent payment, and tell them what each payment method costs them.
5. Keep the old spreadsheet for the years before the switch. Your tax preparer may need it.

Cost at 1, 5 and 20 units

Tool	1 unit	5 units	20 units
TurboTenant Free	$0	$0	$0
RentRedi (annual)	$12/mo	$12/mo	$12/mo
Buildium Essential	$62/mo	$62/mo	$62/mo
DoorLoop One	$199/mo	$199/mo	$199/mo
Stessa Essentials	$0	$0	$0

Subscription only. Tenant payment fees and screening come on top.

When none of these fit

If you manage for other owners, you need owner statements and trust accounting. Buildium supports trust accounts, DoorLoop includes owner portals, and AppFolio becomes an option at 50 units and above. If you want someone else to handle repairs as well as the software, a hybrid service like Hemlane adds repair coordination on its Essential plan for a $28 platform fee plus $20 per unit a month.