There are dozen of apps for landlords out there, each claiming to be the one you need.
To make your choice easier, we’ve compared nine of the top options, so you can see which lines up with the specific areas where you need support.
What we’ll cover:
- A side-by-side comparison of nine top apps for landlords
- Features, pricing, and other details for each app to help you make your choice
- When and where property management software is a smarter investment then landlord-specific apps
- Answers to common questions landlords have before deciding on an app
The Best Apps for Landlords: A Quick Comparison
| Platform | Best For | Starting Price | Free Plan/Trial | Standout Capability | Mobile App |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buildium® | Comprehensive management + growth | $62/month (Essential) | 14-day free trial | True all-in-one platform | Yes |
| TurboTenant® | Free all-in-one for small portfolios | $0 (free) | Free forever | Free listings, screening, rent | Yes |
| Avail® | DIY leasing + rent | $0/unit (free) | Free; Plus $9/unit/mo | State-specific leases + e-sign | Yes |
| RentRedi® | Mobile-first rent collection | $5/month (Start) | 30-day money-back | Flexible ACH/card/cash rent | Yes |
| TenantCloud® | Affordable all-in-one + owner portal | $25/month (annual) | 14-day trial | Owner portal + accounting (Pro) | Yes |
| Rentec Direct® | Owners and managers wanting all-in-one software | $45/month | Two-week trial, no free plan | Full accounting with screening and payments | Yes |
| Stessa® | Rental accounting + taxes | $0 (Essentials) | Free; Pro $28/month | Automated bookkeeping + Schedule E | Yes |
| Baselane® | Banking + bookkeeping | $0 (Core) | Free; Smart $20/month | Landlord banking + APY | Yes |
| Landlord Studio® | Income & expense tracking | $0 (Go, up to 3 units) | Free; Pro $12/month | Expense tracking + tax reports | Yes |
Our Take
If you own a handful of units and mostly need to collect rent and track expenses, start with a free or low-cost app on this list.
Once you are running accounting, leasing, maintenance, and owner reporting across a growing portfolio, a single platform such as Buildium keeps all of it in one place.
If you invest in Buildium or a similar property management platform, you also won’t have to switch, add on, or upgrade your apps over time.
1. Buildium
Best for Owners and Managers Who Want One Platform
Buildium is cloud-based property management software that handles accounting, leasing, maintenance, and communication in one place. It fits property managers and growing owners more than brand-new single-unit owners, because its value comes from connecting workflows that would otherwise live in separate tools.
As your door count climbs and you take on owners to report to, that connection is what keeps the operation together.
Features
Buildium covers the full run of tasks you handle across a portfolio:
- Accounting: automated property accounting with bank reconciliation, so your books match your bank without manual entry.
- Online payments: residents pay by EFT or card through ePay, and payments post to the ledger automatically.
- Lease management: listing syndication to Zillow, Zumper, and Apartments.com, online applications, tenant screening through TransUnion, and eSignature through Dropbox Sign.
- Maintenance: work order management that tracks requests from submission to close.
- A Resident Center and Owner Portal: a resident mobile app plus an owner portal for statements and reports.
- A dedicated Marketplace partner solutions and an open API: plug-and-play integrations and an open API to connect the rest of your stack.
- Analytics and insights: reporting across your portfolio, with AI capabilities for spotting trends and communicating faster.
- Mobile apps: separate apps for landlords and residents.
Pricing
Buildium has three pricing tiers:
- Essential: $62/month.
- Growth: $192/month.
- Premium: $400/month.
There’s also a no-risk 14-day free trial and guided demo available to help you get familiar with the software making your choice.
2. TurboTenant
Best for Free Rentals Management for Small Portfolios
TurboTenant packages listings, applications, screening, and rent collection into a free plan aimed at owners with roughly one to 50 units.
But be careful, since a lot of the platform’s most useful features like income verification, free ACH, and accounting insights are only available with paid tiers. Screening is tenant-paid, which keeps your cost down but adds a step for applicants.
Features
The free plan covers the basics of finding and placing a resident:
- Listings and applications: post unlimited listings and collect online applications at no cost.
- Screening: run tenant-paid screening reports ($45 on the free plan, $55 otherwise).
- Rent collection: accept online rent payments through the free plan.
- Maintenance requests: residents submit requests through the app.
The Pro plans add income verification, free ACH, and accounting insights.
Pricing
- Free: $0.
- Essentials: $12.42/month billed annually ($149/year).
- Pro: $16.58/month billed annually ($199/year).
3. Avail
Best for DIY Owners Handling Leasing
Avail targets owners who manage leasing and rent collection themselves. The free tier posts listings to more than 19 sites and includes state-specific, lawyer-reviewed leases with e-sign. The paid tier adds faster payments and branding, so the free plan may feel limited once you want quicker deposits.
Features
Avail leans into the lease-and-collect workflow for hands-on owners:
- Listings: syndicate to 19-plus rental sites from the free plan.
- Screening: run TransUnion tenant screening.
- Leases: use state-specific, lawyer-reviewed leases with e-sign.
- Rent and tracking: collect rent online and track income and expenses.
- Plus additions: FastPay, waived ACH, custom application questions, a branded site, and priority support.
Pricing
- Unlimited: $0/unit (free).
- Unlimited Plus: $9/unit/month.
4. RentRedi
Best for Mobile-First Rent Collection
RentRedi main focus is rent collection. The payment features on the platform accept ACH, card, and cash payments and supports autopay and late fees. Accounting, listings, and maintenance sit on higher tiers, so the entry plan is thinner than an all-in-one. There’s a 30-day money-back window.
Features
RentRedi builds outward from payments on a mobile-first design:
- Rent collection: accept ACH, card, and cash, with autopay and late fees.
- Accounting: track P&L and Schedule E, with AI receipt capture.
- Tenant portal: residents pay and communicate through the app.
- Screening: tenant-paid reports ($39.99, or $49.99 with income verification, on Grow and up).
- Higher-tier tools: listings syndication, e-sign, document storage, and maintenance on Grow and up.
Pricing
- Start: $5/month.
- Grow: $12/month billed annually, or $29.95/month billed monthly.
- Pro: custom pricing (you can reach out for a quote).
5. TenantCloud
Best for Affordable All-in-One with Owner Portals
TenantCloud bundles rent, maintenance, listings, leases, and accounting at a low entry price, with a separate owner portal on its Pro tier. There is no free plan, so the trial is your way to test it. Owner-facing features and tax reports sit behind the higher tiers.
Features
TenantCloud spreads a full toolset across its plans:
- Rent and maintenance: collect rent online and manage maintenance requests.
- Listings: post and syndicate listings, with tenant-paid screening.
- Leases: build leases with e-sign.
- Accounting: track finances, with tax reports and bank reconciliation on Pro.
- Owner portal: a separate owner portal on Pro, plus team tools on Business.
Pricing
- Starter: $25/month, or $15/month billed annually.
- Growth: $35/month, or $29/month billed annually.
- Pro: $60/month, or $50/month billed annually.
- Business: custom pricing, starting from $100/month.
6. Rentec Direct
Best for Covering the Basics with a Property Management Focus
Rentec Direct packages accounting, tenant screening, vacancy marketing, and online payments into one system.
It comes in two versions: Rentec Pro for owners and investors who manage their own units, and Rentec PM for property managers who manage on behalf of owners. The property manager version adds trust accounting and an owner portal.
Features
Rentec Direct covers the core workflows an owner or property manager runs day to day:
- Accounting and reporting: full bank, property, and tenant accounting with built-in reporting. Rentec PM adds trust accounting.
- Tenant screening: screening comes in three package tiers, with higher tiers adding a credit report and VantageScore.
- Vacancy marketing: listings syndicate to top rental sites, and prospects can apply online.
- Tenant and owner portals: residents and owners each get their own online portal.
- Mobile app: residents use the Resident Connect app by Rentec Direct.
- Maintenance tracking: track work orders and maintenance requests inside the system.
- Tax reports: generate 1099 e-file forms and Schedule E reports.
- QuickBooks sync: financial data syncs with QuickBooks.
Pricing
- Rentec Pro: starts at $45/mo for owners and investors who self-manage, with the price scaling by unit count.
- Rentec PM: also starts at $45/mo for property managers who manage for owners, also scaling by unit count.
- Online rent payments: tenant ACH is free; credit or debit card is 2.95%.
- Tenant screening packages run $10 (Basic), $13 (Enhanced), and $18 (Premium).
7. Stessa
Best for Rental Accounting and Tax Tracking
Stessa concentrates on accounting and tax prep tasks, with tools for automatic bank feeds, financial reports, and a tax package geared to investors.
Rent collection and maintenance are included, though leasing tools are lighter than a full platform. The Schedule E tax package and maintenance tracking start on the Manage tier.
Features
Stessa organizes around the numbers a rental owner reports at tax time:
- Bank feeds: connect accounts for automatic transaction imports.
- Reports and taxes: run financial reports, with a Schedule E package on Manage and up.
- Rent collection: accept online rent payments.
- Screening and marketing: screen tenants and market vacancies.
- Banking and receipts: high-yield banking with APY, plus receipt scanning.
Pricing
- Essentials: free.
- Manage: $12/mo billed annually, or $15/mo billed monthly.
- Pro: $28/mo billed annually, or $35/mo billed monthly.
8. Baselane
Best for Banking and Bookkeeping in One Place
Baselane combines landlord banking with bookkeeping and rent collection, so your accounts and books live in the same tool. Banking is provided through Thread Bank with FDIC coverage up to $3M. AI auto-tagging and faster rent deposits are reserved for the paid Smart tier.
Features
Baselane ties banking to the bookkeeping side of a rental business:
- Banking: unlimited checking and savings up to 2.63% APY, with debit cards and FDIC coverage to $3M.
- Bookkeeping: tag transactions by entity and property, with an accountant tax package and Schedule E.
- Rent collection: collect rent by ACH ($2 or waived) or card (3.49%).
- Tenant portal: residents pay through a portal with autopay.
- Smart additions: AI auto-tagging, two-day rent deposits, balance sheets, and cost segregation.
Pricing
- Core: $0/mo.
- Smart: $20/mo, with a 30-day trial.
9. Landlord Studio
Best for Income and Expense Tracking
Tracking income and expenses is the focus of Landlord Studio, with automated bank feeds and tax-ready reports for owners who report on Schedule E. Rent collection, listings, and maintenance are included. The free Go tier caps you at three units, so growing portfolios move to a paid tier quickly.
Features
Landlord Studio centers on the money in and money out of each property:
- Income and expenses: track both, with automated bank feeds.
- Taxes: run Schedule E and tax-ready reports.
- Rent collection: accept online rent payments.
- Screening and listings: pull tenant screening reports and post listings.
- Maintenance: manage maintenance and tasks, with pre-screening questions.
Pricing
- Go: free, up to three units.
- Pro: $12/mo ($144 annual; three units plus $1 per extra unit).
- Pro Plus: $28/mo ($336 annualy).
How to Choose the Best App for Your Rentals
Start with the job in front of you, then size the tool to your portfolio.
- If your main task is getting paid, pick a rent collection app such as RentRedi and set up autopay.
- If your books and taxes are the pain, an accounting-first tool such as Stessa or Landlord Studio tracks income, expenses, and Schedule E.
- If you handle your own leasing, Avail and TurboTenant cover listings, applications, and leases without a subscription.
- Baselane fits owners who want banking and bookkeeping in the same place.
- If you want complete accounting, screening, and payments in one paid system, Rentec Direct covers owners and property managers alike.
When Property Management Software Makes Sense
Many landlords want an app to handle more than one of these areas, and thats exactly where a platform such as Buildium works well. Because one system carries the full workflow and your reporting stays consistent. If you add more properties, you’ll already have the tools in place to manage them with less work.
If you want to see how that works in practice, you can start a 14-day free trial or sign up for a guided demo to walk through the features with a product specialist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which App Is Best for Landlords?
There is no single best app for every owner. The right pick depends on the job you need done and how many units you manage. Rent collection apps fit owners focused on payments, accounting apps fit those focused on taxes, and a full property management platform fits managers running everything at once.
What Is the Best Software for Landlords?
For owners who need one tool for a specific task, a focused app such as TurboTenant, Stessa, or RentRedi covers it well. For property managers and growing owners handling accounting, leasing, and maintenance together, property management software such as Buildium keeps those workflows in one system.
What Is the 2% Rule in Rental Property?
The 2% rule is a screening guideline some investors use: monthly rent should equal about 2% of the property’s purchase price. It is a quick filter for comparing properties, not a precise measure of returns, and few properties meet it in many markets. Treat it as one input among several.
Buildium’s Commitment to Safe and Secure AI
At Buildium, we believe that AI should be a trusted extension of our platform–not a replacement for human judgement. Our approach to AI is grounded in transparency, education, and rigorous security standards. We deploy AI features with a clear focus: to automate routine tasks while preserving the integrity of sensitive decisions that require human oversight. Lumina AI is built for property managers who value efficiency, security, and trust. We’re not just innovating–we’re doing so responsibly.
