If you manage 1-50 rental units yourself, you don't need enterprise software. You need something that collects rent, tracks expenses, handles leases, and makes tax time less painful. Here's an honest look at the options, what they cost, and what they're actually good at.
Disclosure: This page is published by AnyRentCloud. We include ourselves in this list. We try to be fair about where competitors are better.
| Platform | Monthly Cost | Rent Collection | Bank Imports | E-Signatures | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AnyRentCloud | $0 (1.25% fee) | Payment links | Yes | Yes (free) | All-in-one, no monthly fee |
| TurboTenant | $0 (Premium $8.25) | Tenant portal | No | Premium only | Finding tenants |
| Avail | $0 (Plus $7/unit) | Tenant portal | No | Plus only | Listings + screening |
| Innago | $0 | Tenant portal | No | Yes | 100% free (tenant pays fees) |
| Stessa | $0 (Pro $12) | Pro only | Yes | No | Financial tracking |
| Baselane | $0 | Yes | Yes | No | Banking + bookkeeping |
| Landlord Studio | $0 (3 units), $12+ | Yes | Yes | No | Mobile-first tracking |
| TenantCloud | $18-$60 | Yes | $30+ plan | $30+ plan | Mid-range features |
| Rentec Direct | $45-$55 | Yes | Yes | No | Accounting focus |
| SimplifyEm | $40-$75 | Yes | CSV import | No | Basic management |
| Buildium | $55-$174 | Yes | Limited | $174+ plan | PM companies |
| DoorLoop | $69-$149 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Modern PM companies |
| AppFolio | $298+ min | Yes | Yes | Yes | Large PM companies |
Cost: $0/month, 1.25% platform fee on collected rent, ACH capped at $5
AnyRentCloud is the only platform that gives you rent collection, bank transaction import with auto-categorization, e-signatures, AI assistant, maintenance tickets, and Schedule E export, all with no monthly fee and no feature gating. Tenants get a payment link instead of needing a portal or app.
The trade-off is that it's newer than most competitors and doesn't have tenant screening yet (coming soon). If you need screening today, pair it with TurboTenant or use a standalone service.
Try it: Live demo | Sign up free
Cost: $0 for landlords (Premium $8.25/month)
TurboTenant's strength is listing syndication and tenant screening. Post a listing and it goes to Zillow, Apartments.com, and others. Tenant screening is included (tenants pay). Rent collection works through a tenant portal. No bank imports or Schedule E export.
Cost: $0 (Pro $12/month adds rent collection)
If you just want to track income, expenses, and property values, and you already have a rent collection method, Stessa's free plan is great. Clean dashboard, good bank imports, solid tax reports. No e-signatures, no maintenance tickets, no AI.
Cost: $0 for landlords (tenants pay processing fees)
Innago is genuinely free for landlords. No monthly fee, no processing fees. The tenant pays everything. It has e-signatures, maintenance, and screening included. No bank imports or tax reporting though.
Cost: $0
Baselane gives you a landlord bank account, rent collection, and bookkeeping in one. If you want a separate bank account for your rental business with built-in tracking, Baselane does that well. No e-signatures or AI.
Buildium ($55-$174/mo), AppFolio ($298/mo minimum), and DoorLoop ($69-$149/mo) are all built for property management companies. They have features like owner portals, investor reporting, and CAM reconciliation that you'll never use. You're paying for complexity you don't need.
For a small landlord, here's what you should prioritize:
AnyRentCloud checks all five boxes for $0/month.