Best [Property Management](/blog/property-management-complete-guide) Software in 2026: Landlord Tools Compared

Managing rental properties without software is like doing taxes with a calculator. Possible, but unnecessarily painful.

The best property management software automates rent collection, tenant screening, maintenance requests, accounting, and compliance—saving you time and reducing errors.

Here are the 10 best property management platforms in 2026, compared by features, pricing, and best use cases.

What to Look for in Property Management Software

Core Features:

1. Rent collection – Online payments, auto-reminders, late fee automation
2. Tenant screening – Credit, background, eviction checks
3. Lease management – Digital leases, e-signatures
4. Maintenance tracking – Tenant portals, work order management
5. Accounting – Income/expense tracking, reports for taxes
6. Owner portals – For investors with multiple properties or property managers

Nice-to-Have Features:

• Marketing/listing syndication (Zillow, Apartments.com)
• Tenant communication (messaging, announcements)
• Document storage
• 1099 generation for contractors
• Mobile app

Pricing Models:

• Per unit/month – Most common ($1-10/unit)
• Flat fee – Unlimited units for one price
• Transaction fees – % of each rent payment (often "free" software)

Top 10 Property Management Software Platforms

1. Baselane

Best for: Solo landlords and small investors (free!)

Baselane is completely free and offers banking, rent collection, and expense tracking in one platform.

• Pricing: FREE
• Best for: 1-50 units
• Key features:
  • Free business checking account
  • Free rent collection (ACH)
  • Automated income/expense tracking
  • Tenant screening ($35/report)
  • 1099 generation
  • No transaction fees on rent
• Pros: Free, clean interface, built-in banking
• Cons: No lease builder, basic features compared to paid options

Why it's #1: You can't beat free. Baselane is perfect for landlords managing their own properties who want simple rent collection and accounting without monthly fees.

2. Avail (now part of Realtor.com)

Best for: DIY landlords managing 1-10 properties

Avail offers a free tier with rent collection and basic features, plus paid upgrades for tenant screening and insurance.

• Pricing: FREE (with optional paid add-ons)
• Best for: 1-30 units
• Key features:
  • Free rent collection (tenants pay $2/transaction)
  • Free online lease builder
  • Tenant screening ($55)
  • Listing syndication (Zillow, Trulia, etc.)
  • Maintenance tracking
  • State-specific leases
• Pros: Free core platform, easy to use, good for beginners
• Cons: Tenant pays $2/transaction; some features paywalled

Why it's #2: Avail is ideal for small landlords who want a full-featured platform without paying monthly fees. The free lease builder alone saves hundreds.

3. TurboTenant

Best for: Free option with unlimited units

TurboTenant is free for landlords with no unit limits. Tenants pay a small fee for rent payments.

• Pricing: FREE (tenants pay $2.99-4.99/transaction)
• Best for: 1-50 units
• Key features:
  • Free rent collection
  • Free online applications
  • Tenant screening ($55)
  • Free leases
  • Listing syndication
  • Maintenance requests
  • Owner/tenant portals
• Pros: Free for unlimited units, simple UI
• Cons: Tenant pays transaction fee; fewer advanced features

Why it's #3: TurboTenant is perfect for landlords scaling beyond 10 units who want to avoid per-unit pricing.

4. Stessa

Best for: Investors who want portfolio-level accounting

Stessa focuses on accounting, tax reporting, and portfolio analysis. It's free and designed for serious investors.

• Pricing: FREE
• Best for: 5-100+ units
• Key features:
  • Automated income/expense tracking (links to bank accounts)
  • [Net operating income](/blog/net-operating-income-guide) (NOI) tracking
  • [Cap rate](/blog/cap-rate-explained-for-beginners) and ROI calculations
  • Tax-ready reports
  • Cash flow tracking
  • Property performance dashboards
  • Rent collection (via integration)
• Pros: Best accounting features, free, great for tax time
• Cons: No tenant screening or leases (accounting-focused)

Why it's #4: Stessa is the best free accounting tool for landlords. If you use Avail or TurboTenant for operations and Stessa for accounting, you have a complete free stack.

5. Buildium

Best for: Property managers and landlords with 50+ units

Buildium is the industry standard for professional property managers. It's powerful but expensive.

• Pricing: $50-500+/month (based on units)
• Best for: 50-1,000+ units
• Key features:
  • Full tenant and lease management
  • Rent collection (ACH free, credit card 2.9%)
  • Tenant screening
  • Maintenance work orders
  • Owner portals
  • Accounting (full double-entry)
  • Vendor management
  • Mobile app
• Pros: Most complete platform, scales to thousands of units
• Cons: Expensive, steep learning curve

Why it's #5: If you're managing 50+ units or running a property management business, Buildium is the gold standard.

6. AppFolio

Best for: Large property management companies (100+ units)

AppFolio is enterprise-level software for professional property managers with large portfolios.

• Pricing: Custom (typically $200-1,000+/month)
• Best for: 100-10,000+ units
• Key features:
  • Full property management suite
  • Tenant and owner portals
  • AI-powered leasing assistant
  • Automated rent collection
  • Maintenance management
  • Accounting (full GL)
  • Reporting and analytics
  • Integrations with everything
• Pros: Most powerful, scales infinitely, excellent support
• Cons: Very expensive, overkill for small landlords

Why it's #6: AppFolio is for serious property management companies. If you're managing hundreds of units, this is the platform.

7. Rentec Direct

Best for: Mid-size landlords (10-200 units)

Rentec Direct bridges the gap between free tools and enterprise platforms. It's affordable and feature-rich.

• Pricing: $35-200/month (based on units)
• Best for: 10-200 units
• Key features:
  • Rent collection (ACH, credit card)
  • Tenant screening
  • Online leases
  • Maintenance tracking
  • Accounting (full GL)
  • 1099 generation
  • Tenant/owner portals
  • Mobile app
• Pros: Good balance of features and price
• Cons: UI feels dated compared to newer platforms

Why it's #7: Rentec is the best mid-tier option. More features than free tools, cheaper than Buildium.

8. Cozy (now part of Apartments.com)

Best for: Simple rent collection

Cozy was acquired by Apartments.com but still operates as a standalone platform for basic landlord needs.

• Pricing: FREE (tenants pay for rent via credit card)
• Best for: 1-20 units
• Key features:
  • Free rent collection
  • Tenant screening ($44)
  • Lease builder
  • Renters insurance marketplace
  • Basic accounting
• Pros: Free, simple, backed by Apartments.com
• Cons: Limited features compared to Avail/TurboTenant

Why it's #8: Cozy is fine for basic needs, but Avail and TurboTenant offer more features for free.

9. DoorLoop

Best for: Modern UI for growing landlords

DoorLoop is a newer platform with a slick interface and good pricing for 10-100 units.

• Pricing: $49-299/month (based on units)
• Best for: 10-100 units
• Key features:
  • Rent collection
  • Tenant screening
  • Lease management
  • Maintenance tracking
  • Accounting
  • Owner portals
  • Mobile app
  • Integrations (QuickBooks, etc.)
• Pros: Modern UI, good mobile app, responsive support
• Cons: Newer platform, fewer integrations than Buildium

Why it's #9: DoorLoop is a solid mid-tier choice with better UX than older platforms like Rentec.

10. Landlord Studio

Best for: Mobile-first landlords

Landlord Studio is designed for landlords who manage properties on their phone. Great expense tracking via photo receipts.

• Pricing: $10-20/month
• Best for: 1-50 units
• Key features:
  • Mobile-first design
  • Expense tracking (snap photos of receipts)
  • Mileage tracking
  • Income tracking
  • Rent reminders
  • Basic reporting
  • Tax-ready reports
• Pros: Best mobile app, great for expense tracking
• Cons: No tenant screening or lease builder

Why it's #10: Landlord Studio is perfect for mobile-first landlords who want simple expense and mileage tracking.

Feature Comparison Table

*Tenant pays transaction fee

How to Choose the Right Software

If you have 1-10 properties:

Best free option: Baselane or Avail

Use Baselane if you want banking integration and zero fees. Use Avail if you want a free lease builder.

If you have 10-50 properties:

Best value: TurboTenant (free) or Rentec Direct ($35-100/month)

TurboTenant is free and scales well. Rentec offers more accounting features if you need them.

If you have 50-100 properties:

Best option: Buildium or DoorLoop

Buildium is the industry standard. DoorLoop is cheaper with a better UI.

If you have 100+ properties:

Best option: Buildium or AppFolio

AppFolio if you're running a property management company. Buildium if you're a large landlord.

If you just need accounting:

Best option: Stessa (free)

Stessa tracks income, expenses, and generates tax reports automatically. Pair it with Avail for operations.

If you're mobile-first:

Best option: Landlord Studio

Best mobile app for tracking expenses and mileage.

Rent Collection: ACH vs. Credit Card

ACH (Bank Transfer):

• Cost: Free or $0.50-1.00/transaction
• Processing time: 2-5 days
• Best for: Recurring rent payments

Credit Card:

• Cost: 2.5-3.5% of payment
• Processing time: Instant
• Best for: One-time or late payments

Pro tip: Offer tenants free ACH and charge 3% for credit cards. Most will choose ACH.

Must-Have Features for Landlords

1. Automated Rent Collection

Never chase rent checks again. Auto-debit on the 1st of the month.

2. Late Fee Automation

Software should auto-apply late fees based on your lease terms.

3. Tenant Screening

Credit, background, and eviction checks in one click. Budget $35-55/applicant.

4. Digital Leases with E-Signatures

State-specific leases that tenants can sign online.

5. Maintenance Request Portal

Tenants submit requests via app, you assign to vendors, track completion.

6. Income/Expense Tracking

Automatically categorize transactions for tax time.

7. Owner Portals

If you have partners or investors, they need access to financials.

8. 1099 Generation

Auto-generate 1099s for contractors (handymen, property managers, etc.).

Free vs. Paid: What's the Catch?

Free Software (Baselane, Avail, TurboTenant):

How they make money:

• Transaction fees (tenant pays $2-5/rent payment)
• Paid add-ons (screening, insurance)
• Banking services (Baselane)

Is it worth it? Yes. The "free" platforms are excellent for small landlords. The transaction fees are negligible compared to monthly per-unit fees.

Paid Software (Buildium, AppFolio, Rentec):

What you get:

• No transaction fees (usually)
• More features (full accounting, vendor management, owner portals)
• Better support
• Unlimited users

Is it worth it? If you have 50+ units, yes. The time savings justify the cost.

Common Mistakes Landlords Make

1. Using Spreadsheets

Stop. Spreadsheets break, aren't automated, and don't integrate with banking.

2. Accepting Cash or Checks

Paper checks are slow and create recordkeeping headaches. Go digital.

3. Not Screening Tenants

$55 screening fee can prevent a $10,000 eviction nightmare.

4. Skipping Leases

Even if it's a friend or family, use a written lease. Verbal agreements fail.

5. Not Tracking Expenses

Every receipt is a tax deduction. Use software to capture everything.

Best Free Stack for Landlords

Combine these free tools for a complete solution:

1. Baselane – Banking + rent collection + basic accounting
2. Avail – Leases + tenant screening + listing syndication
3. Stessa – Advanced accounting + portfolio analytics

Total cost: $0/month

Final Thoughts

The best property management software for you depends on your portfolio size:

• 1-10 units: Baselane or Avail (free)
• 10-50 units: TurboTenant (free) or Rentec Direct ($35-100/mo)
• 50-100 units: Buildium or DoorLoop
• 100+ units: AppFolio or Buildium

If you're just starting, use free tools. If you're managing 50+ units or running a property management business, invest in Buildium or AppFolio.

The right software will save you hours every month, reduce errors, improve tenant satisfaction, and make tax time painless.

Stop using spreadsheets and paper checks. Automate everything and get your time back.

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• [Cap Rate Explained: The Complete Beginner's Guide to [Capitalization Rate](/blog/calculating-cap-rate-guide)](/blog/cap-rate-explained-for-beginners)
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