Whether you’re a part-time landlord or a professional marketing manager, getting the rentals you manage into your city’s top properties is one big juggling act. From marketing your units and finding the right tenants to maintaining the property in good condition and giving tenants the information they need, your schedule is always full and your to-do list is endless. That’s where property management software comes in. These handy, affordable programs can save you lots of time and money. This property management software comparison chart is an overview of the market’s top offerings. For more details, scroll down to the in-depth reviews. You’ll find all the information you need to ensure you pick the right program for the challenges you face.
1. AppFolio
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
- Maintenance call center available 24/7
- Mobile inspection app (with speech-to-text feature)
- Professional website built for you
2. Baselane
EXCELLENT
N/A
EXCELLENT
- Free services
- Responsive and helpful customer support
- Automated rent payments
3. TurboTenant
GOOD
GOOD
EXCELLENT
- Rental advertising features
- Credit and background check
- Customizable lease agreements
4. Avail
EXCELLENT
GOOD
GOOD
- Lawyer-drafted lease agreement templates
- Suggested contractors
- Rental Property Calculator
5. Buildium
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
- Mobile inspection app (no cell or WiFi reception required)
- Free website builder
- 1099 tax form e-filing
6. Cozy
GOOD
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
- Completely free for landlords
- Affordable renters insurance
- Rent comparison tool
7. Rent Manager
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
- VOIP integration
- Text and phone broadcasting
- Electronic bank reconciliation
8. Rentec Direct
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
- Local SEO-optimized website
- 20,000 cash payment locations
- Unlimited number of users
9. Yardi Breeze
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
GOOD
- Advanced work order feature
- Video uploads
- Driver’s license scanner
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The Benefits of Property Management Software
This software provides a central space for tracking all aspects of running a rental business. It’s a communication platform for you and your tenants - and, if you’re a property manager, owners of the properties you work with. It’s also a space where you go to create the listings you’ll post on ILS websites. And if you go with AppFolio, Buildium, Rent Manager, or Yardi Breeze, you’ll get a free website for marketing your portfolio.
The best property management apps also carve out a space for handling maintenance, which is a key aspect of managing rental properties. Wear and tear is inevitable but stress is not. With the right system in place, you’ll be able to create, track, and store maintenance work orders and keep your unit in perfect shape.
Our Evaluation Criteria for Real Estate Rental Software
Property type
We included in our list a variety of property software applications that are especially helpful in managing particular types of real estate. Renting out a commercial building isn’t the same as renting out student housing. On our list of real estate management software, you’ll find solutions that are suited to rent managers dealing with residential, commercial, community, and student housing real estate establishments.
Maintenance management
Keeping the real estate in good condition is a huge part of your job as a landlord or property manager. This means you get the call when the AC breaks. You make arrangements with the repairman and pay him when he fixes it. You have to make sure the gardener mows the lawn regularly. You’re responsible for scheduling property inspections that identify any damage made by your tenants.
Wouldn’t it be nice to automate many of those tasks? With the right property management software, you can streamline communication with the maintenance crew by creating work orders in the system. The cleaning and gardening staff will know when to come, what to do, and when to leave - without you ever having to pick up the phone. We looked for systems that have robust maintenance-management modules.
Marketing
No matter how much you invest in a property and how well you refurbish it, it won’t bring you any earnings until you advertise it to potential tenants. That’s why we judged the slew of property management programs available today on their marketing features and present you with only the best. We show you the software solutions that let you share your listings on popular real estate marketplaces like Zillow, Hotpads, and Trulia. Some even give you a free website builder so you can promote your listings on your own website.
Tenant screening and communication
This factor can make or break your business. Renting to the wrong people can leave you penniless and disillusioned. In order to prevent you from having your unit wrecked by inappropriate tenants, you should invest in a real estate management system that comes with a built-in tenant screening feature. If this functionality isn’t included, look for a program that will let you install it as an add-on. The ideal property app will also send tenants automated reminders when the rent is due so you can focus on expanding your portfolio.
Payment processing and accounting
It’s the 21st century. There’s no reason for you to go door-to-door collecting rent money from tenants. With the right property management tool, you can receive payments online - and your accounting system receives payment information in real-time so you don’t have to waste your precious time entering the data manually.
If you’re just starting out in the business, you won’t mind adapting your accounting system to the one offered by the property management system. If you have been in the business for a while and have an accounting system in place, then you’ll naturally prefer a property software system that can integrate with it.
Ease of use
Sometimes software engineers go overboard in their efforts to create a powerful system that can satisfy everyone’s needs. This results in myriad features that are clunky and difficult to navigate. These solutions usually come with a hefty price tag too. But what good is a system that costs an arm and a leg if your team will shy away from using it? We always evaluate property management applications on the ease of setup and use. The systems worthy of your investment (and a place on our list) are easy to learn and use.
Customer support
You are bound to have some questions regarding the software you choose. Occasional glitches are inevitable. When that happens, you’ll want answers - and fast. We tested the customer support teams behind every product on our list to see how responsive and helpful they are. Just to make sure our experience matches other users’, we dug through online property management software reviews too.
Pricing
Fees associated with the use of software are always key decision-making factors - regardless of how many units you’re renting out. We put details of each company’s pricing structure under the microscope. Our goal is to give you enough information to make an informed decision. Some companies from our list charge by the rental unit, while others negotiate prices with each customer. You can expect onboarding fees with some of the providers, while others don’t charge for this.
Property Management Software - Our Top 5 Picks
- AppFolio
- Baselane
- TurboTenant
- Avail
- Buildium

Property Management Software Reviews
Appfolio
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
- ⦿ Rent comparison tool
- ⦿ Marketing campaigns
- ⦿ Electronic cash payments
- ⦿ CAM tracking & reconciliation
- ⦿ Customer conferences
Baselane Review
EXCELLENT
N/A
EXCELLENT
- ⦿ Landlord banking
- ⦿ Bookkeeping
- ⦿ Analytics
- ⦿ Automatic rent payments
- ⦿ Insurance
TurboTenant Review
GOOD
GOOD
EXCELLENT
- ⦿ Instant screening
- ⦿ State-specific leases
- ⦿ Rent Payment Tracker spreadsheet
- ⦿ Rent Estimate
- ⦿ “For Rent” signs and flyers
Avail Review
EXCELLENT
GOOD
GOOD
- ⦿ Automatic late fees
- ⦿ Rent comparison tool
- ⦿ Applicant portal
- ⦿ ‘For rent’ signs
- ⦿ In-app texting
Buildium Review
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
- ⦿ Recurring rent payments in resident center
- ⦿ Showings coordinator tool
- ⦿ Free e-books and podcasts about industry hot topics
Cozy Review
GOOD
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
- ⦿ Tenant profiles
- ⦿ In-app communication with all the roommates
- ⦿ Lots of learning materials and a podcast
Rent Manager Review
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
- ⦿ Work orders app
- ⦿ Inspection app
- ⦿ Dozens of integrations
- ⦿ Customer conferences
- ⦿ Free website builder
Rentec Direct Review
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
- ⦿ Urgency levels of maintenance requests
- ⦿ 1099 e-filing
- ⦿ Unlimited and secure file storage
Yardi Breeze Review
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
GOOD
- ⦿ Screening Works Pro add-on for tenant screening in under a minute
- ⦿ Automatic listing information updates across ILS websites
- ⦿ Self-service functionalities for owners and tenants
Property management is a complex process of overseeing a piece of real estate be it residential, commercial or industrial, and making sure it’s in good condition and profitable. Landlords with a small portfolio can manage their properties on their own, whereas real estate owners with many estates in various locations delegate the task to licensed property managers. Both are more efficient at their jobs when using the best rental property software. Property managers are in charge of creating budgets, advertising rental properties, screening tenants, collecting rent, and property maintenance. Ensuring compliance with the local landlord-tenant and real estate board laws also falls within the scope of their responsibilities.
Cozy and Avail are programs geared towards landlords instead of property managers. Cozy is the most popular property management software among landlords with a unit or two and no budget at all. It provides a comprehensive set of features completely free of charge. Another solution popular among landlords is Avail. It is reasonably priced and it boasts better marketing features and some functionalities that Cozy lacks, like a tool that helps you decide whether to invest in a property or not.
As powerful as QuickBooks is, it simply wasn’t designed with property management needs in mind. There are some adjustments you can make to the system to set it up for this purpose. But you don’t have to jump through these hoops when all the best real estate management software solutions come with built-in accounting features.
Buildium is one of the higher-priced property management systems from our list. This makes sense since the software is designed with property management companies in mind. Its most affordable plan, intended for managing 50 units, starts at $47 a month. On top of that basic fee, the Core plan pricing goes up depending on how many online payments you receive and how many electronic leases you sign a month. Buildium pricing is influenced by the number of units you manage and the additional services you use every month. To get information about how much it would cost you, have a look at their pricing page.
The price of property management software is determined by the number of units you manage and their type. Typically, the price per unit per month goes up to $2. Keep in mind that some solutions like Yardi Breeze have a minimum monthly fee of $100 and that other programs like Cozy are free.