Best property management software for small landlords
All pricing verified from vendor pricing pages on 2026-07-04.
Some links on this page are affiliate links — if you sign up through them we may earn a commission at no cost to you. It never affects rankings or verdicts, which are derived from published pricing and feature data. How we make money.
For a small portfolio the question isn't "which software is most powerful" — it's which one costs nothing (or nearly nothing) while covering listings, screening, leases, and rent collection, and where each "free" plan quietly shifts fees onto tenants. We ranked eight tools using pricing captured from each vendor's live pricing page.
The short list
| # | Product | From | Why it's here |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TurboTenant | Free tier | Best overall for most small landlords: genuinely free core with unlimited units; the trade-off is tenant-side fees ($55 screening, $2 ACH). |
| 2 | Avail | Free tier | Best free all-rounder with lawyer-reviewed state leases included; Realtor.com backing and 19-site syndication. |
| 3 | Innago | Free tier | Free with unlimited e-signatures and the cheapest applicant screening ($30-35) of the free platforms. |
| 4 | Stessa | Free tier | Best if accounting and taxes are the pain point — automatic bank feeds and Schedule E on the free tier. |
| 5 | RentRedi | $5/mo | Best cheap paid option: $12/mo (annual) covers unlimited units with the full workflow. |
| 6 | Baselane | Free tier | Best banking and bookkeeping combination; pair it with a leasing tool. |
| 7 | Hemlane | Free tier | Best when you want human help — repair coordination and local agents — without a full property manager. |
| 8 | DoorLoop | $69/mo | The step-up choice at 10+ units when you need real double-entry accounting and owner reporting. |
1. TurboTenant Free tier
Best overall for most small landlords: genuinely free core with unlimited units; the trade-off is tenant-side fees ($55 screening, $2 ACH). Cost-conscious DIY landlords with 1-10 doors who want free core tools and don't mind tenants absorbing the fees.
- Genuinely usable free plan with unlimited rentals — capped max cost of $199/yr
- Applicant-paid screening means $0 landlord cost to vet tenants
- One-click listing syndication and lead management included free
- Monetized via renter fees: $55 screening and $2-per-ACH-payment fee on the free plan land on your tenants
- Full accounting requires a separate paid REI Hub subscription
- State lease agreements cost extra unless you're on a paid plan
Screening: $55 paid by applicant on the Free plan; $45 on the Pro plan · Covers: Tenant screening, Online rent collection, Accounting & reporting, Maintenance tracking, Listing syndication, Leases & e-sign, Landlord mobile app
2. Avail Free tier
Best free all-rounder with lawyer-reviewed state leases included; Realtor.com backing and 19-site syndication. First-time or small landlords (1-5 units) who want a polished free end-to-end tool and may selectively upgrade single units to Plus.
- Free tier covers the entire rental cycle for unlimited units, including state-specific lawyer-reviewed leases
- Backed by Realtor.com — listings syndicate to 19 sites including the Realtor.com network
- Simple, transparent upgrade: one $9/unit/mo Plus tier, no contracts
- Free plan pushes a $2.50 ACH fee per rent payment onto tenants (3.5% for cards on any plan)
- Next-day payouts, custom leases, and waived ACH fees are all locked behind Plus
- $9/unit/mo scales badly past a handful of units versus flat-fee competitors
Screening: Varies by state law; paid by the applicant most commonly, though the landlord can choose to cover it · Covers: Tenant screening, Online rent collection, Accounting & reporting, Maintenance tracking, Listing syndication, Leases & e-sign, Landlord mobile app
3. Innago Free tier
Free with unlimited e-signatures and the cheapest applicant screening ($30-35) of the free platforms. Small-to-mid-size landlords who want a genuinely free, full tenant-management workflow and don't mind tenant-side payment fees.
- Entirely free for landlords — no monthly, setup, per-unit, or per-lease fees
- Free lease templates and unlimited eSignatures included
- Full tenant workflow: applications, screening, invoicing, maintenance in one place
- Tenants pay $2 per ACH payment and 2.99% for cards unless the landlord absorbs it
- No integrated banking or high-yield cash accounts
- Accounting is lighter than Stessa or Buildium; larger operators often pair it with QuickBooks
Screening: $30 paid by applicant for credit + criminal reports, $35 with eviction history added · Covers: Tenant screening, Online rent collection, Accounting & reporting, Maintenance tracking, Listing syndication, Leases & e-sign, Landlord mobile app
4. Stessa Free tier
Best if accounting and taxes are the pain point — automatic bank feeds and Schedule E on the free tier. DIY rental investors who care most about accounting, taxes, and portfolio finances rather than heavy-duty tenant management.
- Genuinely useful free tier with unlimited properties and automatic bank feeds
- Best-in-class investor accounting: Schedule E, tax packages, portfolio dashboards
- High-yield cash management accounts (up to 3.24% APY on Pro)
- Maintenance tracking and eSignatures locked behind paid plans
- eSignatures tightly capped (1/mo on Manage, 7/mo on Pro)
- Lighter on day-to-day tenant management than Buildium or Innago
Screening: $29 credit report or background check, $49 complete package via RentPrep; landlord or applicant can pay · Covers: Tenant screening, Online rent collection, Accounting & reporting, Maintenance tracking, Listing syndication, Leases & e-sign, Integrated banking, Landlord mobile app
5. RentRedi $5/mo
Best cheap paid option: $12/mo (annual) covers unlimited units with the full workflow. Small-to-mid DIY landlords who will commit to annual billing and want an app-centric, all-in-one tool at rock-bottom cost.
- Very cheap on annual billing — $12/mo Grow covers unlimited units with the full feature set
- Strong mobile-first experience for both landlord and tenant apps
- Tenant-paid screening and optional $5.99/mo credit reporting for tenants
- Big monthly-vs-annual gap ($29.95 vs $12) effectively forces annual prepay
- The $5 Start plan excludes screening, applications, listings, e-sign, and maintenance
- Rent deposits take 2-3 business days
Screening: $39.99 for credit/criminal/eviction, $49.99 with income verification — paid by tenant; not available on the Start plan · Covers: Tenant screening, Online rent collection, Accounting & reporting, Maintenance tracking, Listing syndication, Leases & e-sign, Landlord mobile app
6. Baselane Free tier
Best banking and bookkeeping combination; pair it with a leasing tool. Financially-minded landlords who care most about banking, bookkeeping, and taxes and will pair it with other tools for leasing.
- Only major landlord tool with real integrated banking — free checking/savings with tiered APY and virtual cards
- Best-in-class bookkeeping: auto-categorized transactions, Schedule E tax package
- Free core plan with no account, maintenance, or minimum-balance fees
- Not full property management software — no listings, leases, or maintenance tracking
- $2 ACH rent fee unless deposits go to Baselane banking (soft lock-in to their bank)
- 2-day deposits, advanced reports, and shared access all require the $20/mo Smart plan
Screening: From $24.99, paid by applicant · Covers: Tenant screening, Online rent collection, Accounting & reporting, Integrated banking, Landlord mobile app
7. Hemlane Free tier
Best when you want human help — repair coordination and local agents — without a full property manager. Remote or hands-off landlords who want human backup (repairs, leasing agents) without hiring a full property manager.
- Unique hybrid model: software plus human repair coordination and local leasing agents
- 24/7 emergency maintenance coordination on Essential and above
- $0 ACH rent collection fees on all tiers
- $28/mo base fee makes it expensive for 1-2 units vs flat-fee rivals
- No landlord mobile app — only a tenant app; owners use mobile web
- Repair coordination requires Essential ($48+/mo for one unit); Complete approaches traditional PM pricing
Screening: $40 total, paid by the tenant (national credit, criminal, eviction, and income reporting) · Covers: Tenant screening, Online rent collection, Accounting & reporting, Maintenance tracking, Listing syndication, Leases & e-sign
8. DoorLoop $69/mo
The step-up choice at 10+ units when you need real double-entry accounting and owner reporting. Landlords and property managers with roughly 10-300+ units who need real accounting and are willing to pay software-suite prices.
- Full double-entry accounting with bank sync and owner reporting — closest to pro-grade PM software
- Scales from 10 units to 300+ including commercial and mixed portfolios
- Tenant screening gets cheaper on higher tiers ($45/$35/$25) and landlords can mark it up
- No free tier — $69/mo minimum is overkill for landlords with 1-5 units
- Advertised prices require annual billing; month-to-month is ~30-40% more
- Nickel-and-dime fees on lower tiers: $2.49 tenant ACH fee, $3/doc eSignature, $49 bank setup on Starter
Screening: $45 on Starter, $35 on Pro, $25 on Premium — paid by applicant (TransUnion); landlord can mark up · Covers: Tenant screening, Online rent collection, Accounting & reporting, Maintenance tracking, Listing syndication, Leases & e-sign, Landlord mobile app
Frequently asked questions
What software do most small landlords actually use?
The free platforms dominate the 1-10 unit segment: TurboTenant (1M+ landlords), Avail, Innago, and Stessa. Paid suites like Buildium and AppFolio are built for professional managers and only make sense above ~20-50 units.
Is free landlord software really free?
Free for the landlord, usually not for the tenancy: the platforms monetize through applicant screening fees ($30-55), tenant ACH fees ($2-2.50), and premium tiers. If tenant experience matters in your market, a paid plan that waives tenant fees can be worth it.
When should a landlord upgrade to paid software?
Three triggers: your accounting time exceeds an hour a month (Stessa/Baselane paid tiers or DoorLoop), you manage for other owners (trust accounting — Buildium or DoorLoop), or vacancy costs make tenant experience worth paying for (waived fees, faster payouts).
Do the math first
Before committing, run your actual portfolio through the software cost calculator — per-unit pricing that looks cheap at 2 units can be the expensive option at 10.