Tenant screening costs compared
All pricing verified from vendor pricing pages on 2026-07-04.
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Screening prices differ 5× across platforms for near-identical TransUnion-sourced data. The real questions: what does the report include, and does the applicant or the landlord pay?
Rentec Direct
Cheapest reports in the group: $10-18 at landlord rates, passable to applicants.
Find your software in three questions
Jump to: Rentec Direct · Innago · Azibo · Hemlane · Avail · TurboTenant
The short list
| # | Product | From | Why it's here |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rentec Direct | $55/mo | Cheapest reports in the group: $10-18 at landlord rates, passable to applicants. |
| 2 | Innago | Free tier | $30-35 applicant-paid with credit, criminal, and optional eviction history. |
| 3 | Azibo | Free tier | $39.99 applicant-paid for the full package (credit + eviction + background). |
| 4 | Hemlane | Free tier | $40 tenant-paid including income insights. |
| 5 | Avail | Free tier | Applicant-paid by default, state-law aware (some states cap application fees). |
| 6 | TurboTenant | Free tier | $55 applicant-paid on the free plan — the price of the platform being free to you. |
1. Rentec Direct $55/moTop pick
Cheapest reports in the group: $10-18 at landlord rates, passable to applicants. Landlords and small property-management companies who value live US-based support and cheap screening over a modern interface.
- Free unlimited US-based phone support, training, and personalized setup
- Free online rent payments — no ACH fees advertised for landlords
- Cheapest screening in this group ($10-$18 per report)
- Interface feels dated next to newer rivals like Azibo or Stessa
- Pricing scales per unit, so costs grow steadily with portfolio size
- No integrated banking product
Screening: $10 basic, $13 enhanced, $18 premium per report at discounted landlord rates; cost can be passed to applicant · Covers: Tenant screening, Online rent collection, Accounting & reporting, Maintenance tracking, Listing syndication, Leases & e-sign, Landlord mobile app
2. 
Innago Free tier
$30-35 applicant-paid with credit, criminal, and optional eviction history. 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
3. 
Azibo Free tier
$39.99 applicant-paid for the full package (credit + eviction + background). Cost-sensitive independent landlords who want free rent collection, banking, and accounting in one place.
- Core platform is completely free — no subscription for rent collection, accounting, or banking
- Free ACH for both landlord and tenant, with free accelerated 2-3 day payouts
- Integrated landlord banking with no monthly fees and Schedule E-ready reporting
- No listing syndication or vacancy marketing tools
- A-la-carte fees add up: $29.99 state lease with eSign, $25 wires, 1% next-day ACH
- Tenants pay 2.99% for card payments and $4.99 per extra partial payment
Screening: $39.99 paid by applicant (credit report, eviction report, and background check) · Covers: Tenant screening, Online rent collection, Accounting & reporting, Maintenance tracking, Leases & e-sign, Integrated banking, Landlord mobile app
4. 
Hemlane Free tier
$40 tenant-paid including income insights. 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
5. 
Avail Free tier
Applicant-paid by default, state-law aware (some states cap application fees). 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
6. 
TurboTenant Free tier
$55 applicant-paid on the free plan — the price of the platform being free to you. 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
Frequently asked questions
Can landlords charge applicants for screening?
In most states yes, and applicant-paid is the industry default. Watch the capped states: California indexes the max application fee annually (~$65), Washington limits it to actual costs, Massachusetts effectively bars application fees from landlords. New York caps application+screening at $20 — which makes most standard applicant-paid screening flows non-compliant there.
What should a tenant screening report include?
Minimum: credit report with score, nationwide criminal search, and eviction history. Income verification (bank-linked, not pay stubs) is the newer differentiator — pay-stub fraud is easy; bank-verified income isn't.
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.