Property management software cost comparison guide

You have plenty of options when it comes to property management software, and most offer a free tier that includes some version of listings, screening, and applications. But not all free tiers are created equal. 

The screening workflow, the quality of the reports, and the overall user experience vary by platform (which is partly why Trustpilot ratings range from 3.9 to 4.6 across the five platforms below). 

From there, costs diverge further once you need tools to manage the full rental cycle: lease management, e-signatures, income verification, waived transaction fees, and financial reporting. 

Mid-tier subscriptions on leading platforms range from about $9 to $17 per month, and some charge per unit, so your costs scale with your portfolio. 

RentSpree's Landlord PRO covers lease uploads, e-signatures, rent collection without additional fees, financial reports, rental tax forms, and priority phone support for $6.99 per month billed annually, roughly half the cost of comparable tiers.

Screening fees are a separate cost on most platforms. The applicant typically pays a per-screening fee (ranging from $25 to $55 depending on the provider), though you can choose to cover them yourself. Some jurisdictions also limit how much of the fee you can pass to applicants, or prohibit it entirely, so check your local rules before setting up your workflow.

Here's how the five platforms compare.

What to look for when comparing costs

Beyond the monthly subscription price, there are a few cost factors worth comparing before you choose a platform.

How much does the mid-tier plan cost, and what does it include? Most free plans cover screening and listings, but tools like lease management, e-signatures, and waived transaction fees typically require an upgrade. Those mid-tier subscriptions range from about $9 to $17 per month across leading platforms, and some charge per unit on top of that. If you manage the full rental cycle (not just screening), the mid-tier plan is where you'll likely land, so compare what you get for the price.

Can you verify income without a subscription? Bank-verified income verification has become essential as fake AI-generated pay stubs and bank statements make document-based checks unreliable. On many platforms, this feature is locked behind a premium subscription ($149 to $199 per year) or not offered at all. If you can access it as a per-screening add-on instead, you avoid paying for a subscription you might not need year-round.

What compliance tools are included? When you deny an applicant based on a screening report, federal law requires you to send a formal written notice explaining why. Missing this step can result in up to $1,000 in statutory damages per willful violation. Some platforms (including RentSpree) automate this notice directly from the screening dashboard at no extra cost. Others leave it to you to draft, send, and document on your own.

How five platforms compare on cost

The table below focuses on plan pricing and screening costs. All five platforms offer some version of listing, screening, and rent collection. The differences are in how much you pay for each tier and what you can access without upgrading.

**Screening fees are typically paid by the applicant, but you can choose to cover them. Some jurisdictions cap what can be charged or prohibit passing the fee to applicants entirely. Check your local rules.

RentSpree

More than 4 million users trust RentSpree to handle screening, applications, and rent collection. The platform holds a 4.6 Trustpilot rating across 965+ verified reviews, is independently audited for meeting strict security practices, and offers anti-fraud and compliance tools others lack.

A free plan that covers your core workflow. You can list your rental across Zillow, Apartments.com, Rent.com, Zumper, Realtor.com, and Redfin, collect applications, set up automated payment reminders, and track your finances with basic bookkeeping without paying for a subscription. Screening reports start at $39.99 per applicant (or $49.99 with bank-verified income verification). Applicants typically pay the fee, though you can cover it; some jurisdictions limit what can be passed to applicants, so check your local rules. Rent collection on the free plan carries a $3 fee per payment. 

Affordable upgrades, no per-unit pricing. Landlord PRO ($6.99 per month billed annually, or $8.99 month-to-month) adds lease uploads, e-signatures, waived ACH fees, financial reports, rental tax forms, and priority phone support. At $83.88 per year, it costs less than TurboTenant's Essentials ($149), RentRedi's Grow plan ($144), and a single unit on Avail's Unlimited Plus ($108 per year per unit). It's a flat rate regardless of how many units you manage.

Bank-verified income without a subscription. Bank-verified income verification pulls data directly from bank records through Finicity (a Mastercard company), rather than relying on pay stubs or uploaded documents that are increasingly easy to fake. It's available on any plan for an additional $10 per screening, no subscription required on your end. On other platforms, bank-verified income either requires a premium subscription ($149 to $199 per year) or isn't available at all.

Stay compliant without extra work. RentSpree automates the notice you're required to send when you deny an applicant based on a screening report. Missing that step can result in up to $1,000 in statutory damages per willful violation. Every other platform in this comparison leaves it to you or only provides a template to work from.

TurboTenant

TurboTenant offers a free tier that covers listings, screening, rent collection, and maintenance requests. Screening costs $55 per applicant on the free plan and $45 on paid plans, typically paid by the applicant. Rent collection carries a $2 ACH fee, waived on the Pro plan at $199 per year. Lease agreements and e-signatures require the Essentials plan at $149 per year, and bank-verified income verification requires Pro, meaning you need a full annual subscription before you can run a single verified income check. TurboTenant does not syndicate to Zillow, limiting the reach of your listing. Additionally, denial notices are not automated, so if you deny an applicant based on a screening report, you're responsible for drafting and sending the legally required notice yourself.

Zillow Rental Manager

Zillow Rental Manager is a free tool from one of the highest-traffic rental search platforms in the country. Listings go to Zillow, Trulia, and HotPads, but not to sites outside the Zillow family like Apartments.com, Rent.com, or Zumper. Screening is $35 per applicant, typically paid by the applicant, and reusable across participating listings for 30 days. Lease creation and e-signatures and rent collection (free ACH) are available at no cost. Premium listing placement runs $39.99 per listing. 

Beyond that, Zillow Rental Manager doesn't offer paid tiers with additional tools, so there's no upgrade path if your needs grow. Income verification is self-reported with limited verification options, there's no bookkeeping or financial reporting, and denial notices are not automated, meaning you'll need to handle that legal requirement on your own. If you need a full workflow beyond listing, screening, and collecting rent, you'll likely need a second platform.

Avail

Avail (owned by Realtor.com) offers a free tier that includes listings across major rental sites, screening (varies by state, typically $25 to $75, typically paid by the applicant), leases and e-signatures, rent collection ($2.50 ACH fee), maintenance tracking, and expense tracking, with no unit cap. The inclusion of leases on the free plan is notable, since TurboTenant and RentRedi both require a paid plan for that. The main cost escalation is Unlimited Plus at $9 per unit per month, which waives ACH fees and adds faster payouts. For a five-unit landlord, that's $45 per month ($540 per year). 

In addition, Avail relies on documents applicants upload for income verification, with no bank-verified option at any price, which means there's no way to catch a forged pay stub or fake bank statement before you sign a lease. Denial notices are not automated, so you're responsible for drafting and sending the legally required notice yourself when you deny an applicant based on a screening report. Avail also does not syndicate to Zillow.

RentRedi

RentRedi requires a subscription on every plan. The lowest tier (Start, $5 per month) covers rent collection and accounting but does not include screening, listings, leases, or maintenance tracking. Those require the Grow plan at $12 per month billed annually ($144 per year). Screening costs $39.99 per applicant ($49.99 with income verification), typically paid by the applicant. Zillow syndication is available but costs $1.75 per day per unit, separate from the subscription. During a 30-day vacancy, that's an additional $52.50 per unit on top of the monthly fee. Denial notices are not automated, so you'll need to draft and send the legally required notice yourself when you deny an applicant based on a screening report.

What this means for your budget

If you're an independent landlord screening a tenant once or twice a year, the last thing you want is a subscription you're paying for in the months between vacancies. A platform with a strong free tier lets you screen when you need to and skip the overhead when you don't. But going without a subscription shouldn't mean going without the tools that protect you. Bank-verified income verification catches the fake pay stubs that document-based checks miss, and automated denial notices keep you on the right side of federal law without having to track the legal requirements yourself.

And if you're growing your portfolio, the mid-tier plan becomes just as important as the free one. Per-unit pricing and high subscription costs add up fast across multiple properties. RentSpree's Landlord PRO starts at $6.99 per month billed annually (or $8.99 month-to-month), covers lease uploads, e-signatures, financial reports, and more, and charges a flat rate regardless of how many units you manage.

*Rating and review count reflect Trustpilot data at the time of publication and are subject to change.

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