Rental property management software helps landlords manage their properties and run their businesses more efficiently by providing data on how the buildings are doing financially, which tenants are causing trouble, and what repairs need to be made ASAP. Finding the right rental property management software is a big decision. First, you want to make sure you find one that will work for you and your business, but with so many options, it can be hard to know where to start. That’s why we did the research for you and put together our list of the best property management software around!
What to Look for in a Property Management Software
The first thing you need to do when looking for property management software is to decide what features are most important to you. Whether you’re running one rental, a whole portfolio, or a commercial property, these are the features most crucial to landlords.
Streamlined Listings
Many property management software programs streamline the listing process by allowing you to post your property on multiple sites at once. This saves time, prevents mistakes, and increases your chances of getting more views and applications.
Tenant Screening
Tenant screening is the first step in the tenant selection process. A good property management software will allow you to create a custom application, ask tenants for employment information, and get any needed information to run background and credit checks on tenants.
Lease Agreements
Good property management software will allow you to create a custom lease agreement. This is important because it allows you to customize the terms of your lease so that it meets your needs and complies with local laws. If the property management software includes e-sign abilities, it’s an even better choice!
Maintenance Requests
Maintenance and repair requests are a MUST in property management software. This feature allows the tenant to submit a request for maintenance, which can then be assigned to an appropriate person in your organization. That means less time picking up 2 AM toilet calls and more time collecting rent checks!
Automatic Rent Payments
Automatic rent payments are another staple in property management software. This feature allows tenants to set up automated rent payments from their bank accounts. Some property management software even lets landlords submit on-time rent payment receipts for a credit boost on the tenant’s side!
7 Best Property Management Software
There are many property management software choices to choose from, but some of our favorites are:
- Best Overall: RentRedi
- Best Free Option: Tenant Cloud
- Best for Easy Leasing: Avail
- Best for Commercial Properties: RealPage Commercial
- Best for Portfolio Investors: Buildium
- Best Splurge: AppFolio
- Best App Version: RentRedi
Best Overall Rental Property Management Software: RentRedi
RentRedi is one of the most feature-stacked property management software around. With rent collection and accounting, tenant screening, pre-qualifications and applications, maintenance coordination, and more, RentRedi has almost everything a solo landlord would need to manage a property. It also includes UNLIMITED units in its pricing!
Key Features
- Listing and marketing for units on Realtor, Doorsteps, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and more
- Maintenance requests and coordination
- Tenant screening, pre-qualifications, and applications
- Rent collection and accounting
- QuickBooks Online integration
Pricing
$19.95/month when paid monthly, $9/month when paid annually. This cost includes UNLIMITED units!
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅ Cheap pricing structure for medium-sized landlords ✅ Robust catalog of features ✅ Automatic maintenance updates for tenants | No free option (even for single-unit landlords) $1 ACH fee for tenants 3-4 business day deposit waiting period |
Best Free Property Management Software: TenantCloud
TenantCloud offers plentiful property management features with low prices almost any landlord can get behind. With their free plan, you can access listings, scheduling, applications, screenings, rent payments, tenant autopay, and more. They even let you take credit and debt payments from tenants, while many property management software only accept ACH.
Key Features
- Tenant screening and rental application processing
- Online lease creation with e-sign included
- Multi-roommate management (perfect for house hackers!)
- Rent reporting for a credit boost to tenants
- Maintenance bidding from local service contractors
Pricing
Free plan with limited features; Stater Plan at $12/month (if paid annually) for tax reports, e-sign, lead tracking, and Google Calendar Sync; Growth Plan at $40/month (if paid annually) for lease builders, landlord forms, and QuickBooks Online Sync.
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅ Free option for landlords just starting out ✅ Multi-roommate management makes rent-by-the-room possible ✅ Vendor network lets out-of-state landlords succeed | ❌ No e-signing or lease building on free plan ❌ No QuickBooks Online Sync on free plan ❌ No ACH payments on free plan |
Best Property Management Software For Easy Leasing: Avail
If you’re looking for listing and leasing heaven, Avail is the property management software you need. With a free plan perfect for DIY landlords, Avail makes it easy to get your property signed and secured with a tenant as fast as possible. And it’s part of the Realtor network, so you have instant integration with some of the TOP listings sites on the web.
Key Features
- Easy listing with integrations to Realtor, Zillow, Trulia, and a dozen others
- Inexpensive credit, criminal, and eviction reports for tenants
- Rent price analysis tools to help you get your best rent price
- Rental property calculator for cap rate, cash-on-cash return, gross rent multiplier, IRR, and more
- Property management and bookkeeping services are available
Pricing
Free plan for unlimited units; Plus Plan at $5/month for next-day rent payments, waived ACH fees, custom leases, and property website creation.
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅ Great free plan with tons of features ✅ Valuable calculators for new landlords ✅ Digital leases and e-sign for low tenant vacancy | ❌ FastPay is only available on the paid plan ❌ No QuickBooks integration ❌ ACH fee for free plan users |
Best Property Management Software for Commercial Property: RealPage Commercial
RealPage Commercial is industry-specific property management software for property management companies, developers, REITs (real estate investment trusts), and GPs (general partners) on large deals. This software works best for those managing or building medium to large apartments or industrial buildings that may be too limited using small-scale landlord software like others mentioned on this list.
Key Features
- Commercial lease customization with amendment features for long-term leases
- Templatized lease boilerplates for simple, efficient lease creation
- Easy CAM (common area maintenance) billing for medium to large apartment complexes
- Commercial lease accounting with automatic rent increase notifications for tenants
- Tenant portal software for tenants to enter service requests, review statements, etc.
Pricing
Office & Retail: $12.50/month per 10,000 sq. ft.; Industrial: $7.30/month per 10,000 sq. ft.
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅ Very affordable pricing for those with large commercial assets ✅ Boilerplate leases make filling units easy for new commercial landlords ✅ Tenant portals are handy for those wishing to minimize headaches and tenant calls | ❌ Only available for commercial investors (not for small/medium multifamily investors) ❌ No residential or commercial storage features ❌ May be unnecessary software for commercial investors who have one single tenant |
Best Property Management Software for Portfolio Investors: Buildium
Buildium operates within the RealPage family and is meant for mature investors who want to manage their entire portfolio with one simple software. In fact, Buildium was built for residential AND commercial portfolios, with specific features for those targeting affordable housing and student housing (an often underserved portion of the investor community).
Key Features
- 24/7 access for tenants through included “Resident Center” portals
- Maintenance request and violation tracking, so tenants are always in the loop
- Rental showings coordinator for faster tenant turnover
- Online applications and screenings, e-sign, and renters insurance offerings included
- Automated property and portfolio accounting so you can see your real estate investment’s health at any time
Pricing
Essential Plan: Starting at $52/month; Growth Plan: Starting at $166/month (includes live phone support, upgraded analytics, unlimited e-sign); Premium: Starting at $479/month (included Dedicated Growth Consultant and priority support).
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅ Free trial so investors can give it a go before they buy ✅ Portfolio-first features that are worthwhile for aggressive investors ✅ Tenant portals eliminate the need for back-and-forth calls | ❌ Pricey property management software even for beginner landlords ❌ Many features may go unused for the casual real estate investor ❌ Expensive E-sign ($5/signature) for Essential Plan users |
Best Splurge Property Management Software: AppFolio
AppFolio is one of the most robust property management software available. Built for not only residential investors, AppFolio works for community associations, investment management, and commercial real estate. AppFolio operates less as property management software, and more as a business-growth software, with features for staffing and training, management and growth, and more. But, these features come with a high price tag.
Key Features
- Online portals for tenants to ensure easy communication from anywhere
- Smart accounting process automation to make bookkeeping easier than ever
- Streamlined work orders, inspections, and utility management for simple renovations and repairs
- Staffing and training solutions to onboard new hires in a snap
- AI leasing with 24/7 rapid responses to get units filled as soon as possible
Pricing
Core Plan: $1.40/unit/month (minimum fee $280/month); Plus Plan: Includes workflow and revenue management, premium integrations at $3/unit/month (minimum fee $1,500/month).
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅ One of the only property management software with AI leasing solutions ✅ Fully mobile experience so on-the-go landlords can still manage successfully ✅ Automated accounting takes a TON of time off an investor’s plate | ❌ Pricey fees and is only worth it for landlords with 50+ units ❌ Added “onboarding fee” could put a dent in your starting profit ❌ May be a more complex learning curve for new investors |
Best Property Managment App: RentRedi
Once again, RentRedi is back and ready (get it?) to shine! RentRedi, unlike most property management software, has a mobile-optimized rental property app to help landlords and tenants that aren’t always glued to their desktop. Features and pricing remain the same as the standard RentRedi software!
Key Features
- Mobile-submitted rent payments for easy rent collection
- Mobile upload to send documents and leases directly to tenants
- Manage maintenance requests on the go
- Partial-payment blocking so evictions can go smoothly
- All the same features as RentRedi!
Pricing
$19.95/month when paid monthly, $9/month when paid annually.
| Pros | Cons |
| ✅ One of the only property management software that offers a fully-fledged app ✅ Android and App Store-supported (hooray, green-texters!) ✅ Free (with RentRedi subscription, of course!) | ❌ Lackluster reviews on Apple’s App Store ❌ Limited functionality may make the web version far more operational ❌ Laggy user interface |
The Best Property Management Software Makes a Difference
In this article, we’ve covered some of the best software options for rental property management. Of course, the best one for you will depend on how many properties you own and how much time you want to spend on your business. But if you want to focus more on building a portfolio and not answering tenant calls, all these options are worth exploring!
FAQs About Rental Property Management Software
Still have some lingering questions you need answered. Check out these common questions (and the answers!) most investors ask.
Rental property management software is a program you can use to manage your rental properties. It will allow you to track your income and expenses, market your properties online, set up tenant screening, and more.
The cost of rental property management software will vary depending on the features you need. Some companies like Avail offer free versions, but these may only have some of the features you need to run a large portfolio. However, if you have less than ten rentals, you should be able to use free software without a problem!
There are many good property management software options on the market, but we recommend RentRedi and Avail. Both are easy to use and have a lot of features and integrations that will help you easily manage your rental portfolio.
