Most software comparisons in this space are written for property-management companies. If you own three rentals and handle everything yourself, that advice does not fit. You end up shopping for features you will never use and paying for the privilege.
Want to start without a paid subscription? Build a free landlord software system with three practical setups →
In this guide
This comparison is for the small independent owner: one to ten units, self-managed and no employees. Pricing below was checked October 5, 2026. These companies change their plans often, so confirm the current terms before you buy.
For a closer look at the next step, read Best Property Management Software for Landlords (2026): An Honest Comparison.
How we compared these tools: This guide uses published provider pricing and plan descriptions, checked October 5, 2026. Recommendations are editorial judgments for self-managing owners, not measured product test results. We compare both free and paid options and distinguish subscription costs from renter, screening and transaction fees.
The short version
If you want one answer, most landlords with fewer than ten units should start with Baselane for the money side and TurboTenant's free plan for the tenant side. The landlord subscription cost is $0. Together, they cover rental banking, bookkeeping, rent collection, listings and screening. Budget separately for lease creation and signing tools: TurboTenant includes unlimited state-specific lease agreements in Essentials and Pro, rather than the Free plan. Tenants and applicants can still pay transaction or screening fees, so free does not mean nobody pays anything.
Choose RentRedi when you would rather have one affordable app than maintain a two-platform setup. Move toward DoorLoop when the portfolio is approaching ten units and continuing to grow, or when you have staff, outside owners or enough operational complexity that a more formal accounting and management system earns its cost.
See whether Baselane fits your rentals.
Explore rental banking, rent collection and bookkeeping, then use the comparison below to decide which other tools you need.
Explore Baselane for Your Rentals →Affiliate link. Rental Owner Studio may earn compensation from a qualifying action at no added cost to you. Check current terms and fees with Baselane.
Growing toward a larger operation? If you need a more complete accounting and management system, Compare DoorLoop in a Demo → Affiliate link.
Side by side
| Category | Baselane ↗ | TurboTenant | RentRedi | DoorLoop ↗ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landlord cost | Core: $0. Smart: $20/mo annually | Free: $0. Essentials: from $12.42/mo. Pro: $199/year ($16.58/mo equivalent) | $12/mo annually; $29.95 month to month | Starter: $69/mo annually or $99 monthly, up to 10 units |
| Pricing structure | Flat subscription tiers | Free plan plus paid tiers | Flat price with unlimited units | Plan and unit limits; $3 per added unit on eligible plans |
| Banking included | Yes—checking and savings through a partner bank | No | No | No; live bank connections begin on Pro |
| Rent collection | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bookkeeping | Yes, including property tracking and Schedule E reports | Basic tracking; fuller accounting tools on Pro | Yes | Property accounting; advanced accounting and bank sync on Pro |
| Listing syndication | No | Yes, 25+ sites | Yes | Yes, on Pro and above |
| Screening | Available; currently $24.99+ | Yes, applicant-paid | Yes, applicant-paid | Yes, through TransUnion |
| Maintenance | No full work-order system | Yes | Yes | Yes; advanced tools on Pro |
| Best for | The financial side | Filling vacancies | All-in-one on a budget | Growing into a larger operation |
Pricing and published plan terms checked October 5, 2026. Annual rates are shown as monthly equivalents where applicable. Payment, screening and optional-service fees may be separate.
What does the subscription cost for 1, 5 or 10 units?
Compare the annual commitment before choosing a plan. The figures below multiply advertised annual-plan monthly equivalents by 12, except TurboTenant, where the provider publishes an annual charge. They exclude payment fees, screening, onboarding, taxes, add-ons and temporary promotions.
| Plan | 1 unit / year | 5 units / year | 10 units / year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baselane Core | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Baselane Smart | $240 | $240 | $240 |
| TurboTenant Free | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| TurboTenant Essentials | $149 | $149 | $149 |
| TurboTenant Pro | $199 | $199 | $199 |
| RentRedi annual plan | $144 | $144 | $144 |
| DoorLoop Starter annual plan | $828 | $828 | $828 |
Cost per unit changes the decision: RentRedi's $144 annual subscription equals $144 per unit for one rental, $28.80 for five and $14.40 for ten. DoorLoop Starter's $828 base subscription equals $828, $165.60 and $82.80 per unit respectively. Those figures compare price only; they do not establish that the features are interchangeable.
Add payment costs: if you absorb a $2 processing fee on one monthly payment per occupied unit, that adds $24 per unit per year: $120 for five units or $240 for ten. Use the provider's actual fee and your expected number of transactions in this calculation. A renter-paid fee still affects the tenant experience.
Baselane
Baselane is not full property-management software. It is banking and bookkeeping built for rental owners, and that distinction is the reason it works so well alongside something else.
You can create property- or entity-specific checking and savings accounts when that structure fits your portfolio. Transactions can be tagged to properties and Schedule E categories, so tax time stops being a weekend of receipt archaeology. Rent collection is built in.
The free Core tier covers banking, bookkeeping, rent collection and reporting. Smart runs $20 a month on an annual plan and adds automatic transaction tagging, receipt matching, custom categories, balance sheets and two-day rent deposits instead of the standard five-day timeline.
Baselane now offers tenant screening, but it still does not replace a complete leasing and maintenance platform. It does not provide the listing syndication or full work-order flow that the other choices emphasize.
Where it falls short: no listing syndication and no complete maintenance system. You will probably want a second tool for tenant acquisition and operations.
Who it fits: almost every financially focused landlord reading this. The free tier can replace a generic business account plus a manually maintained bookkeeping spreadsheet, provided its account structure and terms fit your needs.
Organize rental banking and bookkeeping with Baselane.
Start with the free Core tools, then test Smart only if the added automation would save meaningful bookkeeping time.
Open a Baselane Account →Affiliate link. Smart renews at the current paid rate unless canceled.
TurboTenant
TurboTenant's free plan is one of the most generous in the category, and it stays free partly because some costs are paid by applicants and tenants. Screening fees are generally applicant-paid. On the free plan, tenants currently pay $2 per ACH rent payment.
That tradeoff is fine for many owners and a dealbreaker for others. If your market is competitive and you are trying to make applying and paying as frictionless as possible, tenant-side fees deserve attention.
What you get for no landlord subscription: listing distribution to more than 25 sites, online applications, screening, messaging, maintenance requests and rent collection. Unlimited state-specific lease agreements are included in the paid Essentials and Pro tiers. The listing distribution is the standout. Nothing else in this four-product comparison makes the vacancy side as approachable at $0.
Paid plans start at $12.42 a month for Essentials and $16.58 for Pro ($199/year for 1–10 units). Pro adds free ACH payments for renters, automatic transaction imports and built-in accounting tools. Check the current annual total and portfolio pricing before upgrading.
Where it falls short: the free plan provides basic financial tracking rather than a complete accounting system, and some costs shift to the renter or applicant.
Who it fits: anyone with a vacancy to fill, especially a new landlord who wants a real leasing process without starting another subscription.
RentRedi
RentRedi is the flat-fee option. One price, unlimited properties, unlimited tenants and no per-door subscription math. At $12 a month on annual billing, a landlord with ten doors pays the same base subscription as one with two.
Screening, rent collection, payment controls, listings, leasing, maintenance requests, accounting and tenant messaging are included in the current full feature set. RentRedi says the monthly, six-month and annual terms include the same tools; only the price and billing commitment change.
Month-to-month pricing is $29.95, which is a steep premium for avoiding the annual commitment. The annual subscription is charged when you sign up, but RentRedi currently offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. That is not the same thing as a free trial.
Where it falls short: TurboTenant is stronger when free listing reach is the main priority, while Baselane goes deeper into banking and financial organization. Some optional tenant services and screening still cost extra.
Who it fits: landlords who want one affordable app for most day-to-day work and are past the point where stitching free tools together feels efficient.
DoorLoop
DoorLoop is real property-management software, and that is both the pitch and the warning.
Starter is currently $69 a month when billed annually or $99 on month-to-month billing, and it is capped at ten units. Pro is $149 a month annually or $189 monthly. DoorLoop advertises additional units at $3 each on eligible plans, but Starter's ten-unit cap means an owner growing beyond that point should price Pro directly.
What the money buys is a more complete operating system: property accounting, tenant and owner portals, maintenance and vendor records, leasing, communication and reports. Pro adds live bank connections, advanced accounting, owner and vendor payments, listings, user roles, budgeting and stronger maintenance tools.
Watch the fees underneath the subscription. Starter currently lists $2.49 incoming ACH payments, $3 eSignatures and a $49 merchant application. Pro lowers those charges to $0.99, $1 and $25. For a landlord with steady monthly payments, compare the full annual cost rather than only the subscription.
Where it falls short: it is overbuilt and expensive for someone with three quiet rentals. Setup also takes real time, and several features that make DoorLoop compelling sit on Pro rather than Starter.
Who it fits: owners approaching or moving beyond ten units, anyone with employees, anyone managing for outside owners, and anyone whose accountant has opinions.
See DoorLoop with your actual workflow.
Ask the demo team to show rent collection, a maintenance request and bank reconciliation from start to finish—and quote every first-year fee.
Book a DoorLoop Demo →Affiliate link. Rental Owner Studio may earn compensation from a qualifying action.
Pick by your situation
One to three units, doing this yourself. Start with Baselane Core plus TurboTenant Free. The landlord subscription cost is $0, although tenants and applicants may pay transaction or screening fees. Add Baselane Smart only when manual transaction tagging starts to annoy you.
Four to ten units, and you want one app. RentRedi at $12 a month annually. Choose Baselane plus TurboTenant instead when you would rather keep banking and bookkeeping separate from tenant management.
You turn over units often. TurboTenant is the first place to look. The free listing distribution is the reason.
You are approaching ten units and continuing to buy. Compare RentRedi with DoorLoop. RentRedi wins on price. DoorLoop wins when you need formal accounting, roles and a stronger shared operating process. Price DoorLoop Pro—not only Starter—if crossing ten units is part of the near-term plan.
Maintenance coordination is the real bottleneck. Compare Hemlane's software and optional support → It can be a middle ground between self-managing every repair and hiring a full-service property manager. Affiliate link.
You just want the books clean. Baselane alone, plus a good spreadsheet for deal analysis and portfolio planning.
Try one complete rental workflow before committing
- Lease a unit: check listing distribution, applicant charges and which lease/e-signature tools are included.
- Collect a payment: confirm the recipient account, tenant fee, landlord fee and deposit timing. Check how partial and returned payments appear in the ledger.
- Handle a repair: submit a sample request, attach a photo and see who receives it. Decide who will coordinate the vendor.
- Close the month: review property assignments, reconcile transactions and export the report your bookkeeper needs.
- Plan an exit: check export options, cancellation, annual renewal and the cost of adding units or users.
Using Baselane alongside TurboTenant is a separate-tool setup, not a promised automatic integration. Decide which system will collect rent and which will hold the financial records so you do not create duplicate invoices or conflicting ledgers.
What software will not do for you
Every tool here handles some part of the operational work: collecting rent, storing leases, filling vacancies or logging repairs. None of them tells you whether a property was worth buying in the first place.
That analysis stays yours. Before committing capital, run the numbers on cash flow, cap rate, cash-on-cash return, DSCR and a multi-year projection. Software can organize a deal you already own. It cannot fix a bad one.
Use the numbers before choosing the software.
Model the deal first, then build the management system around a property that actually works.
Rental Property Deal Analyzer → Landlord Spreadsheet Bundle →Common questions
Is free landlord software actually free?
For the landlord subscription, mostly yes. Costs can move to tenants and applicants through screening, ACH, card or optional-service fees. Read the tenant-side fee schedule before deciding.
Can I use more than one of these?
Yes. Baselane can handle banking and books while TurboTenant handles listings and screening. Choose a paid TurboTenant tier if you need its unlimited state-specific lease tools. They solve different jobs and do not have to conflict.
When is it worth paying for property-management software?
When the time and mistakes it saves are worth more than the subscription. That point may arrive when you add staff, manage for outside owners or have more doors and recurring tasks than you can comfortably hold in your head.
Do any of these charge per unit?
Baselane and RentRedi use flat subscription pricing, and TurboTenant offers free and paid tiers with paid prices based on portfolio-size brackets. DoorLoop uses plan limits and advertises $3 additional units on eligible plans; Starter itself is capped at ten units.
For more detail, read How to Collect Rent Online, the full Baselane review or the full DoorLoop review.
Ready to organize the financial side of your rentals?
If Baselane fits your shortlist, review its account requirements and current fees before signing up.
Get Started with Baselane →Affiliate link. Rental Owner Studio may earn compensation from a qualifying action at no added cost to you. Check current terms and fees with Baselane.
See whether DoorLoop fits the way you manage.
If you need more structure for accounting, maintenance or team workflows, ask for a demo using your actual portfolio. Confirm plan limits, onboarding and payment fees before choosing.
Book Your DoorLoop Demo →Affiliate link. Rental Owner Studio may earn compensation from a qualifying action at no added cost to you.
Sources and pricing checks
Reviewed October 5, 2026. Provider pages occasionally show conflicting rounded prices or older offers; confirm the exact amount and included features at checkout.
- Baselane pricing
- TurboTenant annual pricing by unit count and lease-plan inclusions
- RentRedi billing terms and pricing
- DoorLoop pricing and feature tiers
Check the details before choosing
Once you have a shortlist, compare the full TurboTenant vs. RentRedi pricing and workflow guide. For a management suite, use the DoorLoop plan and fee breakdown. Before inviting applicants, compare screening report coverage and the application process.
Continue with these guides
Compare tenant screening before inviting applicants
Best tenant screening services for small landlords: prices, reports and who pays →