The typical searcher manages a small or mid-sized portfolio, or sits just under AppFolio's 50-unit minimum, and found that the price is only given on request and starts from a minimum spend. Some want a published rate they can check before a call. They move to per-unit tools with a visible price, to free landlord software, or to a specialist for commercial leases or non-US housing.
Sebastiaan SmitsFounderShort answer: The first three alternatives to AppFolio in our property management ranking are DoorLoop, Buildium and Rent Manager. Places 1 to 3 go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category, wherever the category has them; the established names follow from place 4 in their ranked order. Choose DoorLoop if you want a published per-unit price and an API without paying for a higher tier. All 12 alternatives below are ranked products from Best Property Management Software in 2026, and each says where it differs from AppFolio.
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AppFolio shows a starting rate per unit on its pricing page ($1.49 on Core, $3.20 on Plus, $5.00 on Max), but every tier is a Get a Quote button and the footnote says a minimum spend applies, plus a 50-unit minimum on Core. A landlord with 20 doors cannot buy the entry plan, and anyone else cannot work out the real monthly bill without a sales call.
The plan list puts the AppFolio API on Plus (read only) and Max (read and write), and the Leasing CRM on Max alone. Core, the plan open to most new customers, is the one without them. A business that wants to connect its own systems or run a leasing pipeline pays for the top two tiers, which start at more than double and more than three times the Core rate.
AppFolio describes its extras as value-added services you pick to extend the platform, and says you only pay for what you need. The consequence is that the starting rate is not the bill. Anyone comparing it with a tool that bundles the same work into one published price has to ask for the services priced out before the numbers can be set side by side.
| Alternative | Headquarters | Free option | Pricing | Key difference | Switch if | Our rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DoorLoop | United States | No free tier | Per unit per month, published; annual billing discount | Per-unit pricing you can read before you talk to sales | you want a published per-unit price and an API without paying for a higher tier | #1 |
| Buildium | United States | No free tier | Three published tiers from $62 a month; 14-day trial; onboarding service compulsory on Growth and Premium | The default American choice, priced by tier and by unit | you want an established American product with tiers priced in public | #5 |
| Rent Manager | United States | No free tier | Quoted by unit count and plan; implementation services priced separately | Independent American property software with deep accounting and reporting | you run a mixed portfolio that needs deep customisation and are happy to buy by quote | #10 |
| Yardi Breeze | United States | No free tier | Per unit per month, published; monthly minimum | Yardi's small portfolio product, sold at a published rate | you want a published rate and might later move into Yardi's wider product line | #11 |
| Rentec Direct | United States | No free tier | Per unit per month, published; monthly minimum | Rent roll and trust accounting without the upsell ladder | you are a small manager or landlord who needs trust accounting at a low flat price | #4 |
| Hemlane | United States | Yes | Free plan for listings and screening; paid plans per unit plus a $28 platform fee, published; tenant placement from $695 | Software with a free entry plan, plus optional local help for repairs and leasing | you own rentals and want optional hands-on help for repairs without hiring staff | #7 |
| TenantCloud | United States | No free tier | 14-day trial; flat monthly plans by active lease count from $15, published | Flat monthly plans capped by active leases, not by units | you have a modest number of active leases and want a flat monthly plan | #6 |
| Innago | United States | Yes | Free to landlords; card and bank transfer fees charged to tenants | Free for the landlord because the tenant pays the fee | you are an independent landlord and would rather your tenants cover the transaction fees | #3 |
| Arthur Online | United Kingdom | No free tier | Per unit per month, published, with a minimum spend covering 55 to 70 units; annual billing | British lettings workflow and compliance tracking in one system | your portfolio is in the United Kingdom and compliance tracking matters | #2 |
| Re-Leased | New Zealand | No free tier | Quoted per portfolio | Commercial leases, rent reviews and service charges, not flats | you manage offices, retail or industrial units on commercial leases | #8 |
| casavi | Germany | No free tier | Published tiers by managed-unit band from €219 a month plus VAT; quoted above 4,000 units | The communication and portal layer German property managers were missing | you run a German-speaking property management firm that needs a tenant and owner portal beside its ERP | #9 |
| Aareon | Germany | No free tier | Quoted per organisation; implementation priced separately | European housing association software, bought as a project | you are a European housing owner or association rather than an American agency | #13 |
United States · Per unit per month, published; annual billing discount
Publishes three per-unit tiers on its pricing page, with a minimum monthly spend of $199 on the entry tier and a yearly billing discount of up to 25%. Unlimited users, document storage and full API access are in every plan. The step up between tiers is how much work its AI agents take on.
Switch from AppFolio if you want a published per-unit price and an API without paying for a higher tier.
United States · Three published tiers from $62 a month; 14-day trial; onboarding service compulsory on Growth and Premium
Sold in three published tiers, Essential from $62 a month, Growth from $192 and Premium from $400, with a 14-day free trial. Onboarding is compulsory on Growth and Premium. Buildium belongs to RealPage, and the price follows the tier and the unit count rather than a quote.
Switch from AppFolio if you want an established American product with tiers priced in public.
United States · Quoted by unit count and plan; implementation services priced separately
Quoted like AppFolio, in three bundles called Basic, Plus and Premium, with accounting, custom fields and work orders in the entry bundle. It lists commercial, manufactured housing, self storage and student housing as markets, and offers an open API. No price is given on the page.
Switch from AppFolio if you run a mixed portfolio that needs deep customisation and are happy to buy by quote.
Rent Manager, #10 of 13 in our property management ranking →
United States · Per unit per month, published; monthly minimum
The small-portfolio product from Yardi, listed from $1 a unit a month for residential with minimums applying. Separate property types are offered for residential, commercial, affordable, self storage and associations. Several extras, such as screening and websites, carry additional fees.
Switch from AppFolio if you want a published rate and might later move into Yardi's wider product line.
Yardi Breeze, #11 of 13 in our property management ranking →
United States · Per unit per month, published; monthly minimum
Starter is a flat $25 a month for ten or fewer properties, while Pro and PM start at $50 a month, growing with units, with no setup fee or term commitment. The PM edition is described as trust account certified. It has fewer enterprise features than AppFolio's top tiers.
Switch from AppFolio if you are a small manager or landlord who needs trust accounting at a low flat price.
Rentec Direct, #4 of 13 in our property management ranking →
United States · Free plan for listings and screening; paid plans per unit plus a $28 platform fee, published; tenant placement from $695
Has a permanent free plan covering listings, screening and accounting, then Basic at $2 a unit plus a $28 platform fee. The Essential and Complete plans add a repair coordinator and a property management assistant, at $20 and $58 a unit. Tenant placement is a separate $695 service.
Switch from AppFolio if you own rentals and want optional hands-on help for repairs without hiring staff.
United States · 14-day trial; flat monthly plans by active lease count from $15, published
Prices by plan, not by unit, with Starter at $15 a month on yearly billing ($18 monthly), Growth at $35 monthly and Pro at $60 monthly. Properties and units are unlimited but leases are capped at 10, 30 and 60 on those plans. Business starts at $100 a month.
Switch from AppFolio if you have a modest number of active leases and want a flat monthly plan.
United States · Free to landlords; card and bank transfer fees charged to tenants
Free to the landlord, with no monthly fee, setup fee or contract. Revenue comes from tenant-paid fees: $2 for ACH, 2.99% on cards, and $30 to $35 for screening, though the landlord may absorb them. It is aimed at independent landlords and carries no sales-led service tier.
Switch from AppFolio if you are an independent landlord and would rather your tenants cover the transaction fees.
United Kingdom · Per unit per month, published, with a minimum spend covering 55 to 70 units; annual billing
A British product for letting agents and landlords with compliance tracking, a maintenance module and a finance module. Pricing is published in pounds: Standard from £82.50 a month for 55 units, with annual billing. It is the UK-shaped option, where AppFolio quotes in dollars.
Switch from AppFolio if your portfolio is in the United Kingdom and compliance tracking matters.
Arthur Online, #2 of 13 in our property management ranking →
New Zealand · Quoted per portfolio
Built for commercial property rather than flats: lease events, rent reviews, service charge and outgoings recoveries, and automated credit control. It connects to separate accounting systems alongside a built-in accounting function. Prices are not published, and it is no use for a residential agency.
Switch from AppFolio if you manage offices, retail or industrial units on commercial leases.
Germany · Published tiers by managed-unit band from €219 a month plus VAT; quoted above 4,000 units
A German-language communication and ticket layer rather than a ledger. It handles requests across portal, phone, email and post, plus a document archive and service-provider coordination, and connects to administration software such as Aareon and WinCASA. It does not replace accounting. Prices were not visible.
Switch from AppFolio if you run a German-speaking property management firm that needs a tenant and owner portal beside its ERP.
Germany · Quoted per organisation; implementation priced separately
Describes itself as a European property management system and serves housing owners, associations and commercial owners from local sites in Germany, France, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, Turkey and the UK. It is bought as a project, with no price on its pages. This is the opposite end of the scale from AppFolio's self-selected plans.
Switch from AppFolio if you are a European housing owner or association rather than an American agency.
AppFolio remains the right choice for an agency that already operates past the 50-unit minimum, wants accounting, leasing, maintenance and communication on one platform, and is content to buy by quote. The tiers are clear about what each adds, and the higher ones bring an API and a leasing CRM that most low-priced tools lack. Switching to a patchwork of cheaper tools recreates the integration work AppFolio sells you out of.
Before cancelling, list every value-added service switched on in your account, since these may not appear on the plan page. Screening, payments, messaging and other extras were bought separately, and each needs a named replacement in the new tool or a separate provider.
The move is clean only if you cut over at a month end with opening balances for every owner and tenant ledger. Export the rent roll, ledgers, leases and documents, and ask the new vendor whether its onboarding is included or a compulsory paid service, as it is on Buildium Growth and Premium.
AppFolio lists starting rates of $1.49 per unit per month on Core, $3.20 on Plus and $5.00 on Max.
Each is a Get a Quote plan, a minimum spend applies, and Core has a 50-unit minimum. The final bill depends on the quote and on any value-added services you add.
Innago is free to the landlord, with tenants paying fees for ACH ($2), cards (2.99%) and screening ($30 to $35), and Hemlane has a free Starter plan covering listings, screening and accounting.
Neither is built for an agency with trust accounting needs, so check that before moving.
DoorLoop, Buildium, Rentec Direct, TenantCloud, Hemlane, Innago and Arthur Online all publish prices on their pages. Rent Manager, Re-Leased and Aareon do not, and Yardi Breeze lists starting rates with minimums that apply.
Yes. AppFolio's Core plan has a 50-unit minimum, while Rentec Direct starts at $25 a month for ten or fewer properties, TenantCloud at $15 a month on yearly billing and Innago at no monthly fee.
Re-Leased is built around commercial leases, rent reviews and service charge recoveries. Rent Manager and Yardi Breeze both list commercial among their supported property types. A residential-first tool will lack lease-event tracking.
Arthur Online prices in pounds for the UK market, casavi is built for German-speaking property managers, and Aareon serves several European countries through local sites. All three differ from AppFolio in scope, and none is a drop-in clone.
Founder of The Knowledge Engineers and of 2 Steps Ahead, an AI search visibility agency. Editorially responsible for every page on this site; research and drafting are AI-assisted.
Written, edited and fact-checked by Sebastiaan Smits. Last reviewed 16 October 2026. How we review.
