Tenant screening software checks rental applicants for credit, criminal, eviction and income risk before a lease is signed.
This guide ranks products by who pays per report, what each package really contains, what legal limits the vendor states, and whether screening stands alone or hangs on a landlord platform, with independent vendors placed ahead of bureau-owned ones.
Vendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.
In short
What tenant screening software does
Tenant screening software lets landlords collect rental applications and order credit, criminal, eviction and income reports on applicants, so a lease decision rests on checked records instead of a guess.
Each tenant screening tool was put through the same five questions, in sequence: how hard is setup, what does it really cost, how does data come back out, can you leave, and who is it for. One rule sits on top of those tests: 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. The reasoning behind the five tests, and behind having no score out of ten, is set out on the how we work page.
Published per-check prices in Canadian dollars; enterprise by contact sales
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Canadian landlords who want a self-serve criminal or credit check by itself.
Landlords who want rent collection or listings next to screening.
Country is where the vendor is headquartered or contracts from, which is a different question from where your data is hosted. Where the two tell different stories, the entry says so.
Screening sold report by report, with a landlord plan at zero cost
Ranked #1 of 11 in Best Tenant Screening Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
RentSpree fits a small landlord who screens a few applicants a year. The ladder is easy to read: a standard report for credit, background and eviction, then a fuller one with bank-verified income and reference checks.
Listings reach Zillow, Apartments.com and Trulia, and leases are signed and stored online. The price of the two tiers is the trade-off, since the cheaper report has no income check. The pages name no owner.
What stands out
Per-report fees
Free Basic plan
Bank-verified income
Where it costs you
The standard report leaves out income verification, which only the dearer report adds.
Landlords pay a $3 fee on each rent transaction collected by bank transfer.
Right for
Landlords who pay per applicant report and want a zero monthly plan.
Wrong for
Owners who must see the vendor's country or parent before buying.
Not stated by the vendorPublished per-report fees; Basic landlord plan free; optional PRO plan with 30-day trial
Listings, leases and applicant-paid screening on a plan that costs nothing
Ranked #2 of 11 in Best Tenant Screening Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
TurboTenant suits a landlord who wants to avoid paying per report. The applicant pays for the background, credit and eviction checks, the free plan allows unlimited listings, and leases are e-signed with state-specific wording.
Paid tiers rise with the units managed, from one to ten up to sixty-one or more, so a growing portfolio meets a staircase. A tenant who balks at the applicant fee is the practical risk. No country is stated.
What stands out
Free plan
Applicant-paid checks
Unit-band tiers
Where it costs you
The Landlord Forms Pack is a separate purchase on the free plan.
Full-service Autopilot management shows no price and has to be quoted by sales.
Right for
Landlords who want applicants to cover the report cost and listings on 25+ sites.
Wrong for
Portfolios that want a flat fee per screening paid by the landlord.
Not stated by the vendorFree plan with published annual tiers by units; screening paid by the applicant; Autopilot quoted
One flat subscription for every unit, with tenant-paid screening
Ranked #3 of 11 in Best Tenant Screening Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
RentRedi suits a landlord with a changing unit count, because properties, tenants, teammates and bank accounts are all unlimited and nothing is priced per unit. Screening has custom templates, and the tenant pays for it, with an income-verified version at a higher price.
Rent arrives by auto-pay in two to three days, and tenants can report payments to three bureaus. Payment is taken at signup, with a 30-day money-back guarantee as the only safety net.
What stands out
Flat subscription
Tenant-paid screening
Unlimited units
Where it costs you
The subscription is charged at signup and the vendor states that it is not a trial.
Credit reporting adds a monthly charge on top of the plan.
Right for
Landlords with many units who want one fixed bill instead of per-unit tiers.
Wrong for
Anyone who wants to test the product before paying a subscription.
Not stated by the vendorPublished monthly, six-month or annual billing; screening paid by the tenant; no per-unit fees
Application and screening bundled into a landlord platform with a zero-cost tier
Ranked #4 of 11 in Best Tenant Screening Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
Avail is a bundle more than a screening product: applications, TransUnion-based reports, listings on 19 sites, rent collection and a tenant portal share one dashboard. For a landlord the appeal is that screening reports come with the zero-cost plan, so the question of who pays the fee barely arises.
The limit is depth. The page lists credit, criminal and eviction reports without saying what each covers, and custom application questions require paying per unit each month.
What stands out
Free unit plan
TransUnion reports
19 listing sites
Where it costs you
Custom application questions need the paid Unlimited Plus plan.
Premium listing placement requires an upgrade, as free listings are standard only.
Right for
Landlords who want screening built into a platform that bills nothing per unit.
Wrong for
Buyers who want to read how far the credit report goes.
Not stated by the vendorPublished per-unit plans; Unlimited plan free; Unlimited Plus adds custom application questions
Per-applicant packages from a screening specialist, with state-level limits stated
Ranked #5 of 11 in Best Tenant Screening Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
MyRental is the choice for the landlord who wants to buy exactly the reports needed. Housing court data, statewide, county or multi-state criminal searches and credit each have their own price, and the packages bundle them for each applicant.
The page is open about gaps: seven states lack the Renter Pay Option, Massachusetts has no criminal information, and credit consent is required for Premium and Signature. Without a monthly fee, it suits low volume.
What stands out
Per-applicant fees
Single reports
State limits stated
Where it costs you
Criminal record information is not available in Massachusetts.
Reports can be opened for 30 days only, so save them in time.
Right for
Landlords who screen occasionally and want to buy single reports by need.
Wrong for
Landlords in states where the Renter Pay Option is unavailable.
Not stated by the vendorPublished per-applicant packages and single reports; no sign-up or monthly fees
Three fixed-price packages, plus a custom route for 50-plus doors
Ranked #6 of 11 in Best Tenant Screening Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
RentPrep keeps the decision simple: credit, background, or both together, each at a published price. The background package covers SSN verification, nationwide criminal and sex offender searches, evictions, judgments and liens.
Income verification connects to applicant bank accounts for up to 24 months of transactions, as an add-on. The catch is who pays: the background check is landlord-pay only. The footer places RentPrep inside Roofstock Inc.
What stands out
Fixed packages
Income add-ons
Enterprise route
Where it costs you
The background check can only be paid for by the landlord, not the applicant.
Enterprise pricing for 50+ doors shows no figure and sends visitors to Learn More.
Right for
Landlords who want a fixed package price for credit plus a nationwide background check.
Wrong for
Landlords who want applicants to pay for the background check.
Not stated by the vendorPublished package prices; enterprise for 50+ doors quoted; add-ons for income checks
Pay-as-you-go reports sent straight from TransUnion, with three named packages
Ranked #7 of 11 in Best Tenant Screening Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
SmartMove is the bureau-owned option in this list: TransUnion runs it, and its reports come from TransUnion directly. The three packages add layers, from ResidentScore and criminal checks, to credit and eviction-related reports, to an identity check and income estimator.
Nothing is billed unless a screening runs. The trade-off is ownership: a small landlord is buying from a credit bureau. The pages read do not state a country.
What stands out
Pay as you go
Three packages
Same-day reports
Where it costs you
Criminal and eviction content may be limited by federal, state and local law.
ResidentScore's claim rests on a 2016 TransUnion study cited on the page.
Right for
Landlords who want credit-bureau reports for a handful of applicants a year.
Wrong for
Buyers who want an independent vendor with no bureau parent.
Not stated by the vendorPublished pay-as-you-go packages per screening; income verification add-on; no memberships
Bookkeeping app with a TransUnion-based report sent to the applicant
Ranked #8 of 11 in Best Tenant Screening Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
Landlord Studio sits low in a screening ranking because screening is not the point. The product tracks income, expenses and documents, with bank feeds and Xero integration on Pro, and the screening report goes to the applicant at no cost to the landlord.
The free Go plan is capped at three units, one user and ten documents. The page does not state a billing basis for Go and shows two currencies for the same plans, so check the invoice first.
What stands out
Bookkeeping first
Applicant report
Free Go plan
Where it costs you
The pricing page mixes pounds and dollars for the same plans.
The Go plan has no bank feeds and exports to PDF only.
Right for
Small landlords who want bookkeeping first and a basic applicant report second.
Wrong for
Buyers who need screening packages with named report options.
Not stated by the vendorFree Go plan for three units; published Pro and Pro Plus plans; Pro has a 14-day trial
Landlord suite with applicant-paid TransUnion screening and lease-count plan limits
Ranked #9 of 11 in Best Tenant Screening Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
TenantCloud puts screening inside an everyday landlord tool: applicants pay for the TransUnion-powered report, rent arrives by card, ACH, cash or check, and Zillow and QuickBooks Online are among 10+ integrations.
The lease caps are explicit, from 10 on Starter to 60 on Pro. The weak point is the price page itself, which shows two sets of figures for the same plans. Treat the first quote as provisional. TenantCloud LLC gives no country.
What stands out
Lease-count plans
Applicant-paid screening
14-day trial
Where it costs you
The pricing page shows two conflicting price sections for the same plans.
Tenants pay an ACH fee of $1.50 to $1.95 depending on the plan.
Right for
Landlords with a few dozen leases who want screening inside a rent platform.
Wrong for
Landlords who want one price they can verify on the page.
Not stated by the vendorPublished monthly or annual plans by lease count; 14-day trial on every plan; Business quoted
Fraud-checked applicant verification with automatic approve or decline, sold by quote
Ranked #10 of 11 in Best Tenant Screening Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
Findigs is built for operators with hundreds of units, which is why it ranks lower for the typical independent landlord. Its offer is a rules layer: applications are checked against the landlord's own policy and returned as approve or decline.
Fraud signals come from across its network, and human staff help applicants finish. Pricing depends on units and on the platform pillars switched on, and a demo is the only path to it. The pages state no limits or integrations.
What stands out
Quoted by units
Fraud signals
Auto decision
Where it costs you
The only way to get a price is to book a demo.
The size bands start at 250 units, so single-property landlords sit outside it.
Right for
Property managers with 250+ units who need automated approve or decline decisions.
Wrong for
Landlords with a few units who want a published price.
Not stated by the vendorQuoted by portfolio size and platform pillars; demo booking needed; no price page figures
Self-serve checks priced in Canadian dollars, built for hiring more than rentals
Ranked #11 of 11 in Best Tenant Screening Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
Certn ranks last here because its facts point to employers: the integrations named are Greenhouse, Lever and Workday, and the check list runs to employment, education and social media.
For a Canadian landlord the self-serve credit report and criminal checks are still usable, priced per check in Canadian dollars. Billing basis per check is not stated, and the page shows regional selectors for Canada, EMEA, ANZ and the US without a country of establishment.
What stands out
Per-check CAD prices
Biometric identity
ATS integrations
Where it costs you
The public records check covers Canada only.
Its named integrations are hiring systems, not rental or property software.
Right for
Canadian landlords who want a self-serve criminal or credit check by itself.
Wrong for
Landlords who want rent collection or listings next to screening.
Not stated by the vendorPublished per-check prices in Canadian dollars; enterprise by contact sales
Tenant screening software lets landlords collect rental applications and order credit, criminal, eviction and income reports on applicants, so a lease decision rests on checked records instead of a guess. Work through these questions in order; they separate the products better than a feature matrix does.
01
Check who publishes a price
The split is 10 published against 1 quoted. If you want to compare numbers first, start with RentSpree, TurboTenant, RentRedi, Avail, MyRental, RentPrep, SmartMove, Landlord Studio, TenantCloud, Certn.
02
Weigh the vendor's home jurisdiction
Headquarters range over 1 countries and 1 regions: Elsewhere 11. Legal exposure follows the vendor, not only the data centre, so read the contracting entity before you sign.
Who pays for tenant screening software reports
Before comparing report contents, find out who pays, because that decides how many applicants complete the process and how fast they do it. TurboTenant, RentRedi and TenantCloud put the fee on the applicant, which keeps the landlord's cost at zero but means an applicant can refuse to pay and walk away.
RentPrep's background check is landlord-pay only, while its credit report can go either way. MyRental charges per applicant with no monthly fee, and Landlord Studio shows a landlord cost of zero for its applicant report. Where the applicant pays, also check whether the report reaches you, the applicant, or both, because Landlord Studio sends its report to the applicant.
Ask which party pays for each report type and whether you can switch
Check whether the applicant receives the report or only the landlord
Count the applicants you screen a year before choosing a monthly plan or a per-report fee
Read the report tiers at RentSpree, MyRental and SmartMove
Packages with similar names hold different content, and the label on the page rarely says which one you need. RentSpree's standard report covers credit, background and eviction but no income verification; the fuller one adds bank-verified income and reference checks. MyRental's Basic package leaves out the credit report, which arrives with Premium, and Income Insights arrives with Signature.
SmartMove's Basic has criminal data and ResidentScore, Plus adds credit and eviction-related reports, and Premium adds an identity check and income estimator. A landlord who needs income proof can therefore pay twice if the first package was the cheap one, and the add-on prices at RentPrep and RentRedi show the same pattern.
List the checks you need before reading any package name, then match them to tiers
Confirm income verification is inside the price you were quoted
Compare cost per applicant at the tier that includes credit and income
State and local limits on screening reports
Screening is regulated, and the vendors with honest pages say so. MyRental states that Massachusetts has no criminal record information and that its Renter Pay Option is absent in CA, IL, MA, MT, NY, VT and WI, with reports open for 30 days. SmartMove warns that law can restrict the criminal and eviction content it returns.
Credit reports need applicant consent at MyRental's upper packages, so build that step into your intake. Certn's public records check covers Canada only, and its prices are in Canadian dollars. Test the product against the state you rent in, not the one the vendor sits in, and ask what a missing record looks like on the report you would receive.
Ask the vendor in writing what is unavailable in your state
Save each report inside the stated access window
Collect applicant consent before ordering credit data
Standalone screening versus Avail, TenantCloud or Landlord Studio
A landlord platform folds screening into rent collection and listings, which saves a login and a second invoice. Avail includes TransUnion-based reports in a plan that costs nothing per unit, TenantCloud caps leases and offers a 14-day trial, and Landlord Studio is a bookkeeping app with a free three-unit plan.
The trade is depth for convenience: Avail names credit, criminal and eviction reports but gives no limits, and TenantCloud's pricing page holds two conflicting price sections. A specialist such as MyRental or RentPrep gives named report options, but you buy rent collection elsewhere. Findigs sits at the other end, quoted for portfolios of 250 units and up, so a landlord with a few doors should not start there.
Decide whether you want a platform or only a report
Read the price page twice when figures conflict
Check that bank feeds or listings are not locked in a higher plan
What goes wrong most often when buying tenant screening software
Choosing a package by its name rather than by the checks it contains, so income verification is missing when the file is already open.
Assuming the applicant fee is irrelevant, then losing a good applicant who refuses to pay a report cost on TurboTenant, RentRedi or TenantCloud.
Ordering criminal data where the vendor says it cannot be supplied, as MyRental does for Massachusetts, and paying for an empty result.
Buying a hiring tool such as Certn for rentals, then finding no rent collection, listings or lease features beside the checks.
07
Frequently asked questions
6 answers
What is the best tenant screening software in 2026?
RentSpree leads our ranking of 11. RentSpree sells two screening reports: a standard one covering credit, background and eviction, and a fuller one that adds bank-verified income and reference checks.
The Basic landlord plan is free, and the PRO plan comes with a 30-day trial that asks for a card. The standard report carries no income check, so a landlord who needs one pays for the dearer tier. No owner or country is stated.
Which tenant screening tools publish their pricing?
The ones that do, with the model each states:
RentSpree: Published per-report fees; Basic landlord plan free; optional PRO plan with 30-day trial.
TurboTenant: Free plan with published annual tiers by units; screening paid by the applicant; Autopilot quoted.
RentRedi: Published monthly, six-month or annual billing; screening paid by the tenant; no per-unit fees.
Avail: Published per-unit plans; Unlimited plan free; Unlimited Plus adds custom application questions.
MyRental: Published per-applicant packages and single reports; no sign-up or monthly fees.
RentPrep: Published package prices; enterprise for 50+ doors quoted; add-ons for income checks.
SmartMove: Published pay-as-you-go packages per screening; income verification add-on; no memberships.
Landlord Studio: Free Go plan for three units; published Pro and Pro Plus plans; Pro has a 14-day trial.
TenantCloud: Published monthly or annual plans by lease count; 14-day trial on every plan; Business quoted.
Certn: Published per-check prices in Canadian dollars; enterprise by contact sales.
The other 1 quote per organisation.
Is there a free tenant screening tool?
TurboTenant, Landlord Studio can be used for free, either as a free plan or a self-hosted edition.
Where are these tenant screening software vendors established?
The headquarters are spread over 1 countries and 1 regions, Elsewhere 11:
RentSpree: Not stated by the vendor.
TurboTenant: Not stated by the vendor.
RentRedi: Not stated by the vendor.
Avail: Not stated by the vendor.
MyRental: Not stated by the vendor.
RentPrep: Not stated by the vendor.
SmartMove: Not stated by the vendor.
Landlord Studio: Not stated by the vendor.
TenantCloud: Not stated by the vendor.
Findigs: Not stated by the vendor.
Certn: Not stated by the vendor.
What should you use instead of RentSpree?
The next in line are TurboTenant, aimed at Landlords who want applicants to cover the report cost and listings on 25+ sites., and RentRedi, aimed at Landlords with many units who want one fixed bill instead of per-unit tiers..
Who should not buy RentSpree?
Owners who must see the vendor's country or parent before buying.. The standard report leaves out income verification, which only the dearer report adds..
Do you make a tenant screening software product that is not listed here? Describe what it does and who buys it. We decide on inclusion, a listing cannot be bought, and the details are under software advice.
