Best Property Management Software 2021

Buildium Competitors & Alternatives

Are you considering purchasing Buildium to manage your properties? Before making the purchase, it's best to learn about Buildium's top competitors. The seven best alternatives are listed below, along with details on their features and pricing.

With over 16,000 customers, Buildium is one of the most popular property management solutions available. However, there is a multitude of solutions available in this market, so it's important to understand how Buildium compares to the top alternatives before you make your purchase.

This guide showcases Buildium's top competitors, and offers in-depth analysis of their features and pricing. For more insight into Buildium, check out our Buildium review.

Table of Contents

Buildium Features

Before analyzing Buildium’s competitors, it's important to understand the features that Buildium offers. Buildium is one of the best solutions on the market, and offers the core set of features you would expect in this type of software. The ten most important features that Buildium offers are described in the table below.

FeatureDescription
Property Marketing WebsiteA custom company-branded website that serves as a useful tool to market your properties. Prospective tenants can view your rental units, and apply for listings directly in the website.
One-click Listing SyndicationThis feature allows you to post your rental listings to top property listing websites simultaneously.
Tenant ScreeningBuildium offers credit and background checks through their partnership with TransUnion.
Electronic LeasesBuildium allows you to create, send, and store electronic leases with digital signatures.
Automatic Payment CollectionBuildium allows tenants to pay rent online, and store their billing information for recurring payments.
Maintenance ManagementBuildium allows you to create work orders, track maintenance requests, pay vendors, and track maintenance statuses.
Online Tenant PortalOnline tenant portal allows tenants to pay rent, submit maintenance requests, and view leases from their browser or mobile device.
ReportingBuildium’s reporting tools help you track your business’s performance and visualize key data points.
AccountingBuildium offers built-in accounting for payment tracking & billing, bank reconciliations, and tax management.
Open APIBuildium offers an open API for custom third-party integrations and workflows.

Buildium Competitor Overview: Pricing & Features

Buildium is one of the most popular property management solutions on the market. As you can see in the chart below, it performs nicely compared to its top competitors in terms of pricing and features.

Buildium offers three plans that start at $50 per month. Subscription costs increase depending on the number of units you manage. Buildium offers a 10% discount for annual contracts.

Buildium feature comparison chart vs. competitors

Buildium Competitors

There are several property management solutions in the market. This guide focuses on the top seven Buildium competitors that you should consider implementing, and ranks them by overall features, pricing, and usability.

Buildium
Buildium
Rating 92
Buildium
Buildium
Rating 92
AppFolio
AppFolio
Rating 91
AppFolio
AppFolio
Rating 91
Re-Leased
Re-Leased
Rating 90
Re-Leased
Re-Leased
Rating 90
RentRedi
RentRedi
Rating 86
RentRedi
RentRedi
Rating 86
Avail
Avail
Rating 85

The top Buildium competitors are:

  • AppFolio
  • Re-Leased
  • Avail
  • RentRedi
  • Rentec Direct
  • TurboTenant
  • Cozy

#1: AppFolio

AppFolio is one the biggest players in the space, and a top competitor of Buildium. Because AppFolio offers several unique advanced features and enforces a minimum monthly fee, AppFolio is better suited for large enterprises than Buildium. To learn more, read our full analysis of Buildium vs. AppFolio.

You'll prefer Buildium if:

  • Your portfolio includes less than 150 units
  • You desire a property marketing website to be included in the subscription price
  • You would like to contact customer service by phone
You'll prefer AppFolio if:

  • Your portfolio includes more than 150 units
  • You manage commercial properties
  • Desire advanced tools including an AI leasing assistant and 24/7 maintenance contact center
Buildium
Rating: 92
Starting Price: $50 per month

Buildium is a property management solution used by over 16,000 property managers. This platform is used to manage a variety of portfolio types including community associations, student housing, affordable housing, and residential properties. Buildium a powerful end-to-end solution equipped with tools to manage the entire property management lifecycle from the initial marketing of your units to inspecting your properties after tenants move out.

Pros:
  • Electronic payments are processed in 1 to 2 business days
  • Your company can add an unlimited number of users to your Buildium account
  • Offers open API access to integrate with other systems and build custom workflows
Cons:
  • Some customers find Buildium’s accounting feature to be difficult to implement. Many prefer to use third-party software like QuickBooks
  • Does not include some cutting edge features like AI leasing agents and 24/7 maintenance contact centers
  • Pricing becomes less competitive as you scale

#2: Re-Leased

Re-Leased is our top pick for commercial property management systems. Re-Leased was founded in New Zealand in 2012, and recently entered the US market.

You'll prefer Buildium if:

  • You solely manage residential properties
  • You desire built-in accounting tools in your solution
  • You desire a solution with extensive experience in the US market
You'll prefer Re-Leased if:

  • You solely manage commercial properties
  • You desire robust CAM budgeting in your solution
  • You desire an interactive calendar that helps you track key dates and events
Re-Leased

Re-Leased

Best Commercial Property Management Solution
Rating: 90
Starting Price: Contact Vendor

Re-Leased is a commercial property management solution used for various property types including commercial properties, co-working spaces, student accommodations, and office & industrial properties. This solution is used by more than 2,500 customers in more than 40 countries. Re-Leased is ideal for small to midsize businesses with a rent roll exceeding $1 million.

Pros:
  • Robust CAM budgeting makes this solution ideal for those managing commercial properties
  • Interactive calendar helps you track key dates and is integrated with Google Calendar, Office 365, and Outlook
  • Seamlessly integrated with popular accounting solutions, Xero and QuickBooks Online
Cons:
  • Does not offer an open API which restricts third-party integrations
  • Although Re-Leased includes built-in accounting tools, you will likely need to purchase a separate accounting software
  • Does not support two-way texting and emailing

#3: Avail

Avail is one of the best property management solutions that offers free access to their platform. Avail is more suitable to independent landlords than Buildium. To learn more, read our full analysis of Buildium vs. Avail.

You'll prefer Buildium if:

  • Your portfolio includes commercial properties
  • You manage more than 50 units
  • Desire a solution with built-in accounting
You'll prefer Avail if:

  • You desire free access to your solution
  • You are an independent landlord
  • You solely manage residential properties
Avail
Rating: 92
Starting Price: Free

Avail is a popular property management solution used by over 200,000 independent landlords nationwide. Avail is best suited for landlords managing 1 to 15 units. This platform includes property marketing tools, automatic rent collection, maintenance request tracking, and eLeasing.

Pros:
  • Avail offers a free plan that includes all of its major features, but charges tenants for bank transfers, credit card transactions, and tenant screenings
  • Syndicates property listings to twelve popular listing websites
  • Allows independent landlords to easily implement automatic rent collection and maintenance request tracking
  • Includes a digital leasing tool which allows you to draft, send, and receive eLeases
Cons:
  • While it is free, Avail's reporting is less robust than alternatives
  • Avail’s free plan does not include a marketing website or customizable applications & leases
  • Does not offer an open API which restricts third-party integrations

#4: RentRedi

With over 1,500 customers, RentRedi is a popular property management solution. RentRedi is an affordable alternative to Buildium, and starts at $19.95 per month with no limit on the number of properties you can manage.

You'll prefer Buildium if:

  • You manage more than 50 residential units
  • You desire built-in accounting and robust reporting tools
  • You desire a solution that supports electronic lease signatures
You'll prefer RentRedi if:

  • You manage less than 50 residential units
  • You desire a more affordable solution that charges a flat monthly fee
  • You desire a subscription that includes unlimited units and users
RentRedi
Rating: 86
Starting Price: $19.95 per month

RentRedi is a popular property management platform used by over 1,500 customers to manage their residential properties. This solution includes several useful features including automated listing syndication, online rental applications, maintenance request tracking, and electronic payment processing. RentRedi offers competitive pricing that includes unlimited properties, units, tenants, and teammates. This solution is best suited for independent landlords that manage 1 to 100 units.

Pros:
  • Offers competitive pricing that includes unlimited properties, units, tenants, and teammates
  • Consistently adds features driven by customer feedback
  • Includes easy-to-use mobile applications for landlord and tenant
  • Responsive customer support team with live chat support
Cons:
  • Does not include robust accounting and reporting tools
  • Does not include text messaging
  • Does not support electronic lease signatures

#5: Rentec Direct

Founded in 2006, Rentec Direct is an established player in the property management software space. Rentec Direct is a popular solution with over 15,000 landlords nationwide.

You'll prefer Buildium if:

  • You desire robust communication features
  • You want to pay vendors and receive contributions through your solution
  • You desire a modern-looking marketing website and user interface
You'll prefer Rentec Direct if:

  • You desire a more affordable solution
  • You want a subscription without long-term commitments or setup fees
  • You want to integrate with Blue Moon Software or zInspector
Rentec Direct
Rating: 82
Starting Price: $35 per month

Rentec Direct is a property management platform used by over 15,000 landlords to manage their properties. This solution is typically used for residential portfolios, but about 10% of customers use this platform to manage commercial properties. Among solutions with paid subscriptions, Rentec Direct is one of the most affordable solutions on the market.

Pros:
  • Rentec Direct is more affordable than their leading competitors: AppFolio and Buildium
  • Customer-friendly pricing without any set up fees or long term commitment
  • Integrates with Blue Moon Software and zInspector, two useful tools for electronic leasing and property inspection
Cons:
  • Communication features are not as robust as its top competitors
  • User interface and marketing website look dated
  • You can’t pay vendors for work orders through the system, or receive contributions from owners
  • Similar to other property management solutions, you may need to use a separate accounting software like Quickbooks

#6: TurboTenant

TurboTenant is a free-to-use property management solution. TurboTenant is a lightweight solution, and does not include several features found in Buildium.

You'll prefer Buildium if:

  • You desire maintenance management tools
  • You desire built-in accounting and reporting features
  • You want to send outgoing payments to vendors and owners in your system
You'll prefer Turbo Tenant if:

  • You desire a lightweight and free-to-use solution
  • You are an independent landlord
  • If you desire pre-screener questionnaires to help find the highest quality leads
TurboTenant
Rating: 81
Starting Price: Free

TurboTenant is a free-to-use property management solution used by over 250,000 landlords nationwide. This solution is equipped with several useful tools for property marketing, lead tracking, and rent collection. TurboTenant is ideal for independent landlords managing 1 to 100 units.

Pros:
  • TurboTenant is free to use and ideal for independent landlords
  • Pre-screener questionnaire helps narrow down leads to only the best applicants
  • Equipped with automatic text and email notifications for landlords, leads, and applicants
Cons:
  • Does not support outgoing payments to vendors and owners
  • Tenants can not respond to your messages via text, they must use a browser and log into the TurboTenant application
  • On the tenant side, several applicants have reported paying applications fees for properties that were not actually available to rent

#7: Cozy

Used by 50,000 landlords, Cozy is one of the most popular solutions on the market. Cozy offers free access to their platform. To learn more, read our full analysis of Buildium vs. Cozy.

You'll prefer Buildium if:

  • You desire robust accounting and reporting
  • You would like to syndicate listings to a large volume of websites
  • You desire electronic leases and customizable applications
You'll prefer Cozy if:

  • You are an independent landlord with a limited budget
  • You desire a free-to-use and lightweight solution
  • You manage less than 50 residential units
Cozy
Rating: 79
Starting Price: Free

Cozy is a free property management solution used by over 50,000 independent landlords nationwide. Cozy provides useful tools to help you market your properties, automatically receive payments, and manage maintenance requests.

Pros:
  • Access to the platform is free, but includes fees for tenant screenings and credit card transactions
  • Automates rent collection and property listing syndication
  • Allows landlords to communicate with tenants directly through the platform
  • User interface is well designed and easy to navigate
Cons:
  • Does not syndicate property listings to as many websites as competitors
  • Takes 5 business days for rent collection payments to appear in your account
  • Since accounting capabilities are limited, many customers also purchase third-party accounting software
  • Does not offer reporting or electronic leases

Bottom Line

Buildium is a popular property management solution that is ideal for most property managers responsible for a small-to-medium volume of residential properties.

However, there are other solutions that are better suited for different customer segments. If you solely manage commercial properties, consider testing Re-Leased. If you are an independent landlord looking for a solution that offers a free subscription, we recommend Avail.

Lloyd Park

Lloyd Park is a Research Analyst at SoftwarePundit, where he conducts in-depth analyses of software markets and products. Lloyd also has experience managing the development of software platforms and is an expert in content production & media software. You can connect with Lloyd on LinkedIn.

Lloyd is an expert in several software categories including:

  • Dental software
  • Email marketing software
  • Field service management software
  • Legal software
  • Property management software

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