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Head-to-head for small landlords

Buildium vs TurboTenant for small landlords (2026)

Sticker prices will not settle Buildium vs TurboTenant. This page shows both vendors' itemized monthly bill at three portfolio sizes, computed from each vendor's published pricing (Buildium verified 2026-07-24, TurboTenant verified 2026-07-24), plus what PropManager charges for the same list.

We build PropManager, so read the numbers rather than our opinion, and verify current pricing on each vendor's own page. Each section says who should pick whom, including when that is not us.

The itemized bill, side by side

Not the sticker prices. Each column is the monthly bill with e-signatures and online ACH rent collection in use, priced from the vendor's published tiers and per-use fees. Assumes about 2 signature requests a month and one incoming ACH payment per occupied unit per month.

For the landlord's own bill, TurboTenant is the low-cost option of the three, and this page does not pretend otherwise. The tradeoff sits with your tenants (the fees in the table below) and in the accounting depth described further down.

At 10 units

Buildium · Essential at 10 units

  • Essential plan starting at$62
  • E-signatures $5 per document × 2$10
  • Online rent collection $2.35 per payment × 10 (paid by you or your resident)$23.5
About $95.5/mo · $1,146/yr

TurboTenant · Essentials at 10 units

  • Essentials plan per month, billed annually at $149$12.42
  • E-signaturesincluded
  • Online rent collectionincluded
About $12.42/mo · $149.04/yr

PropManager

  • PropManager plan (flat) everything included$59
  • E-signatures unlimited, includedincluded
  • Online rent (ACH) we absorb the processor feeincluded
$59/mo flat

At 25 units

Buildium · Essential at 25 units

  • Essential plan starting at$62
  • E-signatures $5 per document × 2$10
  • Online rent collection $2.35 per payment × 25 (paid by you or your resident)$58.75
About $130.75/mo · $1,569/yr

TurboTenant · Essentials at 25 units

  • Essentials plan per month, billed annually at $149$12.42
  • E-signaturesincluded
  • Online rent collectionincluded
About $12.42/mo · $149.04/yr

PropManager

  • PropManager plan (flat) everything included$59
  • E-signatures unlimited, includedincluded
  • Online rent (ACH) we absorb the processor feeincluded
$59/mo flat

At 50 units

Buildium · Essential at 50 units

  • Essential plan starting at$62
  • E-signatures $5 per document × 2$10
  • Online rent collection $2.35 per payment × 50 (paid by you or your resident)$117.5
About $189.5/mo · $2,274/yr

TurboTenant · Essentials at 50 units

  • Essentials plan per month, billed annually at $149$12.42
  • E-signaturesincluded
  • Online rent collectionincluded
About $12.42/mo · $149.04/yr

PropManager

  • PropManager plan (flat) everything included$59
  • E-signatures unlimited, includedincluded
  • Online rent (ACH) we absorb the processor feeincluded
$59/mo flat

Buildium figures as published on https://www.buildium.com/pricing/, verified 2026-07-24.
TurboTenant figures as published on https://www.turbotenant.com/pricing/, verified 2026-07-24.
Verify current pricing on each vendor's site before deciding.

Model your exact size: the interactive calculators live on the Buildium comparison and the TurboTenant comparison.

What your tenants pay

TurboTenant is free for the landlord and charges the renter instead. This is what your tenants pay. At 25 units with tenants on ACH autopay, that is about $600 a year of fees your tenants carry so the software can stay free for you.

 TurboTenantPropManager
Each ACH rent payment$2 on the free plan; free only on the Pro plan$0, always
Rental application / screening$45 to $55, paid by the renterwe do not offer screening yet
Card rent payment3.49%2.9% + $0.30

TurboTenant figures as published on https://www.turbotenant.com/pricing/, verified 2026-07-24.

Who should pick Buildium

Buildium is a strong fit for professional managers and larger portfolios. It positions its plans by growth stage and offers community-association support and a sales line for portfolios over 5,000 units. If you manage other owners' properties or want that scale of built-in modules, Buildium earns its price.

Who should pick TurboTenant

TurboTenant is genuinely free for landlords and targets the same 1-to-50-door owners we do. At a door or two with simple needs, and tenants who do not mind paying the application and ACH fees, its free plan is a fair choice. The line to watch is the books: their tax reports, depreciation tracking, and automatic categorization sit on the Pro plan, and the free plan connects one bank account. Once you need real accounting, bank feeds, e-signatures, and maintenance in one system, you have outgrown the free tier.

Where PropManager fits (and what it doesn't have yet)

PropManager is a flat $59 a month, month to month, with unlimited e-signatures and $0 ACH rent collection included. It is built for landlords who own what they manage, 1 to 50 units. The honest gaps:

  • No built-in tenant screening. Buildium and TurboTenant both offer it; PropManager does not yet.
  • Community-association / HOA accounting.
  • The breadth of third-party integrations a large management company may rely on.
  • A genuinely free landlord tier (PropManager has none).
  • TurboTenant's large landlord network and listing reach.

Weighing a third option?

PropManager is $59 a month flat, month to month, with e-signatures and $0 ACH included. We migrate your portfolio for you, free, and you can run it in parallel with your current tool until you are sure. Leave anytime and we export everything back out, free.

Fair questions

Which is cheaper for the landlord, Buildium or TurboTenant?

TurboTenant, clearly. With e-signatures and online rent in use, TurboTenant's Essentials plan is about $12.42 a month billed annually, while Buildium's Essential works out to about $95.5 at 10 units (verified 2026-07-24 and 2026-07-24). The difference is who pays the rest: on TurboTenant's free plan your renters pay $2 for each ACH rent payment and $45 to $55 to apply.

Does TurboTenant include e-signatures on the free plan?

No. E-signatures require a paid TurboTenant plan billed annually (Essentials is $149 a year). On Buildium, $5 per document on Essential and $1 on Growth; included on the $400/mo Premium plan. PropManager includes unlimited e-signatures in its flat $59.

What do tenants pay on each?

On TurboTenant's free plan, renters pay $2 per ACH rent payment and $45 to $55 for the rental application; card payments run 3.49%. On Buildium, incoming ACH costs $2.35 per payment on Essential, paid by you or your resident. On PropManager, ACH is $0 to everyone and cards are 2.9% + $0.30, paid by the resident who chooses one.

When is TurboTenant the right pick?

At a door or two with simple needs, and tenants who do not mind the application and ACH fees, TurboTenant's free plan is a fair choice. Their tax reports, depreciation tracking, and automatic expense categorization sit on the Pro plan, and the free plan connects one bank account, so the books are usually where landlords outgrow it.

Where does PropManager fit in this comparison?

PropManager is a flat $59 a month, month to month, with unlimited e-signatures and $0 ACH rent collection included. It is built for landlords who own 1 to 50 units. It does not offer tenant screening yet, and it is not aimed at third-party managers running other owners' books.