Guide
Baselane vs Avail (2026): Free Landlord Banking vs Free Leasing and Rent Tools
Baselane vs Avail for small landlords: two free plans compared on rent fees, payout speed, leases, listings, screening, bank accounts and Schedule E. Oct 2026.
By Landlord Software Directory · Updated on · Pricing checked
On this page
Baselane and Avail both give small landlords a free plan with online rent collection and tenant screening, but they start from different jobs. Baselane is a banking and bookkeeping platform that added rent collection. Avail is a leasing and rent tool with listings, applications, state-specific leases and maintenance requests, and it also lists property-specific bank accounts.
Baselane is a financial technology company and is not an FDIC-insured bank.
Short answer: Choose Baselane if you want free property bank accounts, automatic bookkeeping and Schedule E reports, with no tenant ACH fee when rent lands in a Baselane account. Choose Avail if you want free listings, screening, state-specific leases with e-signing and maintenance requests. Many small landlords could run Avail for leasing and Baselane for banking and books.
Best for:
- Best for banking, bookkeeping and Schedule E at $0: Baselane Core, because all three are on its free plan.
- Best for free leases with e-signing: Avail, because state-specific leases with digital signing are on its free Unlimited plan.
- Best for listing a vacancy: Avail, because it syndicates to "the top 19 sites," including Zumper, Realtor.com and ApartmentList.
- Best for zero tenant ACH fees on a free plan: Baselane, when rent is deposited into a Baselane account.
- Best for next-day rent deposits: Avail Unlimited Plus, because it includes FastPay.
We haven't used Baselane or Avail with our own rentals; this comparison is based on their public pricing, feature and help pages checked Oct 2026.
Prices at a glance
| Tool | Starting price (as checked) | Free plan | Key fees | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baselane Core | $0 | Yes | Tenant ACH $2 ($2–$5 on the fee table), waived into Baselane; card 3.49%; screening $24.99+; 5-day deposits | Banking, bookkeeping and Schedule E |
| Baselane Smart | $20/mo on an annual plan ($240/yr); no month-to-month price found | No (30-day trial) | Same fees; 2-day deposits | AI tagging, balance sheets, shared access |
| Avail Unlimited | $0, unlimited units | Yes | Tenant ACH $2.50; card 3.5%; screening $30–$55 (TransUnion, varies by state); 2–3 day payouts | Free listings, leases and rent collection |
| Avail Unlimited Plus | $9/unit/mo | No | Tenant ACH $0; card 3.5%; next-day FastPay | Faster deposits, custom lease templates |
Baselane shows Smart only "on an annual plan," and we didn't see an annual option for Avail Plus, which is billed per unit each month. Full detail: Baselane pricing and Avail alternatives.
What it costs to collect rent
Both free plans cost $0 a month, so for most small landlords the real cost is per-payment fees and who pays them.
| Baselane Core | Avail Unlimited | Avail Unlimited Plus | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tenant ACH | $2 (FAQ; the fee table shows $2–$5); waived when rent goes into a Baselane account; you can cover it | $2.50 | $0 |
| Card | 3.49% | 3.5% | 3.5% |
| Payout time | 5 business days (2 on Smart) | 2–3 business days | Next day with FastPay |
| Screening | $24.99+ | $30–$55, tenant or landlord pays | Same |
Yearly cost if every tenant pays by ACH each month and you absorb the fee:
| Units | Baselane Core, rent into Baselane | Baselane Core, outside bank | Avail Unlimited | Avail Unlimited Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $0 | $24 | $30 | $108 |
| 5 | $0 | $120 | $150 | $540 |
| 10 | $0 | $240 | $300 | $1,080 |
How we got these: Baselane outside bank is $2 × 12 × units; Avail Unlimited is $2.50 × 12 × units; Avail Plus is $9 × 12 × units, with ACH free. If tenants pay the ACH fee instead, both free plans cost you nothing. Card payments add the percentage fees above.
What each one covers
Baselane Core (free) lists:
- Unlimited checking and savings accounts with no minimum balance or monthly maintenance fee, through Thread Bank, Member FDIC
- Visa debit cards with spend controls
- Property-level income and expense tracking and a ledger that syncs outside accounts
- Schedule E reports and an accountant tax package
- Rent invoices, reminders, late fees, a tenant portal and autopay
Smart adds auto-tagging, balance sheets with automatic depreciation, receipt matching, 2-day deposits and shared access. Baselane's pricing page doesn't list leases, e-signatures, listings or maintenance requests.
Avail Unlimited (free) lists:
- Listings syndicated to "the top 19 sites," naming Zumper, Padmapper, Realtor.com and ApartmentList
- Online applications and TransUnion screening
- State-specific leases with digital signing
- Online rent collection and maintenance requests
- Income and expense tracking and property-specific bank accounts
- Rent reporting to credit bureaus with CreditBoost
Unlimited Plus adds next-day FastPay, waived tenant ACH fees and customizable, reusable lease templates. Avail says it's part of Realtor.com.
Bookkeeping and taxes
This is the clearest difference. Baselane builds books from your bank activity and lists Schedule E reports and an accountant tax package on its free plan. Avail's pricing page lists income and expense tracking but doesn't list a Schedule E report, so ask Avail before you count on tax reports from it.
If tax time is the main job, Baselane does more of it for $0. If you already keep books in another tool, Avail's gap matters less. See best rental property accounting software.
Leasing, listings and screening
Avail covers the leasing side: syndicated listings, applications, screening, state-specific leases with e-signing and maintenance requests. Baselane's pricing page doesn't list those tools, so a Baselane-only landlord would need another app for listings, leases and repairs.
Both sell screening. Baselane's fee table lists screening from $24.99. Avail's comparison page puts its TransUnion reports at $30–$55, depending on the reports and the state, paid by the tenant or the landlord. Compare what each report includes before you choose on price, and check your state's cap on applicant fees. See best tenant screening services.
Using both
Because they overlap mainly on rent collection, you could list, screen and sign leases on Avail and keep property bank accounts and books on Baselane. Neither company's pages say whether Avail can pay rent out into a Baselane account, or whether that would count as rent "deposited into a Baselane account" for Baselane's fee waiver, so you'd likely pay Avail's tenant fees either way. Confirm with both companies before you set it up.
Which should you pick?
- You want separate property bank accounts and automatic Schedule E: Baselane Core.
- You want free listings, screening, leases and repairs in one app: Avail Unlimited.
- You have 1 unit and want next-day deposits: Avail Plus, at $108 a year.
- Tenants pay by ACH and you'd rather they paid nothing: Baselane, if rent lands in a Baselane account.
- You want free books from another provider: compare Baselane vs Stessa and Stessa vs Avail.
How we checked
On October 28, 2026, we read Baselane's pricing page, including its plan cards, comparison table, fee tables and FAQ, and Avail's pricing page, its Unlimited Plus help article and its RentRedi comparison page (updated October 21, 2026) for screening prices and payout timing. We rechecked both pricing pages on October 29, 2026. The yearly totals are our own arithmetic from the published fees. Neither company pays us for this page, and we don't rank by commission.
FAQ
Is Baselane a bank?
No. Baselane is a financial technology company, and its banking services are provided by Thread Bank, Member FDIC.
Are Baselane and Avail really free?
Both have $0 plans for landlords. Baselane also sells Smart at $20 a month on an annual plan, and Avail sells Unlimited Plus at $9 per unit a month. Per-payment fees still apply on both free plans.
Which pays out rent faster?
Avail's free plan pays out in 2–3 business days, and Unlimited Plus offers next-day FastPay. Baselane deposits take 5 business days on Core and 2 on Smart.
Does Avail have Schedule E reports?
Avail's pricing page lists income and expense tracking but not a Schedule E report. Baselane lists Schedule E reports on its free Core plan.
Can Baselane do leases and listings?
Its pricing page doesn't list leases, e-signatures, listings or maintenance requests. Avail includes all four on its free plan.
Related
Software mentioned
Checked
Free banking, bookkeeping and rent collection for rental investors, with an AI-automation paid tier.
Checked
Free landlord toolkit for listing syndication, TransUnion screening, state-specific leases and online rent collection.
Checked
Free rental accounting, banking and rent collection for investors, with paid tiers for leases and advanced reports.
Checked
Free-first landlord app for listings, screening, e-signed leases and online rent, with low-cost paid tiers for DIY owners.