Baselane vs Stessa (2026): Which Free Rental Accounting App Fits Your Portfolio?

Baselane and Stessa both promise the same thing: stop doing rental bookkeeping in a spreadsheet. Each pairs property-level income and expense tracking with banking (through Thread Bank) and built-in rent collection, and each has a free plan.

Baselane is a financial technology company and is not an FDIC-insured bank.

Best for: Baselane fits landlords who want Schedule E reports and separate bank accounts per property for $0. Stessa fits landlords who want tenants to pay nothing for ACH rent (into a Stessa account) and don't need Schedule E on the free plan.

The differences are in what's free, how fast rent arrives, and who pays the rent-payment fees. Everything below comes from each company's own pricing and help pages. We haven't tested either product hands-on.

Quick verdict

• Pick Baselane if you want Schedule E reports and an accountant tax package on the free plan, unlimited property-specific bank accounts, and the option of 2-day rent deposits. Visit Baselane
• Pick Stessa if you want rent collection that's fee-free for both you and your tenant when rent lands in a Stessa account. Stessa is also built around investor reporting, and Schedule E costs $12 a month on its Manage plan. https://www.stessa.com/

Plans and prices

Neither company is a bank. Banking services for both are provided by Thread Bank, Member FDIC, and FDIC coverage depends on pass-through conditions.

What the free plans include

Baselane Core ($0)

• Unlimited checking and savings accounts
• Physical and virtual debit cards with spend controls
• Property-level income and expense tracking
• An accountant tax package and Schedule E reports
• Automated rent collection, reminders and late fees
• Tenant portal with autopay
• A mobile app

Stessa Essentials ($0)

• Unlimited properties
• Automatic bank feeds and basic reports
• Rent collection
• Tenant screening
• Maintenance tracking

Watch for on the free plan:

• Smart receipt scanning is limited to 5 receipts a month.
• State lease templates cost $15 each.
• The Schedule E report requires Manage.

Rent collection: fees and timing

The cheapest setup for tenants on either tool is ACH into that tool's own bank account. If you want rent to go straight to your existing bank, Stessa's resident fee is "up to $2" per payment. Baselane's payment policy and FAQ say $2, though the fee table on its pricing page shows "$2 - $5".

Bookkeeping and tax features

Baselane:

• On Core: auto-categorized transactions, a consolidated ledger, real-time reports (net cash flow, NOI, rent roll, tenant ledger) and the accountant tax package.
• On Smart: AI auto-tagging into 120+ categories, rule-based tagging, auto receipt matching, balance sheets, cost segregation, and shared access with role-based controls.

Stessa:

• On Essentials: bank feeds and basic reports for free.
• Manage adds Schedule E, one e-signature a month and accelerated rent.
• Pro adds more e-signatures (7 a month) and unlimited receipt scanning.

If you already use a CPA who wants QuickBooks or Xero, Baselane lists QuickBooks and Xero sync in its feature table (see Baselane vs QuickBooks). For other options, see landlord accounting software, including REI Hub and QuickBooks.

Pros and cons

Baselane

Pros

• Schedule E and the accountant tax package are free
• Unlimited property-specific bank accounts, useful for keeping each property or LLC separate
• 2-day rent deposits are available on Smart

Cons

• Rent takes 5 business days on the free plan
• A $2 tenant ACH fee applies unless rent goes into a Baselane account or you cover it (its pricing-page fee table shows a $2–$5 range, so confirm in the app)
• Card payments cost tenants 3.49%, among the higher card fees we checked
• It isn't a full property management suite. For listings, applications and maintenance you'll probably pair it with another tool

Stessa

Pros

• Landlords never pay rent-collection fees, and tenant ACH into a Stessa account is free
• A slightly lower card fee for tenants (3%)
• Bank feeds and unlimited properties on the free plan
• Low-cost paid tiers ($12 a month billed annually for Manage)

Cons

• Schedule E isn't on the free plan
• Free-plan limits on receipts (5 a month) and lease templates ($15 each)
• ACH rent can take up to 5 business days
• Stessa doesn't send automatic payment retries. If a tenant's payment fails, the tenant has to resubmit it

Which should you choose?

• 1–5 units, you want tax-time reports for $0: Baselane Core.
• You want tenants to pay $0 to pay rent by bank transfer and don't mind keeping rent in a Stessa account first: Stessa.
• You need rent in your account fast: Baselane Smart (2 business days) or Stessa's paid plans (accelerated rent). Compare both against other rent collection apps.
• You also need listings, screening and leases in one place: look at an all-in-one tool. See best free landlord software.

How we checked

On October 28, 2026, we read Baselane's pricing page and its payment policy and FAQ, and Stessa's pricing page and its help articles on rent collection, convenience fees and screening. Where a vendor's own pages disagree (Baselane's $2 vs "$2 - $5" ACH fee), we show both. Items we couldn't confirm are marked "not verified". We haven't used either product with our own rentals.

FAQ

Is Baselane or Stessa free?

Both have a $0 plan: Baselane Core and Stessa Essentials. Paid tiers are Baselane Smart ($20 a month on an annual plan) and Stessa Manage ($12 a month billed annually) or Pro ($28).

Which one gives Schedule E for free?

Baselane. Its Schedule E report is on the free Core plan. Stessa puts it on Manage.

Which is cheaper for tenants paying rent?

Stessa's card fee is 3% against Baselane's 3.49%. Both waive the tenant ACH fee when rent goes into their own bank account.

Which deposits rent faster?

Baselane Smart says 2 business days. Free plans on both take up to 5 business days for ACH, and Stessa's paid plans add accelerated rent.

Are Baselane and Stessa banks?

No. Banking for both is provided by Thread Bank, Member FDIC, and FDIC coverage depends on pass-through conditions.

Related

• Landlord accounting software
• Rent collection software
• Landlord software by unit count
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• Stessa pricing
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• Landlord Studio vs Stessa
• Baselane alternatives