Guide
Best Rent Collection Apps for Small Landlords (2026): Picks by Need
The best rent collection apps for 1–50 units, picked by need: lowest tenant fees, fastest payouts, rent plus books, and free all-in-one tools. Checked Oct 2026.
By Landlord Software Directory · Updated on · Pricing checked
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Collecting rent online is mostly a commodity now. Almost every landlord tool accepts ACH and cards and supports autopay. What separates them comes down to three numbers:
- The fee per payment
- Who pays it
- How many days until the money is in your account
Best for: the lowest total cost, Zillow Rental Manager, which says ACH is free for both landlord and tenant. If payout speed matters more, Innago is free for landlords and says funds usually arrive in 1–2 business days.
This guide puts those numbers side by side, from each vendor's own pricing or help pages. We haven't tested these products hands-on.
Comparison table
| App | Landlord subscription | Tenant ACH fee | Card fee (tenant) | Typical ACH payout | Faster option |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zillow Rental Manager | $0 | $0 | 2.95% credit; $9.95 debit | Up to 5 business days | None listed on its rent page |
| Stessa | $0 (paid plans from $12/mo billed annually) | $0 into Stessa account; up to $2 to outside bank | 3% | Up to 5 business days | Accelerated rent on Manage/Pro |
| Innago | $0 | $2 (landlord can absorb) | 2.99% | 1–2 business days (first payment held 3) | Instant withdrawal via partner Accelerent |
| RentRedi | $12/mo annual, $20/mo 6-month, $29.95/mo monthly | $1 (landlord can cover) | 3.1% + $0.30 | 2–3 business days | — |
| TurboTenant | $0; Essentials from $149/yr | About $2 on Free/Essentials; typically waived on Pro | 3.49% | 5–7 business days | 2–4 days (Essentials/Pro); Instant Payouts for a fee |
| Baselane | $0; Smart $20/mo annual | $2 per payment policy (fee table shows $2–$5); waived for Baselane deposits | 3.49% | 5 business days | 2 business days on Smart |
| Avail | $0; Unlimited Plus $9/unit/mo | $2.50 on free plan; $0 on Plus | 3.5% | 2–3 business days (per Avail) | Next-day FastPay on Plus |
| Hemlane | Basic: $28/mo platform fee + $2/unit | $0 | 3% (assignable to you or tenant) | 2–3 business days (verified, paying accounts); first payment ~5, up to 10 | Cards up to 24 hours |
| Landlord Studio | $0 up to 3 units; Pro from $15/mo | $2.50 (you or tenant) | 3.49% | 3–5 business days | Cards 3–4 business days |
Hemlane's prices are its annual-billing rates, the default view on its pricing page ("Save up to 20% with annual billing"); month-to-month costs more. In this table, "landlord can cover" means the app lets you pay the fee instead of passing it to the tenant.
Our picks by situation
Lowest cost for both landlord and tenant: Zillow Rental Manager or Stessa
- Zillow Rental Manager: says rent collection is free for landlords and ACH is free for tenants.
- Stessa: charges landlords nothing. Tenant ACH is also free when rent goes into a Stessa Cash Management account.
The trade-off is speed: both say ACH can take up to 5 business days. Watch Zillow's flat $9.95 debit-card fee. It's cheap on a big rent but stands out on small payments like a utility bill.
Fastest standard payouts on a free plan: Innago
Innago says funds usually arrive in 1–2 business days. A 3-day hold applies to a tenant's first payment, to any new funding source, and after a failed payment. It's free for landlords. Tenants pay $2 per ACH payment and 2.99% on cards, unless you choose to absorb those fees.
Low tenant fees on a flat subscription: RentRedi
RentRedi's tenant ACH fee is $1, and it says deposits land in 2–3 business days. You can cover the fee or switch to ACH-only. The catch is that there's no free plan. The lowest price, $12 a month, requires annual billing.
Free plan with the most built around it: TurboTenant
TurboTenant's free plan bundles rent collection with listings, screening, condition reports and maintenance. Visit TurboTenant
Watch for:
- Free-plan ACH payouts take 5–7 business days.
- The ACH fee is about $2 unless you're on Pro.
- Faster payouts (2–4 days, for payments under $10,000) need a paid plan.
Best if rent lands in a dedicated property bank account: Baselane
Baselane combines rent collection with free property-specific checking accounts and Schedule E bookkeeping. Visit Baselane
Baselane is a financial technology company and is not an FDIC-insured bank.
Watch for:
- On the free Core plan, rent takes 5 business days, versus 2 on Smart.
- Tenant ACH fees apply unless rent goes into a Baselane account.
- Cards cost tenants 3.49%.
Next-day deposits for a per-unit price: Avail Unlimited Plus
Avail's paid plan costs $9 per unit per month. It waives the tenant ACH fee and adds next-day FastPay deposits. At 10 units, that's $90 a month, so compare it with flat-priced options. Card payments cost 3.5% on every Avail plan.
$0 ACH plus hands-on help: Hemlane
Hemlane's Basic plan includes rent collection with $0 ACH fees for $28 a month plus $2 per unit, billed annually. Its higher tiers add repair coordination. Visit Hemlane
If you manage 20+ units or other owners' properties
Full property management suites often charge per transaction and per unit:
- DoorLoop: One plan starts at $2.50 per unit per month with a $199 monthly minimum. Incoming ACH costs $1.50 per payment on One, and it's free on Connect, which has a $299 minimum. Visit DoorLoop
- Rentec Direct: Rentec Pro starts at $50 a month, with annual discounts. Its fee table includes one free incoming ACH per active property each month, then $0.50 each. Cards cost 2.95% (Amex 3.5%). On the $25 Starter plan, each incoming ACH costs $2 and cards cost 3.5%.
For a portfolio this size, see landlord software by unit count.
How to choose
- Add up fees per year, not per payment. Example: a $2 tenant ACH fee on 8 units is $192 a year paid by someone, and on cards at 3% or more, a $1,400 rent costs about $42 or more per payment. If you cover fees for your tenants, those costs become yours.
- Match payout time to your bills. If your mortgage is due on the 5th and rent comes in on the 1st, a 5–7 business day ACH window won't work.
- Decide whether you'll accept cards. On a $1,000–$1,700 rent, a 3% card fee ($30–$51) is roughly 15–25 times a $2 ACH fee. Some apps, such as RentRedi, let you turn on ACH-only.
- Check where the money lands. Some free options (Stessa, Baselane) are cheapest when rent goes into the provider's own bank account, held at Thread Bank. That's fine for many landlords, but it means one more account to manage.
- Keep records together. Rent collection that feeds your ledger automatically saves the most time at tax season. See Baselane vs Stessa.
How we checked
On October 28, 2026, we read each app's own pricing page and its rent-payment fee and payout help articles. Payout times are what each vendor says, not times we measured. Where a vendor's pages disagree (Baselane's ACH fee, TurboTenant's free-plan card payments), we show both. We haven't used these apps with our own rentals.
FAQ
What is the cheapest rent collection app?
Zillow Rental Manager and Stessa charge landlords nothing, and tenant ACH is free on Zillow and free into a Stessa account. Card payments still cost tenants 2.95%–3%.
Which rent collection app pays out fastest?
On a free plan, Innago says 1–2 business days. For next-day deposits, Avail's FastPay needs Unlimited Plus at $9 per unit a month.
Who pays rent collection fees, landlord or tenant?
Usually the tenant, but most apps let you cover the ACH fee. Card fees are almost always paid by the tenant.
Can I stop tenants paying by card?
Some apps allow it. RentRedi lets you switch to ACH-only. Stessa says landlords can't disable payment methods.
Is there a rent collection app with no fees at all?
Zillow for ACH, and Stessa or Baselane for ACH into their own bank accounts. Every app here charges tenants for card payments.
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