Guide

DoorLoop vs AppFolio (2026): Pricing, Minimums and Which Fits Your Portfolio

DoorLoop vs AppFolio for property managers: DoorLoop One's $239 monthly minimum vs AppFolio Core from $1.49 per unit with a 50-unit minimum, fees and fit.

By Landlord Software Directory · Updated on Oct 29, 2026 · Pricing checked Oct 2026

On this page

Prices at a glance
What it costs at common sizes
Payment fees
Features by tier
Which should you pick?
How we checked
FAQ
Related

DoorLoop and AppFolio are both full property management platforms with owner accounting, leasing, maintenance and portals. They price in opposite ways. DoorLoop publishes its full formula: a per-unit rate with a monthly minimum and no unit floor. AppFolio publishes per-unit starting rates, but it requires at least 50 units and an unpublished minimum spend.

Short answer: Under 50 units, DoorLoop is the only option of the two, because AppFolio requires 50 units. DoorLoop One costs $239 a month minimum month to month ($199 on yearly billing). AppFolio Core starts at $1.49 per unit a month, and its page says minimum spend and 50 unit minimum apply. Above 50 units, compare written quotes.

Best for:

Best for under 50 units: DoorLoop, because AppFolio has a 50-unit minimum.
Best for a fully published price: DoorLoop, because its rates, minimums and payment fees are all on its pricing page.
Best for affordable or student housing: AppFolio Plus, because those capabilities are listed on that tier.
Best for full API access on the base plan: DoorLoop One, because AppFolio's API starts on Plus (read-only).

We haven't used either platform with our own rentals. This comparison is based on each company's public pricing pages.

Prices at a glance

**Pricing checked Oct 28, 2026.**
Tool	Starting price (as checked)	Free plan	Key fees	Best for
DoorLoop One	$3.00/unit monthly, $239 min ($2.50 and $199 min on yearly billing)	No	Incoming ACH $1.50; screening $35	Full platform with unlimited users
DoorLoop Connect	$4.80/unit monthly, $359 min ($4.00 and $299 min on yearly billing)	No	Incoming ACH free; screening $35	AI receptionist, free incoming ACH
DoorLoop Multiply	$6.00/unit monthly, $479 min ($5.00 and $399 min on yearly billing)	No	Incoming ACH free; screening $35	Maintenance and lease-renewal agents
AppFolio Core	From $1.49*/unit/mo	No	Optional value-added services; prices not published	50+ unit management companies
AppFolio Plus	From $3.20*/unit/mo	No	Same	Affordable and student housing, read-only API
AppFolio Max	From $5.00*/unit/mo	No	Same	Leasing CRM, read/write API

*AppFolio's footnote on Core reads: "Minimum spend and 50 unit minimum apply. Contact us for details." Plus and Max say: "Minimum spend and units apply." AppFolio doesn't publish the minimum spend or say whether its rates assume annual billing.

DoorLoop's page says yearly billing saves "up to 25%." Above 100 units, One drops to $1.80 per unit monthly ($1.50 yearly). Our DoorLoop pricing guide has every rate and fee.

What it costs at common sizes

Monthly subscription only. DoorLoop One is shown month to month, with the yearly-billing figure in brackets. AppFolio figures are starting rates × units and exclude its unpublished minimum spend.

Units	DoorLoop One	AppFolio Core	AppFolio Plus	AppFolio Max
20	$239 ($199)	Not available (50-unit minimum)	Not available	Not available
50	$239 ($199)	From $74.50	From $160	From $250
100	$300 ($250)	From $149	From $320	From $500
150	$390 ($325)	From $223.50	From $480	From $750

How we got these:

DoorLoop One: the higher of the minimum or rate × units. At 150 units, that's 100 × $3.00 + 50 × $1.80 = $390 a month to month, or 100 × $2.50 + 50 × $1.50 = $325 on yearly billing. We read the lower rate as applying only to units past 100.
AppFolio: rate × units. AppFolio's minimum spend could make the real bill higher, especially near 50 units.

On list rates, AppFolio Core looks cheaper per unit from 50 units up. But Core's figure is a floor with an unknown minimum spend and separately priced value-added services. DoorLoop's figure is what its page says you'll pay before payment fees. Get an AppFolio quote in writing before you compare.

Payment fees

DoorLoop publishes its fees. Incoming ACH is $1.50 per payment on One and free on Connect and Multiply. Outgoing payments to vendors and owners are free, and screening is $35. Its page doesn't show the card fee or who pays for screening.

AppFolio's pricing page doesn't list payment or screening fees. It lists optional value-added services, saying you'll "only pay for what you need," without prices. Ask for the ACH, card and screening fees in your quote. Fees can add more than the subscription: at 100 units with all-ACH tenants, DoorLoop One's $1.50 fee comes to $150 a month if you absorb it.

Features by tier

DoorLoop One lists rental accounting with owner statements, distributions and 1099 forms, plus QuickBooks Online sync. It also lists maintenance with a vendor portal, tenant and owner portals, a prospect CRM, showing scheduling, listings, applications, screening, unlimited eSignatures, unlimited users and full API access. Connect adds the Receptionist Agent, which answers tenant texts, calls and portal messages. Multiply adds Maintenance Ops and Lease Renewals agents. Rent Collection and Prospect agents are marked "Coming Soon."

AppFolio Core lists property accounting and reports, end-to-end marketing and leasing, work orders, inspections and unit turns, integrated communication, the Realm-X Assistant, purchase orders and inventory tracking, and standard support. Plus adds affordable and student housing capabilities, advanced budgeting, custom fields, Realm-X Flows, premium integrations, a read-only API and enhanced support. Max adds a leasing CRM, Leasing Signals, a read/write API and a dedicated customer success manager.

Which should you pick?

Fewer than 50 units: DoorLoop, or a lower-cost tool. AppFolio isn't available to you. Under about 20 self-managed units, DoorLoop's minimum is a lot to pay; see DoorLoop alternatives.
50–150 units, wanting a price you can budget without a sales call: DoorLoop. Its page states what you'll pay.
50+ units with affordable or student housing: AppFolio Plus lists those capabilities. DoorLoop's page doesn't.
You want an AI receptionist answering tenants now: DoorLoop Connect. AppFolio lists the Realm-X Assistant on Core, so compare both in demos.
Comparing three platforms: see AppFolio vs Buildium and DoorLoop vs Buildium.

Visit DoorLoop · Visit AppFolio

How we checked

On October 28, 2026, we read DoorLoop's pricing page, including its monthly and yearly plan toggle, comparison table and FAQ. We also read AppFolio's pricing page (https://www.appfolio.com/pricing), including the Core, Plus and Max plan cards and footnotes. AppFolio's Core, Plus and Max starting rates and its 50-unit minimum were reconfirmed on October 29, 2026. The cost table is our own math from those published rates. Neither company pays us, and we don't rank by commission.

FAQ

Is DoorLoop cheaper than AppFolio?

Under 50 units, AppFolio isn't available, so DoorLoop is the only choice of the two. From 50 units, AppFolio Core's starting rate ($1.49 per unit) is lower on paper, but AppFolio adds an unpublished minimum spend.

Can small landlords use AppFolio?

Not with fewer than 50 units. AppFolio's pricing page says: "Minimum spend and 50 unit minimum apply."

What is DoorLoop's minimum price?

DoorLoop One costs $239 a month minimum month to month, or $199 on yearly billing. Connect's minimum is $359 month to month ($299 billed yearly), and Multiply's is $479 ($399 billed yearly).

Does AppFolio publish payment fees?

No. Its pricing page lists optional value-added services without prices and doesn't list ACH, card or screening fees. DoorLoop lists $1.50 incoming ACH on One and $35 screening.