Guide
Free vs Paid Landlord Software (2026): What Free Plans Leave Out and When Paying Makes Sense
Free vs paid landlord software: what free plans cap or leave out, who pays the fees on each, and the price math for when upgrading to a paid plan makes sense.
By Landlord Software Directory · Updated on · Pricing checked
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This is a decision guide, not a list of free tools. If you already know you want $0 software, our best free landlord software roundup ranks the options. Here we look at what you give up on a free plan, who ends up paying, and the point where a paid plan costs less overall.
Short answer: Free plans are common: 35 of 101 tools in our price index have one. They usually shift costs to tenants through ACH, card and screening fees, and many cap units or users. Paying makes sense when fees you or your tenants cover exceed the subscription, or when you outgrow a cap.
Pricing checked Nov 4, 2026.
Best for:
- Best for staying free: 1–3 units, tenants comfortable paying small ACH fees, simple books.
- Best for paying: landlords near a free-plan cap, or with enough units that waived fees exceed the subscription.
- Best for checking before you upgrade: anyone whose tenants pay by card, since card fees usually stay on paid plans too.
What our price index says
From our free landlord software price index, built from vendor pricing pages in October 2026:
- 35 of 101 tools (35%) have a free plan. Free plans are common in accounting (8 of 10) and rare in all-in-one software (4 of 20).
- The median core paid tool costs $20.00 per unit a month at 1 unit, $2.80 at 10 and $1.52 at 25.
- 44 of 101 tools don't publish enough to compute a monthly cost.
The per-unit drop happens because flat fees and minimums are spread over more units. Paid software is expensive per unit for one rental and cheap per unit at 25.
Where the money comes from on free plans
| Tool | Starting price (as checked) | Free plan | Key fees | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TurboTenant | Free $0; Pro $199/yr at 1–10 units (yearly billing) | Yes | Free: renter ACH $2, screening $55. Pro: ACH free, screening $45. Cards 3.49% | Comparing free vs paid fee by fee |
| Avail | Free $0; Unlimited Plus $9/unit/mo | Yes | Free: tenant ACH $2.50, waived on Plus; cards 3.5% | Few units |
| Innago | Free, no paid tier | Yes | ACH $2; cards 2.99% (tenant by default) | Staying free |
| Landlord Studio | Go free (3 units); Pro $15/mo month-to-month | Yes | ACH $2.50; cards 3.49% | Bookkeeping-first |
| RentRedi | $29.95/mo month-to-month; $12/mo annual plan | No | Tenant ACH $1; cards 3.1% + $0.30 | Paid with low tenant fees |
What free plans leave out
- Unit and user caps. Landlord Studio Go allows 3 units and 1 user (other caps are listed in our price index).
- Higher tenant and applicant fees. TurboTenant charges applicants $55 for screening on Free vs $45 on Pro, and renters $2 per ACH payment on Free vs nothing on Pro.
- Features gated to paid tiers, such as automatic transaction import or extra users. Check each vendor's comparison table for the feature you need.
When paying makes sense: the price math
- TurboTenant Pro vs Free. Pro waives the $2 renter ACH fee, which is $24 per unit a year with monthly rent. At 1–10 units Pro costs $199 a year, so the fees your tenants avoid exceed the subscription at 9 or more units ($199 ÷ $24 = 8.3). If you absorb those fees yourself, that's your break-even.
- Avail Plus vs Free. Plus costs $9 per unit a month and waives a $2.50 ACH fee per payment. With one payment a month per unit, the fee waiver alone never covers the subscription; pay for Plus only if you need its features.
- Card payments. Card fees (2.99%–3.5% above) usually remain on paid plans, so upgrading won't remove them.
- Caps. If you have 4 units and Landlord Studio Go caps at 3, Pro at 4 units costs $16.20 a month month-to-month ($15 + $1.20).
How we checked
On November 4, 2026, we read the pricing pages of TurboTenant, Avail, Landlord Studio and RentRedi, and Innago's FAQ, because its pricing page loads with JavaScript. Index figures (35 of 101, medians) come from our October 2026 price index and were not recalculated today. Break-even figures are our own math.
FAQ
Is free landlord software really free?
The subscription is $0, but someone usually pays transaction or screening fees. On most free plans, tenants pay ACH or card fees and applicants pay screening fees. Read each tool's fee table before choosing.
How many units before paid software is worth it?
There's no single cutoff; it depends on the tool's price and fees. For TurboTenant, Pro's waived ACH fee covers its $199 yearly cost at 9 or more units. For Avail, the ACH waiver alone never covers Plus.
Do paid plans remove card fees?
Usually not. The paid plans in the table above still list card fees of 3.1% to 3.5%. Encourage ACH if fees matter to your tenants.
What does paid software cost per unit?
In our price index, the median core paid tool costs $20.00 per unit a month at 1 unit, $2.80 at 10 and $1.52 at 25. Flat fees and minimums make one unit expensive per unit. Your actual cost depends on the plan.
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