Zillow Rental Manager vs TurboTenant (2026): Listings, Screening and Rent Fees

Both tools are free for landlords to start, and both cover listings, applications, screening and online rent. Zillow Rental Manager wins on listing reach across Zillow, Trulia and HotPads, and it's cheaper for tenants: ACH rent is free and screening is $40. TurboTenant wins on management tools, adding condition reports, maintenance requests, deposit returns and paid plans with accounting.

Best for: landlords with 1–10 units deciding where to list and collect rent, or whether to use both: Zillow for reach, TurboTenant for management.

Everything below comes from Zillow's and TurboTenant's own pages and help centers, checked October 28, 2026. We haven't tested either product hands-on.

Quick verdict

• Pick Zillow Rental Manager if you mainly want renters to see your listing on Zillow, Trulia and HotPads and want tenants to pay rent by bank transfer for free. https://www.zillow.com/rental-manager/
• Pick TurboTenant if you want more management tools in one free account, such as condition reports, maintenance requests and deposit returns, with paid plans for faster payouts and accounting. Visit TurboTenant

Side by side

Sources: Zillow rent payments, Zillow tenant screening, Zillow listing help, TurboTenant plan costs, TurboTenant payout times, TurboTenant pricing.

Listings and reach

Zillow lists on its own network: Zillow, Trulia and HotPads. Zillow's help center says publishing a listing has been free since May 2022. An optional Premium listing costs $39.99 one-time for up to 90 days and doesn't renew automatically. It adds higher placement in search, a tracking phone number, listing insights and priority support. Free listings stay active for 21 days unless you confirm they're still available. Advertising for multifamily properties with 25+ units is handled separately.

TurboTenant sends listings to its own syndication partners, but its help center says that doesn't include Zillow directly. Apartments.com syndication is available only for landlords with under 5 units, with up to 8 listings. If Zillow traffic matters most, note that you can list on Zillow for free whichever tool you use to manage.

Screening and applications

Both make the applicant pay, so landlords pay nothing.

• Zillow: $40, per its tenant-screening page, and it lets the applicant apply to unlimited participating rentals for 30 days. That's friendlier to renters who apply to several places. An older Zillow help article says $35, so confirm the amount in your account.
• TurboTenant: $55 on the free plan, dropping to $45 when you're on a paid plan. The fee is non-refundable.

Check your state's rules on applicant fees. New York, for example, caps screening fees at $20 or actual cost. See best tenant screening services.

Rent collection

Zillow's rent payments are free for landlords, and tenants pay nothing by bank transfer. Card payments cost tenants 2.95% on credit or $9.95 on debit, and deposits take up to 5 business days.

TurboTenant charges tenants $2 per ACH payment on Free and Essentials, and it's typically waived on Pro. Cards cost 3.49%. Standard ACH payouts take 5–7 business days, and expedited payouts on paid plans take 2–4 (under $10,000).

On a $1,500 rent paid by ACH, Zillow costs the tenant $0 and TurboTenant's free plan costs $2. Over 12 months on 5 units, that's $0 vs $120.

Beyond renting the unit

TurboTenant's free plan also includes condition reports, maintenance requests, a rent roll and electronic security deposit returns. Pro adds an accounting suite with Schedule E and Form 8825 reports, waived ACH fees and Snappt income verification.

Zillow Rental Manager's pages describe listings, applications, screening, leases and rent payments. They don't describe maintenance tracking or bookkeeping, so plan on another tool for those.

Using both

Many small landlords don't have to choose. Zillow's listing is free whichever tool you manage with, so one common setup is:

1. List on Zillow Rental Manager for Zillow, Trulia and HotPads traffic.
2. List from TurboTenant too if you want its partner sites, and keep applications in one place by pointing applicants to one of them.
3. Collect rent in one tool only, so tenants have one payment link and you have one ledger.

The catch is two inboxes and two applicant fees. Pick one place for applications and say so in both listings.

Cost for 5 units for a year

How we checked

On October 28, 2026, we read Zillow Rental Manager's rent-payment and tenant-screening pages and its help-center articles on listing fees and listing duration. For TurboTenant, we read its pricing page and help-center articles on plan costs, payout times and listing syndication. The 5-unit costs are our arithmetic from the published fees. We haven't used either product with our own rentals, and neither company paid for this comparison. Confirm current fees before you list.

FAQ

Is Zillow Rental Manager free?

Yes, for landlords. Listings, applications, screening and rent payments are free to use. Tenants pay card fees, and applicants pay $40 for screening.

Does TurboTenant list on Zillow?

Not directly, per its help center. You can post a free Zillow listing separately.

Which is cheaper for tenants?

Zillow: ACH rent payments are free, versus $2 on TurboTenant's Free and Essentials plans. Zillow's screening fee is $40, versus $45–$55 on TurboTenant.

Which pays out rent faster?

Zillow ACH deposits take up to 5 business days. TurboTenant's standard ACH takes 5–7, or 2–4 with expedited payouts on paid plans.

Does Zillow Rental Manager do accounting?

Its pages don't describe bookkeeping, beyond 1099s mentioned on the rent page. TurboTenant Pro includes an accounting suite with Schedule E reports.

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