What property management software do you actually recommend?

Question

I’m curious what everyone is using to manage their rental properties these days.

I have a few rentals and have been looking into property management software, but there seem to be so many options (Buildium, AppFolio, DoorLoop, Stessa, TurboTenant, etc.) that it’s hard to know which one is actually worth using.

For those of you who use property management software:

• Which platform do you use?
• What made you choose it?
• What are your favorite features?
• What are your biggest frustrations or things you wish it did better?
• If you could change one thing about it, what would it be?

I’d especially love to hear from small to mid-sized landlords who actively manage their own portfolios. Real-world experiences are much more helpful than sales pages.

Thanks in advance!

Cameron Green · Answer

I started out using Apartments.com for my rentals when I didn't have many properties. I eventually switched to RentRedi, and I've really liked it. It has pretty much everything I need: rent collection, tenant communication, lease signing, maintenance requests, and more.

If you have a larger portfolio, I'd recommend looking into Buildium. My brokerage uses it, and it's much more robust when it comes to accounting, reporting, and overall property management.

That said, regardless of which platform you use, most of my tenants come from Zillow and Facebook. As long as your listings are getting in front of people, you'll be in good shape.

If you have any specific questions about the different platforms or are trying to decide between a couple of them, feel free to message me. I'm happy to share my experience

Olorunshola Emmanuel · Answer

I've heard good things about Buildium and AppFolio from larger operators, while a lot of smaller investors seem to prefer Stessa or TurboTenant because they're simpler and more affordable.

One thing I've noticed, though, is that most property management platforms do a great job after you've acquired a property, but very few help with the front end of the process, actually finding off-market deals, managing wholesaler relationships, or automating acquisitions.

Curious to see what everyone else recommends and what features they feel are still missing.

Jack Krusinski · Answer

I use Innago for our 30+ rental doors. It's not the fanciest option, but it covers the essentials—rent collection, tenant communication, maintenance requests, and lease signing. That's all I need. Less is more for me and it's free. It works for our small portfolio.

Benjamin Aaker · Answer

I have property mangers now, but when I self-managed, I used Buildium. It was cost-effective for a small number of units.

Aditya Kumar · Answer

I have experience using Buildium, AppFolio, and DoorLoop. They all have a few things in common: they're browser-based, have modern app-like interfaces, and follow fairly similar workflows, so the learning curve isn't too steep.

That said, I'd recommend Buildium for portfolios of up to around 100 units. It's straightforward, easy to navigate, and offers excellent value for small to mid-sized landlords. Reports cannot be pulled on Buildium beyond 5000 line items.

For larger portfolios, AppFolio is where I usually lean. I've managed larger portfolios on AppFolio, and it scales much better with more advanced automation and reporting—faster to use as the data gets bulkier.

Between the options you mentioned, Buildium and AppFolio have been around for the longest time.