Baselane Vs Stessa

Tyler Koller · 2024-03-05T20:31:27-08:00

I have a mix of long term rentals and short term rentals and I'm looking for something to help organize all of my expenses and more. I currently use apartments.co for screening and rent collection. It would be nice if one app had it all but I don't think any are there yet. I really like that Stessa and Baselane offer high earning interest accounts and physical debit cards and sounds like Stessa offers checks. The biggest issue with Stessa is that it sounded like they had very low transfer maximums(making it difficult to pay people) but it looks like they've improved a little bit on that. Baselane seams to be more normal for transfer/deposit limits and you can create multiple virtual accounts for each property. Stessa has an app, and some other lease and screening features too but there is a 16/month fee to unlock all of the features. Baselane has lease, screening, and rent collection features too but no app but it's free.Has anyone had experience using either or both? I've been leaning towards Baselane but Stessa seams intriguing as well.

Max Emory

Accountant · 100% Remote · Member since 2019 · 495 posts · 216 votes

1y

@Tyler Koller, we use QBO for all of our Clients but I don't recommend it as a PM software (since it's not that). If you're looking for the all-in-one I'd go with a PM software (others have suggested some) and do what you can with it.

Then, as you grow further, look at more sophisticated/expensive options.

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Samuel Kim

Member since 2022 · 20 posts · 12 votes

1y

Quote from @Cliff Benner:

I have not tried Baselane but I did try Stessa for a few minutes.

As an Accountant, I need to be able to make Journal Entries and that is something Stessa does not have so I deleted it right away.

For all my clients we sign them up with QuickBooks Online. Yes the Class feature Cost a bit extra which is a bummer bet the support for it is amazing, and it is easy to allow access for Tax Accountants to pull the reports they need rather than my clients playing middleman.

I am a newbie in book keeping and i gave up on QB it was very difficult

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Billington Tong

Member since 2025 · 4 posts · 3 votes

1y

I am not an accountant and dread even at the thought of using QB. I've been using Baselane for a few years now and have been very satisfied. Its made a lot of improvements throughout the years too. Its a powerful platform that's free, easy to use, and specifically designed for real estate investors and landlords so I would recommend any savvy landlords to look into it.

Some Features:
Free and Feature-Packed: Let's face it, nothing beats free, and Baselane delivers serious value without a monthly fee. You can manage expenses, track income, collect rent, and even create virtual accounts for each property – all for free. No hidden costs, no surprises.

Flexibility is Key: With Baselane, you have the freedom to choose the features you need. While they don't offer tenant screening within the platform just yet, they integrate seamlessly with Apartments.com (which you already use!), eliminating the need for another app.

Effortless Organization: Baselane makes organization a breeze. Track income and expenses for both long-term and short-term rentals in one place. Generate reports to easily see how your properties are performing, all within a user-friendly interface.

Peace of Mind with Banking: The FDIC-insured banking features with high-interest rates and physical debit cards are a huge bonus. Plus, the transfer limits seem much more manageable with Baselane.

Free vs. Paid: While Stessa has some additional features like an app and lease signing, it comes at a monthly cost. Baselane offers a robust platform with all the essentials for free, allowing you to save money and focus on growing your investment portfolio.

3 Reply

Sujata Raman

Member since 2024 · 1 post · 2 votes

1y

Quote from @Meg Melody:

I've been using Stessa for many years now. I started back when they were in Beta mode and free so I've seen them grow quite a bit. One thing I will say is they've come a long way and they are very good at taking direction. Every time I've put in a request for a change in their software they've done it that week. No joke. I've been in property management since 2013 and have used Yardi, Appfolio, and Stessa. I've used tons of other software as well but I loved when Stessa came out with multiple bank accounts. As an out of state investor, having Tenants have their own portal to make payments is a must. Stessa can also do leases w/docusign, tenant screening, and rental listings but I don't use that feature. I have had great success with Zillow Rental Manager which is free and posts to Trulia and Hotpads in one go PLUS their application fee is super cheap. I think $35 at the time of this writing and they can withdraw it and use it at other locations if they get denied. I think the application is active for a month as well. This means I get a ton of applications but Zillow also makes it easy to deny and sends them the denial letter which is fantastic in my opinion. I used to use mysmartmove.com for credit/background checks before that. It's great but a little more expensive for the potential tenant.

Stessa/Thread Bank APY is currently 5.09% so I actually make money every month even though I'm on the pro plan. I have not used Baselane but since I've been with Stessa for so long I don't see myself changing especially since the APY is higher. Don't fix what ain't broke ya know? lol

Stessa also does tax packages and has tons of resources on tax planning. I love their reports which make it easy to send to lenders when I'm looking for portfolio and DSCR financing. I'm an active investor and always swapping out financing so I love that I can track all of that easily with Stessa. Those are newer updates and were much needed. You used to be able to sell turnkey properties for very nominal fees (1% listing fee if sold) via Roofstock with Stessa a couple of years ago. I don't know if they still do that service but that was also nice. I did not sell one with them but I did have a listing with them. I don't think their platform was selling many turnkey properties in Arkansas at the time so I think that was why it maybe didn't sell?

Stessa has an app that I use all the freaking time. Esp when I'm on the go and doing a flip. I capture the receipts as soon as I leave a home improvement store and it has saved my butt because those receipts pile up fast when you're in active renovation on multiple properties.

I do not work for Stessa in any capacity and I don't receive anything from referring them. They have had many drawbacks in the past but they are quick to put out new features and do actually make changes based on comments in the forums. Please let me know if you have any other questions and cheers to your REI, @Tyler Koller! Best of luck!

I started with Baselane last year and switched over to Stessa Pro last month. I was trialing both side by side and in the end, the flexibility Stessa offers (like editing tenant contact info, and adjusting lease terms) were a better fit for me. Baselane also lowered their APY, which I get, but in the end, it was worth it to me to pay for Stessa Pro for the added beneifts.

2 Reply

Stephanie Figueros

Member since 2022 · 1 post · 2 votes

1y

Putting my thoughts here as well. I've used both Stessa and Baselane. Baselane is definitely the winner. It has a lot more features and the bookkeeping feature for organize expenses is game changer. You can even upload non-baselane expenses as well and keep it all categorized in one place. It doesn't have an app, but on an iphone it's pretty easy to log-in with the face recognition pass key. I like that you can have different entities and have accounts for different properties.

2 Reply

Bryce Baker
Rental Property Investor · CO · Member since 2025 · 2 posts · 1 vote
9mo
My use case: banking, bookkeeping, accounting only. I use TenantCloud for all tenant-centric activities.

@Stephanie Figueros

I started out with Baselane several years ago, got annoyed with their clunky - admittedly very new - platform. Jumped ship to Stessa and was much happier for a while. Now I'm taking another look at Baselane because Stessa is completely stagnant for its high price tag. I just ran a cost comparison and breakeven analysis around:
* Price per month for the features included
* Interest earned - annual cost = final cost
* Cost of my time to manually do what Stessa should have been able to do all along
---------------
Stessa came out way worse in every scenario I tried. And I tried quite a few because I'm dreading migrating all of my bookkeeping to another platform.

@Justin Holley

Yes. Over and over again, yes. They've had basic feature and usability requests (e.g. auto-split transaction, create category rules, split in mobile app, etc.) on their "wishlist" for years with zero movement, communication, or transparency. Instead what we get is the latest feature from their new parent company, Roofstock, which amounts to ads selling their products.

@Troy Bailey Created a BP account just to warn you. Avoid Stessa. The dumpster fire was always burning, but now you can smell it from two towns over.
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Justin HolleyPro Member

Investor · Whitefish, MT · Member since 2015 · 62 posts · 18 votes

10mo

I'm just tired of Stessa saying... We are working on bill pay. Moving all my properties to Baselane in January.

1 Reply

Troy BaileyPro Member

clayton, NC · Member since 2017 · 99 posts · 38 votes

9mo

I currently use Apartments.com and Stessa, but I’m trying to consolidate everything into one platform. I’m torn between Stessa and Baselane, but the lack of a built-in maintenance request system on Baselane feels like a pretty big gap.

How are you all managing maintenance tickets, photos, and tenant communication if you’re using Baselane as your main platform?

1 Reply

Jillyan MacMorris
Rental Property Investor · Chicago Suburbs, IL · Member since 2021 · 72 posts · 54 votes
9mo
Quote from @Troy Bailey:

I currently use Apartments.com and Stessa, but I’m trying to consolidate everything into one platform. I’m torn between Stessa and Baselane, but the lack of a built-in maintenance request system on Baselane feels like a pretty big gap.

How are you all managing maintenance tickets, photos, and tenant communication if you’re using Baselane as your main platform?

Baselane is for accounting and banking primarily. It is not a property management software, so I wouldn't say anyone is using it as their main platform in the way you are describing.
0 Reply
Bryce Baker
Rental Property Investor · CO · Member since 2025 · 2 posts · 1 vote
9mo
Quote from @Jillyan MacMorris:

Quote from @Troy Bailey:

I currently use Apartments.com and Stessa, but I’m trying to consolidate everything into one platform. I’m torn between Stessa and Baselane, but the lack of a built-in maintenance request system on Baselane feels like a pretty big gap.

How are you all managing maintenance tickets, photos, and tenant communication if you’re using Baselane as your main platform?

Baselane is for accounting and banking primarily. It is not a property management software, so I wouldn't say anyone is using it as their main platform in the way you are describing.

Echoing what @jiliyan said. I agree that Banklane is great platform if you accept it as a landlord accounting platform and not full tenant management. I would much prefer to see them focus on landlord accounting than being a competitor in the tenant services market.
1 Reply

Jim Johnson

Real Estate Agent · Memphis · Member since 2026 · 543 posts · 315 votes

4w

I haven't used both enough to give you a fair head-to-head, but based on what you're describing, I'd probably lean toward Baselane too if the banking and property-level money management are the bigger priorities. Since Apartments.com is already handling screening and rent collection for you, I wouldn't put much weight on duplicating those features. I'd test the transfer limits and how easily you can separate and reconcile LTR versus STR expenses before committing—that sounds like the part you'll actually be relying on every month.

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Alim Polat

Member since 2026 · 5 posts · 0 votes

1w

Bryce, you priced the cost of your own time doing by hand what Stessa should have done. Roughly how many hours a month was that, and what did you value the hour at? Now that you have moved, is there still a piece you re-key? I am weighing whether a per-statement service that does that and checks it against the bank balance is worth offering, and whether the honest answer from landlords is "no, just better software". Either answer helps.

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Igor Ganapolsky

Englewood, NJ · Member since 2018 · 461 posts · 80 votes

1d

i've tried a bunch of these tools and honestly for a small portfolio the free options are good enough. i started with stessa when it first launched and liked the simplicity but the transfer limits were a real pain. switched to baselane and the virtual accounts per property are great for keeping things organized at tax time.

that said if you're doing both LTR and STR you might outgrow either one eventually. i ended up just using a spreadsheet combined with my bank's business account because nothing had the exact mix of features i wanted without charging $20-50/month. the Schedule E categories in baselane are nice but you can export from any tool and hand it to your accountant.

my advice: start with the free one (baselane) and see if the banking features alone solve your problem. you can always add a dedicated PM tool later if you need the leasing and maintenance tracking.

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Baselane Vs Stessa

Baselane Vs Stessa

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