AppFolio vs. Buildium: Comparison
If you are searching for a new property management software, Appfolio and Buildium are two of the popular names you’re likely to come across.
Appfolio and Buildium are property management software systems that assist property managers, landlords, HOA managers, and real estate owners with accounting, maintenance requests, inspections, tenant communication, and reporting processes.
AppFolio vs Buildium: Software Overview
Follow this guide to compare the two systems to see which is better suited for your business.
What is AppFolio Software?
AppFolio software is primarily designed for residential and commercial property managers and community association managers. It includes features to support the modern manager, including online applications and leases, digital rent payments, built-in tenant screening, and portals for residents and owners to communicate. The system also offers maintenance request tracking, accounting and reporting tools, marketing, and a mobile application.
What is Buildium Software?
Buildium software is designed for small to mid-sized property managers, real estate owners, HOA management companies, and landlords. The system offers a tenant portal for residents to pay rent online, submit maintenance requests, and communicate with their property managers. It also offers accounting, marketing, and leasing tools for online lease signing and maintenance management to track various requests and tasks.
Pricing Comparison
Budget is another significant factor when comparing property management solutions. Both AppFolio and Buildium use tiered pricing models that scale with the size of your portfolio.
| Software | Deployment Model | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| AppFolio | Cloud-Based | Starts at $1.49 per unit per month, with a minimum monthly fee of $298. |
| Buildium | Cloud-Based | Plans start at $58 per month |
AppFolio Pricing
All AppFolio packages have a minimum monthly fee of $298 and a minimum of 50 units. Pricing for AppFolio now requires a custom quote based on portfolio size.
This is the current pricing structure for AppFolio:
- Core: $1.49/unit/month
- Plus: $3.20/unit/month
- Max: $5.00/unit/month
AppFolio also offers an additional Core package specifically for community associations.
Buildium Pricing
Buildium offers three plans with no unit minimums, making it accessible for smaller landlords or property managers.
This is the current pricing structure for Buildium:
- Essential: $58/month (Up to 150 units)
- Growth: $183/month
- Premium: $375/month
Buildium’s pricing scales based on the number of units managed, so actual monthly costs may be higher. For example, the Essential plan costs $75/month for 21 units.
Benefit Comparison
Scalability
AppFolio is built for mid-sized to large portfolios, requiring at least 50 units to get started, and can scale easily into the thousands. Its higher-tier plans add advanced reporting, multi-location management, and role-based access controls, appealing to larger enterprise managers.
In contrast, Buildium can manage portfolios of any size with no unit minimums. It can support just a handful of units up to thousands. Its features are accessible and easy to use for smaller landlords, but its scalability is geared more toward growing mid-sized companies rather than complex enterprise operations.
Flexibility
While both AppFolio and Buildium can manage residential and commercial properties, they differ in depth.
AppFolio offers dedicated support for residential, commercial, and community associations. It is well-suited for companies with diverse or mixed-use portfolios that combine commercial and residential units. It also supports more niche portfolios, like student housing and senior living facilities.
Buildium primarily focuses on residential rentals and community associations, with tools for HOAs and condo management. However, it has more limited functionality for commercial properties compared to AppFolio.
Ease of Use
Both AppFolio and Buildium streamline core workflows like tenant screening, electronic lease signing, online payments, and maintenance tracking. Where they differ is in complexity and accessibility.
AppFolio is praised for its clean dashboards and strong mobile app, which lets managers handle inspections, work orders, and tenant communications on the go. Its automation features and role-based permissions reduce manual tasks for larger teams. However, the platform comes with a learning curve, especially for advanced accounting and reporting, and many users note it requires more training to use effectively.
Buildium, by contrast, is generally seen as more user-friendly and intuitive out of the box. Its dashboard makes it easy to find key information, and the tenant/owner portals are straightforward. Buildium’s training resources and customer support are also often highlighted as helpful for smaller teams. That said, its mobile app is more limited than AppFolio’s, and some accounting and reporting features can feel clunky or unintuitive as portfolios grow.
Marketing Tools
One major obstacle of property management is filling vacant units. Reaching new tenants is just as crucial as retaining your current clients, especially in areas with high renter turnover. Marketing is one way to attract prospective renters to your commercial or residential properties.
Fortunately, both AppFolio and Buildium include marketing tools to help fill vacancies. AppFolio offers a dedicated marketing module with features like listing syndication, custom property websites, and AI leasing assistants to capture and respond to leads. Buildium also supports rental listing syndication to major sites such as Zillow and Apartments.com, along with online rental applications, though its marketing features are more basic than AppFolio’s advanced suite.
AppFolio vs Buildium: Which is Best?
The better choice depends on portfolio size and property types. AppFolio is built for mid-sized to large property management companies and offers stronger tools for commercial, mixed-use, and enterprise-level operations. It delivers advanced features but at a higher price point and a steeper learning curve.
Buildium, on the other hand, is more accessible for smaller landlords and property managers, with affordable pricing and no unit minimums. It’s user-friendly, supports HOAs and residential portfolios well, and can scale to thousands of units, although it lacks some enterprise-grade features AppFolio provides.
Overall, both platforms are strong options, but the right fit depends on whether you prioritize ease of use and affordability over advanced functionality.
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