Buildium is a very popular property management software, so it’s important to know how it compares to some of their competitors and determine if it’s the best fit for your company.
We’ve evaluated some of the best property management software to help you find what works best as an alternative to Buildium.
Short Summary
- Top Buildium alternatives include AppFolio, DoorLoop, and TurboTenant.
- Consider your number of units or properties, budget constraints, and mobile access when selecting an alternative.
- Some businesses may need to integrate with a standalone accounting solution for advanced functionality.
Top 6 Alternatives for Buildium
Explore each option to find the right property management software for your needs:
1 AppFolio: Best Overall
Why We Chose It: AppFolio has an AI leasing tool which, when combined with top-shelf integrations, automates a large number of property management tasks. Aimed at property management companies with at least 50 units, this software makes a good alternative to Buildium as it also handles leasing at residential, commercial, and community properties.
Appfolio monthly subscriptions start as low as $.80 per unit. Due to the $250 minimum monthly charge, you’ll get the most value from AppFolio if you manage at least 200 units. As such, this might not be a good fit for very small property management firms or individual landlords.
Read our full AppFolio review.
2 DoorLoop: Best Online Platform
Why We Chose It: DoorLoop’'s online platform allows fast growing companies the ability to manage properties from anywhere–letting them expand into properties not in their geographic area…
DoorLoop also has thousands of integrations powered by Zapier and an open API, at least on the Premium plan. This makes it a good solution for property owners who already have other software in place for handling accounting or other workflows and want seamless integration.
Read our full DoorLoop review.
3 TurboTenant: Best for Landlords
Why We Chose It: TurboTenant is a great alternative for landlords and sole property management due to having a free version available. While the entire main suite of features is free to use, although tenant screening costs $35-$45 per applicant, it’s important to ensure these fees are still affordable for your needs. There is also a fee for marketing services, though TurboTenant is still significantly more affordable than other property management solutions.
Some of the key features TurboTenant offers to landlords include:
- Rental listing management
- Tenant screening applications
- Maintenance request tracking
- Online rent collection
- Eviction reports
4 Hemlane: Best for Small Business
Why We Chose It: Hemlane is an alternative best suited to smaller property management companies. It provides a single, unified platform for managing operations starting as low as $30 per month. There’s also a 24/7 emergency support team to keep you covered around the clock.
It’s important to note Hemlane lacks several features Buildium offers, such as a mobile app for on-the-go access or third-party software integrations. And there is a minimum monthly fee in addition to the per-unit subscription cost.
Read our full Hemlane review.
5 Condo Control: Best for HOAs
Why We Chose It: Condo Control is a great Buildium alternative specifically for homeowner associations and, as the name suggests, condos. It has all the tools necessary for boards and residents alike to streamline this highly specific form of property management. For instance, it has incident and violation tracking tools for keeping tabs on what’s happening between residents.
One drawback of Condo Control is that, unlike Buildium, it’s not meant for managing commercial properties. It only works as an alternative if you manage residential units.
6 TenantCloud: Best for Free
Why We Chose It: TenantCloud has a free Basic plan for both landlords and tenants, making it a highly affordable alternative to Buildium. Even the paid plans, which cover more units and features, are on the low end price wise. It also includes a free listing website.
TenantCloud is cloud-based and has apps available for Apple and Android devices. However, the TenantCloud Basic plan only covers 75 units while the Advanced plan tops out at 500 units. As such, this affordable alternative is only suitable for smaller property managers.
Buildium Limitations
While Buildium has a lot of great features for property managers, it has shortcomings as well. There are also a lot of fees to contend with, such as getting charged to set up bank accounts within the system. There are per-item costs and setup fees when adding new features as well. Depending on the budget, it might be more cost-effective to find a different software.
One benefit of using Buildium is that, unlike other property management solutions, it doesn’t have a minimum unit count. However, that doesn’t mean it’s suitable for very small operations. If you are a landlord with only one or two properties, Buildium might be too big and complex for your needs.
Finally, user reviews have mentioned some limitations with support. Specifically, the basic plan doesn’t include live support. If you need consistent, 24/7 support, you might need a different solution than Buildium.
Read our full review of Buildium to learn more about all the pros and cons of this software.
Factors to Consider When Choosing an Alternative
The main reasons property managers switch from Buildium comes down to a few factors:
- Number of units or properties: Buildium can get more expensive with more units, as the lowest cost plan starts at $52 per month for only 20 units. Sole property managers in particular should find something more their size, unless they plan to expand quickly.
- Mobile functionality: Property management can happen in an office or on-site. Mobile accessibility is key for performing unit inspections, tenant interviews, and on-site maintenance. Buildium has mobile apps, but it has slightly limited functionality compared to the web browser version. Make sure your property management solution has a compatible, full featured app for easy access anywhere.
- Budget constraints: Buildium has a minimum monthly fee, so very small property managers might want software with lower monthly costs. Additional features also come with extra fees. Fortunately, there are forever free or free-to-start alternatives. And there are paid plans which have lower or bulk per-unit rates.
- User training: Since Buildium has a lot of features, it requires some training to master. There are courses available through Buildium Academy, the learning curve can be steep. There are easier to learn options out there.
- Additional features or integrations: Buildium offers more features at higher prices. And only the most expensive Premium plan includes the open API. In some cases, it may be better to get a smaller property management solution and integrate with a third-party software to cover functions like accounting.
