Free property management software for landlords: what the free plans actually cover
Free landlord software exists, but "free" usually means the software costs you nothing while rent payments, screening or the accounting reports cost someone something. In the plans listed on each company's own pricing pages on 2026-10-29 and 2026-10-30, the money moves to tenant-paid payment fees, applicant-paid screening or a higher paid plan. Read the free plan as a trial of a business model, then check what you would pay for the features you actually use.
Which landlord software has a free plan?
Several products publish a free plan for small landlords. The table lists only what each company states on its pricing page, with the date the page was read.
| Product | Free plan as published | Where the money comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Avail | Free for unlimited units | Tenants pay $2.50 per bank transfer and 3.5% on cards on the free plan; Unlimited Plus is $9 per unit per month |
| Hemlane | Free Starter plan | Basic is $2 per unit plus a $28 monthly platform fee; card payments carry a 3% fee paid by the tenant |
| Innago | Free for landlords | Tenants pay $2 per bank payment and 2.99% per card payment by default |
| TurboTenant | Free plan | Renters pay $2 per bank payment on the Free plan; screening is $55 per applicant on Free; Pro adds the full accounting suite |
| Stessa | Essentials free | Manage is $12 and Pro is $28 a month billed annually |
| Baselane | Core free | Smart is $20 a month billed annually |
| Landlord Studio | Go free for 3 units | Pro is $144 a year; extra units are $1.00 a month on yearly billing |
Sources are in the list at the bottom of this page. Prices change, so open the pricing page before you decide.
What does "free" usually leave out?
Free plans are built to be good enough to start and limited enough that growing owners upgrade or tenants pay fees. Four limits show up in the published plans.
- Accounting depth. TurboTenant's help center says the full accounting suite, with profit and loss and balance sheet, and Schedule E reports sit on Pro.
- Unit or lease caps. Landlord Studio's free plan covers 3 units, and TenantCloud's plans cap leases at 10, 30 and 60.
- Payment fees moved to the tenant. A free plan can still charge $2 to $2.50 each time a tenant pays by bank, added to the tenant's payment.
- Screening cost moved to the applicant. TurboTenant lists $55 per applicant on its Free plan.
None of that is wrong. It only means the sticker price is the start of the cost, not the end of it.
How do you compare a free plan with a paid one?
Count what you and your tenants pay in a year, not what the plan is called. Two numbers do most of the work: the plan price and the fee on each rent payment, and who pays that fee.
Example a made-up owner with 8 units whose tenants each pay by bank transfer every month. On a free plan that adds $2 to each payment, tenants pay 8 x $2 x 12 = $192 a year in fees and the owner pays $0. On a paid plan of $2 per unit per month with free bank transfers, the owner pays 8 x $2 x 12 = $192 a year and tenants pay $0. The total is the same; the question is who you want to carry it.
Tenants notice a fee on every rent payment. Many owners prefer to carry a flat software price over a per-payment charge on tenants, and others prefer the opposite. The point is to choose on purpose.
When is a free plan the right call?
- You have one to three units, a simple lease and no co-owners.
- Your tenants are comfortable paying a small per-payment fee.
- You keep the accounting in a spreadsheet and only need rent collection and a listing page.
- You will check the plan again each January, when your records matter most for taxes.
It fits less well if you need books per property for a tax preparer, owner statements for co-owners, or a record of who approved what. Those usually sit above the free line.
How DoorKeeping handles it
If you start on a free plan and later need books for each property, you can import your rent roll as a CSV or XLSX file and carry on without re-keying tenants; see the spreadsheet move guide.
DoorKeeping costs $2 per unit per month with every feature included, no setup cost and no minimum. Tenants pay your own bank by bank transfer, which is always free, or by card with a 3% card fee, which covers card processing. DoorKeeping never holds your rent, and anything involving money waits for your one-tap approval.
Sources
- Avail, Pricing, read Oct 30, 2026
- Hemlane, Pricing, read Oct 30, 2026
- Innago, Pricing, read Oct 29, 2026
- TurboTenant, Pricing, read Oct 29, 2026
- Stessa, Pricing, read Oct 29, 2026
- Baselane, Pricing, read Oct 29, 2026
- Landlord Studio, Pricing, read Oct 30, 2026
Questions
- Is there really free property management software for landlords?
- Yes. Several products publish a free plan. The cost usually moves to tenant-paid payment fees, applicant-paid screening or a paid plan for accounting.
- Who pays the fee on a free plan?
- It depends on the product and the setting. Several pass bank and card fees to the tenant by default; some let the landlord cover them.
- Can I move off a free plan later?
- Yes. Export your tenants, leases and ledgers first, then import a clean rent roll into the new system at a month end.