DoorKeeping vs Avail: price, tenant fees and what each does
Avail costs the owner nothing on its Unlimited plan, and its $9 per unit Unlimited Plus plan removes the bank payment fee. On the free plan the tenant pays $2.50 per bank transfer and 3.5% by card, per its pricing page. DoorKeeping costs $2 per unit per month with every feature included, and tenants pay no fee on bank transfers because rent goes straight to the owner's own bank (a tenant who pays by credit card pays a 3% card fee, where state law allows it). Avail is the better fit for listing and screening a vacancy this month; DoorKeeping is the better fit for an owner whose units are filled and whose problem is bookkeeping and follow-up.
Who each one fits
Avail's pricing page describes a landlord who wants to fill a vacancy: listings "on the top 19 sites", screening report requests, state-specific leases with digital signing, online rent collection and maintenance tracking, all on the free Unlimited plan. It states no unit limit.
DoorKeeping is built for owners who already have tenants. You ask Claude or ChatGPT what you would ask a bookkeeper ("who is behind on rent?", "what did the Oak Street building net last quarter?"), and anything involving money or a legal step waits for your one-tap approval. Each property has its own books, so a portfolio of LLCs stays separate.
What the owner pays
Avail lists two landlord plans. Unlimited is "$0/unit". Unlimited Plus is "$9/unit" a month and adds FastPay, waived ACH charges, custom application questions, lease customization and a branded property website. No setup fee or minimum is stated on the page.
| Made-up owner | Avail Unlimited | Avail Unlimited Plus | DoorKeeping |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 units | $0 | 10 x $9 x 12 = $1,080 | 10 x $2 x 12 = $240 |
| 30 units | $0 | 30 x $9 x 12 = $3,240 | 30 x $2 x 12 = $720 |
On software price alone the free plan wins. What changes the total is the tenant fees in the next section.
What tenants pay
Per Avail's pricing page, on the free plan a tenant paying rent from a bank account pays $2.50 per transfer, and a card or debit payment carries a 3.5% processing fee on both plans. Screening is paid by the tenant in most cases, and the page says the price varies by location rather than stating one.
Example a made-up tenant paying $1,400 rent by bank each month on Avail's free plan pays 12 x $2.50 = $30 a year in fees. The same tenant paying by card pays 3.5% x $1,400 = $49 each month, $588 a year.
DoorKeeping adds no fee of its own for tenants. Tenants send rent to the property's own bank account by bank transfer, or by Zelle where the owner's bank supports it. A tenant who pays by credit card pays a 3% card fee, where state law allows it. Credit cards only. Rent and payments stay in your own bank accounts. DoorKeeping never holds your money and sends a payment only when you approve it.
Side by side
| Feature | Avail | DoorKeeping |
|---|---|---|
| Owner price | $0, or $9 per unit per month on Unlimited Plus | $2 per unit per month, everything included |
| Rent by bank | $2.50 per transfer on the free plan, tenant pays | Free, straight to the owner's bank |
| Rent by card | 3.5% added to the tenant's payment | A tenant pays a 3% card fee, where state law allows it (credit cards only) |
| Listings and applications | Yes, listings on the top 19 sites | Listing page and application link; feeds open as sites approve |
| Tenant screening | Reports requested through Avail | Passed through at DoorKeeping's cost, no markup |
| E-signed leases | Yes, state-specific leases | Yes, leases and renewal offers |
| Separate books per LLC | Not described on its pricing page | Yes, ledger, bank account and P&L per property |
| Works from Claude or ChatGPT | Not described | Yes |
How DoorKeeping handles it
DoorKeeping reads the bank deposits you connect, matches each one to a tenant by a memo like 12B SMITH and an exact amount with its own cents, and tells you who has not paid. Late fees post within state caps, bills are read and coded, and Schedule E and the 1099-NEC report come from the books. See the feature list or compare every price on the compare page.
Every fee: Avail and DoorKeeping
Everything Avail publishes that an owner, a tenant or an applicant pays, next to DoorKeeping, read from Avail's own pages (www.avail.com/pricing). "Not published" means it is not on Avail's own site.
| Fee | Avail | DoorKeeping |
|---|---|---|
| Software price | Unlimited plan $0 per unit; Unlimited Plus $9 per unit per month (paid by the owner) | $2 per unit per month, every feature included (paid by the owner) |
| Minimum or contract | None stated | None. No minimum and no contract |
| Setup or onboarding | Not published | None |
| Rent paid by bank (ACH) | $2.50 per transfer on the free plan, added to the tenant's payment; no fee on Unlimited Plus (paid by the tenant) | Free. Tenants pay your own bank directly |
| Rent paid by card | 3.5% processing fee on both plans, added to the tenant's payment (paid by the tenant) | 3% card fee, credit cards only; bank transfer stays free (paid by the tenant) |
| Tenant screening | Price varies by location (not stated); most commonly paid by the tenant | No markup: our exact cost. Paid by the applicant by default, or by you if you choose |
| E-signatures | State-specific leases with digital signing included; no separate fee shown | Included, no per-document fee |
| Payouts to owners or vendors | Not published | None. DoorKeeping never holds your money and sends a payment only when you approve it |
| Other published fees | FastPay is an Unlimited Plus feature; renters insurance by quote (owner or tenant pays) | None |
Sources
- Avail, Pricing, read Oct 30, 2026
- DoorKeeping, Pricing, read Oct 30, 2026
- DoorKeeping, Features (live feature list), read Oct 30, 2026
Questions
- Is Avail really free?
- For the owner, its Unlimited plan is listed at $0 per unit. Tenants pay $2.50 per bank transfer and 3.5% per card payment on that plan, per its pricing page. Unlimited Plus is $9 per unit per month.
- Does DoorKeeping charge tenants any fees?
- DoorKeeping adds no fee of its own. Tenants pay rent into the owner's own bank, a tenant who pays by credit card pays a 3% card fee where state law allows it, and screening is passed through at cost. Rent and payments stay in your own bank accounts. DoorKeeping never holds your money and sends a payment only when you approve it.
- Which is better for a vacancy?
- Avail lists on many sites and requests screening reports. DoorKeeping gives each unit a listing page and an application link, with screening passed through at cost.