DoorKeeping vs Landlord Studio for owners with a handful of units
Landlord Studio is free for up to 3 units. Pro is $144 a year and Pro Plus $336 a year, each including 3 units with extra units at $1.00 a month on the yearly plan ($1.20 on monthly billing), per its pricing page. A bank rent payment costs $2.50 (the landlord or tenant pays, your choice) and a card payment 3.49%, paid by the tenant. DoorKeeping costs $2 per unit per month and charges tenants nothing. For a landlord with 3 to 10 units who wants bank feeds and a Schedule E report cheaply, Landlord Studio is the lower price; DoorKeeping fits apartment owners who want it run through an AI app.
Plans and what the units cost
Landlord Studio's pricing page lists three plans in a comparison table: Go is free for 3 units and one user; Pro is $144 billed yearly or $15 monthly and adds 3 users, bank feeds and advanced reports; Pro Plus is $336 billed yearly or $35 monthly with 10 users and unlimited document storage. Both paid plans include 3 units, then charge each extra unit $1.00 a month on yearly billing and $1.20 a month on monthly billing, per the calculator on that page. The page shows no setup fee or minimum.
| Made-up owner | Landlord Studio Pro | DoorKeeping |
|---|---|---|
| 3 units | $144 a year | 3 x $2 x 12 = $72 |
| 10 units | $144 + 7 x $1.00 x 12 = $228 a year | 10 x $2 x 12 = $240 |
| 30 units | $144 + 27 x $1.00 x 12 = $468 a year | 30 x $2 x 12 = $720 |
The Landlord Studio figures use the yearly plan, with extra units at $1.00 a month. On monthly billing extra units are $1.20 a month.
So the two are level at 9 units ($216 a year each). DoorKeeping is cheaper below that if you want the paid features, and Landlord Studio is cheaper above it.
Rent and screening fees
Landlord Studio's rent collection page lists $2.50 per bank payment, with "you or your tenant" paying, and 3.49% for cards, paid by the tenant. It states no monthly fees or setup costs for online rent collection. Its help center lists screening at $55 on Go and $45 on Pro.
Example a made-up 10 unit owner who chooses to cover the $2.50 bank fee so tenants pay nothing. Ten tenants paying once a month: 10 x 12 x $2.50 = $300 a year, on top of the $228 plan, for $528 in total. DoorKeeping for the same owner is $240.
DoorKeeping takes no fee from bank rent. Tenants pay your bank directly, 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.
What each does
Landlord Studio started as bookkeeping software for small landlords: receipt scanning, mileage tracking, bank feeds (Pro), a Schedule E report and Xero integration, with listings, applications, maintenance and rent collection on every plan. DoorKeeping has the accounting too, built per property, but its main difference is how you use it: you ask Claude or ChatGPT, and money or legal steps wait for your approval.
| Feature | Landlord Studio | DoorKeeping |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Go, up to 3 units | No free tier; no minimum |
| Bank feeds | Pro and Pro Plus | Yes, deposits matched to rent |
| Schedule E | Pro and Pro Plus | Yes, from the books |
| Listings and applications | All plans | Yes |
| Screening | $45 to $55 | Passed through at DoorKeeping's cost, no markup |
| Separate books per LLC | Not described on its pricing page | Yes |
| Works from Claude or ChatGPT | Not described | Yes |
Which one to choose
Pick Landlord Studio if you own three units or fewer and want to pay nothing, or if you own up to about ten and want the lowest paid price with bank feeds and a Schedule E report. Pick DoorKeeping if you want rent matched to deposits without you checking a bank app, a separate ledger for each LLC, and an assistant you can ask in plain words. At around 10 units the prices are within a few dollars of each other, so decide on how you want to work.
How DoorKeeping handles it
AI reads each vendor bill and codes every line to a Schedule E category, asking you to confirm only what it is unsure about. Month-end close and card reconciliation are built in. See accounting for landlords for the full list.
Every fee: Landlord Studio and DoorKeeping
Everything Landlord Studio publishes that an owner, a tenant or an applicant pays, next to DoorKeeping, read from Landlord Studio's own pages (www.landlordstudio.com/pricing, www.landlordstudio.com/features/online-rent-collection, help.landlordstudio.com/en/articles/6098699-feature-breakdown). "Not published" means it is not on Landlord Studio's own site.
| Fee | Landlord Studio | DoorKeeping |
|---|---|---|
| Software price | Go free (3 units); Pro $144 billed yearly or $15 a month; Pro Plus $336 billed yearly or $35 a month; Pro and Pro Plus include 3 units, then each extra unit is $1.00 a month on yearly billing or $1.20 on monthly billing (per the calculator on the pricing page) (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 | No setup costs for online rent collection | None |
| Rent paid by bank (ACH) | $2.50 per payment; you choose whether the landlord or the tenant pays | Free. Tenants pay your own bank directly |
| Rent paid by card | 3.49% of the payment (paid by the tenant) | 3% card fee, credit cards only; bank transfer stays free (paid by the tenant) |
| Tenant screening | $55 on Go, $45 on Pro; Pro Plus price not listed | No markup: our exact cost. Paid by the applicant by default, or by you if you choose |
| E-signatures | Not stated on the pages read | 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 | Xero integration, bank feeds (5 accounts) and advanced reports start on Pro (paid by the owner) | None |
Sources
- Landlord Studio, Pricing, read Oct 30, 2026
- Landlord Studio, Online rent collection, read Oct 30, 2026
- Landlord Studio Help Center, Feature breakdown, read Oct 30, 2026
Questions
- Is Landlord Studio free?
- The Go plan is free for up to 3 units. Pro is $144 a year and Pro Plus $336 a year, with extra units at $1.00 a month on yearly billing ($1.20 on monthly) beyond the 3 included.
- Who pays Landlord Studio's rent fees?
- The $2.50 bank payment fee is paid by the landlord or the tenant, your choice. The 3.49% card fee is paid by the tenant.
- Does DoorKeeping have a free plan?
- No. It is $2 per unit per month with no minimum, so three units cost $6 a month.