DoorKeeping vs PayRent: plans by unit count, payment fees and what each covers
PayRent lists three plans: Free-for-five at $0 (5 occupied units minimum), Do-it-yourself at $29 a month for 25 units then $4 each, and Go-like-a-pro at $99 a month for 50 units then $2 each. Bank rent costs $9.95, $5 or nothing depending on the plan, and card fees are always paid by the tenant. DoorKeeping costs $2 per unit per month with every feature included, and bank rent is free on that one plan. At 100 units PayRent's Go-like-a-pro works out to $2,388 a year against DoorKeeping's $2,400, so size decides which is lower.
What are PayRent's plans?
PayRent's pricing page bills every 30 days for units that were occupied in the prior 30 days, so vacant units are not charged. There are no contracts, and plans can change or cancel at any time.
| Plan | Monthly price | Units | Bank rent (ACH) | Setup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-for-five | $0 | 5 occupied units minimum | $9.95 | $10 once, at bank connect |
| Do-it-yourself | $29 | 25 included, then $4 each | $5 | $10 once, at bank connect |
| Go-like-a-pro | $99 | 50 included, then $2 each | Free | None |
On Free-for-five, if you have fewer than 5 occupied units after a 30-day grace period you move to Do-it-yourself at $29 a month.
What do card payments cost?
On every plan the page lists a debit card payment at $19.95 flat and a credit card at 3.5% plus $6.95, and says card fees are always paid by the tenant. Landlord-paid ACH fees are deducted from the payment at deposit.
Example a made-up tenant paying $1,400 rent by credit card at PayRent pays 3.5% x $1,400 = $49 plus $6.95, so $55.95. A DoorKeeping tenant paying the same rent by credit card, where state law allows it, pays 3% = $42. DoorKeeping takes credit cards only for rent; bank transfer is free.
What would 10, 30 and 100 units cost for a year?
| Made-up owner | PayRent (cheapest plan that fits) | DoorKeeping |
|---|---|---|
| 10 units, all occupied | Free-for-five $0 plus $9.95 per bank payment; or Do-it-yourself $29 x 12 = $348 | 10 x $2 x 12 = $240 |
| 30 units | Do-it-yourself ($29 + 5 x $4) x 12 = $588 | 30 x $2 x 12 = $720 |
| 100 units | Go-like-a-pro ($99 + 50 x $2) x 12 = $2,388 | 100 x $2 x 12 = $2,400 |
PayRent can come out lower at larger sizes, by a small margin at 100 units. Look at the payment fees and what each product does beyond collecting rent before you decide on price alone.
Where each fits
PayRent's pricing page centers on rent collection: bank and card payments, automatic late fees and a plan ladder by unit count. If your main job is collecting rent online for 25 or more units, its published ladder is easy to price.
DoorKeeping prices every unit the same and adds the rest of the work to that one price: separate books per property, tenants matched to deposits by memo and exact cents, bills read and coded by AI, Schedule E and 1099-NEC reports, e-signed leases, vendor work orders by link and everything reachable from your own Claude or ChatGPT. Money steps wait for your tap.
What should you check before you switch rent collection?
Moving rent collection is the step tenants notice, so plan it. Ask each vendor how tenants are told about a new payment method, what a tenant sees before paying, and how long a bank payment takes to arrive. PayRent's page says tenant fees are disclosed in the invitation email and again at checkout, which is the right standard to hold any tool to.
Also ask what happens to recurring payments already set up elsewhere. At DoorKeeping, tenants set up autopay with their own bank, so there is no new card or account to enter, and each deposit is matched to the tenant by memo and an exact amount with its own cents. The switching checklist walks through the order of steps.
Every fee: PayRent and DoorKeeping
Everything PayRent publishes that an owner, a tenant or an applicant pays, next to DoorKeeping, read from PayRent's own pages (www.payrent.com/pricing). "Not published" means it is not on PayRent's own site.
| Fee | PayRent | DoorKeeping |
|---|---|---|
| Software price | Free-for-five $0; Do-it-yourself $29 a month with 25 units, then $4 per extra unit; Go-like-a-pro $99 a month with 50 units, then $2 per extra unit; billed only for occupied units (paid by the owner) | $2 per unit per month, every feature included (paid by the owner) |
| Minimum or contract | Free-for-five: 5 occupied units, else Do-it-yourself at $29 a month after a 30-day grace period; no contracts (paid by the owner) | None. No minimum and no contract |
| Setup or onboarding | $10 one-time when you connect a bank on the first two plans; none on Go-like-a-pro (paid by the owner) | None |
| Rent paid by bank (ACH) | Free-for-five $9.95; Do-it-yourself $5; Go-like-a-pro free; landlord-paid ACH is deducted from the payment at deposit | Free. Tenants pay your own bank directly |
| Rent paid by card | Debit $19.95 flat; credit 3.5% + $6.95; always paid by the tenant | 3% card fee, credit cards only; bank transfer stays free (paid by the tenant) |
| Tenant screening | Not listed on the pricing page | No markup: our exact cost. Paid by the applicant by default, or by you if you choose |
| E-signatures | Not published | 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 | Automatic late fees listed as a feature; amounts not stated | None |
Sources
- PayRent, Pricing, read Oct 30, 2026
- DoorKeeping, Pricing, read Oct 30, 2026
- DoorKeeping, Compare, read Oct 30, 2026
Questions
- How much does PayRent cost?
- Free-for-five is $0 with a 5 occupied unit minimum, Do-it-yourself is $29 a month for 25 units then $4 each, and Go-like-a-pro is $99 a month for 50 units then $2 each, per its pricing page.
- Who pays PayRent card fees?
- Its page says credit and debit card fees are always paid by the tenant: $19.95 flat for debit and 3.5% plus $6.95 for credit.
- Is PayRent cheaper than DoorKeeping at 100 units?
- On published terms its Go-like-a-pro plan comes to $2,388 a year at 100 units against DoorKeeping's $2,400, before comparing what else each includes.
- Does DoorKeeping charge for bank rent?
- No. Rent paid by bank transfer goes to the owner's own account, free.