DoorKeeping vs Rent Manager: a deep toolkit next to a light one
Every feature, $2 a unit
5 of our features are not included on Rent Manager Premium. One plan, no tenant fees, no minimum.
Tenants pay $0 to pay rent by bank transfer with DoorKeeping. A credit card payment carries a 3% card fee. Credit cards only. Rent Manager does not publish its tenant fee.
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Example math from Rent Manager's own published prices, read Oct 30, 2026. Details below.
Rent Manager is a deep, highly customizable system with more than 450 reports, many property types and three bundles, but it does not publish prices; you get a quote. DoorKeeping publishes one price, $2 per unit per month with no minimum, and keeps the product small: separate books per property LLC, run from Claude or ChatGPT, with e-signed leases and work orders included. Owners who want custom reports, cash payments at retail stores and a technician app today lean to Rent Manager; owners who want a known price and AI-run books lean to DoorKeeping.
Price: published versus quoted
Rent Manager's pricing page describes three bundles, Basic, Plus and Premium, and sends you to "Get Quote" for the price. It lists no per-unit price, no monthly minimum and no implementation fee. Its add-on services (call center, custom websites, integrated phones and integrations) are also unpriced on that page.
That means a side-by-side cost for a sample portfolio cannot be done honestly from public numbers. Here is what can be said:
| Made-up portfolio | Rent Manager | DoorKeeping |
|---|---|---|
| 24 units | Not published; quote on request | 24 x $2 = $48 a month ($576 a year) |
| 120 units | Not published; quote on request | 120 x $2 = $240 a month ($2,880 a year) |
Example a made-up owner gets a Rent Manager quote. To compare it fairly, they divide the yearly total, including any implementation, training and add-on charges in the quote, by their unit count and by 12. A quote of $3,600 a year for 120 units works out to $3,600 / 120 / 12 = $2.50 per unit per month, next to DoorKeeping's $2.
What sits in each Rent Manager bundle
Basic already carries a lot: a complete accounting system, standard and custom reports, work order management, marketing and leasing tools, online applications with unlimited eSignatures, owner and prospect portals, a tenant app, unlimited custom fields, vendor management, custom workflows, a survey hub, live support and AI help.
Plus adds text and phone broadcast (texting needs registration and a purchased phone number), the rmAppSuite Pro mobile app, service tech mapping, an AI writing assistant, an AI accounts payable and receivable suite, voicemail insights and banking insights.
Premium adds video inspections, maintenance scheduling, a dedicated success team, AI report analysis, an AI script builder and an MCP Connector, the same kind of connection DoorKeeping uses to work with AI apps.
Side-by-side features
| Feature | Rent Manager | DoorKeeping today |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting | Yes, cash and accrual at the same time | Yes, separate books for each property LLC |
| Reports | Over 450, plus a report writer | Rent roll, delinquency, P&L and NOI by property |
| Custom fields and workflows | Yes (Basic) | Not offered |
| E-signatures | Yes, unlimited (Basic) | Yes, leases and renewal offers |
| Work orders | Yes, plus make-ready boards | Yes, with jobs sent to vendors by link |
| Rent by card and check | Yes, ePay through Zego | Not offered; tenants pay your bank by transfer or Zelle |
| Cash rent at retail stores | Yes, CashPay | Not offered |
| Owner portal | Yes | Not offered |
| MCP connector for AI apps | Premium bundle | Yes, every account |
| Approval before money or legal steps | Not stated | Yes |
| Published price | No | Yes, $2 per unit |
Where Rent Manager is the stronger pick
- Reporting depth. Its site lists a library of more than 450 reports that can be exported, downloaded or emailed, plus a report writer (Rent Manager). DoorKeeping has a handful of core reports today.
- Payment options for every tenant. Card and check through ePay, cash at about 30,000 CheckFreePay locations, check scanning and a lockbox (Rent Manager payments). DoorKeeping supports bank transfer and Zelle only, and card payments are not offered.
- Customization. Unlimited custom fields, custom workflows and dashboards are in the Basic bundle.
- Maintenance teams. Technician check-in through the mobile app, make-ready boards and, on Premium, scheduling and video inspections.
- Mixed portfolios. Residential, commercial, associations, manufactured housing, self storage and more run in one system.
Why some owners choose DoorKeeping instead
A system that can do everything also asks you to set everything up. DoorKeeping goes the other way: there are few screens because most work happens in a conversation with Claude or ChatGPT, and the web app holds approvals and dashboards.
- You know the price before you talk to anyone: $2 per unit, no setup cost, no minimum, no bundles or add-ons.
- The AI connection is on every account, not a top bundle, and each money or legal step waits for your tap.
- Each property LLC keeps its own ledger, bank account, deposits held and P&L, with Schedule E expense mapping.
- Rent goes straight to your LLC's bank; DoorKeeping never holds it and sends a payment only when you approve it.
Questions to ask before you sign either
- What is the total first-year cost for my unit count, including implementation, training and any add-ons I need?
- Is there a minimum monthly charge or contract term, and what is the notice to cancel?
- Who pays card and transfer fees on rent, me or the tenant, and how much?
- Can I export every ledger and report if I leave?
- Which of the features I need work today?
Ask DoorKeeping the same questions. Today it covers per-property books with bank feeds, rent paid free to your bank, e-signed leases, work orders, owner statements, Schedule E and the 1099-NEC report, all run from Claude or ChatGPT with one-tap approvals. To see it, book a demo.
Why switch from Rent Manager
- No minimum and no contract. At Rent Manager: Not published.
- Every feature on one plan. On Rent Manager's Basic plan, bank feeds and reconciliation, bills read and coded automatically, move-in and move-out inspections, works inside claude and chatgpt and more need a higher plan or cost extra.
- Run your buildings from the Claude or ChatGPT you already use; money and legal steps wait for your one-tap approval.
- Rent goes straight to your own bank. DoorKeeping never holds your money.
What one year costs: Rent Manager and DoorKeeping
Example math, not a quote: Rent Manager's Basic plan and its Premium plan with the most features, billed the cheapest published way, plus the published fee for a tenant paying rent by bank 12 times a year per unit. Rent Manager publishes no prices for any bundle; every bundle is quote only. Basic is the cheapest bundle with online payments and accounting. ACH fees and who pays them are not published.
| Rent Manager (Basic) | DoorKeeping | |
|---|---|---|
| 10 unitsBasic | Not published | $240No other fees |
| 40 unitsBasic | Not published | $960No other fees |
| 100 unitsBasic | Not published | $2,400No other fees |
| 10 unitsPremium, most features | Not published | $240No other fees |
| 40 unitsPremium, most features | Not published | $960No other fees |
| 100 unitsPremium, most features | Not published | $2,400No other fees |
Feature by feature: Rent Manager and DoorKeeping
24 of 32 features are included on the plan above at Rent Manager, and 32 at DoorKeeping. Read from Rent Manager's own pages on Oct 30, 2026; "Not stated" means we could not find it on Rent Manager's own site.
| Rent Manager (Basic) | DoorKeeping | |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting | ||
| Full accounting (ledger, P&L, balance sheet) | IncludedComplete accounting system on Basic (general ledger, P&L, balance sheet) | IncludedSeparate books for each property, rolled up |
| Bank feeds and reconciliation | IncludedElectronic bank rec on Basic; Bank Sync is in the Plus AI AR/AP suite | IncludedConnect your bank; deposits matched to rent |
| Owner statements | IncludedOwner reports and Owner Web Access portal | IncludedBuilt from the books |
| Tax reports such as Schedule EIncluded with DoorKeeping | Not stated | IncludedSchedule E from the books |
| 1099 forms for vendors | IncludedPrepares 1099s and e-files through the IRS FIRE system | Included1099-NEC report from the books |
| Budgets and budget vs actual | IncludedBudgets with warnings when spending nears the budget | IncludedBudgets and budget vs actual |
| Bills read and coded automaticallyIncluded with DoorKeeping | Higher planSmart Bills in the AI AR/AP suite, Plus and Premium | IncludedAI reads invoices and codes each line |
| Pay vendors from the software | IncludedAvidPay vendor payments at no cost | IncludedPay vendors from your own bank after your tap |
| QuickBooks connectionIncluded with DoorKeeping | Not stated | IncludedSync with QuickBooks Online |
| Rent | ||
| Online rent collection | IncludedCard and eCheck payments; fees not published | IncludedFree, straight to your own bank |
| Tenant autopay | IncludedResidents set up autopay in the resident app | IncludedTenants authorize it once; rent comes from their bank on the due date, free |
| Automatic late fees | IncludedTask Automation posts recurring charges and late fees | IncludedPosted automatically within state caps |
| Tenant portal | IncludedTenant portal and tenant app on Basic | IncludedInvite link, nothing to install |
| Leasing | ||
| Listing page for every vacancyIncluded with DoorKeeping | Not stated | IncludedA public page per vacant unit, with Apply and Schedule a showing |
| Listings on Zillow and more | IncludedPushes units to listing sites, Zillow integration listed | IncludedList on Zillow and more |
| Online rental applications | IncludedOnline applications on Basic | IncludedOnline applications by link |
| Tenant screening | IncludedCheckPoint Screening; price not published, applicant can pay | IncludedOur exact cost, no markup |
| E-signed leases | IncludedUnlimited eSignatures on Basic | IncludedBuilt in, no per-document fee |
| Lease renewals | IncludedTenants sign renewal leases online | IncludedRenewal offers drafted for your approval |
| Maintenance | ||
| Maintenance requests and work orders | IncludedWork order management on Basic | IncludedRequests become work orders |
| Vendor dispatchIncluded with DoorKeeping | Not statedVendor management on Basic; no vendor portal named | IncludedSend jobs to your vendors by link, no account |
| Move-in and move-out inspectionsIncluded with DoorKeeping | Higher planInspections in the rmAppSuite Pro app (Plus); video inspections on Premium | IncludedMove-in and move-out checklists by link |
| AI and communication | ||
| Messages to tenants (email or text) | IncludedEmail and texting; text broadcast on Plus; texting needs a paid number | IncludedEmail to tenants and vendors |
| AI assistant | IncludedAI help and call summaries on Basic; more AI on Plus and Premium | IncludedAsk in plain words; money steps wait for your tap |
| Works inside Claude and ChatGPTIncluded with DoorKeeping | Higher planMCP Connector on the Premium bundle only | IncludedConnects to the Claude or ChatGPT you already use |
| Ready-made automations | IncludedCustom workflows on Basic | IncludedOne-toggle automations |
| Team, security and support | ||
| Team members and roles | IncludedUser roles, privileges and supervisors | IncludedRoles for your team |
| Two-factor sign-in | IncludedMultifactor authentication at sign-in | IncludedAuthenticator app and recovery codes |
| Mobile appIncluded with DoorKeeping | Higher planrmAppSuite Pro manager app on Plus and Premium | IncludediPhone and Android app |
| Document storage | IncludedDocuments shared with owners and residents in their portals | IncludedStore and share by expiring link |
| Support | IncludedPhone and email, Mon to Fri 8am to 7pm ET; after-hours emergencies | IncludedEmail support@doorkeeping.com |
| Onboarding and data import | IncludedImplementation consultants and data migration; fee not published | IncludedFree and self-serve; import your rent roll |
Every fee: Rent Manager and DoorKeeping
Everything Rent Manager publishes that an owner, a tenant or an applicant pays, next to DoorKeeping, read from Rent Manager's own pages (www.rentmanager.com/pricing/, www.rentmanager.com/integrations/checkpoint-screening/, www.rentmanager.com/payments/). "Not published" means it is not on Rent Manager's own site.
| Fee | Rent Manager | DoorKeeping |
|---|---|---|
| Software price | Not published; Basic, Plus and Premium bundles priced by quote (paid by the owner) | $2 per unit per month, every feature included (paid by the owner) |
| Minimum or contract | Not published | None. No minimum and no contract |
| Setup or onboarding | Not published | None |
| Rent paid by bank (ACH) | Not published | Free. Tenants pay your own bank directly |
| Rent paid by card | Not published | 3% card fee, credit cards only; bank transfer stays free (paid by the tenant) |
| Tenant screening | Amount not published; CheckPoint Screening sells packages or single reports and can collect the fee from the applicant (owner or tenant pays) | No markup: our exact cost. Paid by the applicant by default, or by you if you choose |
| E-signatures | No fee published; Basic bundle lists Online Applications and Unlimited eSignatures | Included, no per-document fee |
| Payouts to owners or vendors | No fee published; payments page names its vendor payments "No Cost AvidPay" | None. DoorKeeping never holds your money and sends a payment only when you approve it |
| Other published fees | Texting requires registration and a purchased phone number; call summaries need a phone service subscription; add-on services are sold separately; no prices published (paid by the owner) | None |
Sources
- Rent Manager, Pricing (bundles), read Oct 29, 2026
- Rent Manager, home page, read Oct 29, 2026
- Rent Manager, Payments, read Oct 29, 2026
Questions
- How much does Rent Manager cost?
- Rent Manager does not publish prices. Its pricing page describes the Basic, Plus and Premium bundles and asks you to request a quote.
- Does Rent Manager have an MCP connector?
- Yes. Its pricing page lists an MCP Connector in the Premium bundle. DoorKeeping includes its Claude and ChatGPT connection on every account at $2 per unit.
- Can tenants pay rent in cash with Rent Manager?
- Yes. Rent Manager's CashPay lets tenants pay at CheckFreePay retail locations. DoorKeeping does not take cash; tenants pay the owner's bank by bank transfer or Zelle.