RentAdminly vs Buildium — Pricing, Features, and Honest Verdict | RentAdminly
Honest 2026 comparison of RentAdminly and Buildium. Real pricing, feature gaps, and when each platform actually makes sense for independent landlords and small property managers.
RentAdminly vs Buildium
Buildium is a capable mid-market property management platform — but for landlords and small PMs under ~50 doors, the published pricing rarely pencils out. Here's an honest, no-spin breakdown.
Where Buildium is strong
- Mature double-entry accounting with a long track record
- Strong owner portal and owner reporting for established PM companies
- Robust general ledger, bank reconciliation, and 1099 filing tools
- Resident screening and online applications baked in
Where Buildium disappoints small portfolios
- Published Essential plan starts around $58/month — but jumps fast at higher unit counts
- Online tenant payments (eCheck and card) charge separate per-transaction fees on top of the monthly subscription
- Setup fees and onboarding charges are common at the higher tiers
- Aimed at established PM firms — the UI assumes you already know property accounting
Where RentAdminly wins
- We are 100% free forever for unlimited properties — no monthly subscription at all
- All 14 tools are included on day one — there is no Essential / Growth / Premium tiering
- AI receipt scanning (GPT-4 vision) auto-categorizes expenses for IRS Schedule E with no add-on fee
- PM workflows — clients (owners), monthly statements, payouts, W-9 capture, and 1099 prep — are included in the free plan, not gated behind an enterprise tier
- No setup fee, no implementation consultant, no annual contract
Pricing as of early 2026
Buildium publishes three residential tiers — Essential, Growth, and Premium. As of early 2026, the Essential plan is advertised starting around $58/month, with Growth and Premium scaling up significantly based on unit count and add-ons. Online payments and tenant screening carry separate per-transaction fees. Confirm current pricing on Buildium's site before you sign — pricing changes often.
RentAdminly is 100% free forever with unlimited properties. The only cost on the platform is the standard ACH bank-processing fee on rent transactions.
Feature comparison
| Feature | RentAdminly | Buildium |
|---|
| Monthly subscription | $0 forever | Tiered, starts ~$58/mo and scales with unit count |
| Per-property fee | None | Effectively yes — pricing scales with units |
| Setup / onboarding fee | None | Common at higher tiers |
| Trial / time limit | None — free forever | Free trial, then paid subscription |
| Unlimited properties on free plan | Yes | No — paid tier required |
| Owner / client portal | Included | Included on Growth+ tier |
| Owner statements & payouts | Included | Included on Growth+ tier |
| 1099 prep + W-9 capture | Included | Included |
| AI receipt scanning (Schedule E) | Included (GPT-4 vision) | Not included |
| Tenant screening (TransUnion) | Included | Included (per-report fees apply) |
| Maintenance request portal | Included | Included |
| Lease generator (50-state) | Included | Limited templates |
| Mobile app | iOS + Android (PM workflows included) | iOS + Android |
| Tenant payments fee | Standard ACH bank fee, often paid by tenant | Per-transaction eCheck/card fees on top of subscription |
| Annual contract required | No | Often yes for best pricing |
Pick Buildium when
- You manage 100+ doors and need deep multi-entity accounting with auditor reports
- You already have a bookkeeper trained on Buildium's chart of accounts
- You need integrations with enterprise vendor and lender systems Buildium has built up over a decade
Pick RentAdminly when
- You're an independent landlord or a small PM under ~50 doors and you don't want a recurring subscription
- You want PM workflows (clients, statements, payouts, 1099s) without paying for a Growth-tier plan
- You want AI-powered expense tracking and Schedule E categorization included by default
- You'd rather try the platform with no credit card and no trial timer
Frequently asked
- Is RentAdminly really free, or is it a trial?
- 100% free forever — unlimited properties, no per-property fee, no trial expiration. Standard flat ACH bank-processing fee per rent transaction (typically passed through to the tenant).
- Does Buildium's $58/month plan include everything I need?
- The Essential tier covers core property management but does not include some owner-portal and reporting features that show up on Growth and Premium. Online tenant payments and tenant screening charge separate per-transaction fees on every plan. Confirm details on Buildium's site before committing.
- Can I migrate my data from Buildium to RentAdminly?
- Yes. You can export tenants, leases, and historical payment data from Buildium, and we'll help you import the basics during onboarding. Reach out at rent@rentadminly.com if you want a migration walkthrough.
https://rentadminly.com/compare/buildium