AppFolio charges a ~$298 monthly minimum and requires 50 units before you can even sign up. If you self-manage 20–100 units, you're the exact customer it isn't priced for. Here are six alternatives that cover the rent-and-money loop at a fraction of the cost.
Last reviewed: July 12, 2026
The short version
Most landlords under 100 units leave AppFolio over the price floor, not the features. If you want an operations layer purpose-built for self-managing 20–100 units, StackRent is being built for exactly this gap (launching soon). If you need full PM accounting today, DoorLoop is the closest drop-in without the 50-unit minimum, and Buildium fits if you're growing into a management business. If budget is the only driver, Innago is free.
ProductPricingModelSweet spot
AppFolio~$1.49/unit/mo with a ~$298/mo minimum and a 50-unit floorPer unit + monthly minimum100–1,000+ units
StackRent
Launching soon
Launching soon — flat tiers by unit countFlat tiers by unit count20–100 units
DoorLoopStarter ~$69/mo (annual, up to ~10 units); Pro ~$149/mo; Premium ~$209+/mo — unit count drives the quoteFlat + per-unit after 2020–500 units
TenantCloudStarter $15/mo (annual; $18 monthly); Growth ~$29/mo; Pro $50/mo; Business from $100Flat tiers1–50 units
RentRediGrow $12/mo (annual) or $29.95/mo monthly; Start plan $5/moFlat (unlimited units)1–50 units
InnagoFree for landlords (tenants pay ~$2/ACH, ~3% card; screening $30–35)Free for landlords1–50 units
Competitor pricing as of July 2026, from public pricing pages. Plans and fees change — confirm current terms on each vendor's site.
Why landlords leave AppFolio
The math is the main reason. AppFolio's residential plan runs about $1.49 per unit, but the ~$298 monthly minimum means a 50-unit portfolio effectively pays several times the advertised rate — the minimum doesn't break even until roughly 200 units — and below 50 units you can't sign up at all. For a self-manager, that's a four-figure annual bill before counting onboarding, transaction fees, and add-ons.
The second reason is fit. AppFolio is engineered for property management companies: AI leasing assistants, owner portals, affordable-housing compliance, leasing CRM. A landlord who owns the units and manages them personally pays for that entire surface area while using a fraction of it. The alternatives below are either priced flat, priced honestly per unit, or free — and several are built specifically for owner-operators.
The alternatives
1. StackRent
The operations layer for self-managing landlords with 20–100 units.
Pricing: Launching soon — flat tiers by unit count
Best for: Self-managers who've outgrown spreadsheets and free leasing tools but don't want to pay for — or operate — enterprise PM software.
Rent collection, lease tracking, and renewals in one loop — the money side, not another leasing funnel
Flat tiers gated by unit count, so cost doesn't creep up per door
Built for owners who self-manage, not for property management companies
Launching soon — join the waitlist for early access
Deliberately focused: tenant acquisition (listings, marketing) is out of scope by design
2. DoorLoop
Modern full-suite PM software that starts small and scales.
Pricing: Starter ~$69/mo (annual, up to ~10 units); Pro ~$149/mo; Premium ~$209+/mo — unit count drives the quote
Best for: Landlords and small PM companies who want AppFolio-grade accounting without the 50-unit minimum.
Full accounting suite: chart of accounts, reconciliation, owner statements, 1099s
Polished UX with responsive support and fast onboarding
Grows from 10 to 2,000+ units on one platform
Starter covers only ~10 units and pricing scales per door beyond, plus eSignature ($2.49/doc on Starter) and merchant-application fees on lower tiers
Annual prepay is pushed hard; refund complaints appear in reviews
More platform than a sub-20-unit self-manager needs
3. Buildium
Full property-management accounting suite with flat tiers.
Best for: Landlords who want $0 software with automated late fees and are comfortable passing transaction costs to tenants.
No subscription, setup, or per-unit fees for landlords — at any portfolio size
Automated late fees with grace-period rules
Covers leases, screening, payments, and maintenance requests
Tenant-paid fees on every online payment can push tenants back to checks or Zelle
Reviewers find lease editing and templates clunky
No banking layer or per-property accounts
When AppFolio is still the right call
Keep AppFolio if you manage 100+ units and growing, manage properties for third-party owners (its trust accounting and owner portals are genuinely best-in-class), or run mixed portfolios — student housing, affordable housing, community associations — where its compliance tooling earns its price. At professional-management scale, the automation pays for itself.
Frequently asked questions
What does AppFolio actually cost at 50 units?
With the ~$298 monthly minimum, a 50-unit portfolio pays roughly $5.96 per unit per month — around four times the advertised per-unit rate — before onboarding, payment processing, and add-on fees.
Which alternative has the closest accounting to AppFolio?
DoorLoop and Buildium both offer full double-entry PM accounting with reconciliation, owner statements, and 1099 support. DoorLoop starts without a unit minimum; Buildium's flat tiers suit growing management businesses.
Can I switch software mid-lease?
Yes. Leases are contracts with your tenants, not with your software. The practical work is migrating tenant records, payment methods, and open ledgers — plan the cutover for a month boundary so rent charges post cleanly in one system.