Pricing
Independent landlords with up to 10 units pay $0/month — no catch. Growing PMs get everything AppFolio charges $298/month for, starting at $79.99. Every fee listed below. No minimums, no setup, no contracts.
For individual landlords
For growing property managers
For established businesses
Fee Breakdown
Transaction fees only apply when rent is collected through the platform. Manual payments (cash, cheque, e-transfer) have a free recording allowance per billing period — 5/mo on Essential, 10/mo on Growth, 25/mo on Portfolio. $0.95 per record after that.
| Fee type | Essential | Growth | Portfolio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly platform fee | $0 | $79.99 | $149.99 |
| ACH / bank transfer fee (tenant pays online via bank) | 1.75% | 1.75% | 1.75% |
| Credit / debit card fee (tenant pays by card) | 4.5% | 4.0% | 3.5% |
| Manual payment recording (cash, cheque, e-transfer) | 5 free/mo, $0.95 each after | 10 free/mo, $0.95 each after | 25 free/mo, $0.95 each after |
| Additional team seats (beyond included) | Not available | +$7.99/seat/mo (up to 25 extra) | +$5.99/seat/mo (up to 40 extra) |
| Late fee enforcement | Included | Included | Included |
| E-signature (BoldSign) | Not included | Included | Included |
| AI maintenance triage | Not included | Included | Included |
| Setup fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Cancellation fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Transaction fees are deducted from the collected amount before deposit. Tenants can choose their payment method — landlords can optionally pass fees to tenants.
Real-World Cost
Two scenarios where PropertyDesk is the clear winner. Pricing based on publicly available information as of May 2026.
PropertyDesk Essential
$0
per month
AppFolio
N / A
can't sign up
50 unit minimum requiredBuildium Essential
$55
per month
DoorLoop Starter
$59
per month
PropertyDesk Growth
$79.99
per month, flat
AppFolio Core
$298+
per month minimum
Being straight about Buildium: If you're absorbing ACH fees yourself, Buildium Essential at $55/mo undercuts our Growth plan at $79.99. We won't hide it. PropertyDesk wins on the free tier, no minimum units, the AppFolio comparison, AI triage, and vendor payouts — not every single cell in a table. Pick what fits.
Competitor Comparison
Comparing PropertyDesk Growth plan against the most common alternatives for independent landlords.
| PropertyDesk | AppFolio | Buildium | DoorLoop | TurboTenant | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting monthly fee | $0 | $298 min | $55 | $59 | $0* |
| Per-unit pricing | No | $1.40–5.00/unit | No | No | No |
| Min unit requirement | None | 50 units | None | None | None |
| ACH / bank transfer fee | 1.75% | $0.50/txn | ~1.75% | 1.99% | $2/mo (tenant) |
| Card payment fee | 4.0–4.5% | 2.99% | 2.95% | 2.9% + $0.30 | 3.49% (tenant) |
| E-signatures included | ✓ Growth+ | Add-on | ✓ | ✓ | Add-on |
| Maintenance workflow | ✓ Full | ✓ Full | ✓ Full | ✓ Full | Basic |
| AI maintenance triage | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Expense tracking & P&L | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Vendor payout accounts | ✓ | Limited | ✗ | Limited | ✗ |
| Vendor dashboard & portal | ✓ | ✓ | Limited | ✓ | ✗ |
| Free tier available | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓* |
| Built for 1–500 units | ✓ | ✗ | Partial | ✓ | ✓ |
| No long-term contract | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
* TurboTenant's free plan charges fees to tenants, not landlords — costs you nothing but costs your tenants. AppFolio requires a minimum of 50 units to sign up, making it inaccessible for small landlords entirely. All competitor pricing based on publicly available information as of May 2026 — verify before switching.
Questions
By default it's deducted from the collected amount before it hits your account. You can optionally configure the platform to pass the fee to your tenant — they'll see it at checkout.
Manual recording is free up to your plan's monthly allowance — 5 records on Essential, 10 on Growth, 25 on Portfolio. After that, each additional manual record costs $0.95. On Essential, 5 units paying cash covers the whole month at no cost.
You'll be prompted to upgrade before adding more units. Existing properties and tenants are never locked out — you just can't add new ones until you upgrade.
Yes. Monthly plans cancel at the end of the billing period. Annual plans are non-refundable after 30 days. No cancellation fee, no questions asked.
Card networks (Visa, Mastercard) charge processors a percentage fee — there's no way around it. ACH (direct bank transfer) has significantly lower processing costs, which is why our ACH rate (1.75%) is less than half the card rate (3.5–4.5%). On a $2,000 rent payment that's $35 via ACH vs up to $90 by card. We recommend nudging tenants toward ACH when possible.
Yes. On Growth and Portfolio plans, e-signatures via BoldSign are included at no additional cost. On the Essential plan, leases can still be signed manually or uploaded as PDFs.
Honestly — not always. Buildium Essential at $55/month is cheaper than our Growth plan ($79.99) if you're collecting rent online and absorbing ACH fees. We won't pretend otherwise. PropertyDesk wins when you're on the Essential free tier, when you're comparing against AppFolio's $298 minimum, or when AI maintenance triage and vendor payout accounts matter to you. Pick the tool that actually fits your portfolio.
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