TenantCloud and Buildium are both popular online property management platforms designed to help real estate investors organize and streamline their business. If you’re a landlord or property manager, chances are you’ve narrowed your choices down to a select few and are hoping to decide the right one for you.
While both platforms offer a variety of useful features, including tenant screening, online rent collection, and vacant unit listings, there are several key differences that may ultimately influence your decision. Let’s take a closer look at TenantCloud and Buildium and compare their top features, pricing plans, and more so you can walk away feeling confident about your decision. May the odds be ever in your property management favor!
TenantCloud vs. Buildium: A Side-By-Side Comparison
- Both TenantCloud and Buildium offer a variety of accounting tools, including automatic rent payments and multiple payment methods (ACH, credit card, PayPal)
- TenantCloud allows a QuickBooks Online integration, which can be a perk for QuickBooks users
- Both TenantCloud and Buildium have a tenant portal that allows you to accept rent payments online and communicate directly with tenants
- Buildium has a spot for association fees (such as an HOA)
- TenantCloud provides more detailed tenant options, such as accepting partial rent payments and setting up invoices for late fees
- Buildium offers communication perks such as the ability to email tenants in bulk and send physical letters with EZMail
- TenantCloud offers a built-in maintenance request platform where landlords can receive requests, create invoices, and connect with service professionals
TenantCloud
TenantCloud is an affordable, comprehensive property management software for landlords and property managers. Not only is TenantCloud currently used by over 2 million landlords across all 50 states and over 40 countries, it’s also ranked highly among competitors. The software offers solutions for listing rentals, screening tenants, receiving maintenance requests, collecting rent, and more.
Features and Benefits
- TenantCloud offers several affordable plans to choose from that are surprisingly robust
- TenantCloud allows unlimited property/unit listings across all plans
- Key features include tenant screening (background checks and income checks), e-signatures, lease management, document templates, record retention, service reminders, text messaging, equipment management, and ACH rent payments
- Advanced features in higher-tier plans include QuickBooks Online and Google Calendar sync, owner portals, property management tools, premium leads, team functionalities, and customizable details
- TenantCloud's platform is designed to cater to different sizes of portfolios, from individual and DIY landlords to large property management businesses
TenantCloud Pricing
There are four TenantCloud pricing plans ranging from monthly to annually and basic to business professional. No matter which plans you choose, each option includes unlimited rental listings, properties, and a free 14-day trial. Also, for those interested in annual plans, TenantCloud offers a 20% discount.
Starter
- Starts at $15.60 /month
- Unlimited property listings
- eSignatures
- Text messaging
- ACH rent payments
- Autopayments
- Screenings
- 1 Gb of storage
- Maintenance requests
- Vendor network access
- Google Calendar sync
Growth
- Starts at $29.30 /month
- Lease builder
- Landlord forms
- Property message board
- 200 service reminders
- Extended equipment management
- 10 GB of storage
- Multiple bank account connections
- Individual owner portal
Pro
- Starts at $50.40 /month
- Premium leads for listings
- Tax reporting
- Vendor network
- Unlimited leases
Business
- Customized pricing
- Team management and tools
- Task management
- Listings auto-refresh
Summary
TenantCloud has a significant amount of features for the cost, showing a key strength in property maintenance, accounting, and tenant communication. Pricing is much more affordable for DIY and entry-level property management compared to other software. Depending on the features you need most, TenantCloud may be the more affordable option.
Buildium
Launched in 2004, Buildium is an online property management software geared towards property managers and real estate investors with one to 5,000+ units. Buildium can support all types of rentals, from townhomes to single-family homes to multi-family units.
Features and Benefits
- Buildium offers a wide range of features, including property accounting, online rent collection, maintenance requests management, 1099 e-Filing, a resident center, rental listing syndications, tenant screening, property management websites, online leasing, and business analytics for mid to high tiers
- The platform provides a comprehensive solution for business operations, leasing, accounting and payments, marketing, and business performance
- Additional services like ePay for online payments, renters insurance, property inspections, eSignature, and more are available
- Buildium also offers customer support services in higher tiers, including ticket support, live phone support, and priority support
Buildium Pricing
Buildium offers three pricing plans to choose from. All packages include some accounting, maintenance, violations, tasks, communications, and an online portal. Each package is broken down like this:
Essential
- Starts at $55/month
- Basic accounting
- Tenant screening
- Tenant communication
- Maintenance organization
- Separate portal for tenants
- Online payments
- Resident and board member communications
Growth
- Starts at $174/month
- Property inspections
- Unlimited e-signatures
- Performance analytics
- Onboarding (enhanced tenant screening)
- Electronic leasing
- Additional phone support
Premium
- $375/month
- Up to $500 worth of free leads
- Open API (for accessibility outside of the platform)
- Priority support
- Leads consultant
Summary
Buildium has a wide range of features and tools to fit a variety of needs. Their software is comprehensive, user-friendly, and easy to learn. While the essential plan is comparable to other similar property management software, one major con is that customer support is extremely limited unless you upgrade to their more expensive plans. Overall, a good platform.
The Verdict
Both TenantCloud and Buildium offer robust property management solutions with a range of features. Buildium seems to offer a comprehensive set of features and services, particularly for larger property management operations, whereas TenantCloud provides a flexible and scalable solution that can cater to individual landlords as well as larger property management firms. The choice between the two would depend on specific needs, scale of operations, and overall budget.
