TenantCloud vs. Buildium: Which Platform is the Smartest for Your Rentals?

TenantCloud 14-day free trial

Buildium 14-day free trial

TenantCloud TenantCloud: Offers 10 robust package options with 99.9% accuracy through TransUnion. Starting at $30, landlords can generate full credit reports, identity verifcation, complete background check (local and national), eviction history, a ResidentScore, and income details with Income Insights. Landlords can request a screening report right from an application or without an application with just the click of a button.

Buildium Buildium: Offers two tenant screening options: Basic for $17 ($32 if the applicant pays) and Enhanced for $20 (paid by landlord or tenant). Screenings include a full credit report, identity verification, complete background check, and eviction history report. Enhanced screenings provide instant results for accredited businesses but may take longer for non-accreditation.

TenantCloud TenantCloud: Landlords with any plan can advertise on Rentler, Realtor, and Apartments.com with one click at no additional cost. For an additional $30, you can promote rentals on over 20+ popular sites, including Tenant Turner, Rent.com, RealtyStore.com, Redfin, Rentals.com, Oodle, Apartment Guide, RentalSource, Rentalads.com, and Zumper. On average, landlords who list on TenantCloud receive 4 applications per listing.

Buildium Buildium: Landlords can syndicate rental listings to popular sites like Apartments.com, Rent.com, Zillow, Dwellsy, and more. While some options are free, placement priority and visibility often depend on paid partnerships or unit count - especially with platforms like Zillow and Apartment List. Some networks, like Apartments.com, require direct contracts for multi-family properties, and features like listing edits or tenant lead volume can vary by site. Additionally, anonymized contact info on platforms like Zumper may impact direct renter communication.

TenantCloud TenantCloud: Offers online payments via debit, credit, ACH, and cash. Users can set up autopay in daily, weekly, and bi-weekly increments. ACH Transaction fees vary by subscription plan, starting at $1.50. Tenants enrolled in Rent Reporting through TenantCloud can also have their ACH transaction fees waived as long as they’re enrolled. Card processing fees for credit/debit are currently 3.5% + $0.30. There are no hidden fees for connecting your bank. Landlords enjoy being able to add multiple bank accounts and virtually legal entities and set up automatic transactions to specific accounts. Need to refund a payment such as a security deposit? TenantCloud makes it easy. Tenants can also make payments directly through a separate tenant app.

Buildium Buildium: Offers online payments via ACH, debit, and credit, with pricing that varies by plan: incoming EFTs cost $1.99 on the Essential plan, $0.99 on Growth, and waived on Premium. Outgoing EFTs are $0.50 across all tiers. Debit and credit card transactions carry a 2.99% processing fee. Buildium also offers cash rent payments through PayNearMe, allowing tenants to pay at retail locations like CVS and 7-Eleven for a $3.99 fee. There is currently no dedicated tenant app for rent payment, so tenants may have fewer options in how they prefer to pay rent.

TenantCloud TenantCloud: TenantCloud provides a comprehensive suite of landlord documents, starting with the Growth plan. These include financial reports, state-specific forms, tax-related forms, addendums, security deposit receipts, and property management agreements. Users have the ability to create documents right in their dashboard or download PDFs, ensuring you can have everything signed with eSignature.

Buildium Buildium: Buildium helps streamline the lease process by allowing landlords to collect application fees, security deposits, and electronic signatures from any device. Users can create lease templates, have leases and addendums e-signed, and securely store documents online for easy access anytime. eSignature is available across plans, with $5 per signature on Essential plans.

TenantCloud TenantCloud: TenantCloud provides a range of financial tools, including income and expense tracking, bank reconciliation, and QuickBooks integration. Users with Growth plans and higher can easily generate dozens of reports, including 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC forms, directly from the dashboard for tax season. The Tax Preparation Report aligns with IRS Schedule E categories and offers clear insights into your financial data, available in both Excel and PDF formats.

Buildium Buildium: Offers accounting features like online payments, expense tracking, and financial reporting including profit and loss statements, income reports, cash flow summaries, bank reconciliations, and real estate balance sheets. Essential plans can connect a bank account for $99/account. On Growth and Premium plans, the first five bank account setups are free, with $99/account after. Buildium helps landlords manage taxes by tracking income, expenses, management fees, depreciation, and interest expenses - making it easier to prepare Schedule E and file 1099s.

TenantCloud TenantCloud: Provides comprehensive maintenance management across all subscription tiers, allowing landlords to track repair requests, coordinate with service professionals, and manage invoices. Pro and Business plans also feature a maintenance board for enhanced task organization. Plus, with a built-in Move-in/Move-out inspection tool, landlords and tenants can submit direct maintenance requests if they find a need for one during their walkthrough. Users can also receive invoices and pay service providers.

Buildium Buildium: Buildium simplifies maintenance management with built-in tools for handling tenant requests, assigning tasks, and tracking progress. Tenants can submit maintenance requests through their portal or mobile app, include photos or videos, and set urgency levels. Landlords can schedule recurring tasks, assign jobs, and link expenses - all integrated with vendor records and accounting. For additional support, Buildium offers a Maintenance Contact Center add-on. Pricing starts at $140/month plus $1.10/unit/month for full coverage. Property inspections are also available starting at $40/month on the Essential plan, and included for free on Growth and Premium plans.