AppFolio Pricing (2026) and Cheaper Alternatives for Small Property Managers
AppFolio has a 50-unit minimum — so if you manage fewer, it isn't even an option. Here's what AppFolio actually costs, and the flat-rate alternatives (with no per-door minimum) that fit small property managers.
Which property management tool fits your portfolio?
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How many units do you manage?
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Flat-rate core tool + lean stack
You don't qualify for AppFolio anyway (50-unit minimum). Start with Hemlane (free Starter tier, no per-door minimum), Rentec Direct ($25–$50/mo flat for unlimited units), or TenantCloud ($15–$18/mo). These handle rent, screening, and leases without per-unit fees. Layer in free marketing tools to fill vacancies faster—that's where small PMs lose the most money.
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Core tool + syndication and listing marketing
Your bottleneck is leasing speed, not software features. Pick a cheap flat-rate core (Hemlane free, Rentec Direct $25–$50/mo, or TenantCloud $15–$18/mo), then add free listing syndication and marketing. One upload becomes a listing on every portal, a landing page, a video, and social posts. Vacancy cost almost always exceeds software cost.
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AppFolio (if you're at 50+ units)
AppFolio requires a 50-unit minimum and doesn't publish prices—you'll need a quote. Reported figures put Core around $1.40–$1.49/unit with a ~$280–$298/month minimum. It's a full suite, but small PMs often overpay for features they don't use. Compare against Buildium ($62/mo flat) or DoorLoop ($69–$99/mo for up to 10 units) first.
Compare all PM softwareYour answer
Full-suite enterprise platform
At scale, a full accounting-plus-operations suite like AppFolio, Buildium, or DoorLoop makes sense. But don't assume it handles marketing well—most don't. Budget separately for listing syndication and leasing velocity tools. The gap between a great core and a slow listing is where you lose money.
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AppFolio is built for scale, and it says so plainly: its own pricing page specifies a 50-unit minimum. So if you manage fewer than ~50 doors it is not a question of price — the product starts above you. And at the threshold it is worth checking whether you need a full enterprise suite or the basics plus good marketing. Here’s what AppFolio costs, and the flat-rate tools that fit a small PM.
What AppFolio actually costs
AppFolio doesn’t publish prices — every plan (Core, Plus, Max) says “minimum spend and units apply,” and its page confirms a 50-unit minimum on Core (AppFolio). Review sites all say the same: quote-only, no free trial (Capterra).
The widely circulated per-unit figures are third-party and legacy — not officially confirmed, and sources disagree: Core is reported around $1.40–$1.49/unit/mo with a ~$280–$298/month minimum, Plus around $3/unit with a four-figure minimum (DoorLoop comparison). Treat those as approximate. The number that matters is the one AppFolio does confirm: 50 units to get in the door.
The alternatives that actually fit small PMs
If you manage under ~50 units, you want flat-rate or free tools with no per-door minimum. Current entry pricing (vendor pages, fetched Sept 2026):
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Small-PM fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hemlane | Free Starter, then ~$30/mo | base + per-unit, no per-door minimum (Hemlane) | ✅ great |
| Rentec Direct | $25–$50/mo flat | unlimited units, no setup/contract (Rentec) | ✅ great |
| TenantCloud | $15–$18/mo | flat, unlimited units (no free tier now) (TenantCloud) | ✅ good |
| Buildium | $62/mo | flat tiers, no unit minimum (Buildium) | ✅ good |
| DoorLoop | $69–$99/mo | up to 10 units at entry (DoorLoop) | ➖ pricier entry |
| TurboTenant | Free / ~$10–12/mo | flat, no unit minimum (The Close) | ✅ landlord-leaning |
| Propertyware | $250/mo min + 2× implementation fee (Propertyware) | per-unit, enterprise | ❌ built for scale |
| AppFolio | 50-unit min, ~$280–298/mo | per-unit, enterprise | ❌ excludes small PMs |
Don’t confuse “full suite” with “what you need”
AppFolio, Buildium, and DoorLoop are full accounting-plus-operations suites. Plenty of small PMs pay for all of that and still lose deals on the thing none of those tools do well: marketing and leasing the unit fast. A cheaper flat-rate core (rent, screening, leases) plus a free marketing layer often beats an expensive suite. That’s where Reallyo fits — free listing marketing and syndication on top of whatever core tool you pick: one upload becomes a listing on every portal, a listing page, a video, and social posts. Use the calculator above to price what slow, incomplete listings cost you in vacancy — it’s usually more than the software. (Coming from RentLinx? See the RentLinx alternatives too.)
FAQ
How much does AppFolio cost? AppFolio doesn’t publish prices; plans are quote-only with a 50-unit minimum on Core (AppFolio). Reported (unofficial) figures put Core near $1.40–$1.49/unit with a ~$280–$298/month minimum.
What is AppFolio’s minimum? 50 units, confirmed on AppFolio’s own pricing page — so managers with fewer units can’t use it.
What’s the cheapest AppFolio alternative for a small property manager? Hemlane has a free Starter tier (no per-door minimum), Rentec Direct is $25–$50/mo flat for unlimited units, and TenantCloud starts around $15–$18/mo — all viable under 50 units.
Is there free property management software? Yes — Hemlane (Starter), TurboTenant, and others are free for the basics. See the best PM software for small landlords.
Do I need a full suite like AppFolio? Usually not if you’re small. A flat-rate core for rent/screening/leases plus a free marketing/syndication layer covers most sub-50-unit operators for a fraction of the cost.
Sources
- AppFolio — Pricing page (50-unit minimum; quote-only; fetched Sept 2026)
- Buildium — Pricing · DoorLoop — Pricing · Hemlane — Pricing · Rentec Direct — Pricing · TenantCloud — Pricing · Propertyware — Pricing (all fetched Sept 2026)
- The Close — TurboTenant review (free tier; paid pricing)