Property Management

AppFolio Pricing (2026): About $1.49/Unit, 50-Unit Minimum

AppFolio now lists Core at $1.49 a unit. Competitors report a $280–$298 monthly minimum spend, and you need 50 units. 7 cheaper tools for small PMs.

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Flat-rate core tool + lean stack

AppFolio won't sell to you yet: Core has a 50-unit minimum. Start with Hemlane (free Starter tier), Rentec Direct ($25 a month flat for up to 10 properties) or TenantCloud (from $15 a month billed yearly). They handle rent, screening and leases with no unit minimum. Then put the effort into filling vacancies faster.

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Core tool + syndication and listing marketing

Your bottleneck is leasing speed, not software features. Pick a cheap core (Hemlane free, Rentec Direct from $25 a month, or TenantCloud from $15), then add syndication and listing marketing. Reallyo syndicates rentals to the 19 sites in its network and turns each listing into a listing page, a video and social posts; one active listing is free.

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AppFolio (if you're at 50+ units)

AppFolio lists Core at $1.49 a unit with a 50-unit minimum, but competitors report a $280–$298 monthly minimum spend, so up to about 200 units you pay roughly $298 a month. Before signing, compare it with Buildium (from $62 a month, no unit minimum) and DoorLoop ($2.50 a unit with a $199 monthly minimum).

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Full-suite enterprise platform

At scale, a full accounting-plus-operations suite like AppFolio, Buildium or DoorLoop makes sense. Check what each does for marketing before you assume it's covered, and budget for listing syndication if it isn't. The gap between a good core and a slow listing is where vacancy costs pile up.

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AppFolio Core costs about $298 a month whether you manage 50 units or 100, because its minimum spend sits above the $1.49-a-unit list price. AppFolio’s own pricing page now shows Core at $1.49, Plus at $3.20 and Max at $5.00 per unit a month, with a 50-unit minimum on Core and a minimum spend it doesn’t publish (AppFolio pricing). Competitors report that floor at $280–$298 a month, which makes 50 units about $5.96 a unit and 100 units about $2.98. AppFolio is built for managers past roughly 200 units who want accounting, leasing and AI in one system. Under 50 units you can’t buy it at all.

Prices checked 20 October 2026, each on the vendor’s own pricing page. Reallyo publishes this blog. We sell rental listing marketing, not property management software, and Reallyo runs alongside AppFolio rather than replacing it.

Key takeaways

  • AppFolio lists Core at $1.49 per unit a month, Plus at $3.20 and Max at $5.00, each “Starting at” with a “Get a Quote” button (AppFolio).
  • Core needs 50 units plus a minimum spend. AppFolio doesn’t state the amount; DoorLoop reports $280 a month and ManageCasa $298.
  • Basic listing syndication is included in the subscription and reaches the 27 sites on AppFolio’s partner list. Premium Listing costs $10 per verified lead.
  • AppFolio’s Leasing CRM is in Max only, and AppFolio says it works best for multifamily customers “with 100+ units.”
  • Buildium starts at $62 a month with no unit minimum. DoorLoop starts at $2.50 a unit with a $199 monthly minimum, billed yearly ($3.00 and $239 billed monthly).

What does AppFolio cost for 50 and 100 units?

On Core, about $298 a month for either. The list price only starts to matter at about 200 units, where $1.49 a unit reaches the reported floor. The table uses AppFolio’s published per-unit rates and the $298 Core floor that ManageCasa reports (June 2026).

UnitsCore at $1.49 listCore after the reported $298 floorCore per unit, effectivePlus at $3.20 listMax at $5.00 list
50$74.50/mo$298/mo$5.96$160/mo$250/mo
100$149/mo$298/mo$2.98$320/mo$500/mo
200$298/mo$298/mo$1.49$640/mo$1,000/mo
300$447/mo$447/mo$1.49$960/mo$1,500/mo

Plus and Max have their own minimum spends, which AppFolio doesn’t publish either. Reported floors are $900 or $1,500 a month for Plus and $7,500 a month for Max (Balanced Asset Solutions, DoorLoop). If those hold, the Plus and Max list prices in the table don’t apply at 100 units.

Both reported Core floors work out to exactly 200 units at the rate of the day: $280 is 200 × $1.40, and $298 is 200 × $1.49. That’s our arithmetic on competitors’ numbers, not an AppFolio statement. It means a 100-unit manager pays roughly what a 200-unit manager pays.

Budget for a one-time onboarding fee too. AppFolio doesn’t publish one, but its own buyer’s guide tells you to plan for “one-time fees for data migration, onboarding, and staff training” (AppFolio blog). Balanced Asset Solutions says only occupied units are billed. AppFolio’s pricing page doesn’t say so, so get it in your quote.

AppFolio plans, prices and minimums

ItemPriceBillingSource
CoreStarting at $1.49 per unitper monthAppFolio, 20 Oct 2026
PlusStarting at $3.20 per unitper monthAppFolio
MaxStarting at $5.00 per unitper monthAppFolio
Core minimum50 units plus a minimum spend: “Minimum spend and 50 unit minimum apply”n/aAppFolio
Plus and Max minimum”Minimum spend and units apply”; no amounts givenn/aAppFolio
Core minimum spend (reported)$280 (at $1.40 a unit) or $298 (at $1.49)per monthDoorLoop; ManageCasa
Plus minimum spend (reported)$900 or $1,500per monthBalanced Asset Solutions; DoorLoop
Max minimum spend (reported)$7,500per monthBalanced Asset Solutions
OnboardingOne-time fee; amount not publishedonceBalanced Asset Solutions
Basic listing syndicationIncludedin the subscriptionAppFolio Premium Listing
Premium Listing$10 per verified lead, with a monthly cap you set per propertyper leadAppFolio Premium Listing

AppFolio started showing prices on its page in October 2026

On 15 October we wrote that AppFolio’s pricing page showed no prices, and that ChatGPT was wrong to quote $1.49, $3.20 and $5.00 from it. The visible page did say only “Get a Quote”: the Internet Archive’s copies from 8 July to 10 October show no price. But the page’s structured data, the code that search engines and AI tools read, carried prices the whole time. The July and 7 September copies list Core at $1.40 and Plus at $3.00. From the 20 September copy on, they list Core at $1.49, Plus at $3.20 and Max at $5.00.

By 20 October those prices were visible on the page. So ChatGPT was reading AppFolio’s own code. The structured data moved Core up about 6% ($1.40 to $1.49) and Plus about 7% ($3.00 to $3.20) between 7 and 20 September, though ManageCasa was already reporting $1.49 in June, so the rise itself may be older. We checked five Archive copies, so each change happened somewhere between two of them.

What does AppFolio syndicate to, and what does listing marketing cost?

AppFolio’s Basic “Post to Internet” is “included with your monthly subscription” (AppFolio). Its listing partners page names 27 sites in two groups:

  • Every listed property (Basic): Zillow Rental Network, Trulia, HotPads, Apartments.com, Dwellsy and Rental Beast.
  • Listed on Basic, featured on Premium: Zumper, Realtor.com, Apartment List, PadMapper, Redfin, RentPath, Rentals.com, Apartment Guide, Rentler, RentalSource, Rentable, Apartment Advisor, ApartmentLove, EveryApartment and Showmetherent.com, plus six student sites (Uloop, CollegePads, UniversityParent, collegerentals.com, CollegeStudentApartments.com and CribWiz.com).

That’s broad coverage at no extra charge, and it’s a real reason to stay on AppFolio once you’re there. What you pay for is placement:

Listing marketing on AppFolioCostSource
Basic syndication to the 27 partner sitesIncluded; leads are freeAppFolio
Premium Listing: pay-to-list sites, featured placement, call tracking and recording$10 per verified lead; you set a monthly cap per propertyAppFolio
Zillow Listing Spotlight: top placement across Zillow, Trulia and HotPads for single-family rentals and buildings under 25 unitsA monthly subscription sold by Zillow; price not publishedAppFolio newsroom
AppFolio Sites, 3D virtual tours, property mapsListed as marketing tools; prices not publishedAppFolio

Premium leads don’t count wrong numbers, duplicates, solicitors or current residents, and a property drops out of Premium for the rest of the month once it hits its cap. At $10 a lead, a $100 cap buys 10 verified leads per property a month. Zillow and AppFolio launched Listing Spotlight in October 2025, and AppFolio says its customers “will continue to benefit from free listing syndication to Zillow.”

Two timing facts help when a listing looks wrong. Zillow’s AppFolio FAQ says to “wait 24 hours” for photo and address changes to reach Zillow (Zillow). Connecting a listing to Apartments.com through AppFolio “takes 24 to 48 hours” (Apartments.com).

AppFolio’s marketing page lists websites, tours, maps, Premium Listing and guest card tracking. It doesn’t list listing videos, social posts or print flyers, so those come from somewhere else.

Which AppFolio plan has the leasing CRM and AI?

The AI assistant is on every plan. The Leasing CRM is Max only, and the AI leasing agent isn’t on any plan list.

PlanLeasing and AI features AppFolio listsSource
Core ($1.49)End-to-end marketing and leasing, integrated communication, Realm-X Assistant and Messages, standard integrationsAppFolio
Plus ($3.20)Adds Realm-X Flows (automated workflows), premium integrations, a read-only APIAppFolio
Max ($5.00)Adds the Leasing CRM, Leasing Signals (rent pricing suggestions), a read/write API and a dedicated success managerAppFolio
Realm-X Leasing PerformerAn AI agent that “replies to every lead within minutes, 24/7”, schedules tours and updates guest cards. Not named in any plan; no published priceAppFolio

The CRM comes with a second gate. AppFolio says it “only supports properties with on-site leasing teams, and works best for residential multifamily customers with 100+ units” (AppFolio Leasing CRM). A scattered-site, single-family manager on Core gets guest cards and the AI assistant, not a leasing pipeline. Buildium’s review of AppFolio says AI Performers cost extra on top of the subscription (Buildium); AppFolio doesn’t publish a price. Our AI for property management guide covers what these agents do.

Choose AppFolio if, look elsewhere if

Choose AppFolio if:

  • you manage 200+ units, where the $298 Core floor stops costing you more than $1.49 a unit;
  • you want accounting, leasing, maintenance, screening and syndication to 27 sites in one system;
  • you run multifamily with on-site leasing teams and can budget for Max, which is where the Leasing CRM lives.

Look elsewhere if:

  • you manage under 50 units, because Core won’t sell to you;
  • you manage 50–200 units and watch costs, since you’d pay about $298 a month ($2.98–$5.96 a unit) against Buildium’s $62 starting plan;
  • you want a leasing CRM for scattered single-family homes, which AppFolio’s CRM doesn’t support today;
  • you want a self-serve sign-up with every fee published.

AppFolio alternatives for smaller portfolios

None of these has a 50-unit minimum. Prices are from each vendor’s own page, checked 20 October 2026.

ToolEntry priceUnit minimumBest for
Buildium$62/mo (Essential); Growth $192, Premium $400None, per Buildium20–200 units wanting a full suite
DoorLoop$2.50/unit, $199/mo minimum, billed yearly ($3.00 and $239 monthly); $1.50/unit above 100None, but the floor equals about 80 unitsGrowing PMs who want a CRM on every plan
Rentec Direct$25/mo flat up to 10 properties; Pro and PM from $50/moNoneSmall PMs who want low, predictable cost
TenantCloudFrom $15/mo billed yearly ($18 monthly)None; Starter caps you at 10 leasesLandlords with a handful of leases
HemlaneFree Starter; Basic $2/unit + $28 platform feeNoneOwners testing software for free
TurboTenantFree; Essentials from $12.42/mo, Pro from $16.48/moNoneSelf-managing landlords
Propertyware$1/unit, $250/mo minimum + implementation fee of 2× the monthly priceNone stated, but a $250 floorSingle-family portfolios at scale

What we’d do under 50 units: Rentec Direct or TenantCloud for the books, then a listing tool for the portals and the marketing. Between 50 and 200 units, price Buildium and DoorLoop against your AppFolio quote before signing. Our best property management software for small landlords goes deeper on each.

Using AppFolio with Reallyo

Keep AppFolio for the books and leasing, and use Reallyo for the marketing AppFolio doesn’t make. Reallyo imports rental listings from property management system exports, XML feeds and spreadsheets, then keeps them in sync. File and feed imports usually take a day to set up once we have a sample.

Each imported rental then gets:

  • a listing page on your Reallyo website;
  • an AI listing video with voiceover and captions, in reel, square and landscape sizes;
  • social posts you copy or download, plus a printable PDF flyer with a QR code;
  • syndication to the 19 sites in Reallyo’s network, including Zillow, Apartments.com, Realtor.com and Homes.com, which isn’t on AppFolio’s partner list.

Enquiries from Reallyo’s listings land in its leads inbox. Plans are priced by active listings: free for one, $39 a month for 10, $49 for 25, $69 for 50 and $89 for 100 (Reallyo pricing). That isn’t the same product as AppFolio’s Premium Listing, which buys featured placement on pay-to-list sites by the lead. It’s a flat monthly price for the assets AppFolio doesn’t produce.

Plan which system feeds which site before you run both. Zillow “will only ever publish a single version of a listing” (Zillow), and Apartments.com locks a feed-connected listing to that one source (Apartments.com). Syndication is for US rentals, and each site’s own acceptance rules apply. Start free with one listing.

FAQ

How much does AppFolio cost per month? For most managers under 200 units, about $298 a month on Core. AppFolio lists Core at $1.49 per unit a month, Plus at $3.20 and Max at $5.00, with a 50-unit minimum on Core and a minimum spend it doesn’t publish (AppFolio). Competitors report the Core floor at $280–$298 a month, which covers up to about 200 units at list price.

Does AppFolio publish its prices? Yes, since October 2026. The pricing page now shows “Starting at” per-unit prices for Core, Plus and Max. It still doesn’t publish the minimum spend for any plan or the onboarding fee, so you need a quote for the real number.

What is AppFolio’s minimum number of units? 50 units for Core, stated on AppFolio’s pricing page along with a minimum spend. Plus and Max also have unit and spend minimums, but AppFolio doesn’t give the numbers.

How much does AppFolio cost for 100 units? About $298 a month on Core, or $2.98 a unit. At the $1.49 list price, 100 units would be $149, but the reported $298 minimum spend applies first. Plus would list at $320 and Max at $500 for 100 units, before their own reported minimums of $900–$1,500 (Plus) and $7,500 (Max).

What does AppFolio Max add, and what does it cost? Max starts at $5.00 per unit a month and adds the Leasing CRM, Leasing Signals rent pricing, a read/write API and a dedicated success manager. AppFolio says the Leasing CRM works best for multifamily customers with 100+ units and on-site leasing teams.

Does AppFolio charge for listing syndication? No for Basic, yes for Premium. Basic syndication to the 27 sites on AppFolio’s partner list, including Zillow Rental Network, Apartments.com and Realtor.com, is included in the subscription. Premium Listing adds pay-to-list sites and featured placement for $10 per verified lead, with a monthly cap you set per property.

Which is better for a small property manager, AppFolio or Buildium? Buildium, below about 200 units. Buildium starts at $62 a month with no unit minimum, while AppFolio needs 50 units and a minimum spend reported at $280–$298 a month. AppFolio makes more sense at scale, especially for multifamily operators who want its Leasing CRM on Max.

What’s the cheapest alternative to AppFolio? Hemlane and TurboTenant are free for the basics, Rentec Direct is $25 a month flat for up to 10 properties, and TenantCloud starts at $15 a month billed yearly. None of them has a unit minimum.

Can I use Reallyo with AppFolio? Yes. Reallyo imports your rental listings from AppFolio exports or feeds and keeps them in sync, then adds a listing page, a video, social posts and flyers for each one, and syndicates to the 19 sites in its network. One active listing is free.

Sources