Property Management App Builder

Best Free Property Management Software (2026)

Seven free property management options for small landlords, what each free plan really includes, who pays the fees, and when it is worth upgrading, using each vendor’s own pricing page.

Floot ·

Key Takeaways

  • Free usually means free to the landlord. Screening is typically applicant-paid, and bank transfer or card fees are often tenant-paid. Add those up before you choose.
  • TurboTenant, Avail and Innago are the most complete free plans for leasing and rent. Each covers applications, screening requests and online rent collection with no landlord subscription; their fee tables differ.
  • Baselane and Stessa are free money tools first. Baselane pairs free landlord banking with rent collection; Stessa’s free plan centers on bank feeds and reporting, with leasing tools included.
  • Watch unit caps. Landlord Studio’s free Go plan is limited to 3 units. Avail, Stessa and Baselane advertise unlimited units or properties on free plans.
  • Building your own is free to start, not free to run. Floot’s free plan lets you build and publish a custom app, but it has no screening or bank-transfer rent collection, and hosting is metered beyond a small one-time allowance.

Quick-Start Prioritization Framework

ToolFree plan coversFees others pay (vendor page)Upgrade when
TurboTenant FreeListings, applications and screening, online rentScreening 55 dollars; ACH 2 dollars; card 3.49%You want online leases or financial reports
Avail UnlimitedListings, screening requests, state leases, rent, maintenance, tenant portalBank transfer 2.50 dollars; card 3.5%; screening varies by locationYou want waived ACH fees or custom applications
InnagoLandlord software with no monthly feeACH 2 dollars; card 2.99%; screening 30 to 35 dollars (tenant-paid by default)No paid tier listed
Baselane CoreBanking, bookkeeping, rent collectionACH 2 dollars (waived for Baselane deposits); card 3.49%; screening from 24.99 dollarsYou want automated categorization or faster deposits
Stessa EssentialsBank feeds, basic reports, screening, rent collection, maintenanceNot listed on pricing pageYou want Schedule E reports or eSignatures
Landlord Studio GoUp to 3 units: listings, screening, rent, maintenance, expensesScreening tenant-paid; rent fees not listedYou pass 3 units or want bank feeds
Floot Free (build your own)Build and publish a custom appHosting metered after a 3 dollar one-time allowanceYou need more building actions, a custom domain or more hosting

Free property management software is real, and for a landlord with a few units it is often all you need. The catch is that “free” almost always means free to the landlord. Applicants pay for screening, tenants often pay for bank transfers or card payments, and some features sit behind an upgrade. None of that is a problem if you know it in advance. This list covers seven free options, including one build-your-own route, with exactly what the free plan includes, who pays which fees, and the point at which upgrading makes sense. Every price and fee comes from the vendor’s own pricing or help page as of November 11, 2026.

What “free” really costs

Before the list, a quick worked example of why fee tables matter. These are my own illustrative numbers.

A landlord has 6 units at 1,500 dollars and fills 2 vacancies a year with 3 applicants each. On a free plan where applicants pay 55 dollars for screening and tenants pay 2 dollars per bank transfer: applicants pay 6 × 55 = 330 dollars a year, and tenants pay 6 × 12 × 2 = 144 dollars a year in transfer fees. If two tenants pay by card at 3.5 percent instead, that is 52.50 dollars each per month, or 1,260 dollars a year between them. The landlord pays nothing, but tenants notice, and some will ask you to cover it.

None of this makes free software a bad deal. It means you should choose with the fee table open, and decide in advance whether you will absorb any fees.

1. TurboTenant Free

Best for: landlords filling vacancies who want marketing, screening and online rent in one free place.

What the free plan includes

TurboTenant’s pricing page lists listing and marketing rentals, screening applicants and collecting rent online on the free plan, with unlimited listings, one connected bank account and manual transaction import. Listing review takes up to 48 hours on Free.

What to watch

Renter-paid fees are higher on the free plan than on Pro: the page lists 55 dollars for screening and 2 dollars per ACH payment under Free, versus 45 dollars and free ACH under Pro. Card payments are 3.49 percent. Landlords can choose to pay screening themselves. Online lease creation and signing are on paid plans.

When to upgrade

Essentials (149 dollars a year for 1 to 10 units) adds online leases and automatic transaction import. Pro (199 dollars a year for 1 to 10 units) adds income verification, tax-ready reports and lower renter fees.

2. Avail Unlimited

Best for: landlords who want the broadest free feature set with no unit cap.

What the free plan includes

Avail’s free Unlimited plan is 0 dollars per unit for unlimited units and lists listing syndication, rental applications and screening report requests, state-specific leases with digital signing, online rent collection, maintenance tracking, a 24/7 tenant portal, income and expense tracking, and messaging.

What to watch

Tenants pay 2.50 dollars per bank transfer on the free plan, and 3.5 percent for cards on any plan. Screening costs are not listed in dollars; the page says they vary by location due to state laws and that the tenant usually pays.

When to upgrade

Unlimited Plus (9 dollars per unit per month) waives ACH charges and adds faster payments, custom application questions, lease template customization and a branded property website. At 4 units that is 36 dollars a month; compare it with the 2.50 dollar transfer fee your tenants would otherwise pay (10 dollars a month for 4 tenants).

3. Innago

Best for: landlords who want no subscription tier to think about.

What it includes

Innago’s pricing page says “No monthly fee. No setup fee. No contract.” Its help center explains that landlords pay nothing to use it and that Innago earns from optional fees.

What to watch

The help center lists 2 dollars per ACH payment and 2.99 percent for card payments, paid by the tenant by default with the option for the landlord to absorb them, and 30 to 35 dollars per screened applicant, paid by the applicant. Its card fee is lower than several others on this list. The pricing page does not list a feature breakdown, so try the workflows you need before moving tenants over.

When to upgrade

There is no paid tier listed on its pricing page. If you outgrow it, the move is usually to a manager-grade tool.

4. Baselane Core

Best for: landlords who want property banking and bookkeeping free, with rent collection attached.

What the free plan includes

Baselane’s Core plan is free and lists no account opening, maintenance or minimum balance fees; unlimited checking and savings accounts, including property-specific accounts; debit cards; property-level income and expense tracking; QuickBooks and Xero sync; an accountant tax package with Schedule E reports; and rent collection with automated reminders, late fees, a tenant portal and autopay.

What to watch

Tenant fees: ACH 2 dollars (waived for Baselane deposits), debit and credit cards 3.49 percent. Screening is listed from 24.99 dollars. It is banking-first; listings and maintenance are not its focus, so pair it with another tool if you need them.

When to upgrade

Smart (20 dollars a month on an annual plan, 30-day trial) adds faster two-day rent deposits, automatic categorization, receipt matching and role-based shared access.

5. Stessa Essentials

Best for: landlords who mainly want clean income and expense records and reports, with basic leasing tools.

What the free plan includes

Stessa’s free Essentials plan lists unlimited properties, automatic bank feeds, basic financial reports, vacancy marketing, tenant screening, maintenance requests and tracking, and online rent collection. State-compliant lease agreements are available at cost.

What to watch

The pricing page does not list transaction fees for rent collection or a screening price, so check those in the product. Schedule E reports, legal forms and eSignatures are on paid plans.

When to upgrade

Manage is 12 dollars a month billed annually (15 dollars monthly) and adds a Schedule E report, legal forms and unlimited state leases. Pro is 28 dollars a month billed annually (35 dollars monthly) with advanced reports, budgeting and more eSignatures.

6. Landlord Studio Go

Best for: landlords with 1 to 3 units who want leasing, rent and expense tracking in one app.

What the free plan includes

The Go plan is free for up to 3 units and 1 user. The pricing page lists listing creation and syndication, online applications, tenant screening (paid by the tenant), online rent and deposit collection, partial payments, automated late fees, manual income and expense tracking, a mileage tracker, a receipt scanner, a tenant portal and maintenance management.

What to watch

The free plan is capped at 3 units and 10 stored documents. The pricing page does not state a fee for online rent collection, and its tables disagree on whether automated rent reminders are included on Go, so confirm in the app.

When to upgrade

Pro is 15 dollars a month or 144 dollars a year for 3 units plus 1.20 dollars per extra unit, and adds bank feeds, bookkeeping help, Xero integration, advanced reports and automated reminders.

7. Floot Free (build your own)

Best for: landlords who want a custom tool, such as a turnover board, an owner report or a tenant portal in their own format, and already handle screening and payments elsewhere.

What the free plan includes

Floot is free to start, with 100 building actions a day and a one-time 3 dollar hosting allowance. You describe the app in plain English and Floot builds a web app with its own Postgres database, logins with roles, file storage, email and scheduled jobs. You can import a CSV of your units and tenants, and publishing is free on every plan. You can download the app’s database on any plan.

What to watch

Floot does not include tenant screening or credit checks, trust accounting, an accounting integration or bank-transfer rent collection. Hosting beyond the allowance is metered by usage, so a free app is not free to run indefinitely. For most landlords looking for free software, the ready products above are the better choice; Floot suits a specific gap.

When to upgrade

Pro (25 dollars a month) adds 1,000 building actions a day, 10 dollars of hosting each month, AI credits, custom domains with one free domain, and restoring the database to any moment in the last 7 days.

How to pick a free tool

Match the tool to your biggest job.

  • Filling vacancies is the main job: TurboTenant Free or Avail Unlimited.
  • Collecting rent with the lowest tenant card fee: compare Innago’s 2.99 percent with others’ 3.49 to 3.5 percent.
  • Separating property money and getting tax-ready books: Baselane Core or Stessa Essentials.
  • Three units or fewer, one app for everything: Landlord Studio Go.
  • A custom report or portal no product offers: build it with Floot, alongside one of the above.

Combining tools is normal

Plenty of landlords use one free tool for listings and screening and another for banking and books. Keep a single source of truth for each record (for example, the rent ledger lives in one place) and export regularly.

Common mistakes with free property management software

Most come from not reading the fee table.

  • Assuming tenants will happily pay card fees every month.
  • Picking a tool with a unit cap you will pass next year.
  • Using a free plan’s screening without checking your state’s application fee rules (New York, for example, caps background and credit check fees at the actual cost or 20 dollars, whichever is less).
  • Running two tools that both think they hold the rent ledger.
  • Never exporting your data.
  • Choosing a free self-managing tool when you manage other owners’ money and need owner statements and trust-style accounting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there truly free property management software?

Yes, free to the landlord. TurboTenant, Avail, Innago, Baselane, Stessa and Landlord Studio (up to 3 units) have free plans. Applicants and tenants usually pay screening and some payment fees.

Which free property management software has the lowest tenant fees?

It depends on how tenants pay. On the vendor pages, bank transfer fees on free plans range from 2 to 2.50 dollars, and card fees from 2.99 percent (Innago) to 3.5 percent (Avail). TurboTenant Pro and Avail Unlimited Plus remove the bank transfer fee for a price.

Can I screen tenants for free?

Usually the applicant pays for the report, so the landlord pays nothing. Check your state’s rules on how much applicants may be charged.

What is the best free software for a landlord with one or two units?

Any of TurboTenant Free, Avail Unlimited, Innago or Landlord Studio Go will cover listings, screening and online rent. Pick based on the tenant fees and the tool you find easiest.

When should I pay for property management software?

When the paid plan saves your tenants more in fees than it costs you, when you need features like online leases or bank feeds, or when you start managing other owners’ properties and need owner statements.

Is Floot a free property management app?

No. Floot is an AI app builder that is free to start, so you can build your own property management app. It does not include screening or bank-transfer rent collection, and hosting is metered beyond a small allowance.

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