1–20 unit landlords
RentRedi vs TurboTenant vs Avail — side-by-side for DIY landlords
These three tools sit in the same “manage a few doors yourself” lane. The real difference is how you pay (flat vs free-first vs per-unit) and which day-2 jobs you care about: rent collection fees, screening trail, maintenance tickets, light books, and whether you live in a mobile app. This page compares them on criteria — not invented star ratings.
How we compare (criteria you can verify)
- Pricing shape — free forever, flat subscription, or per-unit. Price each finalist at your unit count.
- Rent collection — ACH/card/cash options, autopay, late fees, who pays transfer fees, payout speed.
- Screening + leasing — applications, credit/criminal/eviction, e-sign leases, listing syndication.
- Maintenance — tenant tickets, photos, forwarding — or still living in text threads.
- Accounting — expense tracking, Schedule E helpers, exports. We do not invent “best books” claims.
- Mobile — landlord + tenant apps if you manage from a phone between jobs.
What we will not do: invent reviews, testimonials, or guaranteed prices. Numbers below are approximate from public vendor materials as of Sep 2026 and can change without notice. Verify on each vendor’s pricing page.
At a glance
| Criterion | RentRedi | TurboTenant | Avail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing shape | Flat subscription; unlimited units. Often ~$12/mo billed annually or ~$29.95/mo month-to-month (verify). No free forever tier. | Free forever for core tools. Paid Essentials/Pro billed annually; for ~1–10 units often ~$149/yr and ~$199/yr, then steps up by unit band (verify). | Free Unlimited ($0/unit). Unlimited Plus often ~$9/unit/mo for faster payouts, waived ACH, extras (verify). |
| Best when… | You want one flat bill + strong mobile, and dislike per-unit math as you add doors. | You want to start at $0 and upgrade only when leases, faster payouts, or books matter. | You like guided workflows + listing syndication; premium is worth it mainly at very small unit counts. |
| Watch-outs | Must pay to start; confirm tenant ACH/card/cash fees and any optional rent-reporting add-ons. | Full accounting, waived ACH, and some leasing depth sit on paid tiers; Pro price rises with unit bands. | Per-unit Plus adds up fast past a few doors; confirm what free still includes vs Plus. |
Pricing shape (math that matters at 1–20 units)
RentRedi — flat
Public pricing (Sep 2026) markets one feature set across billing terms: roughly ~$29.95/mo monthly, lower effective rates on longer terms (often cited ~$12/mo annual). Unlimited properties/tenants on the subscription. No free forever plan — try via their money-back window if offered, then decide.
TurboTenant — free → annual bands
Free covers list/screen/collect rent. Paid plans are annual and scale by portfolio size (e.g. Essentials/Pro often ~$149 / ~$199 per year in the 1–10 unit band; higher bands cost more — verify). Month figures on their site are usually annual ÷ 12, not a separate monthly SKU.
Avail — free → per-unit
Free Unlimited is $0/unit. Unlimited Plus is commonly ~$9 per unit per month. At 1 unit Plus can look cheap; at 5–10 units the annual total often exceeds flat-rate rivals. Run the math at your door count before you “upgrade for convenience.”
Rough paid-tier sketch (verify)
At ~5 units: RentRedi flat (~$144/yr annual-ish) vs TurboTenant Pro (~$199/yr in small band) vs Avail Plus (~$9×5×12 = ~$540/yr). At ~15 units: RentRedi still flat; TurboTenant steps into a higher band; Avail Plus is ~$1,620/yr. Treat these as shapes, not quotes.
Rent collection
| Topic | RentRedi | TurboTenant | Avail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payment methods | ACH, card, and cash retail options marketed; autopay, late fees, deposits | Online rent (ACH + card); late fees, receipts, reminders | Direct-deposit online rent; autopay, late fees, deposit/fee collection |
| Who pays ACH? (approx.) | Confirm current tenant ACH/card fees on signup; historically low ACH vs card % | Often ~$2 ACH tenant fee on Free/Essentials; waived ACH commonly on Pro (verify). Card ~3.49% | Free: tenants often ~$2.50/ACH; Plus: ACH waived. Card ~3.5% either way (verify) |
| Payout speed | Markets quick multi-day payouts — confirm current SLA | Standard vs expedited payouts; faster payouts gated on paid tiers | FastPay / next-day style deposits marketed on Plus |
Tenant-facing fees are part of total cost of ownership even when your subscription is “free.” Ask who pays ACH before you promise tenants “no fees.”
Screening + leasing
- RentRedi: Applications + certified screening; tenant-paid screening often cited around ~$40–$50 depending on income verification add-ons (verify). Listings syndication available; some listing channels may have separate day rates — confirm if you rely on Zillow-style boosts.
- TurboTenant: Strong free path for applications and credit/criminal/eviction checks (applicant typically pays; fees often differ on free vs paid landlord plans — verify ~$45–$55 range). Unlimited leases/e-sign and some forms depth sit on paid tiers.
- Avail: TransUnion-backed screening reports; state-specific lease templates with e-sign on free. Plus adds custom application questions and deeper lease customization. Listing syndication to a large partner set is a core Avail pitch.
Screening fees, required reports, and fair-housing rules vary by state. This is product research, not legal advice.
Maintenance
All three advertise tenant-submitted maintenance requests with tracking (photos/workflows to varying degrees). RentRedi leans on mobile-first ticket flow; TurboTenant includes maintenance on free/self-manage plans; Avail tracks requests on free Unlimited with auto-forward options. None replace a good vendor list — they replace the group text thread. Test one fake ticket in each trial before you commit.
Accounting
RentRedi
Markets built-in accounting / AI-assisted books on the subscription. Export a sample P&L and Chart of Accounts before tax season — do not trust homepage copy alone.
TurboTenant
Expense tracking exists earlier; deeper Schedule E / Form 8825 style tools and automatic imports are commonly Pro-gated. If books are why you pay, price Pro at your unit band.
Avail
Income/expense tracking on free. Fine for light ledgers; if you need owner statements or trust accounting, you are probably looking at a different class of software entirely.
Rule of thumb
Prefer tools that export clean CSVs. If you cannot get data out in under 10 minutes, do not move in.
Mobile
- RentRedi: Often chosen specifically for landlord + tenant mobile apps (rent, chat, maintenance). Best fit if most of your landlording happens on a phone.
- TurboTenant: Web-strong with app presence — confirm current landlord/tenant app depth for the jobs you do away from a desk.
- Avail: Tenant portal is solid; landlord mobile experience has historically been more web/portal than app-first — verify current apps if mobile is a must-have.
Pick by situation
Start at $0 this month
TurboTenant or Avail free tiers. Write down what is gated (e-sign volume, ACH fees, accounting) before you list.
Hate per-unit math / live on your phone
Price RentRedi’s flat plan against TurboTenant Pro at your unit band. Flat wins more often as you approach double-digit doors.
One or two units, want Plus polish
Avail Plus (~$9/unit) can be reasonable at 1 unit. Recalculate at 3+ — per-unit adds up.
Books + waived ACH matter
Compare TurboTenant Pro vs RentRedi subscription total (software + tenant fees) at your door count. Export sample reports from both.
30-minute bake-off
- Open all three pricing pages. Quote software + expected ACH fees at your unit count.
- Create a dummy property; run one fake application + one maintenance ticket.
- Send yourself a test lease / e-sign if the tier allows it.
- Export a sample income/expense report (or confirm you cannot — that is data too).
- Decide on pricing shape first (free / flat / per-unit), then brand.
Related
- Best property management software for 1–5 units — broader shortlist including TenantCloud / Innago and when to skip Buildium-class tools
- Small Portfolio Desk home
- Coming: Per-unit vs flat-rate break-even math for 3, 8, and 15 units
- Coming: Landlord software switch checklist (data to export first)
Educational product research only — not legal, tax, or fair-housing advice. Fees, free-tier limits, and screening rules change. Verify current pricing and terms on each vendor’s site before you subscribe.