Comparison

Buildium vs RentRedi: Which Is Better for Small Landlords?

Last checked: Oct 14, 2026

If you manage roughly 1–10 doors yourself—especially in a market like Memphis—you eventually outgrow spreadsheets, Venmo, and sticky notes. Two names that show up constantly are Buildium and RentRedi. They both collect rent, help with leasing, and keep records. They are built for different stages of a landlord’s business.

This comparison sticks to what each vendor publishes on its own site as of Oct 14, 2026. Claims we could not confirm on a vendor page have been left out.

Quick verdict

Who should pick which (short version):
Choose RentRedi if you’re self-managing a small portfolio and want predictable flat pricing with unlimited units. Choose Buildium if you need deeper accounting, multi-owner workflows, or you’re growing into a more formal management operation—and you’re okay with a higher base price plus payment fees.

See RentRedi pricing · See Buildium pricing

Pricing (verified Oct 14, 2026)

Buildium

From Buildium’s pricing page:

• Essential — starting at $62/month
• Growth — starting at $192/month
• Premium — starting at $400/month

Buildium states that packages are designed around growth and that pricing for large portfolios (over 5,000 units) or community associations needs a sales call. Starting prices are floors; your quote can rise with unit count. For an exact price at your unit count, get a quote from Buildium.

Notable per-use fees (Essential / Growth / Premium):

• Incoming EFT (ACH-style rent): $2.35 / $1.35 / first 12 months free, then $0.60
• Outgoing EFT: $0.99
• Credit cards: 2.99%
• eSignatures: $5 / $1 / included
• Tenant screening: $17 per screening (landlord) or $35 applicant-paid; Enhanced screening $20 on Growth & Premium
• Bank account setup: $99 per business bank account on Essential (Growth includes 10 free; Premium includes 100 free)

Trial: 14-day free trial with sample data; no credit card required.

RentRedi

From RentRedi’s pricing page:

• Monthly: $29.95/month
• 6-month: $20/month (billed semi-annually)
• Annual: $12/month (billed annually; they advertise saving $215.40/year vs monthly)

Same features on all three terms. Unlimited properties, tenants, teammates, and connected bank accounts. No per-unit fee.

Not a free trial—you’re billed at signup, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Optional / tenant-paid costs:

• Screening: $39.99 (credit, criminal, eviction) or $49.99 with Plaid income verification (tenant-paid, per RentRedi)
• Tenant credit reporting: $5.99/mo (landlord- or tenant-paid)
• Rent payment convenience fees (tenant by default, per RentRedi Help): $1.00 ACH; 3.1% + $0.30 card

Features side by side

Rent collection

Buildium includes online payments and autopay across plans, with the EFT/card fees above. Residents get a portal. Cash-adjacent options (PayNearMe / retail cash) appear as add-ons on the pricing page.

RentRedi markets ACH, card, or cash; autopay; late fees; reminders; and cash at 90,000+ retail locations (per their landlords page). Payouts are described as quick 2–3 day deposits on marketing pages—treat timing as vendor-stated, and confirm in your bank during onboarding.

Leasing, listings, and screening

Buildium: listing syndication, prospect/applicant management, eSignatures (fee by plan), TransUnion-powered screening at the rates above, resident portal, and (on higher tiers) more marketing/automation tools.

RentRedi: list once to major sites (they name Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia, HotPads), applications, TransUnion screening, Plaid income checks, e-sign leases, and in-app onboarding so tenants set payment/autopay before move-in.

Accounting and reporting

Buildium is strongest here for many managers: bank reconciliation, financial reporting, owners portal, batched reports, and (on higher plans) analytics, Open API, and richer automation. This is the “run a management company” lane.

RentRedi has been pushing landlord accounting: expense tracking, AI receipt capture, P&L, and Schedule E-style summaries integrated with rent collection (described on their site and blog). It’s oriented to DIY owners, not multi-owner trust accounting.

Maintenance

Both offer maintenance/work-order style workflows. Buildium layers in projects, staff calendar/time tracking, inspections (HappyCo-powered; fees on Essential), and more ops tooling on Growth/Premium. RentRedi focuses on tenant in-app requests with photos/video and a single ticket inbox.

Support

Buildium: ticket support on all plans; live phone on Growth/Premium; priority support included on Premium (available as add-on on Growth). They publish a 95% customer support satisfaction rating on their site.

RentRedi: claims live chat 24/7, phone support 9–5 EST for landlords and tenants (per pricing FAQ).

Cost examples for a small portfolio (illustrative math only)

These are illustrative from published fees—not quotes.

Example A — 5 units, DIY, annual RentRedi
Software: about $12/month ($144/year if billed annually at the advertised rate). Tenant ACH fees are typically $1 each payment. No per-unit platform fee.

Example B — Buildium Essential starting price + payments
Software floor: $62/month. If each of 5 units pays once by incoming EFT at Essential rates: 5 × $2.35 = $11.75 in EFT fees that month (who pays—landlord vs resident—depends on how you configure payments). Add eSign and screening as you lease.

For many 1–10 unit DIY owners, RentRedi’s flat fee is easier to budget. Buildium’s value shows up when you need the accounting/owner stack—or when you’re managing for others.

Pros and cons

Buildium — pros

• Deeper PM accounting and owner-facing tools
• Clear growth path (Essential → Growth → Premium)
• Broad feature set (leasing, maintenance, payments, reporting)
• 14-day trial to poke around with sample data

Buildium — cons

• Higher starting price than DIY apps
• Transaction and add-on fees add up
• Can feel like more software than a 2–4 door landlord needs
• Exact price for your unit count needs their quote flow

RentRedi — pros

• Flat rate, unlimited units—simple math for small landlords
• All-in-one DIY workflow (list → screen → lease → rent → maintain → light books)
• Lower ACH convenience fee than several competitors ($1)
• 30-day money-back guarantee

RentRedi — cons

• No true free forever plan
• Not aimed at complex multi-owner property-management companies
• You’re charged at signup (refund window instead of free trial)
• Some marketing metrics (e.g. on-time payment %) are vendor claims—useful context, not independent audits

Memphis / small-landlord angle

If you’re juggling a day job and a handful of Midtown, East Memphis, or suburban houses, the software that wins is usually the one tenants will actually use and that you’ll open every week. Flat-rate DIY tools tend to win early. When you add partners, more doors, or you start managing for others, Buildium’s accounting and portals matter more.

Tennessee late-fee and deposit rules are outside this product comparison. Use a current state lease and, if needed, a Tennessee attorney—this site is not legal advice.

Who should pick which

Pick RentRedi if you:

• Self-manage about 1–20 units (or more) and want one app
• Care more about flat monthly cost than PM-company accounting
• Want screening, e-sign, rent, and maintenance in one place
• Prefer a money-back guarantee over a short sample-data trial

Pick Buildium if you:

• Need stronger books, owner statements, or a path to managing for others
• Are outgrowing DIY apps and okay with $62+/month plus payment fees
• Want live phone support (Growth+) and heavier automation later
• Prefer a classic property-management suite over a landlord mobile app

Skip both (for now) if you:

• Only need free rent collection and listings—look at TurboTenant’s free plan first (see our TurboTenant vs RentRedi piece)

Bottom line

For most small DIY landlords, RentRedi is the more natural fit on price model and scope. Buildium is the better long-term platform when your operation starts looking like a property-management business, not just “me and a few doors.”

Try RentRedi with the 30-day refund window, or run Buildium’s 14-day trial with sample data, before you migrate a live portfolio.

See RentRedi pricing · See Buildium pricing

Prices and features last checked on vendor sites Oct 14, 2026. Always re-check before you buy.