The short answer
Compare Rentari with AppFolio, Yardi and Buildium using the same units, annual cost, rental workflow and required controls. Check paid-plan access, provider minimums, transaction fees and usable records before choosing.
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Start with Rentari and the work your portfolio needs
Compare Rentari's connected rental workspace with each alternative, rather than choosing between competitors in isolation. Rentari brings property and unit records, applications, reviewed screening, leasing, rent activity, resident messages, repair records and reporting into the rental workflow. Its Free plan has feature limits; paid Prime and Scale add collection, lease preparation and signing, accounting and reports. Confirm the selected account's access and complete the required handoffs instead of assuming every tool is free.
Start a separate comparison for Rentari vs AppFolio, Rentari vs Yardi Breeze and Rentari vs Buildium. AppFolio's portfolio tiers, Yardi's product families and Buildium's selected plan may address requirements beyond an ordinary rental workflow. Ask for specialized owner/entity, association or program controls explicitly; this guide does not claim Rentari has equivalent specialist functionality. Rentari provides software and written guides; owners retain responsibility for qualified physical work and professional review.
Record property types, locations, managed units, owners and legal entities, bank accounts, current residents and leases, association or program requirements, and expected growth. Include occupied and vacant units and ask how each vendor counts billable units. A residential starting price does not establish the price or suitability of a commercial, association or mixed portfolio.
Name the people who need access: owner, leasing staff, accountant, property manager, maintenance coordinator and outside professionals. List their recurring work and approval responsibilities. Separate essential requirements from useful extras. A large feature list cannot tell you whether a particular plan handles the records, controls and outputs your team needs.
Use current official information as a shortlist. This guide is Rentari's editorial evaluation framework, not an independent performance ranking. The provider facts below were checked October 7, 2026; obtain current written terms for the exact product and portfolio.
Distinguish the products, plans and commitments
| Product | Published price or minimum | Plan and team distinction to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Rentari Free, Prime and Scale | Free is $0 with limits. Prime is $120/year for up to 10 units; Scale is $120 plus $24/year for each additional unit. New paid subscriptions are billed annually. Payment processing, screening and optional services are separate. | Free includes applications, fee-based screening and maintenance requests, with one active lease record. Online collection on Free is coming soon. Paid plans include collection, lease preparation/signing and accounting/reporting. Check actual role, plan and property access; no specialist-program or enterprise-feature parity is established here. |
| AppFolio Core, Plus and Max | Quote only. Core lists minimum spend and 50 units; Plus and Max also have spend and unit requirements. No public dollar rate is established here. | Core lists accounting, leasing, work orders, unit turns, communication and standard support/integrations. Plus adds advanced accounting, analysis, premium integrations and read-only API. Max adds leasing CRM, read/write API and dedicated customer success. Confirm the quoted market, controls and AI entitlements. |
| Yardi Breeze | U.S. residential: starts at $1/unit/month, $100 monthly minimum, annual agreement. | The FAQ says no unit minimum; Breeze supports residential/commercial. Billing is monthly at the unit charge or applicable minimum, whichever is greater. Other property types and mixed portfolios need their own terms. |
| Yardi Breeze Premier | Residential page: $1/unit/month with terms and minimums; $400 monthly minimum under annual agreement. FAQ says Premier is billed annually. | Residential tools add menu-level user security, corporate ledgers, custom statements and invoice approval limits. Confirm the required property type, selected add-ons and cash due under the actual agreement. |
| Yardi Voyager | Separate product discussion and quote; do not apply Breeze prices. | Voyager Residential is currently described as the accounting/property-management layer of Virtuoso Enterprise, with leasing, role-based operations and multiple-entity reporting. Establish the market-specific product, companion tools, implementation and contract. |
| Buildium Essential, Growth and Premium | Advertised starts: $62, $192 and $400/month respectively. Confirm unit count, billing term and portfolio quote. | Essential covers basic accounting, maintenance and leasing. Growth adds customization and reporting automation; Premium adds Open API and further automation. Growth/Premium require onboarding. Do not infer unlimited units or a full quote from the entry price. |
A product family, tier and optional service are different purchasing decisions. The residential Breeze page calls out separately offered tools, while its FAQ distinguishes property-type coverage. Ask the provider to identify every required product and entitlement in writing. A missing feature in a brief summary does not prove it is unavailable.
Compare Rentari's workflow with each provider
| Task | Rentari | AppFolio | Yardi | Buildium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application to final lease | Review the application, selected report and payer; on a paid plan prepare the suitable lease packet, request signatures and retrieve the completed file. A draft, report or invitation is not a completed lease. | Core lists marketing/leasing; verify the quoted plan's report, document, signer and resident workflow. | Breeze lists online applications/screening/leasing; Premier describes state-based documents and additional move-in/out tools. Quote the exact product and extras. | Compare application review and Dropbox Sign workflow; signing charges differ by tier, as detailed below. |
| Rent and exceptions | Paid online collection supports enabled payment options and autopay authorization. Check initiated, processing, returned, settled and outside-payment records against the bank result. Free collection is coming soon. | Request the payment/resident-portal demonstration and full service fee schedule for the selected quote. | Compare online ACH/card collection, recurring postings and any needed retail-payment or Premier deferral tools. | Inspect ePay, actual payer and bank setup; compare optional resident payment products under their separate terms. |
| Books and reporting | Paid books, reports and Schedule E tools need reviewed classifications and reconciliation. Use matching property/unit and date filters; inspect exports. A report is not a tax filing or proof of every entity/trust requirement. | Compare Core accounting with Plus budgeting/analysis and Max's selected advanced controls, including owner/entity output. | Compare property reporting with Premier corporate ledgers, custom statements and approval controls; Voyager needs its own quote. | Test ledgers, payables, bank reconciliation and owner reports with the selected plan and actual portfolio. |
| Repairs, access and automation | Resident requests, messages and work records organize repairs. Review AI drafts and plan/pilot execution controls. Owners arrange qualified work, spending and lawful access; software does not provide staffed emergency management. | Core lists work orders/unit turns; compare available Realm-X actions, permissions and human oversight by tier. | Compare resident intake, assignments, progress and invoice approval. Any separately offered call center or service needs its own scope. | Compare work orders, bills and maintenance automation. The separately priced human Contact Center is a different service from Rentari's software. |
Repeat the same task separately in Rentari and the provider you are considering. Record the actual plan, required human decisions, retained evidence and unresolved requirement; a published feature is not a demonstrated result.
Add transaction, document and implementation costs
Compare the same annual period, managed-unit assumptions, bank accounts, payment volume, screening orders, signed documents, staff and required integrations. Separate subscription, one-time setup, renewal, usage charges and optional services. Record who pays each charge and any introductory waiver that ends before the next year. A billed-monthly plan can still carry an annual commitment.
Rentari's current paid-plan payment fees are $6 per ACH payment and 3.49% for cards. Check the permitted payer choice, property activation and actual fee before payment. Screening has a separate selected-package charge; paid plans include signing, while Free does not unlock paid signing by paying a legacy per-send fee. Compare software subscriptions separately from optional quoted onboarding or integrations. Rentari's advertised 25+ listing sites depend on property and destination availability; this guide does not establish live external publication.
Buildium's general rental-pricing fee table lists signing at $5/document on Essential, $1 on Growth and included unlimited signatures on Premium. Incoming EFT is $2.35, $1.35 and, for Premium, free for the first 12 months then $0.60. Outgoing EFT is $0.99 and cards are 2.99%. Bank setup is $99/account on Essential; Growth includes 10 and Premium 100, then $99 each. Confirm current payer settings, settlement, screening and other service charges with the quote.
The current association page lists different EFT charges and included bank-account counts. Do not apply the general rental figures to association work. Obtain a portfolio-specific written quote resolving the published differences, including renewal, payer and settlement terms, before budgeting.
For AppFolio, obtain selected-plan and value-added-service charges; its public pricing page supplies a quote request rather than a dollar schedule. Yardi's FAQ identifies ancillary transaction charges and optional screening costs. Its no-setup/data-conversion-charge statements do not establish every migration or integration you might request is included. Verify the supported data and scope rather than assuming a complete history will transfer.
Ask for onboarding, training, specialist modules, website, API or connector, messaging, payment processing, document, inspection and export terms. Compare the first year and a normal renewal year separately. Treat taxes, partner fees and required human work as part of the operating budget where applicable; do not declare a cheapest winner before equivalent quotes are complete.
Run the same property through a complete rental cycle
Ask for an authorized test or provider-led demonstration using the same fictional property facts and selected plan. Record the product, date, operator, starting data, output and unresolved issue. This guide does not establish that we completed paid workflows in these providers.
| Work | Demonstration | Result to inspect |
|---|---|---|
| Property and opening records | Set up units, owners, lease dates, deposits, balances and separate accounts. | Correct attribution; reconciled opening records; rejected duplicates and incomplete imports. |
| Application and lease | Follow an application, required human review, suitable lease attachments, signer sequence and one incomplete signature. | Actual report package/fee, reviewed decision, completion status and downloadable agreement. A draft is not a completed lease. |
| Payment and exception | Demonstrate a pending payment, settlement, return, partial or outside payment, approved adjustment and refund. | Resident balance, bank result, payer fee and audit record agree; no double collection after a cutover. |
| Accounting and owner report | Enter a bill and receipt, reconcile the account and run the same period's property/owner statement. | Transactions trace to evidence; deposits and reserves are handled correctly for the actual arrangement; exports match totals. |
| Repair and resident contact | Submit a photo request, acknowledge it, obtain approval, assign responsible work and record completion and a bill. | Status, access permission, resident follow-up and expense are connected. Clarify who actually arranges qualified or urgent work. |
| Resident and team access | Try a resident message, renewal and document view; change a staff role and remove departed-user access. | Correct recipients and property visibility; restricted sensitive records; understandable mobile and recovery behavior. |
| Export and connection | Export complete records, open them outside the product and demonstrate a failed or disconnected integration. | Useful dates, identifiers, attachments and totals; named recovery responsibility and no unreviewed duplicate action. |
Use the resulting evidence alongside Rentari's AppFolio comparison, Yardi Breeze comparison and Buildium comparison. The comparisons provide current sources and task prompts; they do not certify a provider's suitability for your portfolio.
Review permissions, integrations and automated actions
Identify who can see resident information, alter lease or accounting records, release payments, approve bills and export data. Test property/owner separation, a limited maintenance role and access removal. Inspect the actual change history, account recovery and incident contact. Follow FTC business privacy guidance on collecting only needed information and limiting access and retention; do not rely on a perfect-security promise.
For each integration, record the partner, supported data, read/write direction, permission, charge and recovery owner. AppFolio's pricing page distinguishes Plus read-only API from Max read/write API; Buildium's Premium summary lists Open API. Neither statement establishes that a particular external system or migration is supported. Ask for the exact connector and demonstrate an error and reconciliation.
If AI or automation is part of the proposal, check available actions, source data, permissions, review steps and stopping or correcting a mistake. A drafted message, executed payment, approved bill and completed repair are different outcomes. Keep legal, screening, accounting and safety judgments with the responsible qualified person; software output does not guarantee compliance or replace physical work.
Agree on migration, support and the exit plan
Buildium's onboarding page describes formatting/importing property, unit, lease, owner, resident and vendor data and a tailored training plan. Require a written list of included historical balances, documents, transactions and attachments, responsibility for corrections, validation steps and any excluded work.
Yardi's FAQ describes business-hour live chat, after-hours email and limited setup phone support, with additional phone time subject to contract. Compare current support hours, access, escalation and training across all selected products; availability is not a guaranteed resolution deadline. Distinguish software assistance from a separately contracted operational service.
Before moving residents, reconcile opening balances, existing recurring charges, pending transactions, repairs, signature requests and future messages. Verify resident invitations and a fallback contact route. Do not retire the previous system until the responsible team validates records and access. Open an export outside the new system and confirm retrieval rights, format, costs and retention after cancellation.
Use the portfolio workflow guide for accurate operating records and the wider software selection guide for a task-based shortlist.
Record a decision that your team can explain
Save each dated quote and source page, selected product/tier, demonstrated outputs, failed or unavailable tests, unresolved requirements and named follow-up. Mark a requirement as confirmed, not demonstrated or unsuitable for the actual plan. Estimate staff effort and required professional work separately from the subscription. Set a review date for the outstanding answers before making the purchase decision.
Choose by the essential work, controls, affordability and implementation your portfolio requires. A feature count, review star or brand reputation alone cannot establish the winner. Compare smaller-owner requirements with Rentari's software workflows and current plans and fees as well.
Rentari's Prime is $120/year for up to 10 units; Scale adds $24/year per additional unit, with current limits and separate charges on Pricing. Free online rent collection is currently coming soon. The advertised 25+ listing sites depend on destination/property availability. Rentari provides software and original written guides; owners arrange qualified physical work, licensed services and professional review. This guide does not establish specialized association/program accounting, a vendor migration or an integration merely because another provider advertises it.
Sources and further reading
- Rentari current annual plans, access and separate fees
- Rentari report filters, outputs and review
- Rentari document preparation and signing handoffs
- AppFolio current plans, minimums and API distinctions (checked October 7, 2026)
- Yardi Breeze U.S. residential pricing and selected Premier tools
- Yardi Breeze FAQ: property types, billing, transaction costs and support
- Yardi Voyager Residential: separate current product and scope
- Buildium current plans, transaction/signing fees and onboarding requirements
- Buildium onboarding and data migration
- FTC business guidance: Protecting Personal Information
- Buildium association pricing differs from general rental terms
Keep learning
Common questions
Are Yardi Breeze, Breeze Premier and Voyager the same plan?
No. Breeze and Premier have distinct property coverage, tools and billing; Voyager is a separate product discussion. Confirm the specific market, product, included companions and quote rather than applying residential Breeze pricing to all Yardi products.
Can I use old AppFolio prices to estimate my quote?
Its current public pricing page requests a quote and lists plan minimums rather than dollar rates. Obtain the current price, unit requirements, inclusions and implementation terms for your actual portfolio.
Is a starting subscription price the full cost?
No. Compare the same billing period, units and work, including document, transaction, bank setup, screening, onboarding, partner and optional service fees. Check waiver expiry and renewal costs.
How do I decide whether Rentari or an alternative fits?
Start with Rentari and compare the same required work against the selected AppFolio, Yardi or Buildium product. Check annual subscription, transaction fees, actual plan access, specialist requirements, output and rollout. This guide supplies no universal winner or paid-workflow rating.
Archive years group longstanding rental topics. This Rentari guide was published on 2026-10-07.
Written and maintained by the Rentari team. Examples explain a decision; they are not customer results. Found an error or an unclear step? Send a correction with this page's address and the detail to review.
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