Rentari.ai vs Tellus
Tellus is mobile-first, free for the landlord, and pairs the app with a high-yield savings account. Light on operations depth. Rentari.ai is also free to start (up to 5 units, tenant screening included) and bundles the AI helpers, vendor portal, 50-state lease compliance, and real accounting. Lease creation and Stripe rent collection unlock on Prime. Different ambitions.
Pricing and feature claims about Tellus reflect publicly listed information on tellus.com as of 2026. Tellus and the Tellus logo are trademarks of Tellus App, Inc. Rentari.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Tellus.
The short answer
Both free. Rentari.ai goes deeper on operations.
Pick Rentari.ai if you
- Want AI that drafts every screening, lease, renewal, and rent notice for your one-click approval.
- Need 50-state lease compliance with automatic statute watch.
- Need a vendor portal with W-9 collection and 1099 tracking.
- Want identity verification on tenants, vendors, AND owners.
- Want AI maintenance triage handling 80 to 100% of tickets end-to-end.
Stay on Tellus if you
- Mostly use Tellus for the mobile app and high-yield savings account.
- Have 1-3 simple units and don't need lease compliance or vendor management.
- Don't want AI to prepare any decisions.
- Want a single app that combines a checking-style experience with rent collection.
- Are price-first, depth-second.
Side by side
Public pricing and feature claims. Verify on each vendor's site before you decide.
| Rentari.ai | Tellus | |
|---|---|---|
| Target user | Landlords and property managers of all sizes, scaling as you grow, AI-augmented. | Landlords with 1-10 simple units, mobile-first. |
| Free tier | Yes Up to 5 units, screening + applications included. | Yes Free for the landlord. Tenant fees apply. |
| Paid tier | Prime $10/mo for 1-5 units ($8/mo annual), then a flat $2 per extra unit up to 200. | None. Monetized via savings account + tenant fees. |
| High-yield landlord savings | Not offered. | Built in. Tellus Premier savings account. |
| AI co-pilot that prepares decisions | Yes | No (Matching + recommendations only.) |
| 50-state lease compliance with statute watch | Built in. Automatic statute watch. | Basic templates. No statute watch. |
| Tenant screening | FCRA-safe pass-through. No markup. | Available. Paid by applicant. |
| Online rent collection | Included. Landlord keeps 100% of rent. | Included. Tenant card fees apply. |
| Vendor portal (W-9, 1099) | Built in. | Not offered. |
| Identity verification | Tenants, vendors, AND owners. | Applicant screening only. |
| AI maintenance triage | Handles 80 to 100% end-to-end. | Basic maintenance request capture. |
| Accounting depth | Schedule E export, monthly P&L narrative, anomaly detection, depreciation and mortgage tracking, real equity and returns (cap rate, DSCR), a tax-position estimate, full ledger. | Basic income/expense tracking. |
| Audit trail of AI decisions | Every AI draft logged beside your final approval. | Not applicable. |
| Visual damage ID | Yes | Not offered. |
| Mobile app | Responsive web (mobile-first design). | Native iOS + Android. App is the product. |
| Setup time | Under 5 minutes. | 5 to 10 minutes. |
Disclaimer: This post highlights certain features on each platform. This does not mean the other platforms do not have those features. Please do your own research before making any conclusions.
Where Tellus genuinely wins
Tellus has a tight mobile story that works well for casual landlords. Three real strengths:
- 1.Native mobile app. iOS and Android are well-designed and fast. If you manage from your phone, this is a real advantage.
- 2.High-yield savings under the same login. Tellus Premier (the savings account) earns a competitive APY and sits next to your rent ledger. Useful if your landlord cash flow currently lives in a 0% checking account.
- 3.Genuinely free. No monthly fee for landlords. Tenant pays card-payment fees. Funded by the savings account and tenant fees.
Where it stops fitting: AI is matching and recommendations, not decision prep. No 50-state statute watch, no vendor portal, no maintenance dispatch, no real accounting depth, no identity verification on vendors or owners. Once your portfolio has any complexity, Tellus runs out of room.
Where Rentari.ai wins
- AI prepares every call. Screening, lease, renewal, late-rent notice, maintenance triage. You approve. The audit trail defends.
- 50-state lease compliance built in. Automatic statute watch. State-specific addenda.
- Real vendor portal. W-9 collection, 1099 tracking, job acceptance, photo proof of work.
- Identity verification on three sides. Tenants, vendors, AND owners.
- AI maintenance triage with vendor dispatch. Handles 80 to 100% of tickets end-to-end.
- Real accounting. Schedule E export, monthly P&L narrative, anomaly detection, depreciation and mortgage tracking, real equity and returns (cap rate, DSCR), a tax-position estimate, full ledger.
Pricing snapshot
List-rate pricing as of 2026.
- Free Forever: Up to 5 units, screening + applications included.
- Prime monthly: $10/mo for 1-5 units, then a flat $2 per extra unit up to 200.
- Prime annual: $8/mo equivalent for 1-5 units, then a flat $1.60 per extra unit (up to 200).
- 200+ units: custom Enterprise quote.
- Concierge: from $200/mo.
- Landlord side: Free.
- Tenant payment fees: Card fees passed to tenant.
- Tellus Premier savings: High-yield account, no monthly fee.
- Tenant screening: Available, paid by applicant.
FAQ
The questions landlords actually ask.
I use Tellus already. Should I switch?
Is Tellus really free?
Does Tellus handle vendors, maintenance triage, or compliance?
Can I import data from Tellus?
Doesn't Tellus market itself as AI?
Is the AI safe for legal stuff like leases and adverse-action notices?
Try Rentari.ai free.
See for yourself.
Free Forever covers up to 5 units with tenant screening and applications included. No card required. Run it in parallel with Tellus and decide.