Ranking Landlords who self-manage
The 18 best landlords who self-manage tools (2026): rent payment fees
The best landlords who self-manage tools in October 2026 are ClearNow, LeaseRunner and RentRedi. ClearNow is the pick for landlords who want rent taken from tenants' bank accounts automatically. We read the price of 17 of the 18 on their own sites.
18 ranked · 17 checked against their own site 27–28 October 2026
- Under $2566 of 12
- $25 to $9955 of 12
- $100 to $29911 of 12
- $300 or more00 of 12
- 18
- ranked
- $23
- median first paid plan
- 10
- of the 18 have a free plan
landlordbench.com · First paid plan from each tool's own pricing page, read 27–28 October 2026.
The short answer
ClearNow ranks first.
LeaseRunner ranks second from $17 per applicant, and RentRedi third from $29.95 a month. Tellus and Apartments.com Rental Manager have free plans too.
Half of the 12 tools with a monthly paid plan charge $23 a month or less.
10 tools here have a free plan to try before you pay. The highest ranked are Tellus, Apartments.com Rental Manager and Zillow Rental Manager.
All 18 picks at a glance
| # | Tool | Best for | Starts at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Landlords who want rent taken from tenants' bank accounts automatically | Price not established | |
| 2 | US landlords screening applicants and signing leases without a monthly subscription | From $17 per applicantits pricing page | |
| 3 | A US landlord who manages their own rentals | From $29.95 a monthits pricing page | |
| 4 | Small landlords who want free rent collection and expense tracking from a phone | Freeits pricing page | |
| 5 | Self-managing landlords with a handful of rentals who already advertise on Apartments.com | Freeits pricing page | |
| 6 | Self-managing landlords who list on Zillow and want screening and rent collection free | Freeits pricing page | |
| 7 | Property managers and owners running residential, commercial or affordable portfolios | From $239 a monthits pricing page | |
| 8 | Self-managing landlords who want a person to research criminal and eviction records | From $10 a monthits pricing page | |
| 9 | Property managers keeping separate trust balances and statements for each owner | From $30 a monthits pricing page | |
| 10 | DIY landlords who want to stop partial payments and automate late fees | Free, then $29 a monthits pricing page | |
| 11 | Landlords and small managers who want staffed repair and leasing help behind the software | Free, then $36.50 a monthits pricing page | |
| 12 | US landlords who self-manage a few rentals and want the books and rent in one place | Free, then $15 a monthits pricing page | |
| 13 | US landlords who want rent, banking and property books in one account | Free, then $20 a month billed annuallyits pricing page | |
| 14 | Independent landlords with a few units who want full software with no monthly bill | Freeits pricing page | |
| 15 | Do-it-yourself landlords with a handful of units who want one free place to run them | From $9 a seat a monthits pricing page | |
| 16 | Self-managing landlords who want rent, books and tax reports in one app | Free, then $15 a monthits pricing page | |
| 17 | Landlords and small managers wanting per-unit pricing and fee-free rent by bank transfer | From $25 a monthits pricing page | |
| 18 | Self-managing landlords with 1-50 units who screen tenants and collect rent themselves | Free, then $12.42 a month billed annuallyits pricing page |
Checked between 27 October 2026 and 28 October 2026.
18 tools, ranked. How we rank
About this list
18 of 30 landlords who self-manage tools match “Rent payment fees”. Of the rest: 6 on some plans only, 1 no, 5 unknown.
How the landlords who self-manage tools matching “Rent payment fees” differ: only 0 of 18 match “Unit caps”, against 8 of 12 in the rest; and 18 of 18 also match “Rent collected online”, against 5 of 12 in the rest of the category.
The ranking
Best forlandlords who want rent taken from tenants' bank accounts automatically
Rent payment fees: Yes — The landlord carries the cost of each payment taken from a tenant's bank account, not the tenant: the first tenant is covered by the base monthly fee and each further tenant costs two dollars a month, and the site offers no card option.“ClearNow fees are based on your debit day and are only charged when you attempt to debit a tenant.”Pricing section, opening paragraph · checked 2026-10-27
- Price
- Price not established
US landlords screening applicants
Best forUS landlords screening applicants and signing leases without a monthly subscription
Rent payment fees: Yes — Each rent payment pulled from a tenant's bank account costs $5, and the landlord decides at setup whether the tenant or the landlord carries that fee; card payments are not supported at all.“No, there is no monthly minimum. LeaseRunner charges a $5 fee per ACH payment, regardless of the number of transactions. The fee can be paid by the tenant or covered by the landlord”FAQ, 'Is there a monthly fee or minimum for using LeaseRunner's rent collection service?' · checked 2026-10-27
- Price
- From $17 per applicant · source
A US landlord who manages their own rentals
Best forA US landlord who manages their own rentals
Rent payment fees: Yes — A rent payment by bank transfer or cash carries a $1 convenience fee charged to the tenant, cards 3.1% plus $0.30, and the landlord may choose to cover the $1.“Our convenience fee is only $1 for ACH/Cash and the tenant can set up their RentRedi mobile app to automatically pay rent every month.”Help centre article 'RentRedi vs Quickbooks for ACH Payments', fee comparison table and the paragraph below it · checked 2026-10-28
- Price
- From $29.95 a month · source
A free plan before you pay
Best forsmall landlords who want free rent collection and expense tracking from a phone
Rent payment fees: Yes — A rent payment from the tenant's checking account carries no fee for either side, while a card payment adds 3.40% to what the tenant pays.“There is no fee charged to Tenants who pay rent with Tellus from Tenant’s checking account (via the ACH network). Payments by credit/debit card involve a processing fee of 3.40%, which will be added to the amount of the Tenant’s payment.”Rent payment fees paragraph · checked 2026-10-28
- Price
- Free · source
Self-managing landlords with a handful of rentals
Best forself-managing landlords with a handful of rentals who already advertise on Apartments.com
Rent payment fees: Yes — A renter paying from a checking account by bank transfer pays nothing, and the landlord pays nothing either; paying by card or Google Pay costs the renter 2.75% of the rent.“Renters can pay for free with their checking account (ACH transfer) when paying rent. Alternatively, renters can pay with a credit card, debit card, or Google Pay for a 2.75% fee.”Help Center article 'Are there any fees with collecting or paying rent on Apartments.com?', second paragraph · checked 2026-10-28
- Price
- Free · source
Side by side
Every field, side by side
Scroll sideways to see them all.
| Feature | ClearNow | LeaseRunner | RentRedi | Tellus | Apartments.com Rental Manager | Zillow Rental Manager | DoorLoop | Rent Perfect | RentPost | PayRent | Hemlane | Stessa | Baselane | Innago | Avail | Landlord Studio | Rentec Direct | TurboTenant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Description | Automatic rent debits from tenant bank accounts, deposited to the landlord three banking days later. | Pay-per-use tenant screening, state lease templates and rent collection by bank transfer for US landlords. | One flat subscription for unlimited units, with a $1 bank-transfer fee the tenant pays by default. | Free mobile rental management with rent collection, work orders and expense tracking, funded by a lending business. | Free landlord tools bundled with an Apartments.com listing; applicants and card-paying renters carry the costs. | Free listing, screening, leases and rent collection for self-managing landlords on Zillow's rental network. | AI agents answer tenants, run repairs and renewals inside the same system holding your leases and books. | Screening researched by licensed private investigators, plus leases, rent collection and a ledger for small landlords. | Trust-accounting property management software for landlords and managers, priced per rental unit. | Rent collection app for independent landlords, with payment controls and free rent reporting. | Rental management software with optional 24/7 repair coordination and leasing help, priced per unit. | Free rental bookkeeping, banking, leasing and rent collection for US residential landlords. | Landlord banking, rent collection and bookkeeping for rental property owners in one account. | Free rental management software for small landlords, paid for by tenant payment and screening fees. | Free all-in-one software for do-it-yourself landlords: listings, screening, leases, rent and repairs. | Rental listings, screening, rent collection and landlord bookkeeping in one app, free for up to three units. | Property management software for landlords and small managers, priced per unit with free rent payments by bank transfer. | US landlord software for posting rentals, screening, leases and online rent, free with renter-paid fees. |
| Category | Rent collection, Landlords who self-manage, Small property managers | Tenant screening services, Landlords who self-manage | Landlord software, Cheapest for 25 units, Landlords who self-manage | Rent collection, Landlord software, Cheapest for 25 units, Free landlord software, Landlords who self-manage, Small property managers | Landlord software, Landlords who self-manage, Free landlord software, Small property managers | Landlord software, Cheapest for 25 units, Free landlord software, Landlords who self-manage | Property management software, Cheapest for 25 units, Landlords who self-manage, Small property managers | Landlord software, Cheapest for 25 units, Landlords who self-manage | Property management software, Cheapest for 25 units, Landlords who self-manage, Small property managers | Rent collection, Cheapest for 25 units, Free landlord software, Landlords who self-manage, Small property managers | Landlord software, Cheapest for 25 units, Free landlord software, Landlords who self-manage, Small property managers | Rental accounting, Cheapest for 25 units, Free landlord software, Landlords who self-manage | Rental accounting, Free landlord software, Landlords who self-manage | Landlord software, Free landlord software, Landlords who self-manage | Landlord software, Free landlord software, Landlords who self-manage | Rental accounting, Landlord software, Cheapest for 25 units, Free landlord software, Landlords who self-manage | Property management software, Cheapest for 25 units, Landlords who self-manage, Multifamily, Small property managers | Landlord software, Cheapest for 25 units, Free landlord software, Landlords who self-manage |
| Tags |
Questions buyers ask
How much do landlords who self-manage tools cost?
The median first paid plan is $23 a month, across the 12 of the 18 that publish a monthly price. They run from $9 to $239.
Which landlords who self-manage tools have a free plan?
10 of the 18 have a free plan.
How current are these figures?
The prices were read 27–28 October 2026.
Sources and method
Every price here is read from the vendor's own pricing page.
Pricing pages 17 read
- LeaseRunner leaserunner.com/pricing
- RentRedi rentredi.com/pricing
- Tellus tellusapp.com/help/Payments/ll-what-is-the-cost-of-processing-payments
- Apartments.com Rental Manager propertyhelp.apartments.com/article/755-are-there-any-fees-with-collecting-or-paying-rent-on-apartments
- Zillow Rental Manager zillow.com/rental-manager/post-a-listing
- DoorLoop doorloop.com/pricing
- Rent Perfect support.rentperfect.com/25500/kb/article/64124/rent-perfect-pricing-landlord-management-tools-rent-perfect-tenant-screening
- RentPost rentpost.com/pricing
- PayRent payrent.com/plans-and-pricing
- Hemlane hemlane.com/pricing
- Stessa stessa.com/pricing
- Baselane baselane.com/pricing
- Innago innago.com/pricing
- Avail avail.com/pricing
- Landlord Studio landlordstudio.com/pricing
- Rentec Direct rentecdirect.com/pricing
- TurboTenant turbotenant.com/pricing
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