Compare Corbica to other property management software
Five side-by-side comparisons, built on published numbers rather than adjectives — entry prices, free tiers, minimums, the per-transaction fees that decide true cost at small unit counts, and how deep the accounting actually goes.
Most comparison pages are written to win. This set is written to be checkable: every competitor figure below is quoted from that vendor’s own pricing page, carries the date it was read, and links back to the source. Where a vendor doesn’t publish a number we say so rather than estimating one — a vendor choosing not to list a price is itself a useful fact.
Corbica’s own numbers are held to the same standard, including the ones that don’t flatter us. Corbica takes a platform fee out of ACH rent rather than charging a flat per-transaction fee: 2.9% capped at $10 per payment on Free, 2.5% capped at $8 per payment on Starter, 1% capped at $5 per payment on Professional, and no platform fee on Business. Card rent carries a 3.25% convenience fee (minimum $5) added to the tenant's total, which is how card processing is covered without taking it out of the landlord's rent. There is no charge per e-signature inside the plan allowance — Professional includes 30 envelopes a month and Business includes 100, with additional envelopes at $1.50 — but e-signing is a Professional-and-above feature, so Free and Starter do not have it at all.
Each individual comparison ends with a section naming the things the other product does better, because a comparison that wins every row is an advertisement, not a guide.
The comparison at a glance
Competitor figures as published on each vendor’s pricing page, read 25 August 2026. Open a comparison for the full fee tables, the sources, and the worked cost examples.
| Corbica | Buildium | DoorLoop | AppFolio | Stessa | TurboTenant | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price (landlord) | Free to 5 units, then $59/mo | Essential “starting at $62/month” | Starter $99/mo billed yearly ($69 promo) | Not published — “Get a Quote” | Essentials free; Manage $12/mo annually | $0/mo; Essentials from $149/year |
| Free tier | Yes — 5 units, rent collection, portals, maintenance | No — 14-day trial only | No | No | Yes — unlimited properties, bank feeds, basic tax package | Yes — “No fees or contracts - ever” |
| Minimums | None | None stated; price rises with unit count | Starter capped at 10 units; “Only $3/unit” | “Minimum spend and 50 unit minimum apply” | None — unlimited properties on every plan | None; annual price rises in unit bands |
| Rent payment fee — and who pays it | Landlord. 2.9% capped at $10 per payment on Free → no platform fee on Business. Card adds 3.25% to the tenant's total. | Landlord. Incoming EFT $2.35 / $1.35 / $0.60 by plan; cards 2.99% | Tenant. $2.49 ACH ($1 Pro, free Premium); cards 3.25% | Not published | Not published | Renter. $2 ACH (free on premium); cards 3.49% |
| E-signature | 30/mo on Professional, 100/mo on Business; not on Free or Starter | $5/doc Essential · $1 Growth · included Premium | $3/doc Starter · $1 Pro · free Premium (their FAQ says $1 throughout) | Not published | 1/mo on Manage · 7/mo on Pro · none on Essentials | Unlimited on premium plans |
| Accounting model | Double-entry GL, chart of accounts, balance sheet, trial balance — from Starter | Full double-entry accounting | Chart of accounts; multi-entity AP/AR on Pro | Property accounting & reports; advanced accounting on Plus | Transaction tracking + reporting; no published chart of accounts | Transaction tracking, depreciation, Schedule E / 8825 on Pro |
| Owner portal & statements | Owner portal with statements on every plan, including free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Shared account access; owner statements not published | Not published |
| Prices published? | Yes — plans, per-unit overage and transaction fees | Plans as “starting at”; fee schedule published in full | Yes, with promotional pricing | No | Plans yes; transaction fees no | Yes, including what renters pay |
The full comparisons
Corbica vs Buildium
Corbica and Buildium both cover rent collection, leasing, maintenance, accounting, and tenant/owner portals. Buildium is a mature platform built for professional management companies; Corbica pairs the same full general-ledger accounting with transparent per-unit pricing and a free tier, making it a strong fit for independent landlords and small-to-mid property managers who don't want per-door minimums.
Corbica vs DoorLoop
Corbica and DoorLoop are both modern property management platforms covering rent collection, leasing, maintenance, accounting, and portals. DoorLoop publishes a lower entry price and puts its rent-collection fees on the tenant; Corbica has a free tier, takes its platform fee out of the landlord's rent instead of the tenant's payment, and puts full double-entry accounting on the entry paid plan.
Corbica vs AppFolio
AppFolio is a powerful platform for professional management companies — and its own pricing page states a 50-unit minimum on the entry plan, with no prices published at all. Corbica delivers the piece smaller operators actually miss from enterprise software — true general-ledger accounting — with a free tier and per-unit pricing that works from the very first door.
Corbica vs Stessa
Stessa is a well-liked investor platform with a genuinely generous free tier — unlimited properties, automated bank feeds and tax-ready reporting for $0. Corbica is a heavier system: a double-entry general ledger, owner portals and statements, maintenance workflows and the operational layer a manager needs. Stessa is materially cheaper; the question is whether you need books or a dashboard.
Corbica vs TurboTenant
TurboTenant is free for landlords and very good at the front of the funnel — listings, applications, screening — with premium plans from $149/year. Corbica costs considerably more and earns it, or doesn't, on the back office: a double-entry general ledger, owner portals and statements, work orders, inspections, and trust-grade accounting. This page is about which half of the job you actually need.
How to compare these properly
Start with the fee schedule, not the plan price
At small unit counts the per-transaction fees usually matter more than the subscription. Twelve tenants paying rent every month is 144 transactions a year; at $2.35 each that is $338, and at a $8 capped percentage it is $1,152. Take your own unit count and average rent, and multiply before you compare sticker prices.
Work out who pays
DoorLoop and TurboTenant put rent-payment fees on the tenant; Buildium and Corbica take them from the landlord’s side. A cheaper landlord bill can mean a fee on every tenant’s rent, and whether that is acceptable depends on your market and your relationship with your residents.
Count the one-time charges
Bank-account setup fees, onboarding fees and forms packs do not appear in a monthly comparison but are real money in year one. Buildium charges $99 per business bank account on Essential and requires new Growth and Premium customers to buy onboarding. DoorLoop charges a one-time payment-setup fee of $49 per bank account on Starter. Corbica charges neither.
Decide whether you need books or records
A categorised transaction list will produce a Schedule E. A double-entry general ledger will produce a balance sheet, a trial balance and owner statements that reconcile. If nobody but you and your tax return reads your financials, the cheaper tools in this list are genuinely sufficient, and each comparison page says so where it applies.
Check the exit before the entrance
Ask any vendor how your data comes back out, and what an import from your current system actually carries. Corbica connects to Buildium through Buildium’s own API and posts opening balances into the ledger, with a reconciliation step before go-live; two steps stay manual because Buildium exposes no API for them, and the migration page names them rather than hiding them.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Buildium alternative?
It depends on size. Under about 50 units the realistic alternatives are Corbica, DoorLoop and TurboTenant; above that AppFolio joins the list. Corbica is the closest match on accounting depth — double-entry general ledger, owner statements, trust reconciliation — with a free tier Buildium does not offer. Buildium's flat per-EFT fee is cheaper per rent payment than Corbica's capped percentage in the middle of the range, which is covered in detail on the Buildium comparison.
Which property management software has a genuinely free tier?
Of the five compared here: Corbica (5 units, including rent collection, portals and maintenance), Stessa (unlimited properties, bank feeds, basic tax package) and TurboTenant (free for landlords, with fees carried by renters). Buildium, DoorLoop and AppFolio have no free tier.
Why do per-transaction fees matter more than the sticker price?
At small unit counts they dominate. A landlord with a dozen units collecting rent by ACH can pay more in per-payment fees than in subscription — which is why every comparison here quotes the fee schedule alongside the plan price, including Corbica's own, and works through the arithmetic rather than asserting a winner.
Which of these publish their prices?
Corbica, DoorLoop, Stessa and TurboTenant publish plan prices. Buildium publishes “starting at” plan prices plus an unusually complete fee schedule. AppFolio publishes no prices at all — all three of its plans require a quote, and its entry plan states a 50-unit minimum.
How current are these numbers?
Every competitor figure on these pages carries the date it was read and a link to the vendor's own pricing page. Vendors change pricing; we are not claiming these are current, we are recording what was published on a stated date. Anything a vendor does not publish is marked as not published rather than estimated.
Does Corbica ever recommend a competitor?
Yes, and each page says so specifically. TurboTenant is cheaper for a landlord who mainly needs to fill vacancies. Stessa is cheaper and pays yield on cash if you want investor tracking. Buildium is cheaper per rent payment at mid-size portfolios and has services we do not offer. AppFolio is the better answer above 50 units if you need an API and enterprise breadth.
Try Corbica free
Free for up to 5 units. No credit card required, and every price is published before you sign up.