Apartments.com Rental Manager vs PayHOA

PayHOA scores 7.9/10 vs 6.5/10. Best for: Self-managed HOA boards and condo associations that want to handle dues, violations, and voting without hiring a management company.

Apartments.com Rental Manager logo

Apartments.com Rental Manager

6.5
vs
PayHOA logo

PayHOA

7.9
Better overall

PayHOA scores higher overall at 7.9/10 vs 6.5/10. PayHOA is the go-to pick for self-managed HOA and condo boards. The feature set is built exactly for association work, including e-voting, violations, and architectural requests, and 5,000+ associations already use it. The transaction fees on dues collection can sting, especially for credit card payments at 3.25%. If your association collects $100K+ in annual dues, do the math on those fees before committing.

Apartments.com Rental Manager
PayHOA

Rank

#26 of 31

Rank

#5 of 31

Features

10/17

Features

9/17

Starting at

$0/mo

Starting at

$49/mo

User reviews

4.2/5 (50)

User reviews

4.6/5 (629)

What they cost

Apartments.com Rental Manager PayHOA
Starting at Free /mo $49 /mo
Free trial Free tier available No
Number of plans 3 5
Apartments.com Rental Manager pricing verified: 2026-03-01 PayHOA pricing verified: 2026-04-01

What the pricing really means

At first glance, Apartments.com Rental Manager looks cheaper at $0/month vs $49/month. But sticker price is only part of the story. Look at what is included on the base plan, how many users you get, and whether you need add-ons to get the features you actually need. The $99/month plan that requires $200 in add-ons is actually more expensive than the $250/month plan that includes everything.

Where Apartments.com Rental Manager wins

  • Free listing syndication across the Apartments.com network reaches millions of renters
  • Core features like screening, rent collection, and applications are free
  • Backed by CoStar Group, giving it long-term stability and investment
  • Inherited Cozy's user-friendly approach to small landlord management

Where PayHOA wins

  • Purpose-built for HOAs with e-voting, violation tracking, and architectural request workflows
  • Trusted by 5,000+ associations, which is a strong adoption signal for niche software
  • $49/month for up to 25 units works out to under $2/unit for small associations
  • 565 Capterra reviews at 4.7 stars gives real confidence in the product

Where Apartments.com Rental Manager falls short

  • No built-in accounting or financial tracking beyond basic expense logging
  • Website can be glitchy, especially during peak application processing
  • Maintenance tracking lacks advanced features like recurring tasks and priority levels
  • Limited feature depth compared to dedicated property management platforms

Where PayHOA falls short

  • Transaction fees add up fast, 3.25% + $0.50 per credit card payment and $1.95 per eCheck
  • Not a rental property manager, no lease management, tenant screening, or vacancy tools
  • Pricing jumps $50 at each tier break, so a 26-unit HOA pays double what a 25-unit one does
  • No API for custom integrations or connecting to external accounting software

Who is each product built for?

Apartments.com Rental Manager

Target: 1-50 units

Apartments.com Rental Manager is best for small landlords who value listing exposure above all else. Being part of the largest rental listing network in the US is a genuine competitive advantage for filling vacancies quickly. However, the management tools are relatively basic — there is no real accounting, and the platform works better as a listing and screening tool than a full property management solution.

Residential

PayHOA

Target: Up to 500 units

PayHOA is the go-to pick for self-managed HOA and condo boards. The feature set is built exactly for association work, including e-voting, violations, and architectural requests, and 5,000+ associations already use it. The transaction fees on dues collection can sting, especially for credit card payments at 3.25%. If your association collects $100K+ in annual dues, do the math on those fees before committing.

HOAResidential

Feature comparison

Feature Apartments.com Rental Manager PayHOA
Tenant Management
Tenant screening
Online rent collection
Lease management
Tenant portal
E-signatures
Property Operations
Maintenance requests
Owner portal
Property inspections
Vendor management
Vacancy advertising
Finance & Reporting
Accounting/bookkeeping
Bank account management
Insurance tracking
Reporting/analytics
Platform
Document storage
Mobile app
API access

Common questions

PayHOA scores 7.9/10 vs Apartments.com Rental Manager's 6.5/10 in our ranking. PayHOA is the better pick for Up to 500 units. Apartments.com Rental Manager is better if you need small landlords who want free listing exposure on the largest rental marketplace in the us.

Apartments.com Rental Manager starts at $0/month. PayHOA starts at $49/month. Watch for add-on costs — the base price often does not include all features. Pricing last verified 2026-03-01.

Apartments.com Rental Manager: Free tier available. PayHOA: No free trial. Always test with your actual workflow before committing to an annual plan.

Apartments.com Rental Manager covers 10 of 17 features we track. PayHOA covers 9 of 17. Apartments.com Rental Manager has broader feature coverage, but more features does not always mean better — pick the tool that covers what your business actually needs.

No, Apartments.com Rental Manager does not have a mobile app. PayHOA does not have one either.

Yes. The main effort is migrating your data (customer lists, job history, invoices). Plan for 1-2 weeks of overlap where you run both. Most property management tools can import CSV data. Ask both vendors about migration support before you sign.

The bottom line

Pick Apartments.com Rental Manager if...

Small landlords who want free listing exposure on the largest rental marketplace in the US

Pick PayHOA if...

Self-managed HOA boards and condo associations that want to handle dues, violations, and voting without hiring a management company

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