Apartments.com Rental Manager vs SimplifyEm
SimplifyEm scores 6.8/10 vs 6.5/10. Best for: Small DIY landlords who want simple management with no feature restrictions at the lowest price.
SimplifyEm scores higher overall at 6.8/10 vs 6.5/10. SimplifyEm is straightforward affordable property management for landlords who do not need bells and whistles. No-feature-gating is refreshing and pricing competitive. Lacks integrations and modern UI that growing businesses need. Best for hands-on landlords with small portfolios.
Apartments.com Rental Manager 
SimplifyEm Rank
#26 of 31
Rank
#24 of 31
Features
10/17
Features
16/17
Starting at
$0/mo
Starting at
$25/mo
User reviews
4.2/5 (50)
User reviews
4.5/5 (150)
What they cost
| Apartments.com Rental Manager | SimplifyEm | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting at | Free /mo | $25 /mo |
| Free trial | Free tier available | 14 days |
| Number of plans | 3 | 3 |
What the pricing really means
At first glance, Apartments.com Rental Manager looks cheaper at $0/month vs $25/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 SimplifyEm wins
- Transparent pricing with no feature gating across tiers
- Includes screening, rent collection, and maintenance at all levels
- Unlimited free training and 24/7 support
- Mobile app on iOS and Android
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 SimplifyEm falls short
- Dated UI compared to modern competitors
- No integrations, no QuickBooks sync, no API
- Smaller user community
- Some billing and navigation issues reported
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.
SimplifyEm
Target: 1-100 units
SimplifyEm is straightforward affordable property management for landlords who do not need bells and whistles. No-feature-gating is refreshing and pricing competitive. Lacks integrations and modern UI that growing businesses need. Best for hands-on landlords with small portfolios.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Apartments.com Rental Manager | SimplifyEm |
|---|---|---|
| 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
SimplifyEm scores 6.8/10 vs Apartments.com Rental Manager's 6.5/10 in our ranking. SimplifyEm is the better pick for 1-100 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. SimplifyEm starts at $25/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. SimplifyEm: Yes, 14-day 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. SimplifyEm covers 16 of 17. SimplifyEm 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. SimplifyEm does have one.
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 SimplifyEm if...
Small DIY landlords who want simple management with no feature restrictions at the lowest price