Avail vs SimplifyEm
Avail scores 7.5/10 vs 6.8/10. Best for: Independent DIY landlords who want free or low-cost basic rent collection and tenant screening.
Avail scores higher overall at 7.5/10 vs 6.8/10. Avail is the best free option for independent landlords needing basic rent collection, screening, and leases. The free tier is genuinely useful. Strictly for DIY landlords with no owner portal or real accounting. Recent price increases on Plus have frustrated users.
Avail
SimplifyEm Rank
#13 of 31
Rank
#24 of 31
Features
9/17
Features
16/17
Starting at
$0/mo
Starting at
$25/mo
User reviews
4.8/5 (350)
User reviews
4.5/5 (150)
What they cost
| Avail | SimplifyEm | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting at | Free /mo | $25 /mo |
| Free trial | Free tier available | 14 days |
| Number of plans | 2 | 3 |
What the pricing really means
At first glance, Avail 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 Avail wins
- Genuinely free tier with no unit limits covering core landlord needs
- State-specific lease templates and e-signatures included free
- Listings syndicate to Zillow, Realtor.com, and 20+ sites
- Simple clean interface for non-professional landlords
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 Avail falls short
- Recent 300%+ price increase on Plus plan has upset users
- No real accounting depth, just basic expense tracking
- No API access or integrations
- No owner portal, not for third-party management
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?
Avail
Target: 1-50 units
Avail is the best free option for independent landlords needing basic rent collection, screening, and leases. The free tier is genuinely useful. Strictly for DIY landlords with no owner portal or real accounting. Recent price increases on Plus have frustrated users.
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 | Avail | 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
Avail scores 7.5/10 vs SimplifyEm's 6.8/10 in our ranking. Avail is the better pick for 1-50 units. SimplifyEm is better if you need small diy landlords who want simple management with no feature restrictions at the lowest price.
Avail 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.
Avail: Free tier available. SimplifyEm: Yes, 14-day free trial. Always test with your actual workflow before committing to an annual plan.
Avail covers 9 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, Avail 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 Avail if...
Independent DIY landlords who want free or low-cost basic rent collection and tenant screening
Pick SimplifyEm if...
Small DIY landlords who want simple management with no feature restrictions at the lowest price