Buildium vs Landlord Studio
Buildium scores 8.2/10 vs 7.2/10. Best for: Professional residential and HOA property managers with 50-5,000 units who need full general ledger accounting, 1099 filing, and owner/tenant portals.
Buildium scores higher overall at 8.2/10 vs 7.2/10. Buy Buildium if you are a professional property manager running 50-5,000 residential units or HOA portfolios and need real accounting with 1099 filing. The tenant and owner portals save hours of email. Skip if you manage under 30 units, because the per-transaction fees and plan costs make simpler tools a better deal.
Buildium 
Landlord Studio Rank
#2 of 31
Rank
#18 of 31
Features
17/17
Features
11/17
Starting at
$62/mo
Starting at
$0/mo
User reviews
4.4/5 (2350)
User reviews
— (135)
What they cost
| Buildium | Landlord Studio | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting at | $62 /mo | Free /mo |
| Free trial | 14 days | Free tier available |
| Number of plans | 3 | 3 |
What the pricing really means
At first glance, Landlord Studio looks cheaper at $0/month vs $62/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 Buildium wins
- Full general ledger accounting with 1099 e-filing built in. Your bookkeeper or CPA will appreciate not having to reconcile a separate system
- Tenant and owner portals actually work well. Tenants submit maintenance requests and pay rent online. Owners see statements without emailing you
- Scales from 20 units to thousands without forcing a platform switch. You just move up a plan
- 14-day free trial comes preloaded with sample data so you can test workflows without entering fake tenants
Where Landlord Studio wins
- Excellent mobile app with receipt scanning and on-the-go expense logging
- Free tier supports up to 3 units with core tracking features
- Real-time bank feed sync reduces manual data entry significantly
- Schedule E tax reports are IRS-compliant and ready for filing
Where Buildium falls short
- Essential plan caps at 150 units and charges higher per-transaction fees: $99 per bank account setup alone
- No phone support on the $62/mo Essential plan. You are limited to email and chat, which is frustrating during a billing emergency
- Growth plan at $192/mo sounds reasonable until per-unit add-on fees stack up: screening, eSign, and insurance all cost extra
- A landlord with 15 rental units will pay $62/mo for features they mostly do not need. Simpler tools like Innago or Stessa cost less
Where Landlord Studio falls short
- Tenant portal and maintenance requests are available but basic compared to full PM platforms
- Vacancy syndication pushes to Zillow and others but lacks the depth of tools like AppFolio or Buildium
- Feature set is lightweight compared to full property management platforms
Who is each product built for?
Buildium
Target: 1-5000 units
Buy Buildium if you are a professional property manager running 50-5,000 residential units or HOA portfolios and need real accounting with 1099 filing. The tenant and owner portals save hours of email. Skip if you manage under 30 units, because the per-transaction fees and plan costs make simpler tools a better deal.
Landlord Studio
Target: 1-100 units
Landlord Studio is the best mobile-first accounting and expense tracking app for independent landlords who manage their own properties. The receipt scanning, bank sync, and Schedule E reports are genuinely useful for tax time. Tenant portals, maintenance requests, and vacancy syndication are now available but lighter than full PM platforms like AppFolio or Buildium.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Buildium | Landlord Studio |
|---|---|---|
| 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
Buildium scores 8.2/10 vs Landlord Studio's 7.2/10 in our ranking. Buildium is the better pick for 1-5000 units. Landlord Studio is better if you need independent landlords and small investors who want mobile-first expense tracking and tax-ready reports.
Buildium starts at $62/month. Landlord Studio starts at $0/month. Watch for add-on costs — the base price often does not include all features. Pricing last verified 2026-03-01.
Buildium: Yes, 14-day free trial. Landlord Studio: Yes, 14-day free trial. Always test with your actual workflow before committing to an annual plan.
Buildium covers 17 of 17 features we track. Landlord Studio covers 11 of 17. Buildium has broader feature coverage, but more features does not always mean better — pick the tool that covers what your business actually needs.
Yes, Buildium has a mobile app. Landlord Studio does too.
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 Buildium if...
Professional residential and HOA property managers with 50-5,000 units who need full general ledger accounting, 1099 filing, and owner/tenant portals
Pick Landlord Studio if...
Independent landlords and small investors who want mobile-first expense tracking and tax-ready reports