Buildium vs MRI Software
Buildium scores 8.2/10 vs 7.0/10. Best for: Small to mid-size property managers who want strong accounting and scalable plans.
Buildium scores higher overall at 8.2/10 vs 7.0/10. Buildium is a mature, well-rounded property management platform that excels at accounting and scales well. Best for professional property managers running residential or association portfolios who need reliable bookkeeping and tenant/owner portals. Solo landlords with under 20 units may find it pricey relative to simpler options.
Buildium 
MRI Software Rank
#2 of 26
Rank
#15 of 26
Features
17/17
Features
15/17
Starting at
$62/mo
Starting at
$55/mo
User reviews
4.4/5 (2350)
User reviews
3.8/5 (264)
What they cost
| Buildium | MRI Software | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting at | $62 /mo | $55 /mo |
| Free trial | 14 days | 0 days |
| Number of plans | 3 | 2 |
What the pricing really means
At first glance, MRI Software looks cheaper at $55/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
- Comprehensive accounting with general ledger and 1099 e-filing
- Strong tenant and owner portals with self-service capabilities
- Scales from small portfolios to thousands of units without switching
- 14-day free trial preloaded with sample data
Where MRI Software wins
- Highly customizable platform that adapts to complex enterprise workflows
- Platform X integrates hundreds of third-party applications into a unified environment
- Strong commercial lease management with CAM reconciliation and retail tools
- Serves 45,000+ clients globally with decades of enterprise real estate experience
Where Buildium falls short
- Essential plan caps at 150 units with higher per-transaction fees
- No live phone support on Essential plan
- Per-unit costs add up for larger portfolios on lower tiers
- Bank account setup fees $99 each on Essential
Where MRI Software falls short
- Pricing is opaque and typically starts at $10,000/year for commercial, putting it out of reach for small firms
- Steeper learning curve than competitors — not as intuitive as Yardi or AppFolio
- System can crash or freeze during month-end close when under heavy load
- Support response times can stretch to weeks for non-critical issues
Who is each product built for?
Buildium
Target: 1-5000 units
Buildium is a mature, well-rounded property management platform that excels at accounting and scales well. Best for professional property managers running residential or association portfolios who need reliable bookkeeping and tenant/owner portals. Solo landlords with under 20 units may find it pricey relative to simpler options.
MRI Software
Target: 500-100000 units
MRI Software is an enterprise-grade real estate management suite built for large property companies, REITs, and commercial operators. Its customization depth and third-party integration ecosystem are unmatched, but the high cost, steep learning curve, and inconsistent support make it a poor fit for anyone managing fewer than 500 units. Best for organizations that need the flexibility to build highly tailored workflows across complex portfolios.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Buildium | MRI Software |
|---|---|---|
| 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
MRI Software is designed for 500-100000 units, making it a better fit for small shops. Buildium targets 1-5000 units.
Buildium starts at $62/month. MRI Software starts at $55/month. Pricing was last verified in 2026-03-01.
Yes, Buildium offers a 14-day free trial.
Yes, you can switch between Property Management tools. The main effort is migrating your data and setting up new workflows. Plan for 1-2 weeks of overlap where you run both systems.
The bottom line
Pick Buildium if...
Small to mid-size property managers who want strong accounting and scalable plans
Pick MRI Software if...
Large property companies and REITs managing commercial, multifamily, or mixed-use portfolios at scale