Real Estate · head to head
Buildium vs AppFolio
Buildium
Real Estate
Property management software designed with you in mind
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
AppFolio
Real Estate
Run your entire residential portfolio on a single, modern platform
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Buildium prices are all quoted as starting figures, from $62 a month on Essential to $400 on Premium, so the real cost depends on unit count; AppFolio the entry Core plan requires a 50 unit minimum
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Buildium and AppFolio actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Real Estate).
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Buildium
- Property management accounting and rent collectionnot AppFolio
- Maintenance requests and work order trackingnot AppFolio
- Tenant screening and lease signingnot AppFolio
- Owner and tenant portalsnot AppFolio
- Community association management on the Enterprise tiernot AppFolio
AppFolio
No use cases recorded yet. See the AppFolio review.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Buildium
- Prices are all quoted as starting figures, from $62 a month on Essential to $400 on Premium, so the real cost depends on unit count
- Onboarding is mandatory on the Growth and Premium plans, adding a cost the monthly figure does not show
- Live phone support is withheld from the Essential tier
- The Open API is Premium only
- Portfolios above 5,000 units are pushed to a quote-only Enterprise arrangement
AppFolio
- The entry Core plan requires a 50 unit minimum
- No plan publishes a per-unit price on the pricing page; minimum spend and unit requirements are stated but buyers must contact sales for the actual figure
Pricing, plan by plan
Buildium
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Buildium review.
AppFolio
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the AppFolio review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Buildium if
Nothing in the data separates Buildium from AppFolio on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Choose AppFolio if
Nothing in the data separates AppFolio from Buildium on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is Buildium or AppFolio better?
- Neither clearly leads. Buildium starts at On request and AppFolio at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Buildium or AppFolio?
- Buildium starts at On request and AppFolio at On request.
- Does Buildium or AppFolio run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- What is Buildium best used for?
- Buildium is most often used for property management accounting and rent collection, maintenance requests and work order tracking, tenant screening and lease signing, owner and tenant portals. Of those, property management accounting and rent collection and maintenance requests and work order tracking are not what AppFolio is typically brought in for.