Avail vs Buildium
Buildium scores 8.2/10 vs 7.5/10. Best for: Small to mid-size property managers who want strong accounting and scalable plans.
Buildium scores higher overall at 8.2/10 vs 7.5/10. 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.
Avail 
Buildium Rank
#9 of 26
Rank
#2 of 26
Features
10/17
Features
17/17
Starting at
$0/mo
Starting at
$62/mo
User reviews
4.8/5 (350)
User reviews
4.4/5 (2350)
What they cost
| Avail | Buildium | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting at | Free /mo | $62 /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 $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 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 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 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 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
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.
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.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Avail | Buildium |
|---|---|---|
| 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 is designed for 1-50 units, making it a strong pick for small shops. Buildium targets 1-5000 units.
Avail starts at $0/month. Buildium starts at $62/month. Pricing was last verified in 2026-03-01.
Avail has a free tier you can use to get started.
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 Avail if...
Independent DIY landlords who want free or low-cost basic rent collection and tenant screening
Pick Buildium if...
Small to mid-size property managers who want strong accounting and scalable plans