Avail vs Stessa
Avail scores 7.5/10 vs 7.0/10. 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 7.0/10. 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 
Stessa Rank
#9 of 26
Rank
#16 of 26
Features
10/17
Features
11/17
Starting at
$0/mo
Starting at
$0/mo
User reviews
4.8/5 (350)
User reviews
4.5/5 (450)
What they cost
| Avail | Stessa | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting at | Free /mo | Free /mo |
| Free trial | Free tier available | Free tier available |
| Number of plans | 2 | 3 |
What the pricing really means
At first glance, Stessa looks cheaper at $0/month vs $0/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 Stessa wins
- Generous free tier with unlimited properties and automatic bank feeds
- IRS-compliant Schedule E reports simplify tax filing significantly
- Clean, intuitive dashboard designed specifically for real estate investors
- Cash management account earns competitive APY on idle funds
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 Stessa falls short
- Auto-imported transactions sometimes get dropped or miscategorized, requiring manual correction
- No tenant portal for self-service rent payments or maintenance requests
- Free plan limits you to one portfolio with basic reporting only
- Customer support responsiveness is inconsistent across plans
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.
Stessa
Target: 1-50 units
Stessa is the best free option for real estate investors focused on financial tracking and tax preparation rather than day-to-day tenant management. Its automatic bank feeds and Schedule E reports are genuinely useful, but landlords needing tenant portals, robust maintenance workflows, or full property management capabilities will need to look elsewhere or supplement with other tools.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Avail | Stessa |
|---|---|---|
| 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. Stessa targets 1-50 units.
Avail starts at $0/month. Stessa starts at $0/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 Stessa if...
Individual real estate investors who want free financial tracking with tax-ready reports