If you’re a real estate investor needing an all-in-one financial technology (fintech) solution that covers business banking, rent collection, and bookkeeping, Baselane and Stessa are your best options. Both offer robust property management software with interest-earning business checking options.
Baselane prevails over Stessa because its products are free. It also offers more features, such as commercial real estate (CRE) commercial real estate lending, cash deposit support, and free access to Allpoint ATMs. However, Stessa has mobile apps for iOS and Android while Baselane is only available on web and mobile browsers. Stessa also has two higher-tier plans that charge $12 and $28 in monthly fees.
When comparing Baselane vs Stessa business checking annual percentage yield (APY), Baselane has the edge. Its free checking account earns 4.19% APY. Meanwhile, you get 3.14% APY for Stessa’s free and midtier plans and 5.09% for its Pro Plan.
Here’s a summary of what each provider is best for, with links directly to the provider pages:
- Baselane: Best for all-in-one landlord and real estate investor banking with CRE loan products
- Stessa: Best for fee-free online rent collection with a banking product and dedicated mobile app
If you don’t need built in rental property management tools, you may want to consider:
- Novo: With Novo Reserves you can create dedicated buckets for taxes, profit, payroll, and other large business expenses
Looking for an affordable business checking and don’t need access to in-person banking services? Novo is a good choice. |
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Baselane vs Stessa Quick Comparison
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Required Opening Deposit | None | None |
Required Balance Minimum | None | None |
Transaction Limit Before Fees | None | None |
Monthly Fees | None | $0 for Essentials; $12 or $15 for Manage |
Domestic Wire Transfer Fees | None | Outbound are $5; inbound are free |
International Wire Fees | Not indicated | Not supported |
Automated Clearing House (ACH) Fees | None | None |
ATM Fees | None at Allpoint ATMs; third-party fees at out-of-network ATMs | Stessa doesn’t charge ATM fees, but operator fees may apply |
Cash Deposited | No fee; only allowed at Allpoint ATMs | Cash deposits not accepted |
APY | From 1.95% to 4.19% | 3.14% for Essentials and Manage; 5.09% for Pro |
Our Reviews | ||
Open an Account |
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Debit Card | Free Baselane Visa debit card and virtual cards | Both physical and virtual cards available |
Physical Checks | Physical checks unavailable | Physical checks unavailable |
Software Integrations | Built-in rent collection, bookkeeping, reporting, and analytics | Built-in expense management, rental property accounting, rental applications, tenant screening, rent collection, and insurance |
Business Payment Integrations | Apple Pay and Google Pay | Plaid, Yodlee, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay |
Customer Service |
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Other Products Available | Real estate loans, line of credit, and insurance | No loan and insurance products, but quotes available from other providers |
Our Reviews | ||
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When To Use
Baselane vs Stessa Business Checking Features
Baselane | Stessa | |
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3.78 ★ | 3.00 ★ | |
Pricing | ★★★★★ | ★★★ |
APY Earnings | ★★★★ | ★★★ |
Physical & Virtual Cards | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
Cash Back Rewards | ★★★★ | ★★ |
Reserve Accounts | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
Cash Deposit Support | ★★★ | 0 |
ATM Fee Savings | ★★★ | ★ |
Software Integrations | ★★★★ | ★★★★ |
Lending Product Options | ★★★★ | ★★ |
Mobile App Access | ★★ | ★★★★★ |
Rating Explanation: ★★★★★: This feature enhances your banking experience at no cost. ★★★★: This feature has a few minor drawbacks/limits or comes at a slight cost. ★★★: This feature has a few drawbacks/limits or comes at a slightly high cost. ★★: This feature has a few major drawbacks/limits or comes at a high cost. ★: This feature has major drawbacks/limits. 0: This feature is unavailable. | ||
Having compared Baselane vs Stessa business checking showed us that Baselane’s features provided a bit more advantages at a lower cost. It offers high APY, cash back-earning opportunities, cash deposit support, and lending solutions. However, it is still developing a mobile app.
Click on each heading below to see more details.
Baselane: 5 out of 5
A Baselane business checking account is completely free. You only need to pay a fee when your tenant deposits an automated clearing house (ACH) payment outside a Baselane business checking account.
Stessa: 3 out of 5
You can choose between one of three Stessa plans: Essentials, Manage, and Pro.
1. The Essentials package is free and offers the following features:
- Unlimited properties
- Automatic bank feeds
- Basic financial reports
- Vacancy marketing
- Tenant screening
- Online rent collection
- 3.14% APY on cash balances
2. The Manage package costs $12 per month if paid annually, or $15 per month if paid monthly. It includes everything in Essentials, plus the following:
- One e-signature/month
- Schedule E report
- 60-plus legal forms and templates
- Priority chat support
3. Pro has a monthly fee of $28 if paid annually or $35 if paid monthly. It adds the following features to the Manage package:
- Seven e-signatures/month
- Unlimited portfolios
- All advanced reports
- Advanced transaction tracking
- Budgeting and pro-forma
- Unlimited receipt scanning
- Unlimited chart history
- 5.09% APY on cash balances
- Priority phone support
Baselane: 4 out of 5
Baselane’s free business checking account can earn from 1.95% to 4.19% APY. You increase your balance by meeting certain activity requirements:
Tier | APY | Activity Requirements |
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Tier 1 | 1.95% |
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Tier 2 | 2.41% |
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Tier 3 | 2.93% |
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Tier 4 | 3.40% |
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Tier 5 | 3.40% |
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Tier 6 | 3.87% |
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Tier 7 | 4.19% |
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The APY you qualify for will apply to all balances. New users also get a promotional APY of 4.19% for their first three months.
Stessa: 3 out of 5
Stessa Essentials (Free) and Stessa Manage ($12 monthly) each earn 3.12%. You can upgrade to Stessa Pro for an APY of 5.09%.
Baselane: 5 out of 5
Baselane issues one physical card for every main account and up to 10 virtual cards for both main and virtual accounts. These cards integrate with Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Stessa: 5 out of 5
Stessa provides property owners with physical and virtual cards that connect with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay.
Baselane: 4 out of 5
You earn 5% cash back when you use your Baselane debit card for at least $2,000 worth of home improvement purchases, then 1% for purchases thereafter. Your other debit card purchases generate an unlimited 1% cash back.
Stessa: 3 out of 5
Stessa customers earn unlimited 1.1% cash back on Stessa debit card purchases. The cash back is credited to the account on the next monthly statement cycle.
Baselane: 5 out of 5
You can open multiple free virtual accounts under your main Baselane checking account. Each virtual account gets its own individual account number. You can tag a virtual account to a specific property, which makes it easier to track where your income or expenses move.
Stessa: 5 out of 5
Similarly, Stessa lets you create unlimited free subaccounts per main checking account. However, you can only have a maximum of three unfunded accounts.
You’re also allowed to create one additional checking account per rental property at no additional cost.
Baselane: 3 out of 5
When comparing Baselane vs Stessa business checking in terms of cash deposit availability, Baselane customers can deposit cash exclusively at over 55,000 Allpoint ATMs. Cash deposits are limited to $2,000 per day and a minimum of $1,000 per transaction.
Stessa: 0 out of 5
Stessa does not support cash deposits.
Baselane: 3 out of 5
Customers can save on ATM fees when they use 55,000-plus Allpoint ATMs. Baselane does not charge ATM fees for withdrawals at out-of-network ATMs. However, operator surcharges may apply.
Stessa: 1 out of 5
Stessa does not charge ATM withdrawal fees but operator fees may be collected.
Baselane: 4 out of 5
Baselane integrates rent collection, bookkeeping, reporting, and analytics tools in its checking account. The provider is our top real estate accounting software for its free rental property accounting software, which is ideal for independent landlords.
Stessa: 4 out of 5
Similarly, Stessa has built-in online rent collection, expense management, tenant screening, and accounting. It’s also compatible with Plaid and Yodlee.
Baselane: 4 out of 5
You can apply for CRE loans, lines of credit, term loans, receivable advances, and insurance through Baselane.
Stessa: 2 out of 5
Stessa does not offer lending and insurance products, but you can access quotes for loans from other providers directly on Stessa’s website.
Baselane: 2 out of 5
Baselane’s mobile banking app is currently under development, but users can access the platform through desktop and mobile web browsers. Customers can view their accounts and transactions, link external bank accounts, transfer funds, set up rent collection, and manage their profiles via mobile browser.
Stessa: 5 out of 5
Stessa accounts are available through web browsers and a mobile app. Users can transfer funds, pay vendors through ACH, view account statements and reports, scan receipts, and deposit checks using mobile devices.
Baselane vs Stessa User Reviews
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Trustpilot Rating | 4.0 (based on around 50 reviews)[1] | 3.6 (based on fewer than five reviews)[2] |
Capterra Rating | 4.8 (based on about 20 reviews)[3] | 4.2 (based on approximately 100 reviews)[4] |
Users Like |
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Users Dislike |
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Comparing reviews for Baselane vs Stessa business checking on user review platforms shows that Baselane has a slight edge over Stessa. However, both received praise for having well-designed and intuitive user interfaces. Both were also criticized for having insufficient customer support.
Positive Baselane reviews also discussed the platform’s APY and features. Users liked that the business checking account charged no hidden fees while offering competitive APY. Features that stood out to users included online rent collection, which helped reviewers receive payments faster, and integration with other banks. However, users disliked the lack of a mobile app and the slow clearing times for check deposits.
Meanwhile, many Stessa users praised the platform’s automatic bookkeeping, particularly the expense categorization feature. However, they disliked that they were limited to single-entry bookkeeping. They also criticized that cash back was not automatic.
Bottom Line
The differences between Stessa vs Baselane business checking are minimal, and you won’t go wrong choosing either provider. If you need to make cash deposits, want strong APY on your checking without a monthly fee, or need commercial real estate loans, Baselane may be the best choice.
If the additional features of Stessa Pro make sense for your business to pay the monthly fee, then the higher APY you receive may make Stessa the better choice. Strictly comparing Baselane vs Stessa business checking offerings, Baselane has an advantage because of the higher APY in the free account, the ability to make cash deposits, and the free access to over 55,000 Allpoint ATMs.
User review references:
[1]Baselane | Trustpilot
[2]Stessa | Trustpilot
[3]Baselane | Capterra
[4]Stessa | Capterra
