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)
When comparing Baselane vs Stessa business checking annual percentage yield (APY), Baselane has the edge. Its APY is 2.63%
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
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 $28 or $35 for Pro |
| Domestic Wire Transfer Fees | Outbound are $15; inbound are free | 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 | Up to 2.63% paid on Savings accounts. Total balances across Checking Accounts and Savings Accounts are used to calculate APY tier. | 1.88% for Essentials and Manage; 3.24% for Pro |
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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 |
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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
- You need an all-in-one free interest-earning banking and rent collection platform: While both Baselane and Stessa offer free banking and rent collection, Stessa puts its best rates and features in its paid tier, Stessa Pro. If you want all the features offered for free with a solid APY banking product, choose Baselane.
- You need CRE loans: While Stessa provides mortgage quotes, Baselane, one of our best hard money lenders, has partnered directly with Lendency to provide CRE loans to Baselane customers. You can get a lending quote in as little as 60 seconds.
- You need to make cash deposits: Baselane allows fee-free cash deposits at Allpoint ATMs while Stessa does not support cash deposits.
- You want to earn interest without having to follow monthly activity requirements: To access Baselane’s best APY rates, you need to follow certain monthly activity and end-of-month balance requirements. Meanwhile, having a Stessa Essentials or Stessa Manage account automatically entitles you to 3.14% APY. You can upgrade to Stessa Pro for an APY of 5.09%.
- You want a mobile app to manage your properties: Comparing Stessa vs Baselane business checking platform availability showed us that Stessa provides more flexibility. While you can access Baselane’s dashboard on your phone, it doesn’t have a dedicated app. Stessa has a dedicated app that is well-rated on Android and iOS devices.
- You want built-in tenant screening: While Baselane provides a link to tenant screening through TransUnion’s SmartMove system, Stessa provides this service in the app for free.
- You want your tenants to have fee-free rent payments: Your tenants can set up ACH payments for rent through Stessa fee-free. Meanwhile, Baselane, one of our best online rent payment services, charges a 2.99% processing fee to tenants.
- You rely on in-person banking: Neither Baselane nor Stessa has brick-and-mortar stores. If wide geographic availability is a priority, Chase is your best choice. Not only does the bank offer a wide range of CRE loan products, but it also has branches in all 48 mainland states. Check out our Chase business checking review to see which Chase product is right for your business.
- You need bookkeeping solutions but don’t work in real estate: While non-real estate businesses can utilize Baselane and Stessa’s bookkeeping solutions, the property management features would not be beneficial. Small business owners seeking a more simplified banking and bookkeeping experience should consider the fintech solution, Found. It offers automatic expense tracking, reporting, and tax preparation assistance for free. Read our review of Found business checking for more details about the features it offers.
- You want competitive APY but don’t work in real estate: If you want to benefit from competitive APY but don’t need property management solutions, consider Bluevine. It offers 1.3% APY on qualifying balances of $250,000 and less on its standard account. Our Bluevine business checking review lists the activity requirements you need to meet to become eligible for earning interest.
See our list of the best banks for real estate investors for other providers that serve the real estate industry. Nonreal estate businesses can look into our roundup of the best small business checking accounts.
Baselane vs Stessa Business Checking Features
| Baselane | Stessa | |
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| OVERALL RATING | 3.50 ★ | 3.00 ★ |
| Pricing | ★★★★★ | ★★★ |
| APY Earnings | ★★★★ | ★★★ |
| Physical & Virtual Cards | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Cash Back Rewards | 0 | ★★ |
| 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 deposit support, and lending solutions. However, it is still developing a mobile app.
Click on each heading below to see more details.
Pricing (Winner: Baselane)
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
APY Earnings (Winner: Baselane)
Baselane: 4 out of 5
Baselane pays up to 2.63% on Savings accounts. Total balances across Checking Accounts and Savings Accounts are used to calculate APY tier. You increase your balance by meeting certain activity requirements:
| Tier | APY | Activity Requirements |
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| Tier 1 | 1.30% |
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| Tier 2 | 2.03% |
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| Tier 3 | 2.39% |
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| Tier 4 | 2.63% |
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Stessa: 3 out of 5
Stessa Essentials (Free) and Stessa Manage ($12 monthly) each earn 1.88%. You can upgrade to Stessa Pro for an APY of 3.24%.
Physical and Virtual Cards (Tie)
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.
Cash Back Rewards (Winner: Stessa)
Baselane: 0 out of 5
Baselane does not have any cash back rewards.
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.
Reserve Accounts (Tie)
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.
Cash Deposit Support (Winner: Baselane)
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.
ATM Fee Savings (Winner: Baselane)
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.
Software Integrations (Tie)
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.
Lending Product Options (Winner: Baselane)
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.
Mobile App Access (Winner: Stessa)
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.
Once you decide on a provider, you can check out our guide on how to open a business bank account. It includes a downloadable checklist of documents typically required upon account opening.
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] |
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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
