6 Best Online Rent Payment Services for Landlords 2023
Gina is a licensed real estate salesperson, experienced trainer, and former high school educator of 1,000+ learners. She writes for Fit Small Business with a focus on real estate content.
Jealie is a staff writer at Fit Small Business, specializing in real estate education.
The best online rent payment software simplifies tenant rent payments to make it easier for landlords to collect money and manage their rental properties. Online rent payment services include comprehensive tools, from maintenance requests to paying rent online, to fit different landlord management styles and tenant needs—making them an excellent resource for busy landlords.
Here are the six best online rent payment services for 2023 based on pricing, features, customer feedback, and ease of use:
- TenantCloud: Best overall with its robust financial features at an affordable price
- Baselane: Top choice for landlords seeking free online rental payment software
- Rentec Direct: Ideal for landlords and tenants seeking an easy-to-navigate interface
- PayRent: Great for landlords with 10-plus rental units wanting low-cost online rent payment plans
- Avail: Excellent option for landlords wanting comprehensive management services
- DoorLoop: Best for rent collection with client relationship management (CRM) capabilities
Best Online Rent Payment Service at a Glance
School | Starting Price | Free Trial | Mobile App | Customer Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Free; paid plans start at $12, monthly | ✓ (14 days) | ✓ | Phone and live chat |
 | Free | ✕ | ✕ | Phone, live chat, and email |
 | $35 per month | ✓ (14 days) | ✓ | Phone, live chat, and email |
 | Free; paid plans start at $19, monthly | ✕ | ✕ | Phone, live chat, and email |
 | Free; paid plan costs $7 per unit, monthly | ✕ | ✕ | Phone, live chat, and email |
 | $29.50 per month for first two months, $59 thereafter | ✕ | ✓ | Phone, live chat, and email |
There are many online rent payment services that are available to landlords to manage their properties. Take our quiz to see what the best fit is for you:
Which online rent payment service is right for you?
TenantCloud: Best Overall for Its Robust Financial Features
Overall Score:
4.86 / 5
What We Like
- Free plan and 14-day free trial
- Affordable plans
- Customizable marketing website
- 512MB to 100GB online storage
What's Missing
- Email customer support
- 24/7 phone and live chat customer service
- Money transfer takes up to a week
Why Should You Choose TenantCloud?
TenantCloud is a property management payment solution specializing in properties for landlords and property managers with portfolios of less than 500 units. In addition, it provides a free marketing website, streamlined maintenance requests management, and automatic listing syndication.
TenantCloud offers a robust suite of payment features, enabling landlords to accept credit and debit card payments through Stripe payment processing, PayPal, and Automated Clearing House (ACH) transactions provided by Dwolla. TenantCloud also provides a mobile app that makes it easy for landlords and property managers with one to 500 units to collect rent payments and manage tenants right from their phones.
TenantCloud offers a free plan that includes online rent payments, late fee settings, maintenance management, and basic leads features. The free version allows adding one piece of equipment to keep track of for each rental (like refrigerators, dishwashers, and other appliances), one landlord lease agreement template, 10 service reminders, and record retention of 512MB. This plan has customer service available via support tickets.
Its three subscription plan tiers range in price from $0 to $40, and a Business Plan tier with custom pricing. All the subscription tiers include unlimited properties or units and listings that help landlords easily track their properties and post vacant rentals to all their listing partners, like Apartments.com, Zillow, and Facebook Marketplace.
Additional TenantCloud Features
TenantCloud has a built-in communication tool for landlords and tenants. (Source: TenantCloud)
- TC Messenger: This tool allows landlords and tenants to communicate without relying on email or text messaging. Landlords can organize their conversations with tenants inside the TenantCloud system.
- Rent roll: This feature assists landlords and property managers in establishing an offer price and can also be helpful when determining the value of a property.
- Kanban board tracking system: Help landlords create cards for maintenance requests, add pictures, videos, and descriptions, and track whether each request is new, in progress, or resolved.
- QuickBooks and accounting integration: Helps landlords track and compile all their transactions and collect monthly rent payments.
- Lease agreement templates: Allows landlords to get leases signed digitally and modify the terms as needed.
TenantCloud Customer Feedback
Many tenants commended the convenience of TenantCloud’s online payment system. Landlords also love the rental listing, maintenance, and scheduling tools, helping them save time and manage daily operations efficiently. With these, it garnered a customer rating review of 4.1 out of 5.
However, some landlords expressed disappointment with the confusing instructions and difficulty navigating the system. If you like property management software with a more easy-to-follow dashboard, check out Avail or Rentec Direct.
TenantCloud Pricing
- Free plan: Free; includes rental listings management, scheduling, rental applications, applicant screenings, online rent payments, maintenance requests, and vendor network
- Starter plan: $12 (monthly) for everything in the Free plan, plus premium leads, tax reports, e-signature, leads tracking customer relationship management (CRM), auto-pay rent online for tenants, and Google Calendar sync
- Growth plan: $40 (monthly) for everything in the Starter plan, plus property manager tools, individual owner portal, management fees, lease builder, landlord forms, property message board, and QuickBooks online sync
- Business plan: Custom pricing for everything in the Growth plan, plus team management and tools, task management, and customization
Baselane: Best Free Online Rent Payment Software
Overall Score:
4.07 / 5
What We Like
- Free to use
- Personal and business expense tracking
- Free ACH transfer
What's Missing
- No mobile app
- Cannot manage maintenance requests
- Currently no rental application or lease generation options
Why Should You Choose Baselane?
Baselane is an excellent option for landlords who need rent payment software to collect, automate, and track rent payments from tenants. Plus, the service is free for budget-conscious landlords who want to save money, but also utilize a reliable payment system.
While Baselane is not a full-service property management system, it does have everything a beginner landlord would need to start collecting money from tenants. Its free plan has features like direct deposit, auto-pay, automated late fees, and payment reminders. Since the Baselane platform accepts all forms of payment, including ACH, debit, and credit card payments, money can be collected seamlessly into tracked accounts.
Baselane integrates with existing bank accounts or you can create new landlord-friendly banking accounts directly through Baselane. Reports can be generated that track cash flow, expenses, and property metrics in order to gain insights and guarantee properties are at their most profitable. Additionally, the Baselane system will categorize funds for landlords to keep business and personal expenses separate.
Additional Baselane Features
Example of categorized expense reports (Source: Baselane)
- Property metrics and rental property calculator: Review property insights like cap rap, return on investment, and cash-on-cash return.
- Speedy payments: Payments transferred within two to three days.
- Number of properties: Track and collect payments from an unlimited number of properties.
- Tax information: Landlords can easily export tax documents for accountant use.
Baselane Customer Feedback
Currently, there are no available third-party reviews for Baselane. However, customer testimonials from their website found that the system was easy to use, especially for first-time landlords. One customer stated he had difficulty collecting Zelle payments directly to his business accounts, but Baselane’s rent collection removed this problem.
Although its rent collection system is robust, other property management features like maintenance requests, rental applications, and lease generation are unavailable. For landlords who prefer an all-in-one system, this might deter them from using Baselane. Also, even though Baselane is accessible on desktop and mobile devices, it does not have a mobile app for on-the-go use. If a mobile app and property management features are essential to your business, try TenantCloud.
Baselane Pricing
Free plan: Includes banking, bookkeeping, reporting, analytics, and rent collection
Rentec Direct: Best Online Rent Payment Service With an Easy-to-Navigate Interface
Overall Score:
3.78 / 5
What We Like
- Intuitive and beginner-friendly dashboard
- ACH rent collection system
- Unlimited file storage
- Extensive customer support with extended customer service hours
What's Missing
- Free-forever plan
- Budget-friendly plan
- Property managers pay for the tenant portal
Why Should You Choose Rentec Direct?
Rentec Direct caters to the needs of landlords and property managers handling 25 to 5,000 real estate investment units. It provides complete accounting, accurate tenant screening, and a custom website in an easy-to-navigate interface.
Rentec Direct is a user-friendly, web-based, full-featured property management system for landlords and property managers with small to large portfolios. Rentec Direct’s interface features a responsive design that works seamlessly on all devices and displays well-organized tool categories for easy navigation. Its online rent collection process allows landlords to accept payments online via ACH, credit cards, or physically at one of the 20,000 payment locations part of its cash payment network.
Furthermore, Rentec Direct has no startup fees or term commitments. It includes complete U.S.-based customer service and training. Some vital features of Rentec Direct are online portals for tenants and owners, electronic 1099 filing and signatures with DocuSign, automated ACH and credit card payment processing, and syndication of vacancy listings.
Rentec Direct has strict security standards to protect client data, including two-factor authentication, real-time secure data backup, and third-party security verification. Rentec Direct mobile app and software are compatible with all Android, Windows, and iOS operating systems devices.
Additional Rentec Direct Features
Rentec Direct tenant profile card shows the record of payments. (Source: Rentec Direct)
- Reporting system: All reports (e.g., accounting data) are exportable to PDF or Excel and can be printed or shared via email. It also provides an e-file for 1099-MISC, ensuring error-free operation.
- DocuSign integration: The integration with DocuSign allows landlords to add signature fields for tenants and accept electronic signatures.
- File library: Store and share essential documents like lease agreements with owners and tenants faster and hassle-free.
- Automatic syndication: Allows landlords to unify the status of their vacancies to the top property listing pages, including Zillow, Trulia, and HotPads.
Rentec Direct Customer Feedback
Many Rentec Direct users claimed that the software is easy to use and very comprehensive. One user said she loved the affordability of the software and the ability to communicate and text the tenants through the portal and track them. Because of that, Rentec Direct received a customer review rating of 4.63 out of 5.
But despite these reviews, Rentec Direct received negative feedback from some users due to its pricey plans. Explore TenantCloud, which offers the most affordable property management plans that start at $12 per month.
Rentec Direct Pricing
- Rentec Pro: Starts at $35 per month for one to 10 units for a full bank, property, and tenant accounting, tenant screening, market vacant property listing, online rent payments, tenant and owner portal mobile app, and work orders and maintenance tracking; you’ll also get free training and unlimited U.S.-based customer support, cash payment network, renters insurance, customizable income and expense reports, online rental applications, and automated CAM (common area maintenance) charges
- Rentec PM: Starts at $40, paid on a monthly basis, for one to 10 units for everything in the Rentec Pro plan, plus trust account management and reporting and marketing and maintenance managers
PayRent: Best for Its Low-cost Online Rent Payment System for Landlords
Overall Score:
3.77 / 5
What We Like
- Rent reminders
- Downloadable transactions
- Automatic late fees
- Onboarding assistance
What's Missing
- Mobile app
- Third-party integrations
- Maintenance request feature
Why Should You Choose PayRent?
PayRent provides features like flexible auto-pay, rent collection policy enforcement, and new service plan options to expedite rent payment collection.
PayRent is a platform that offers a free-forever plan for landlords with less than 10 units and low-cost plans starting at $19 per month for landlords with 10 or more rental units. PayRent also enables property owners to upgrade or downgrade their plan and pay a la carte pricing for additional features like rent collection enforcement and automated late fees.
Rent reminders will be sent to tenants, and the tenants can plan automated payments, both of which help to guarantee timely rent collection each month. Landlords can choose a free version with limited features and five- to seven-day funding or a paid plan that provides free ACH bank transfers and three-day express funding.
PayRent software features include three-bureau credit reporting, RentCred loans for renters, and renters insurance monitoring that helps track and qualify renters. Additionally, PayRent provides a RentDefense that features bank balance verification. It requires a backup payment method with automatic failover to make it easier for landlords to collect rent and prevent late and lost payments.
Additional PayRent Features
PayRent dashboard (Source: PayRent)
- Scheduled auto-pay: Enables tenants to set up a one-time future payment or weekly or monthly recurring payments.
- Payment controls: Enable landlords to disallow partial payments, determine payment methods (such as credit cards or e-checks), and determine whether or not to absorb transaction fees, making it easier for tenants to pay rent on time.
- Activity feed: Lets landlords see their tenant’s payment activities, including when they make or cancel scheduled payments.
- Rent collection policy: Landlords can set a strict rent collection policy, requiring renters to maintain a primary and backup payment method and a recurring scheduled payment to ensure they get paid on time.
PayRent Customer Feedback
PayRent garnered a high customer review rating of 4.3 out of 5 since many landlords and tenants love the easy-to-follow dashboard. Tenants commended PayRent for its various payment options, from ACH to credit cards. Landlords using PayRent shared that the rent reminder feature had improved their rent collection and tenants can pay rent online on time.
The lack of a mobile app disappointed some PayRent users. Aside from this, some users wished that PayRent had a maintenance request feature to help landlords manage and track tenants’ requests for maintenance. If you want an online rent payment service with maintenance request features, keep reading to check out DoorLoop.
PayRent Pricing
- Pay-As-You-Go plan: Free for less than 10 units, includes rent reminders, payment controls, three-bureau credit reporting, scheduled payments, RentCred loans for renters, and renters insurance monitoring; additional $5 per bank transfer and 3.5% plus 30 cents credit card rate, paid by the tenant
- Do-It-Yourself plan: $19 per month for 10 or more rental units for everything in the Pay-As-You-Go plan, plus automatic late fees and rent collection enforcement; pay $3 per additional unit, $2 per bank transfer, and 3.5% plus 30 cents credit card rate
- Go-Like-A-Pro plan: $49 per month for 25-plus units for everything in the Do-It-Yourself plan, plus free bank transfers and dedicated account management; pay $3 per additional unit and 3.5% plus 30 cents credit card rate
Avail: Best for Its Comprehensive Property Management Services
Overall Score:
3.71 / 5
What We Like
- Phone, live chat, and email customer support
- FastPay service, a next-day payment processor for landlords
- Budget-friendly pricing per unit
What's Missing
- Free trial
- Mobile app
- Various subscription plan packages
Why Should You Choose Avail?
Avail is an excellent option for landlords who want a simple way to collect tenants’ rent online and post vacancies. Its automated rent collection solution enables landlords to swiftly manage rental income with expedited rent payment processing the next day.
Avail provides comprehensive property management services, such as customizable property websites and maintenance tracking features for landlords—simplifying online rent collection, vacancy posting, and connecting with tenants. Its automated online rent payment solution, FastPay service, enables landlords to manage rental income with next-day expedited rent payment processing.
Moreover, Avail provides rental property accounting software designed to make bookkeeping easier. Landlords can track their rental property income and expenses to streamline the accounting process. Rent and maintenance charges are automatically uploaded to their accounting dashboard, allowing them to see how much money flows in and out.
Additional Avail Features
Automatic syndication of listings to rental sites via mobile app (Source: Avail)
- Marketing tools: Avail syndicates listings across websites like Zillow, Trulia, and Apartments.com, and automatically adds location data to the listing.
- Tenant screening: Provides criminal and tenant eviction background checks and a TransUnion credit screening for all potential tenants.
- Accounting software: Landlords can collect and track rent payments, rent receipts, fees, and tenant maintenance requests. Tenants can also set up auto-pay to never miss a rent payment.
- Leasing features: Provides state-specific lease templates, electronic signatures, and online storage for documents. It notifies tenants when rent is due and follows up with them if late payments are made.
- Rent price analysis: Shows how your property compares to similar rentals nearby with rent estimates, rent benchmarks for comparable units, and county rent trends to help landlords make informed decisions.
Avail Customer Feedback
Avail has a customer rating review of 4.61 out of 5. Most landlords and tenants praised the user-friendly and visually pleasing dashboard. They also love the budget-friendly pricing and extensive customer support. In addition, many users like that Avail provides an easy process for background checks and communication with applicants.
However, several users expressed annoyance with the weekly automated emails they receive. Besides this, the lack of tutorials on the software and reporting module resulted in users’ dissatisfaction. Check out DoorLoop below, which provides video tutorials and screen sharing with customer support.
Avail Pricing
- Unlimited plan: Free; includes syndicated listings, credit and criminal screening, state-specific leases, online rent payments, and maintenance tracking features
- Unlimited Plus plan: $7 per unit (paid monthly) for everything in the Unlimited Plan, plus next-day rent payments, waived ACH fees, custom applications and leases, clone and reuse custom lease agreements, and property websites
DoorLoop: Best for Rent Collection & CRM Capabilities
Overall Score:
3.54 / 5
What We Like
- Simple interface for landlords and tenants
- Finances sync with QuickBooks
- Built-in CRM system
What's Missing
- More expensive than other options
- Payment not available on next business day
- Free ACH transfers only with Premium Plan
Why Should You Choose DoorLoop?
DoorLoop is a unique rent payment service because it combines a comprehensive CRM system within its platform. This allows landlords to store tenant information and communicate with them regularly to establish long-term relationships.
DoorLoop is an all-in-one property management and rent payment system that has robust features suited to both small and large landlords. The RapidRent system, which is powered by Payrix, allows landlords to collect payments automatically through debit or credit card, ACH, and e-check payments. Uniquely, the built-in CRM gives landlords an inside look at both prospective and active tenants to communicate with them for payments, requests, moves, and general check-ins. This is an excellent tool to build relationships with tenants in order to minimize vacancies and maximize profits.
The three DoorLoop plans allow users to choose the needed features to propel their business. However, all plans include accounting and financial reporting to align your expenses with rental income. DoorLoop users can connect their bank accounts and integrate with QuickBooks for further in-depth reporting. Furthermore, the “user access roles” feature enables landlords to share their financial information with accountants to review investment revenue, income, and expenses.
Additional DoorLoop Features
Setting rent reminders (Source: DoorLoop)
- Marketing capabilities: Landlords can market their property listings on popular listing websites like Zillow, HotPads, Trulia, and Dwellsy
- Tenant screening: Create tenant applications and screen potential tenants with background and credit checks
- Accessibility: DoorLoop is available on desktop, tablet, and mobile
- Customizable reporting: Generate and export financial data in PDF or Excel format (depending on the plan)
DoorLoop Customer Feedback
There are many positive reviews for DoorLoop, earning it a 4.9 out of 5-star rating. Many reviewers stated that the interface was easy to use and navigate, with one customer stating that she played around with the system, read a few helpful articles, and felt like an expert. Others enjoyed the insights they received from reports that gave them a complete picture of their investment business.
With such a high rating, there are only a few negative reviews about DoorLoop. One customer found it impossible to delete records without calling for approval, while another thought the system was a bit too simple. Another user said the accounting feature was “OK, but not great,” so if you’re looking for a more robust accounting system, check out Avail above or TenantCloud above.
DoorLoop Pricing
- Starter Plan: $29.50 for first two months, $59 per month thereafter; includes accounting and financials, CRM, maintenance, RapidRent online payments, tenant screening, tenant portal, e-signatures, 50MB document storage per unit, PDF data exports, do-it-yourself website portal integration, phone and email support, and onboarding and training fee (depending on size of portfolio)
- Pro Plan: $49.50 for first two months, $99 per month thereafter; includes everything in Starter Plan plus owner portal, 5GB document storage per unit, online advertising, user access roles, bank account reconciliation, tenant announcements, customizable dashboards, QuickBooks online sync, outgoing payments, data exports in PDF or Excel format, and phone and Zoom support
- Premium Plan: $69.50 for the first two months, $139 per month thereafter; includes everything in Pro Plan plus unlimited document storage per unit, free incoming ACH payments, integrations and API access, done-for-you website portal integration, and VIP priority support
How We Evaluated the Top Online Rent Payment Services
The best rent collection systems provide tools like online payment options, automatic rent reminders, scheduled payments, and tenant screening in a free or low-cost program. These essential features help landlords and property managers save time in collecting rent payments online and allow them to send tenants reminders to ensure they will pay on time.
After evaluating dozens of online rent payment service providers, our top pick for online rent payment and property management is TenantCloud. It offers free and paid accounts, starting at $12 per month. The free trial includes property listing management, rent payment schedules, online applications, maintenance requests, and vendor networks. The paid account has vital tools like tax reports, e-signature, and a leads tracking customer relationship manager (CRM).
We evaluated the best online rent collection app based on:
25%
Rental Payment Features
20%
Pricing
20%
General Features
10%
Ease of Use
10%
Customer Reviews
10%
Expert Score
5%
Help & Support
25% of Overall Score
Based on various rental payment features offered that help landlords and property managers simplify rent collection, improve cash flow, and secure rent transactions.
20% of Overall Score
Pricing is based on the cost structure, a la carte options, and availability of online rent payment services for landlords and tenants.
20% of Overall Score
It consists of various property management features like online payment collection and tenant screening for each tier to meet the specific needs of the property owners and tenants.
10% of Overall Score
Based on how easy it is to navigate the provider interface and if it provides hassle-free transactions and communication between property owners and tenants.
10% of Overall Score
Based on customer feedback for each platform, the functionalities that are most useful for property managers, and areas that need further improvement.
10% of Overall Score
Our team’s expertise in the field and firsthand experience with the providers allow us to evaluate the standout features, value for the money, and ease of use for rent payment service software.
5% of Overall Score
We looked into the convenience and attainability of customer service for technical support, onboarding, and training.
*Percentages of overall score
