AppFolio Property Manager vs. Buildium

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
AppFolio Property Manager
Score 7.2 out of 10
N/A
AppFolio Property Manager is a cloud-based property management software that allows multifamily and single-family, commercial, student housing, homeowners and condo association, and mixed portfolio property managers to market, manage and grow their business. AppFolio includes accounting and property management functionality, including the ability to: provide instant access to reports & statements, post & market vacancies, apply & lease online, screen residents, streamline rent collection, and…
$0.85
per unit/per month
Buildium
Score 9.2 out of 10
N/A
Buildium is a cloud-based property management solution that enables managers of residential and association properties to take complete control of every aspect of their business, including the rent, vacancy and maintenance cycles. Buildium streamlines management of the rent cycle with key features such as tenant and lease tracking, full general ledger accounting, automated rent and late fee reminders and on-demand reports. Additionally, rent collection can be…
$62
per month
Pricing
AppFolio Property ManagerBuildium
Editions & Modules
Community Associations
$0.85
per unit/per month
Plus - Community Associations
$0.85
per unit/per month
Student Housing
$1.25
per unit/per month
Residential
$1.49
per unit/per month
Commercial
$1.50
per unit/per month
Plus - Student Housing
$3
per unit/per month
Plus - Residential
$3.20
per unit/per month
Plus - Commerical
$3.20
per unit/per month
Essential
$62
per month
Growth
$192
per month
Premium
$400
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
AppFolio Property ManagerBuildium
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
Additional DetailsAll plans include accounting, maintenance, tasks, violations, online portals and resident & board member communications for residents, board members, and owners.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
AppFolio Property ManagerBuildium
User Ratings
AppFolio Property ManagerBuildium
Likelihood to Recommend
6.0
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(0 ratings)
8.5
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
1.0
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
AppFolio Property ManagerBuildium
Likelihood to Recommend
We have 6 apartment buildings that we manage. Every month we were having to drive to each location to collect rent checks. Since using appfolio, we only have a couple of renters that still send in a paper check, the rest pay online, so we are ensuring that our renters are paying on time. Once we have an applicant apply, the old way was to take their scanned application, review, and then pay to have a background check conducted. Now, with appfolio, we are able to have them apply, sign off on the background check, and pay their deposit all in one shot. It has allowed our property managers to focus on other property items rather than conducting background checks.
Read full review
We have really appreciated the recent integrations and steps to make the system easier to use. We utilize the task flow internally to track items needed as well as with our owners and tenants. It allows us to easily track the number of requests as well as the work history.
Read full review
Pros
  • Multi-entity accounting management
  • Checking printing: We have multiple bank accounts tied to our account and utilize blank check stock. Appfolio automatically prints the routing numbers and account numbers at the bottom of the blank checks based on which property we are paying a bill from.
  • Tie-in with their Investment Management tool gives our investors a great resource while keeping our investments in sync with our accounting software.
Read full review
  • It documents the date and time of all updates and communications, which are essential to the companys records.
  • It allows external clients to communicate and stay in touch with our company, as well as access information.
  • It serves as a large database for all of our customer and client information that is very user-friendly.
Read full review
Cons
  • Only a few very technical items that wouldn't necessarily make sense to non-users and I haven't even cared enough to submit requests on the issues. It'd be nice if parking was easier to keep track of on the system. Right now, if you run a report it doesn't show all the information our company requires for the vehicles and therefore we have to keep track of it elsewhere.
  • Another obstacle we've encountered is that the program charges "by door" so if you have multiple units and properties you can really rack up pricing. That's especially true for large multi-unit buildings with parking.
Read full review
  • Reconciliation adjustment, please enact a password setting. Having to un-reconcile 4 months to get to the desired date is ridiculous.
  • Fix the notes & loans to have communication between separate companies.
  • Allow for duplicate vendors to merge.
  • Give a re-send option for tenant portal use/creation.
  • Allow to search by Invoice # (reference #)
  • Fix the credit system, allow the transfer of deposits from one unit to be moved to another.
  • When ending a lease, show the ledger adjustments as you add charges/refund deposits etc.
  • Option to see duplicate transactions!!
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
No answers on this topic
I have used three property management softwares and know of others who have used additional softwares for managing properties. Buildium seems to be the best of all of them
Read full review
Usability
The system is so intuitive and easy to use. There’s almost nothing in the system that can’t be undone if you make a mistake. Important things also have their own tabs. It’s also easy to use from the resident side which is helpful for in a world where everyone is not tech-savvy.
Read full review
Overall, the system is good and getting better; however, different roll outs have caused the system to regress. Their latest bank automation rollout was a disaster and continues to be an issue. Since the upgrade, I have not been able to sync our bank and Buildium (download transactions).
Read full review
Support Rating
In our experience, customer support consists of submitting questions to a bot. When the bot can't answer the question it repeats your question back to you. When you ask for customer support, someone says they will email you with an answer. The answer never comes and then your question is closed out. In my experience, customer service reps then direct you to go to the suggestion boards where you realize there are thousands of frustrated AppFolio Property Manager users who are receiving no help. On our particular hot-spot issue, other customers have submitted requests for help since 2015, but no help is forthcoming
Read full review
I have been able to get through to support immediately and they have been awesome in quickly resolving issues. More importantly, their communication when there is an issue which might take some time to resolve surfaces. Getting updates and resolution are critical.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
No answers on this topic
I cannot rate this since I was not part of that process
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Before we used AppFolio Property Manager we used Skyline. Skyline Property Management was super outdated. The tenants did not have access to that program so we had to purchase another program for them to make their payments through. We would then have to manually enter every single payment. Onboarding and transferring data to AppFolio from Skyline was a nightmare and took us several months. AppFolio is so much easier for tenant use.
Read full review
We only went with Buidlium because we had the option to absorb the fees for rent payments. I wanted to provide $0 fees for Tenants to pay online. I'm glad we went with Buildium in the end but that was the only reason we moved forward with them was because we could customize that option to match our business model.
Read full review
Return on Investment
  • Wonderful to see how much rent we are drawing in, so we can base budgets off of that. It is a great way to retain that rent and put towards future improvements.
  • Wonderful way for tenants to pay their rent without us using a separate payment system or ACH payment. They can set up an account with a credit or debit card, or checking account and it drastically helps us with time management!
  • The help that the AppFolio staff is willing to do, saves time on us trying to troubleshoot.
Read full review
  • I spend less time on reconciliation
  • I am able to easily track and plan growth
  • Residents can easily use the platform
Read full review
ScreenShots

AppFolio Property Manager Screenshots

Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of

Buildium Screenshots

Screenshot of Buildium Draft LeasesScreenshot of Buildium General LedgerScreenshot of Buildium Customizable DashboardScreenshot of Buildium Resident Center