Baselane vs Stessa (2026): Pricing, Fees and Features Compared

Last updated: October 16, 2026. Prices and interest rates checked against each company's pricing page and help center on that date.

Baselane vs Stessa comes down to one question: do you want your landlord software to also be your bank? Baselane is a banking platform with free bookkeeping built in, and its paid Smart plan costs $20 a month billed annually. Stessa is an accounting-first tool with leases and maintenance, and its paid plans cost $12 to $35 a month. Both have a free plan.

Most small landlords compare these two because both promise free rental accounting. The differences show up in the details: who pays the rent collection fees, which plan includes Schedule E reports, and how much of your money has to sit in their accounts to get the best interest rate.

This guide compares Baselane and Stessa on verified 2026 pricing, rent collection, bookkeeping, taxes, leasing, and banking. It ends with a simple way to decide which one fits your portfolio.

What is the difference between Baselane and Stessa?

Baselane is free unless you want faster deposits and automation, and it works best if you move your rental banking to it. Stessa is free for basic tracking, but Schedule E reports and unlimited leases need the $12 Manage plan. Stessa covers more of the leasing workflow, while Baselane goes deeper on banking.

How much do Baselane and Stessa cost?

Both tools let you start free, and neither caps the number of properties you can add. The paid plans differ in price and in what you get.

What does Baselane cost?

• Core: $0 a month. Banking, property-level bookkeeping, rent collection, and an accountant tax package with Schedule E reports.
• Smart: $20 a month, billed annually. Adds 2-day rent deposits, an auto-tagging assistant, custom categories, automatic receipt matching, balance sheets, and priority support. Baselane's pricing page doesn't show a month-to-month price. It does offer a 30-day free trial.

What does Stessa cost?

• Essentials: free. Income and expense tracking, a basic tax package, maintenance tracking, and 5 receipt scans a month. State-specific leases cost $15 each.
• Manage: $12 a month billed annually, or $15 billed monthly. Adds Schedule E reports, unlimited state-compliant leases, one e-signature a month, 60+ legal forms, faster rent payments, and priority chat support.
• Pro: $28 a month billed annually, or $35 billed monthly. Adds unlimited receipt scanning, advanced reporting, budgeting, CapEx tracking, 7 e-signatures a month, legal consultations, and phone support.

Does the price go up as you add units?

No. Neither Baselane nor Stessa prices by unit, so a landlord with 1 unit pays the same as a landlord with 10. On annual billing, Baselane Smart costs $240 a year, Stessa Manage $144 a year, and Stessa Pro $336 a year. Both free plans stay at $0 at any portfolio size.

The bigger cost difference is usually rent collection fees, not the subscription.

Which charges less to collect rent, Baselane or Stessa?

Both platforms collect rent by ACH bank transfer and card, and both push most of the fees onto the tenant. Baselane charges $2 per ACH payment and lets the landlord decide who pays it. Stessa charges the tenant up to $2 per ACH payment, and nothing when rent lands in a Stessa Cash Management account.

Here's what that means in practice. Say you have 5 units and every tenant pays $1,500 by ACH. If you cover Baselane's fee yourself, that's $10 a month, or $120 a year. If you pass it to tenants, it costs you nothing. With Stessa, rent paid into a Stessa Cash Management account carries no ACH fee for anyone.

If your tenants prefer cards, the ACH vs credit card fee gap matters more to them than to you. A $1,500 card payment costs a tenant $52.35 on Baselane and $45 on Stessa.

Which is better for bookkeeping and Schedule E, Baselane or Stessa?

This is where the two tools feel most different. Baselane builds your books from your Baselane bank accounts, so transactions arrive already tied to a property. Stessa connects to the bank you already use and categorizes transactions there.

Baselane includes Schedule E reports on its free Core plan. Stessa's free plan gives you a basic tax package, and you need the $12 Manage plan for Schedule E reports. If you file your own Schedule E, that one line can decide the comparison.

How do Baselane and Stessa handle receipts?

• Baselane matches receipts to transactions automatically on the Smart plan, and Smart also adds custom categories and tagging rules.
• Stessa includes 5 smart receipt scans a month on Essentials and Manage, and unlimited scans on Pro.

If receipts are your main bottleneck, compare more options in our guide to the best receipt scanner apps for rentals.

Do you have to switch banks to use Baselane or Stessa?

Baselane's bookkeeping works best when your rent and expenses run through Baselane accounts. That's a real advantage if you want everything in one place. It's a real cost if your mortgage autopays, credit lines, and accountant are all set up around your current bank.

Stessa doesn't require you to move your banking. It offers Stessa Cash Management accounts as an option, but you can keep your existing bank and still track everything.

Do Baselane and Stessa handle leases, screening, and maintenance?

Stessa covers more of the day-to-day landlord workflow. Baselane focuses on money: banking, rent, and books.

• Leases and e-signatures: Stessa includes unlimited state-compliant leases on Manage and Pro, with 1 and 7 e-signatures a month. Baselane's pricing page doesn't list lease templates or e-signatures.
• Tenant screening: Baselane lists tenant screening reports from $24.99 as a tenant fee. Stessa includes screening on every plan, with priority screening on Pro, but doesn't publish the report price.
• Maintenance: Stessa includes maintenance tracking on every plan, including the free one. Baselane's pricing page doesn't list maintenance tools.

If you want one tool to take you from listing to lease to repairs, Stessa covers more of it. If you already handle leasing elsewhere and want cleaner money management, Baselane's narrower focus is fine.

Which pays more interest, Baselane or Stessa?

Baselane usually pays more interest at the same balance. Both offer bank accounts provided through Thread Bank, and both pay variable rates that depend on how much you keep with them.

Baselane pays 1.20% to 2.88% APY on savings. Your tier depends on your combined month-end checking and savings balance, and only money in savings earns interest. Collecting rent through Baselane moves you up a tier on balances under $50,000. For example, a balance under $10,000 earns 1.20% normally and 1.56% with rent collection. Balances of $50,000 or more earn 2.88%.

Stessa pays 0.57% to 2.02% APY on its Essentials and Manage plans, based on your previous month's aggregate balance. Balances under $10,000 earn 0.57%, and $10,000 to $49,999 earns 0.93%. The Pro plan pays 1.44% to 3.49%, with the top rate reserved for balances of $250,000 or more.

For example, a landlord holding $20,000 in reserves earns 1.94% on Baselane (2.29% with rent collection) compared with 0.93% on Stessa's free or Manage plan.

Should you choose Baselane or Stessa?

Pick based on how you want to handle your money, not on feature count.

• Choose Baselane if you're happy to open new bank accounts for your rentals, you want Schedule E reports for free, and you'll keep enough in savings to benefit from the higher interest tiers.
• Choose Stessa if you want leases, e-signatures, and maintenance tracking alongside your books, and you want to keep your current bank. Budget $12 a month for Manage if you need Schedule E reports.
• Choose neither if you want rent collection, accounting, and tenant management in one place without moving your banking or paying for features you won't use. See the alternative at the end of this guide.

Want a wider field than two tools? See our roundup of the best rental property accounting software.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Baselane free for landlords?

Yes. Baselane's Core plan costs $0 a month and includes banking, bookkeeping, rent collection, and Schedule E reports. The Smart plan costs $20 a month billed annually and adds 2-day rent deposits, automation, and priority support. Tenants pay card fees, and the $2 ACH fee can go to either side.

How much does Stessa cost?

Stessa's Essentials plan is free. Manage costs $12 a month billed annually or $15 monthly, and Pro costs $28 a month billed annually or $35 monthly. You need Manage or Pro for Schedule E reports and unlimited leases.

Is Baselane or Stessa better for taxes?

Baselane includes Schedule E reports on its free plan, so it's the cheaper route to tax-ready reports. Stessa's Schedule E reports start on the $12 Manage plan, and Pro adds CapEx tracking. Both export a tax package your accountant can use.

Do tenants pay fees to pay rent on Baselane or Stessa?

Usually, yes, for cards. Card payments cost tenants 3.49% on Baselane and 3% on Stessa. ACH costs $2 per payment on Baselane, paid by whichever side you choose. On Stessa, ACH costs the tenant up to $2, or nothing if rent goes into a Stessa Cash Management account.

What is the best alternative to Stessa?

It depends on what you need from Stessa. Baselane is the closest alternative if you want free banking and bookkeeping together. Landlord Studio suits landlords who want rent collection, expense tracking, and Schedule E reports while keeping their existing bank.

How is Baselane different from QuickBooks for rental properties?

Baselane is built for landlords, so income and expenses are tagged to properties and its reports follow Schedule E categories out of the box. QuickBooks is general business accounting software that needs class or location tracking set up to separate properties. Read more on using QuickBooks for rental properties.

What if you don't want to switch banks?

If neither tool fits, Landlord Studio covers the middle ground. It connects to the bank you already use, tracks income and expenses by property, collects rent online by ACH or card, and produces Schedule E reports. The free Go plan costs $0. Pro costs $12 a month billed annually and includes 3 units, with extra units at $1 each a month.

For a side-by-side breakdown, see our comparisons of Baselane vs Landlord Studio and Stessa vs Landlord Studio.