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Landlord Studio: The best alternative to Apartments.com Rental Manager

Landlord Studio is the Apartments.com Rental Manager alternative for landlords who want more than free listing-marketplace tools. Rental Manager (the platform Cozy became) covers listings, applications, and rent collection at no cost — but stops short of real accounting. Landlord Studio adds bank feeds, AI expense categorization, GPS mileage tracking, Xero sync, and one-click Schedule E reports, so your books stay tax-ready as your portfolio grows.

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Overview: Apartments.com Rental Manager vs Landlord Studio

Compare Landlord Studio vs Apartments.com Rental Manager and the difference is what each platform is really built to do. Rental Manager (the platform that absorbed Cozy in 2021)  is a free extension of the Apartments.com listing marketplace: listings, applications, tenant-paid screening, and free rent collection.

Landlord Studio is built accounting-first: the same management essentials, plus full bookkeeping, bank feeds, and tax-ready reporting included in PRO.

If your priority is filling a vacancy at zero cost, Rental Manager does the job. If you need your rental business's books handled too, that's where it stops and Landlord Studio starts.

Landlord Studio is one end-to-end platform. You get the property management essentials - listings, tenant screening, online rent collection, lease tracking, and maintenance. Plus full accounting included in PRO at $12 a month, with a free GO plan for up to three units. Automated bank feeds, AI-powered expense categorization, receipt scanning, GPS mileage tracking, Xero integration, and one-click Schedule E reports come standard, so tax season is an export rather than a spreadsheet-building exercise.

Apartments.com Rental Manager is built around its listing marketplace. It's free for landlords: syndicated listings across the Apartments.com network and Homes.com, online applications and TransUnion-powered screening paid by the applicant ($32 + tax), state-specific online leases, and free rent collection with ACH at no cost to tenants (card payments carry roughly a 3% tenant-paid fee, with payouts typically in 2–5 business days). The trade-off is depth: expense tracking is basic, there are no automated bank feeds, no accountant access, and no Schedule E reporting - because the product exists to feed the listings marketplace, not to run your books. Landlords who outgrow it usually leave for exactly that reason.

What our customers say

Who's Landlord Studio Best For?

Tailored for landlords and property managers, Landlord Studio is a user-friendly software which offers a seamless approach to real estate accounting and property management. From automated rent collection to advanced tax reporting.

  • Pricing: GO (Free for up to 3 units), Pro ($12/mo), Pro Plus ($28/mo)
  • Features: Collect rent online, financial reports, real estate accounting, listings
  • Best Suited For: Self managing landlords with small-medium portfolios.
  • Key Advantage: Full-featured, user-friendly interface, and affordable pricing.

Who's Apartments.com Rental Manager Best For?

Apartments.com Rental Manager is a free set of landlord tools attached to the Apartments.com listings marketplace.

  • Pricing: Free for landlords. Applicants pay $32 + tax for screening; tenants pay ~3% card fees (ACH free).
  • Features: Syndicated listings, applications, screening, leases, rent collection (2–5 day payouts).
  • Best Suited For: Landlords with one or two rentals who mainly need free listings.
  • Key Advantage: Zero-cost listing reach - but no bank feeds, no Schedule E, no accountant access.

Landlord Studio, Simplified Accounting Software

  • Manage your properties on the go via desktop or mobile app.
  • Save time and money with advanced accounting tools. Connect your bank accounts, digitize receipts and more.
  • File your accurate end-of-year tax return without the headache with our Schedule E report.
  • Powerful property management features designed specifically for landlords.
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Feature Comparison

Landlord StudioApartments.com Rental Manager
Pricing & setup
Starting priceFree for up to 3 units, paid plans from $12/moFree for landlords (funded by the listings marketplace)
Minimum spendNoneNone — costs sit with tenants ($32 + tax screening, ~3% card fees)
Built forSelf-managing landlordsFilling vacancies on the Apartments.com marketplace
SetupSelf-serve, minutesSelf-serve, minutes
Accounting & tax
Property-by-property trackingUnlimited, built-inBasic expense tracking only
Automated bank feedsIncludedNot supported
AI receipt scanningIncludedNot supported
Schedule E exportOne-clickNot supported
Xero integrationNative two-way syncNot supported
Day-to-day landlord tools
Online rent collectionBuilt-inBuilt-in (2–5 day payouts)
Tenant screeningBuilt-in (TransUnion)Built-in (applicant pays $32 + tax)
Listings & leasingBuilt-inBuilt-in (Apartments.com network + Homes.com)
GPS mileage trackingBuilt-inNot supported
Best forLandlords managing their own rentalsFree listings and basic rent collection

Why landlords are choosing Landlord Studio over Apartments.com Rental Manager

Say goodbye to late rent forever.

Landlord Studio ensures you give tenants multiple ways to pay along with the tools to ensure you get paid on time, every time.

  • Online rent collection with Landlord Studio is ungated without any up-sells
  • Connect your bank accounts to import transactions and reconcile with the tap of a button.
  • Collect rent via Credit Card and ACH easily without having to upgrade with Landlord Studio
  • Automate your rent reminders to tenants so you never have to chase rent again.

Schedule E reports in 1 Click

Instantly generate and share professional reports. All our reports can be customized by date range, property, owner, expense categories, and payment categories.

At tax time, run our built in Schedule E report and share with your accountant with a few taps.

E-Sign, Tenant Screening and Syndicated Property Listings all in one platform

List, screen and sign documents all from the same platform without the hidden charges.

Manage your portfolio in one place and complete your end to end landlord lifecycle easily.

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Landlord Studio

Appfolio

Income & expense tracking

Manual expense tracking

Recurring expenses

Automated bank feeds

Smart receipt scanner

Automatic mileage tracker

Portfolio dashboard

Online rent collection

Collect rent online

Receipts and reminders

Collect deposit online

Control partial payments

Tenant auto-pay

Reporting & tax returns

Integration with Xero

Tax reporting

Accountant collaboration

Find & screen tenants

Create a listing

Manage applicants

Screen applicants

Property maintenance

Track Maintenance Tasks

Tenant Portal

Document storage

Native iOS and Android app

Limited functionality

End to end property management software

From finding tenants and collecting rent to managing maintenance requests, our suite of features will help you save time and run a professional and scalable property portfolio.

FAQs

Is Landlord Studio a good Apartments.com Rental Manager alternative?

Yes. Landlord Studio is a strong Rental Manager alternative for landlords who've outgrown free listing-marketplace tools. It covers the same essentials — listings, screening, leases, and online rent collection - and adds the accounting layer Rental Manager doesn't have such as bank feeds, AI expense categorization, receipt scanning, GPS mileage tracking, Xero sync, and one-click Schedule E reports.

What happened to Cozy?

Cozy was acquired by CoStar (Apartments.com's parent company) in 2018 and fully retired in early 2021. All Cozy accounts were migrated to Apartments.com Rental Manager, which is now where Cozy's rent collection and screening tools live. Landlords looking for a Cozy alternative today are really choosing between Rental Manager and more complete platforms like Landlord Studio.

Does Apartments.com Rental Manager include accounting?

Not really. It offers basic expense tracking, but there are no automated bank feeds, no accountant access, and no Schedule E or tax-ready reporting. Landlord Studio includes full accounting in its PRO plan at $12 a month.

How fast are rent payouts with each platform?

Apartments.com Rental Manager payouts typically take 2–5 business days. Landlord Studio's online rent collection pays out directly to your linked bank account, with rent tracked automatically against each tenancy in your books.

Which is better for landlords who want all-in-one software?

Landlord Studio combines property management and full accounting in one subscription with predictable pricing. Rental Manager is excellent free listing distribution with basic management attached - most landlords who switch do so when tax season exposes the bookkeeping gap.