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Award winning property management software. Trusted by 80,000+ landlords and letting agents.

Overview: Buildium vs Landlord Studio

Landlord Studio is built accounting-first for self-managing landlords running their own portfolios. Buildium is property management software for management companies and licensed managers running rentals on behalf of multiple owners, with trust accounting, owner portals, and team workflows at its core.

Both keep property books, but only one is built for the owner rather than the agency.

Landlord Studio is a full rental property accounting all-in-one.

Its core strengths cover the everyday and the financial: online rent collection, tenant screening, listings, and maintenance, plus automated bank feeds, AI receipt scanning, Xero integration, and Schedule E reports.

All of it is standard on PRO at $12 a month, with a free GO plan for up to three units. There's no setup fee and no per-transaction ePay or eSignature charge, with a two-way Xero sync and reporting built for your own tax return rather than for owner statements.

Buildium was built for property management companies.

Its strengths are end-to-end leasing, work order management, owner and resident portals, trust accounting, and Lumina AI — an agentic AI workforce with agents for maintenance, leasing, accounting, and resident experience.

The trade-off for a self-managing landlord: pricing starts at $62 a month on Essential with a $99 setup fee, per-transaction ePay and eSignature fees stack on top, and QuickBooks Online is the only native accounting sync, with no Xero option available.

Landlord StudioBuildium
Pricing & setup
Starting priceFree for up to 3 units, paid plans from $12/moFrom $62/mo (Essential)
Built forSelf-managing landlordsProperty management companies
Per-transaction feesNoneePay, eSignature & screening fees apply
SetupSelf-serve, minutes$99 setup fee on Essential
Accounting & tax
Property-by-property trackingUnlimited, built-inBuilt-in (trust accounting)
Automated bank feedsIncludedIncluded
AI receipt scanningIncludedNot a core feature
Schedule E exportOne-clickNot built for personal Schedule E
Xero integrationNative two-way syncQuickBooks Online only
Day-to-day landlord tools
Online rent collectionBuilt-in, no per-transaction feeBuilt-in (ePay fees)
Tenant screeningBuilt-in (TransUnion)Built-in (per report)
Listings & leasingBuilt-inBuilt-in
GPS mileage trackingBuilt-inNot supported
Best forLandlords managing their own rentalsCompanies managing units for owners
Accounting Data Screens

Why landlords are choosing Landlord Studio over Buildium

Category reports for accounting
Reporting Document
Lease Automation Screen

Landlord Studio

Appfolio

Income & expense tracking

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Manual expense tracking

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Recurring expenses

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Automated bank feeds

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Smart receipt scanner

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Automatic mileage tracker

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Portfolio dashboard

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Online rent collection

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Collect rent online

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Receipts and reminders

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Collect deposit online

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Control partial payments

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Tenant auto-pay

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Reporting & tax returns

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Integration with Xero

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Tax reporting

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Accountant collaboration

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Find & screen tenants

User Icon Blue

Create a listing

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Manage applicants

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Screen applicants

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Property maintenance

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Track Maintenance Tasks

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Tenant Portal

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Document storage

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Native iOS and Android app

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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 Buildium alternative?

Yes. Landlord Studio is a Buildium alternative built for self-managing landlords rather than property management companies. It pairs full rental accounting with online rent collection, tenant screening, listings, and a one-click Schedule E export, from $12 a month with no per-transaction ePay or eSignature fees.

How much does Buildium cost?

Buildium starts at around $62 a month on Essential (up to 150 units), with Growth from $192 and Premium from $400, scaling by door count. ePay, tenant screening, and eSignature transactions carry separate per-transaction fees, plus a setup fee on Essential. Landlord Studio PRO is $12 a month with no per-transaction fees.

Is Buildium good for self-managing landlords?

Buildium is built for property management companies managing units on behalf of owners, so much of its toolkit (trust accounting, owner portals, team workflows) goes unused for a landlord running their own portfolio, while the pricing stays high. Landlord Studio is sized and priced for the self-managing landlord.

Does Buildium integrate with Xero?

No. Buildium's only native accounting integration is QuickBooks Online. Landlord Studio offers a native two-way Xero sync.

Does Buildium charge per-transaction fees?

Yes. On top of the monthly subscription, Buildium applies per-transaction ePay, eSignature, and tenant screening fees, plus setup and bank account fees on Essential. Landlord Studio includes online rent collection without per-transaction fees.

Which is better for landlord tax time?

Landlord Studio is built accounting-first, with a one-click Schedule E export and 15+ landlord-specific reports. Buildium's reporting is geared to company books and owner statements rather than a personal Schedule E return.