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Landlord Studio is the Rentec Direct alternative for self-managing landlords who want full rental property accounting at a lower entry price, with a modern app and a native Xero integration. Online rent collection, tenant screening, automated bank feeds, AI receipt scanning, GPS mileage tracking, and one-click Schedule E reports come standard on PRO at $12 a month, with a free plan for up to three units.
Compare Landlord Studio vs Rentec Direct and the difference comes down to entry price and focus. Rentec Direct is full-featured property management software for professional landlords and property managers, with a tenant portal, accounting, and screening, priced from $45 a month. Landlord Studio is built accounting-first for self-managing landlords, with the same everyday tools plus a modern mobile app, a free tier, and a native Xero sync, from $12 a month.
Landlord Studio pairs full rental property accounting with the day-to-day tools landlords use most — online rent collection, tenant screening, listings, lease tracking, and maintenance. Automated bank feeds, AI receipt scanning, GPS mileage tracking, Xero integration, 15+ landlord-specific reports, and a one-click Schedule E export come standard on PRO at $12 a month, with a free GO plan for up to three units. You get a modern app on iOS and Android, a free starting point, and a two-way Xero sync — at a fraction of the entry price.
Rentec Direct is full-featured property management software for professional landlords and property managers. Its strengths are solid built-in accounting, instant tenant screening, a tenant portal, ACH rent collection, and well-regarded US-based support with no setup fees or contracts. The trade-off for a smaller self-managing landlord is a higher entry price — Rentec Pro starts at $45 a month and Rentec PM at $55 a month — a more traditional interface, no free tier, and no native Xero integration. That's why cost-conscious landlords with growing portfolios often choose Landlord Studio.
| Landlord Studio | Rentec Direct | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing & setup | ||
| Starting price | Free for up to 3 units, paid plans from $12/mo | From $45/mo (Rentec Pro) |
| Free tier | Yes, up to 3 units | No free tier |
| Built for | Self-managing landlords | Professional landlords & managers |
| Accounting & tax | ||
| Property-by-property tracking | Unlimited, built-in | Built-in |
| Automated bank feeds | Included | Included |
| AI receipt scanning | Included | Not a core feature |
| Schedule E export | One-click | General reports |
| Xero integration | Native two-way sync | Not supported |
| Day-to-day landlord tools | ||
| Online rent collection | Built-in | Built-in |
| Tenant screening | Built-in (TransUnion) | Built-in |
| GPS mileage tracking | Built-in | Not supported |
| Mobile app | iOS & Android | Web + mobile |
| Best for | Cost-conscious self-managing landlords | Established pros wanting a full platform |
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.
Rentec Direct is full-featured property management software built for professional landlords and property managers who want accounting, screening, and a tenant portal in one established platform, with no setup fees or contracts and strong US-based support.
"I realized that QuickBooks wasn't quite sufficient and I started to look around for an affordable tool to replace my spreadsheets and chose Landlord Studio."
"We couldn't live as freely and easily without Landlord Studio. All my tenants are quite happy they get their notifications from Landlord Studio. It's dead easy."
“My dad’s 75 and has over 20 units – Airbnbs, apartments and commercial. We needed a software to help us and Landlord Studio’s been the one. It’s made it so easy for him.”
"I tested out several other programs before purchasing Landlord Studio and I'm very happy with it so far. One of my favorite features is the ability to just snap a picture of a receipt and put it in the correct rental unit expense."
“Never used software before and was worried, but Landlord Studio has been brilliant. Easy to add properties, simple to use — even my accountant loves it.”
"Managing 20 rentals alone was overwhelming, but Landlord Studio became my one-stop shop. It simplified bookkeeping, rent, leases, and taxes — even my CPA loves it."
"Landlord Studio makes property management effortless – tracks rent, expenses & tenant comms. Great for 1 or many properties, my accountant loves it too.”
"We were looking for an app to help us stay on top of everything, including the maintenance and everything in between. Landlord Studio has been great for that."
"I found Landlord Studio so much easier to understand after I looked at AppFolio, RentRedi, and Buildium. All three of them were so hard to understand."
"It has been an excellent way of tracking expenses all in one app. I had considered using AppFolio, but that was too complicated for me."
“I looked at Doorloop, RentRedi, and Appfolio and they all offer the same features, but the customer support was the absolute best on Landlord Studio.”
"I have chosen a Landlord Studio after going through several tools online. It's also reasonably priced which I like."
Landlord Studio ensures you give tenants multiple ways to pay along with the tools to ensure you get paid on time, every time.
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.
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.
Manual expense tracking
Recurring expenses
Automated bank feeds
Smart receipt scanner
Automatic mileage tracker
Portfolio dashboard
Collect rent online
Receipts and reminders
Collect deposit online
Control partial payments
Tenant auto-pay
Integration with Xero
Tax reporting
Accountant collaboration
Create a listing
Manage applicants
Screen applicants
Track Maintenance Tasks
Tenant Portal
Document storage
Native iOS and Android app
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.
Yes. Landlord Studio offers the same everyday toolkit — accounting, rent collection, tenant screening, listings — plus a native Xero sync and a free tier, from $12 a month rather than Rentec Direct's $45 entry price.
Rentec Direct starts at $45 a month for Rentec Pro (DIY landlords, up to 25 units) and $55 a month for Rentec PM (property managers, with trust accounting), then roughly $1–$2.50 per additional unit. There are no setup fees or contracts. Landlord Studio PRO is $12 a month.
No. Rentec Direct has no free tier; its lowest plan is $45 a month. Landlord Studio's GO plan is free for up to three units.
No. Rentec Direct uses its own built-in accounting and does not offer a native Xero integration. Landlord Studio includes a two-way Xero sync.
For a landlord running a few of their own units, Landlord Studio offers the same core tools at a much lower entry price with a free starting tier. Rentec Direct is geared to professional landlords and managers who need its broader, higher-priced platform.
Landlord Studio includes a one-click Schedule E export and 15+ landlord-specific reports. Rentec Direct offers solid general accounting reports but no dedicated one-click Schedule E export or Xero sync.
