Landlord Studio: The best alternative to Rentec Direct
Award winning property management software. Trusted by 80,000+ landlords and letting agents.
Overview: Rentec Direct vs Landlord Studio
Landlord Studio is built accounting-first for self-managing landlords, pairing everyday management tools with a modern mobile app, a free tier, and a native Xero sync from $12 a month. 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.
Both cover the everyday essentials, but only one starts free and stays at a landlord price.
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. You get a modern app on iOS and Android, a free starting tier, 15+ landlord reports, and a two-way Xero sync, at roughly a quarter of the entry price.
Rentec Direct is full-featured property management software.
Built for professional landlords and property managers, its strengths are solid built-in accounting, instant tenant screening, tenant and owner portals, 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 — plus a more traditional interface, no free tier, and no native Xero integration.
Feature Comparison
| 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 |
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 Rentec Direct Best For?
Built for professional landlords and property managers, Rentec Direct combines accounting, screening, and portals in one established platform, with no setup fees and strong US-based support.
- Pricing: Rentec Pro from $45/mo, Rentec PM from $55/mo, no setup fees
- Features: Property accounting, instant screening, tenant and owner portals, ACH rent
- Best Suited For: Professional landlords and managers wanting a mature platform.
- Key Advantage: Established platform with strong support, though $45/mo and no Xero.
Join 80,000+ landlords and stay one step ahead
"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."
"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 can't highly recommend it more if you have a rental property. It exceeded my expectations."
"I've been a user for about three years now. I recommend Landlord Studio for anyone looking to optimize their business."
"I chose Landlord Studio because it created a complete package for management of rental properties for the landlord"
"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 looked at all the different software that's out there for managing our properties. We chose Landlord Studio over RentRedi and it's been a great investment."
"One of the things that I like about the software is that the customer service is fantastic and I felt the price was reasonable considering I only have one property."
"I have a mix of properties, so I like how you can manage Airbnb and short-term rentals. Another great feature is reconciling from your bank account, which includes checking accounts and credit cards."
"Landlord Studio helps me manage my rentals effectively and efficiently. It's a great app and definitely worth the low cost."
"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."
“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.”
“It’s a no-brainer. It’ll make your life so much easier. You can find out everything you need to know about your portfolio in a few quick taps.”
“With Landlord Studio I can track income and expenses and manage my properties if I’m at home, on my lunch break at work, in the car. There are so many things you can do with it.”
“It’s so much easier. Put it all in there, take a picture of your receipt and you’re done!”
“It’s excellent for any landlord with one property up to multiple. I highly recommend testing it out and seeing if it’s the right solution for you and your business – it has been for me.”
“I love having all the units accessible at my fingertips. And would highly recommend it to anybody who’s looking to get onboard with bank to bank transfers for rent payments and wanting to create customizable reports. I love it.”
“If you want an all in one solution this app is what you need. With this app you can get rid of paper and spreadsheets.”
“Give it a shot! That’s what I did. This app really organized how I manage my business made everything more efficient.”
“I was looking for a software that I was able to screen tenants on, collect rent through, track all of my income and expenses for each unit. And Landlord Studio fit the bill there. I’ve been using it for a few months and love it. The customer support is just unrivaled.”
“The mobile app is incredible, and when it comes to tax time, clicking a few buttons and sharing with our tax advisor has been a dream. Thanks Landlord Studio!”
"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."
"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 can't highly recommend it more if you have a rental property. It exceeded my expectations."
"I've been a user for about three years now. I recommend Landlord Studio for anyone looking to optimize their business."
"I chose Landlord Studio because it created a complete package for management of rental properties for the landlord"
"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 looked at all the different software that's out there for managing our properties. We chose Landlord Studio over RentRedi and it's been a great investment."
"One of the things that I like about the software is that the customer service is fantastic and I felt the price was reasonable considering I only have one property."
"I have a mix of properties, so I like how you can manage Airbnb and short-term rentals. Another great feature is reconciling from your bank account, which includes checking accounts and credit cards."
"Landlord Studio helps me manage my rentals effectively and efficiently. It's a great app and definitely worth the low cost."
"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."
“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.”
“It’s a no-brainer. It’ll make your life so much easier. You can find out everything you need to know about your portfolio in a few quick taps.”
“With Landlord Studio I can track income and expenses and manage my properties if I’m at home, on my lunch break at work, in the car. There are so many things you can do with it.”
“It’s so much easier. Put it all in there, take a picture of your receipt and you’re done!”
“It’s excellent for any landlord with one property up to multiple. I highly recommend testing it out and seeing if it’s the right solution for you and your business – it has been for me.”
“I love having all the units accessible at my fingertips. And would highly recommend it to anybody who’s looking to get onboard with bank to bank transfers for rent payments and wanting to create customizable reports. I love it.”
“If you want an all in one solution this app is what you need. With this app you can get rid of paper and spreadsheets.”
“Give it a shot! That’s what I did. This app really organized how I manage my business made everything more efficient.”
“I was looking for a software that I was able to screen tenants on, collect rent through, track all of my income and expenses for each unit. And Landlord Studio fit the bill there. I’ve been using it for a few months and love it. The customer support is just unrivaled.”
“The mobile app is incredible, and when it comes to tax time, clicking a few buttons and sharing with our tax advisor has been a dream. Thanks Landlord Studio!”
"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."
"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 can't highly recommend it more if you have a rental property. It exceeded my expectations."
"I've been a user for about three years now. I recommend Landlord Studio for anyone looking to optimize their business."
"I chose Landlord Studio because it created a complete package for management of rental properties for the landlord"
"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 looked at all the different software that's out there for managing our properties. We chose Landlord Studio over RentRedi and it's been a great investment."
"One of the things that I like about the software is that the customer service is fantastic and I felt the price was reasonable considering I only have one property."
"I have a mix of properties, so I like how you can manage Airbnb and short-term rentals. Another great feature is reconciling from your bank account, which includes checking accounts and credit cards."
"Landlord Studio helps me manage my rentals effectively and efficiently. It's a great app and definitely worth the low cost."
"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."
“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.”
“It’s a no-brainer. It’ll make your life so much easier. You can find out everything you need to know about your portfolio in a few quick taps.”
“With Landlord Studio I can track income and expenses and manage my properties if I’m at home, on my lunch break at work, in the car. There are so many things you can do with it.”
“It’s so much easier. Put it all in there, take a picture of your receipt and you’re done!”
“It’s excellent for any landlord with one property up to multiple. I highly recommend testing it out and seeing if it’s the right solution for you and your business – it has been for me.”
“I love having all the units accessible at my fingertips. And would highly recommend it to anybody who’s looking to get onboard with bank to bank transfers for rent payments and wanting to create customizable reports. I love it.”
“If you want an all in one solution this app is what you need. With this app you can get rid of paper and spreadsheets.”
“Give it a shot! That’s what I did. This app really organized how I manage my business made everything more efficient.”
“I was looking for a software that I was able to screen tenants on, collect rent through, track all of my income and expenses for each unit. And Landlord Studio fit the bill there. I’ve been using it for a few months and love it. The customer support is just unrivaled.”
“The mobile app is incredible, and when it comes to tax time, clicking a few buttons and sharing with our tax advisor has been a dream. Thanks Landlord Studio!”
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.
Why landlords are choosing Landlord Studio over Rentec Direct
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.
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.
Simple rental accounting
Keep track of your rental income and expenses and maximise the return on your investments
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Reporting & tax accounting
Stay on top of your finances with industry-specific reports and make filing your Schedule E easy.
Property maintenance
Close maintenance requests faster with easy task management and prioritization.
Online rent collection
Never worry about late rent again with automatic rent payments made directly into your bank account.
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Tenant screening
Protect your real estate investment by ensuring you secure the very best tenants fast.
FAQs
Is Landlord Studio a good Rentec Direct alternative?
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.
How much does Rentec Direct cost?
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.
Does Rentec Direct have a free plan?
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.
Does Rentec Direct integrate with Xero?
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.
Which is better for a small landlord?
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.
Which is better for tax time?
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.