Landlord Studio: The best alternative to Xero

Name: Xero
Brand: Xero

Landlord Studio is the Xero alternative for landlords who want rental property accounting software built specifically for their portfolio, not a general small business ledger that needs to be customized. Online rent collection, tenant screening, automated bank feeds, AI receipt scanning, and Schedule E tax reporting come standard, and a native Xero integration is there if you want to keep using Xero alongside it.

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Landlord Studio is loved by landlords just like you

Overview: Xero vs Landlord Studio

When you compare Landlord Studio vs Xero, the difference comes down to what each platform was built to solve. Xero is general small business accounting software designed for any service business, retailer, agency, or freelancer that needs a double-entry ledger, invoicing, and payroll. Landlord Studio was built accounting-first for self-managing landlords running profitable, cash-flow positive rental businesses, so every workflow from online rent collection to receipt scanning to Schedule E tax reporting feeds into one connected set of property books.

Landlord Studio pairs full rental property accounting software with the day-to-day tools landlords use most, including online rent collection, tenant screening, property listings, lease tracking, and maintenance. Automated bank feeds, AI receipt scanning, GPS mileage tracking, and Schedule E tax reporting come standard on PRO at $12 a month, and a native Xero integration means you can sync your property books straight into Xero if you also run a wider business through it.

Xero was built for general small business accounting. Its strengths are double-entry bookkeeping, invoicing, bank reconciliation, multi-currency support on higher tiers, and a 1,000+ app marketplace, plus the new Xero OS AI layer and JAX assistant rolled out in April 2026 to automate reconciliation, bill capture, and payments. The trade-off for landlords is that Xero is not tailored to real estate, so you need to customize a chart of accounts, set up properties as tracking categories, and pair it with a separate tool for rent collection, tenant screening, listings, and Schedule E tax prep. That is why landlords switching from Xero to Landlord Studio cite property-level reporting and built-in tenant workflows as the deciding factors.

What our customers say

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Kirk S

Texas, USA

"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."

Vicky B

Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

"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."

Keith M

Ohio, USA

“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.”

Kelly W

Chicago, USA

"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."

Steven G

London, UK

“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.”

Leanne F

Tallahassee, USA

"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."

Damian L

Hobart, AU

"Landlord Studio makes property management effortless – tracks rent, expenses & tenant comms. Great for 1 or many properties, my accountant loves it too.”

Katie T

London, UK

"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."

Rinda I

North Carolina, USA

"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."

Elizabeth R

Colorado, USA

"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."

Steven M

Nashville, USA

“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.”

Federico F

Harringay, UK

"I have chosen a Landlord Studio after going through several tools online. It's also reasonably priced which I like."

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 Xero Best For?

Xero is general accounting software built for small businesses across every industry. It offers deep double-entry bookkeeping, payroll add-ons, multi-currency support, and a large app marketplace, plus the new Xero OS AI layer and JAX assistant rolled out in April 2026. The trade-off for landlords running their own portfolio is that Xero is not tailored to real estate, with no rent collection, no tenant screening, no Schedule E report, and no property-level reporting out of the box.

Xero pricing (US, from March 2026): Early $25 a month, Growing $55 a month, Established $90 a month. Gusto payroll, Xero Projects, and payment processing fees are billed separately.
Key features: Double-entry accounting, invoicing, bank reconciliation, bills and expense tracking, multi-currency on Growing and Established, advanced analytics and project tracking on Established, Hubdoc receipt capture, Xero OS AI workflows, JAX AI assistant, and 1,000+ app integrations
Best suited for: Small business owners, accountants, and bookkeepers who need a full general ledger across multiple business types, with property investing as one part of a wider business
Key advantage: Best-in-class general ledger accounting, a mature app marketplace, and an AI roadmap with Xero OS and JAX. The trade-off is no rent collection, no tenant screening, no Schedule E landlord report, and no property-level reporting without significant chart-of-accounts customization

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 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

Landlord Studio