AppFolio Property Manager vs. Buildium

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
AppFolio Property Manager
Score 7.2 out of 10
N/A
AppFolio Property Manager is a cloud-based property management software that allows multifamily and single-family, commercial, student housing, homeowners and condo association, and mixed portfolio property managers to market, manage and grow their business. AppFolio includes accounting and property management functionality, including the ability to: provide instant access to reports & statements, post & market vacancies, apply & lease online, screen residents, streamline rent collection, and…
$0.85
per unit/per month
Buildium
Score 8.8 out of 10
N/A
Buildium is a cloud-based property management solution that enables managers of residential and association properties to take complete control of every aspect of their business, including the rent, vacancy and maintenance cycles. According to the vendor, Buildium streamlines management of the rent cycle with key features such as tenant and lease tracking, full general ledger accounting, automated rent and late fee reminders and on-demand reports. Additionally, rent collection can be…
$55
per month
Pricing
AppFolio Property ManagerBuildium
Editions & Modules
Community Associations
$0.85
per unit/per month
Plus - Community Associations
$0.85
per unit/per month
Student Housing
$1.25
per unit/per month
Residential
$1.49
per unit/per month
Commercial
$1.50
per unit/per month
Plus - Student Housing
$3
per unit/per month
Plus - Residential
$3.20
per unit/per month
Plus - Commerical
$3.20
per unit/per month
Essential
$55
per month
Growth
$174
per month
Premium
$375
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
AppFolio Property ManagerBuildium
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
Additional Details—All plans include accounting, maintenance, tasks, violations, online portals and resident & board member communications for your residents, board members, and owners.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
AppFolio Property ManagerBuildium
Considered Both Products
AppFolio Property Manager
Buildium
Chose Buildium
Appfolio is my favorite software, and they are constantly making improvements. Buildium is great if you don’t have a ton of property but is not as manageable for advanced accounting and resident information tracking. There are workarounds, but they do need to work on their …
Chose Buildium
Buildium is generally slightly less expensive than Matt folio but continues to offer all the same benefits. I reviewed at folio on an annual basis to ensure that I am getting the best value for my money and year after year Buildium is showing me that I am. I’ve also noticed …
Chose Buildium
Buildium is far better than Appfolio, especially when comparing user features and friendliness. I have also used Propertyware which was a total mess and had frequent outages. I have found that Buildium's online and phone support has been extremely helpful and knowledgeable.
Top Pros
Top Cons
Best Alternatives
AppFolio Property ManagerBuildium
Small Businesses
Dotloop
Dotloop
Score 9.4 out of 10
Dotloop
Dotloop
Score 9.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Condo Control
Condo Control
Score 9.0 out of 10
Condo Control
Condo Control
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Accruent Lucernex
Accruent Lucernex
Score 7.9 out of 10
Accruent Lucernex
Accruent Lucernex
Score 7.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
AppFolio Property ManagerBuildium
Likelihood to Recommend
3.6
(16 ratings)
8.3
(9 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(2 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
1.0
(6 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
AppFolio Property ManagerBuildium
Likelihood to Recommend
AppFolio Inc.
We have 6 apartment buildings that we manage. Every month we were having to drive to each location to collect rent checks. Since using appfolio, we only have a couple of renters that still send in a paper check, the rest pay online, so we are ensuring that our renters are paying on time. Once we have an applicant apply, the old way was to take their scanned application, review, and then pay to have a background check conducted. Now, with appfolio, we are able to have them apply, sign off on the background check, and pay their deposit all in one shot. It has allowed our property managers to focus on other property items rather than conducting background checks.
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Buildium
For larger communities, Buildium doesn’t have the accounting capabilities you need. Anything up to 100 units is easily managed and works well.
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Pros
AppFolio Inc.
  • Prior to purchasing AppFolio Property Manager we used a texting app so we could mass text tenants. AppFolio allows us to text them by their unit along with their guarantors (if needed.) We use this feature daily. It is so convenient when we need to reach out residents quickly.
  • The online payment system makes it easy for our commercial and residential tenants to make rental payments. The system has also lessened the work of out Account's manager since it's all in once place now and we do not have to enter payments into a separate system.
  • Navigating AppFolio Property Manager is extremely easy. When we have new hire, it does take any time for them to become comfortable with the system. The main page dashboard makes it simple to get from point A to point B and beyond. The Search engine on AppFolio Property Manager is so efficient. You can search almost anything- phone number, first names, last names, addressed, license plate numbers to successfully find what you are needing.
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Buildium
  • We use the task flow to ensure good communication with tenants and owners.
  • The accounting matches our standards for certifications.
  • Tenant portal allows them to set up auto pay and sends payment reminders.
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Cons
AppFolio Inc.
  • Customer support is horrendous. It can take weeks to get a live person on the phone and once you get someone, they typically will need to escalate your issue.
  • If you have multiple bank accounts at different banks, the bill-paying feature has trouble properly defaulting to the right bank account.
  • Multiple bank accounts also have issues tying incorrectly to the Cash section of the balance sheet.
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Buildium
  • Buildium has done a great job over the last decade of developing software to keep pace with industry standards.
  • Buildium has room for improvement with the use of artificial intelligence to make repetitive processes more automated.
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Likelihood to Renew
AppFolio Inc.
No answers on this topic
Buildium
I have used three property management softwares and know of others who have used additional softwares for managing properties. Buildium seems to be the best of all of them
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Usability
AppFolio Inc.
The system is so intuitive and easy to use. There’s almost nothing in the system that can’t be undone if you make a mistake. Important things also have their own tabs. It’s also easy to use from the resident side which is helpful for in a world where everyone is not tech-savvy.
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Buildium
Once trained, I find that its usability is quite easy and comprehensive. If working on something I am less familiar with, I find that I can usually find the solution pretty quickly
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Support Rating
AppFolio Inc.
The few times that we have had training with AppFolio, they were SO helpful and quick to answer any questions we may have. Because of their promptness, it shows what a great product they have. If they were not able to figure something out, they would follow up with us within a few days or so, which is so important in a software program!
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Buildium
I have been able to get through to support immediately and they have been awesome in quickly resolving issues. More importantly, their communication when there is an issue which might take some time to resolve surfaces. Getting updates and resolution are critical.
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Implementation Rating
AppFolio Inc.
No answers on this topic
Buildium
I cannot rate this since I was not part of that process
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Alternatives Considered
AppFolio Inc.
This was our old program and it was not user friendly and very inefficient to use. We was never able to answer a question for an owner or a tenant very easily and many times we had to ask for them to let us call them back while we research their question because it was so difficult to maneuver in the program.
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Buildium
Appfolio is my favorite software, and they are constantly making improvements. Buildium is great if you don’t have a ton of property but is not as manageable for advanced accounting and resident information tracking. There are workarounds, but they do need to work on their ease of use for owners.
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Return on Investment
AppFolio Inc.
  • As far as positive impact, we are much more organized as a company as far as accounting, maintenance, and managing tenant issues. We are all on the same page and know where to find notes, emails, letters, information, etc... and can be more self-sufficient and self-directed. I think this is a major plus as far as business goes, as time is money. The more efficient you can be, the more time that is saved, the more money that's saved, period.
  • I don't work in Accounting and I haven't had any discussions regarding negative impacts in regards to this program. However, we've been using this since 2013 and we're on our 6th year as a business and I've heard others in our organization saying how much AppFolio has improved over that short time and how it keeps getting more intuitive and better with time. At no point have our leaders considered getting rid of the program or implementing a different program.
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Buildium
  • Eliminates processing paperwork, resulting in less paper and staff time and effort.
  • Eliminates payments via check, and the need to go to the bank along with processing fees.
  • Payments are more prompt due to options and communications.
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ScreenShots

AppFolio Property Manager Screenshots

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Buildium Screenshots

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