Tired of Buildium, AppFolio, and TenantCloud charging you $50–$300+/month plus 2.9% transaction fees for features you’ll never use? You’re not alone. Thousands of independent landlords with 1–30 units are switching to a simpler, cheaper tool actually built for us—not giant property management companies.
Why Most Small Landlords Hate the “Big Name” Software
If you’ve ever Googled “best property management software for small landlords” or “Buildium alternatives for DIY landlords”, you already know the frustration: polished demos, massive feature lists, and then the pricing page hits you like a late rent payment.
I’ve been there. When I started renting out properties in Charlotte, North Carolina, I signed up for the usual suspects. Within weeks I was:
- Paying for 300-unit features while managing only a few doors
- Losing 2.9% + $0.30 every time a tenant paid rent online
- Wasting hours learning workflows designed for property managers with 20 employees
That’s when I realized: no one had built simple, affordable property management software for real small landlords—the ones who still answer their own phone and fix their own toilets.
Hi, I’m the Guy Who Finally Fixed It
I’ve been building software since most of you were still using paper leases. My parent company has been in tech since 2005, and I spent over 20 years in IT creating platforms like adpeeps.com (thousands of customers nationwide).
Landlord Cart wasn’t built in a Silicon Valley boardroom for venture capital slides. It was built at 2 a.m. after real tenant phone calls, real maintenance headaches, and real frustration with every other tool on the market.
2025 Property Management Software Comparison: Landlord Cart vs Buildium vs AppFolio vs TenantCloud vs DoorLoop
| Feature | Landlord Cart | Buildium | AppFolio | TenantCloud | DoorLoop |
| Starting Price | Only $99/year flat | $55/mo | $280/mo | $15/mo + fees | $59/mo |
| Free Trial | Yes – 30 days | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Forced Payment Processor | No – use Zelle/Venmo free | Yes (2.9%+) | Yes (2.75–3.5%) | Yes (2.9%+) | Yes (2.9%+) |
| Transaction Fees | $0 ever | Up to 2.9% + $0.30 | Up to 3.5% | 2.9% + $0.30 | 2.9% + $0.30 |
| Pricing for 5 Units | Still just $99/year | $55+/mo | $280+/mo | $15 + fees | $59+/mo |
| Tenant Portal | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Maintenance Tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Built for Small/DIY Landlords | Exclusively | No | No | Kind of | No |
The One Thing Every Small Landlord Wants (That Almost No Software Gives)
Freedom. Freedom to collect rent however you want. Freedom from $500+/month bills for 8 units. Freedom from bloated software that takes longer to use than doing it in a spreadsheet.
What You Actually Get With Landlord Cart
- Record rent paid via Zelle, Venmo, cash, check — zero transaction fees ever
- Professional tenant portal (they love it, costs you almost nothing)
- Automatic late fees & reminders
- Maintenance request tracking with photos & timestamps
- Free AI-generated, state-compliant lease templates — every state, updated for 2025 laws, ready in under 60 seconds
- One-click profit/loss reports for tax time
- Up to 5 properties (30 units on the Property Manager’s plan) — perfect for most small landlords and smaller property managers
- No contracts, cancel anytime
Real Landlords Already Made the Switch
“I was paying Buildium $58/month + almost $400/year in processing fees. Switched to Landlord Cart and saved over $1,100 in the first year—same features I actually use.”
— Marcus T., 7 units in Atlanta
“Finally, software that doesn’t punish me for having tenants who pay with Zelle. Simple, clean, and half the price.”
— Sarah K., 4 units in Charlotte
Ready to Stop Overpaying for Property Management Software?
You shouldn’t need a 300-unit portfolio to justify decent software. If you’re an independent landlord who wants to keep more money in your pocket and less headache in your life, Landlord Cart was built for you.
Join thousands of small landlords who switched in 2025 and never looked back.