Buildium lists three plans: Essential from $62 per month, Growth from $192 and Premium from $400. Those are floor prices. Buildium asks for your unit count and quotes the rest, and the schedule above the floor is not published. On top of the subscription you pay per incoming rent payment ($2.35 on Essential, $1.35 on Growth), $99 per extra bank account, and on Essential a separate inspections add on. For a 50 unit portfolio on Essential, the real monthly bill starts near $180, not $62.
Buildium plans: Essential, Growth and Premium
Buildium, owned by RealPage, sells one product in three tiers. Each tier includes the one below it.
- Essential, from $62 per month: accounting, maintenance and leasing basics. Self serve, no required onboarding.
- Growth, from $192 per month: more customization and reporting automation. Marked "most popular". Requires a paid onboarding package.
- Premium, from $400 per month: the most advanced features, analytics and the lowest payment fees. Requires a paid onboarding package.
Every price above says "starting at" on buildium.com/pricing (checked September 2026). Portfolios over 5,000 units and community associations get custom pricing by phone. The onboarding price for Growth and Premium is not published, so ask for it in writing.
Buildium fees beyond the subscription
This is where the unit count moves the bill. Most of Buildium's variable cost is per transaction, and the number of transactions grows with every door.
| Fee | Essential | Growth | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incoming EFT (ACH) rent payment | $2.35 each | $1.35 each | Free for 12 months, then $0.60 |
| Outgoing EFT payment | $0.99 each | $0.99 each | $0.99 each |
| Card payments | 2.99% | 2.99% | 2.99% |
| Business bank account setup | $99 per account | 10 free, then $99 | 100 free, then $99 |
| eSignature | $5 per document | $1 per document | Included |
| Tenant screening | $17, or $35 applicant paid | $20 enhanced | $20 enhanced |
| Property inspections | $99 setup plus $40 to $95 per month | Included, then $0.40 per unit after 3 years | Included |
| 1099 e-filing | $50 per batch plus $4.50 per form | Same | Same |
| Remote check printing | $30 setup plus $1.50 per check | Same | Same |
All figures from buildium.com/pricing, September 2026. Confirm them on your quote, since Buildium changes its fee schedule from time to time.
How much does Buildium cost per month by unit count?
The table below takes the published starting price for each plan and adds one incoming EFT payment per unit per month, which is what happens when every tenant pays rent online. It is a floor: Buildium's own quote for your unit count can be higher, and it leaves out one time costs such as onboarding and bank account setup.
| Units | Buildium Essential | Buildium Growth | Letting |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $62 + $23.50 EFT = $85.50 | $192 + $13.50 = $205.50 | $59 (Landlord) |
| 25 | $62 + $58.75 = $120.75 | $192 + $33.75 = $225.75 | $59 (Landlord) |
| 50 | $62 + $117.50 = $179.50 | $192 + $67.50 = $259.50 | $189 (Agency) |
| 100 | $62 + $235 = $297 | $192 + $135 = $327 | $189 (Agency) |
| 150 | $62 + $352.50 = $414.50 | $192 + $202.50 = $394.50 | $189 (Agency) |
Two things stand out. Past about 130 units, Growth becomes cheaper than Essential because the EFT fee drops by a dollar. And once online payments are counted, the per payment fee on Essential is larger than the subscription itself from about 27 units up.
What is Buildium's cost per unit?
At the starting prices, Buildium works out to $6.20 per unit on Essential at 10 units, $2.48 at 25, and $1.24 at 50, before payment fees. Adding one incoming EFT per unit per month brings Essential to about $3.59 per unit at 50 units and $2.97 at 100. The per unit number falls as you grow, but only on the subscription part. The EFT fee stays the same per door, so a larger portfolio does not dilute it.
Can you pass Buildium's EFT fees to tenants?
Many managers do, by adding a convenience fee to online rent payments. Whether you can depends on your state and your lease, since several states limit fees charged on rent, and tenants tend to push back when a free bank transfer suddenly costs them $2.35. If you absorb the fee, the table above is your cost. If you pass it on, your subscription drops back toward the starting price but your tenants pay the difference, which is money that would otherwise go to rent.
Is Buildium worth the price?
Buildium is worth it if you need the whole stack in one system: online rent collection, screening, listings, a general ledger with trust accounting, owner and resident portals, 1099 filing and bill pay. For a management company running 100+ doors with owner trust accounts, Growth is a reasonable buy and the fee drop from Essential pays for part of the upgrade.
It is a harder case for a landlord with 12 units whose tenants already pay by bank transfer and whose CPA keeps the books in QuickBooks. That owner pays for a payments module and a ledger they do not use. What they need is a rent roll, arrears, repairs and move-in and move-out inspections, which Letting includes for $59 per month.
Cheaper alternatives to Buildium by portfolio size
- Under 25 units, tenants paying by bank transfer: Letting Landlord at $59 per month, inspections included.
- 25 to 150 units, owner statements needed: Letting Agency at $189 per month, flat, with owner statements in PDF and CSV.
- 40 to 450 units and happy with an annual agreement: Yardi Breeze at $1 per unit with a $100 minimum is hard to beat on price.
- Need rent collection and screening in the app, under 20 units: DoorLoop Starter from $69 per month billed yearly, with ACH fees charged to tenants.
Letting matches each tenant's payment from your bank's CSV export instead of processing it. It does not collect rent, run screening or syndicate listings. Your accountant gets the income and expense export, and if the books live in QuickBooks you can convert the bank statement to QuickBooks format for the reconciliation without retyping it. The full feature comparison is on our Buildium alternative page, and if you are also looking at DoorLoop, the DoorLoop alternative page has its fee table.
How to get an accurate Buildium quote
Buildium quotes on unit count, so arrive with the numbers that drive the variable fees. Ask for all of it in writing before you sign.
- Your exact unit count, and whether any are commercial or association units
- How many tenants pay online each month, which sets your EFT cost
- How many bank accounts you need, including trust and security deposit accounts
- The onboarding price for Growth or Premium
- Whether inspections are included on your tier or billed as an add on
- The price at your unit count 12 months from now, if you plan to add doors
FAQ
How much does Buildium charge per month?
Buildium's plans start at $62 per month for Essential, $192 for Growth and $400 for Premium. Those are starting prices, and the quote rises with your unit count. Payment fees, bank account setup, eSignatures, screening and on Essential the inspections add on are billed separately.
Does Buildium charge per unit?
Buildium does not publish a per unit rate. Its pricing page asks for your unit count and shows "starting at" prices, so the plan price scales with portfolio size through the quote. The only published per unit figure is inspections on Growth, at $0.40 per unit after the first three years.
How much does Buildium charge for ACH payments?
Buildium charges $2.35 per incoming EFT payment on Essential, $1.35 on Growth and $0.60 on Premium after 12 free months. Outgoing EFT payments cost $0.99 on every plan and card payments cost 2.99%. With 50 tenants paying online, Essential adds $117.50 per month in EFT fees.
Does Buildium have a setup fee?
Essential has no required onboarding fee, but each business bank account costs $99 to set up. Growth and Premium require a paid onboarding package whose price is not published, and include 10 and 100 free bank accounts. Letting has no onboarding or setup fee on any self serve plan.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Buildium?
Yes, for portfolios that do not need online rent collection. Letting costs $59 per month for up to 25 units and $189 for up to 150, with inspections, maintenance and rent tracking included and no per payment fees. For 40 to 450 units on an annual agreement, Yardi Breeze at $1 per unit is also cheaper.