Buildium is cheaper than DoorLoop under about 50 units, and DoorLoop is cheaper from about 75 units up, unless you compare the two Premium plans, where Buildium wins from about 150 units in year one and from about 250 units after that. The reason is how each one charges. DoorLoop raises its subscription in steps every 20 units and pushes ACH fees onto tenants on its lower plans. Buildium keeps a lower starting price but adds a fee to every incoming online rent payment, $2.35 on Essential and $1.35 on Growth.
DoorLoop or Buildium, the short verdict
- 10 units or fewer: DoorLoop Starter at $69 per month billed yearly, but your tenants pay $2.49 per ACH payment. Buildium Essential starts at $62 before its own $2.35 per payment fee.
- 11 to 50 units: Buildium Essential, about $109 to $180 a month with every tenant paying online, against DoorLoop Pro at $149 to $179 billed yearly.
- 75 to 250 units: DoorLoop Pro, $209 a month billed yearly at 100 units against at least $327 on Buildium Growth.
- Premium against Premium at 250 units: Buildium, about $550 a month after year one (and $400 in year one) against $659 on DoorLoop Premium billed yearly.
DoorLoop vs Buildium pricing by unit count
DoorLoop figures come from the price calculator on doorloop.com/pricing, checked October 2026, which steps the price every 20 units and quotes portfolios of 300 units and up. Buildium's pricing page lists starting prices and per transaction fees, so Buildium is shown at the plan floor plus one incoming ACH rent payment per unit per month. Treat the Buildium column as the least you would pay.
| Units | DoorLoop Pro, yearly / monthly | DoorLoop Premium, yearly / monthly | Buildium Essential, at least | Buildium Growth, at least | Buildium Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | $149 / $189 (Starter $69 / $99) | $209 / $239 | $86 | $206 | $400 |
| 20 | $149 / $189 | $209 / $239 | $109 | $219 | $400 |
| 50 | $179 / $219 | $269 / $319 | $180 | $260 | $400 |
| 100 | $209 / $249 | $319 / $379 | $297 | $327 | $400 |
| 150 | $249 / $289 | $429 / $529 | $415 | $395 | $400 |
| 250 | $344 / $399 | $659 / $809 | $650 | $530 | $400 |
Monthly cost to the manager. DoorLoop Starter is capped at 10 units. Buildium Premium includes incoming ACH for the first 12 months, then charges $0.60 per payment, which adds $30 a month at 50 units and $150 at 250. DoorLoop's tenant side ACH fee on Starter and Pro is not in this table because tenants pay it, not you.
Two things stand out. DoorLoop's bill grows slowly on Pro, about $1 per extra unit, so it pulls ahead of Buildium once there are enough tenants paying online to make Buildium's per payment fee bite. And DoorLoop Premium more than doubles from 100 to 250 units, while Buildium Premium barely moves, which is why the Premium match flips the other way.
First year cost, onboarding included
Both vendors charge for getting started. DoorLoop lists an onboarding fee based on portfolio size, and it runs promotions that waive or discount it, so ask for the figure in writing. Buildium sells paid onboarding packages and charges $99 to set up each bank account on Essential (Growth includes 10 accounts, Premium 100).
| Units | DoorLoop Pro, year one billed yearly | Buildium Essential, year one | Buildium Growth, year one |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | $1,788 plus onboarding | About $1,310 plus $99 per bank account | About $2,628 |
| 50 | $2,148 plus onboarding | About $2,154 plus $99 per bank account | About $3,114 |
| 100 | $2,508 plus onboarding | About $3,564 plus $99 per bank account | About $3,924 |
| 150 | $2,988 plus onboarding | About $4,974 plus $99 per bank account | About $4,734 |
Buildium Growth and Premium include bank accounts up to their limits, and Buildium onboarding packages are optional. The DoorLoop column assumes the yearly plan, which DoorLoop bills upfront for 12 months.
Fees that change the comparison
The subscription is the easy part. These are the charges that decide which bill is really bigger, taken from each vendor's pricing page and DoorLoop's help center article on fees.
| Fee | DoorLoop | Buildium |
|---|---|---|
| Incoming ACH rent payment | $2.49 Starter, $0.99 Pro, free Premium, charged to the tenant | $2.35 Essential, $1.35 Growth, $0.60 Premium after 12 months |
| Card payments | 3.25% | 2.99% |
| eSignature | $3 per document Starter, $1 Pro, free Premium | $5 Essential, $1 Growth, unlimited Premium |
| Property inspections | Add on on every plan | Add on on Essential ($99 setup plus $40 to $95 a month), included on Growth and Premium |
| QuickBooks sync | Pro and Premium | Not listed as a plan feature |
| Open API | Premium | Premium |
| Bank account setup | Not listed | $99 each on Essential |
If you run move-in and move-out inspections on every turnover, Buildium Growth includes them and DoorLoop charges extra on every plan. If your bookkeeper wants a live QuickBooks sync, DoorLoop Pro has it and Buildium does not list it.
Who pays the payment fee matters more than the rate
DoorLoop's help center says ACH fees on Starter and Pro are charged directly to tenants. That keeps your bill low, but every tenant now pays $0.99 or $2.49 a month to pay rent, and the calls about it come to you. Buildium lists its incoming EFT fees as transaction fees on your plan, so the cost shows up on the manager's side. A 100 unit portfolio on Buildium Essential with every tenant paying online carries about $235 a month in payment fees, more than the plan itself. Ask both vendors who pays on your account before you compare totals.
Is DoorLoop or Buildium better for small landlords?
Under 25 units neither is cheap. DoorLoop Starter covers only 10 units, so an 18 unit landlord is on Pro at $149 a month billed yearly. Buildium Essential starts lower at $62, but with 18 tenants paying online the per payment fees take it past $100. Both include tenant portals and online rent collection, which is what you are paying for. If your tenants pay by bank transfer and you mainly need a ledger, inspections and a year end export for your CPA, Letting Landlord costs $29 a month billed yearly for up to 25 units. Our DoorLoop alternative page covers that case in detail.
Which is better for a growing property management company?
For 75 to 250 units DoorLoop Pro is the cheaper subscription, and its price rises by about $1 a unit as you sign new doors, which makes budgeting simple. Buildium Growth costs more at that size once tenants pay online, but includes inspections and more reporting automation. If you need an open API, Buildium Premium becomes the better value as you approach 250 units, because its price starts at $400 and adds only $0.60 per payment while DoorLoop Premium climbs to $659 billed yearly. When a vendor's bill moves with every unit you add, work out the cost at your size next year, not today. Our size pages for 100 units and 300 units put every major platform in one table.
Maintenance and vendor bills on either platform
Both platforms log work orders, assign vendors and record what each repair cost against the unit, and both pay vendors by ACH, with Buildium charging $0.99 per outgoing payment. The slow part on either is usually getting contractor invoices into the system. If your vendors email PDFs, you can pull the totals and line items out of each contractor invoice before entering the bill, so the cost lands on the right unit and the owner statement is right the first time.
When neither DoorLoop nor Buildium is the right buy
- 25 units or fewer, tenants paying by bank transfer: Letting Landlord at $29 per month billed yearly
- 26 to 150 units: Letting Agency at $94 per month billed yearly, about half of DoorLoop Pro at 100 units, with inspections included
- 225 to 500 units: Letting Portfolio at $224 per month billed yearly
Month to month our prices are $59, $189 and $449, and in its first year Buildium Premium at $400 costs less than our monthly Portfolio price from 151 units. If you want rent collected in a tenant portal with screening and listings in the same app, DoorLoop or Buildium is the better buy, and we would say so. Compare all three plans on our pricing page.
Switching between DoorLoop and Buildium
Moving in either direction means exporting tenants, leases, owners, vendors and open balances, then rebuilding recurring charges, late fee rules and bank accounts in the new system. Time the move to the end of a yearly billing period, since DoorLoop bills annual plans upfront.
- Export tenant ledgers with open balances as of the cutover date
- Export owner balances and reserves per property
- Export vendors with W-9 and 1099 details
- Tell tenants where to pay and re-enroll them in autopay
- Run one rent cycle and check every payment posted
FAQ
Is DoorLoop cheaper than Buildium?
It depends on size. Under about 50 units Buildium Essential usually costs less, even after its $2.35 per payment fee. From about 75 units DoorLoop Pro is cheaper: $209 a month billed yearly at 100 units against at least $327 on Buildium Growth. On the Premium plans Buildium is cheaper from about 150 units in its first year and from about 250 units after its ACH fee starts.
How much does DoorLoop cost per month?
DoorLoop's calculator starts Starter at $69 per month billed yearly or $99 monthly for up to 10 units, Pro at $149 or $189 and Premium at $209 or $239. The price steps up every 20 units, so Pro is $209 billed yearly at 100 units and $344 at 250. Portfolios of 300 units and up are quoted.
How much does Buildium cost per month?
Buildium's pricing page lists Essential from $62 per month, Growth from $192 and Premium from $400. Incoming ACH rent payments cost $2.35 each on Essential, $1.35 on Growth and $0.60 on Premium after 12 months, so the real bill grows with every tenant who pays online. Our Buildium pricing guide has the cost by unit count.
Does DoorLoop charge tenants fees?
Yes. DoorLoop's help center says ACH fees are charged directly to tenants: $2.49 per payment on Starter, $0.99 on Pro and free on Premium. Card payments carry 3.25%. That keeps the manager's subscription lower than Buildium's all in cost, but tenants see the charge on every rent payment.
Does Buildium or DoorLoop include inspections?
Buildium includes property inspections on Growth and Premium and sells them as an add on on Essential, at $99 setup plus $40 to $95 a month. DoorLoop sells AI inspections as an add on on every plan, including Premium. Letting includes room by room photo inspections on every plan.