Rentvine and Buildium charge in opposite ways. Rentvine sells one plan per active unit, reported at $2.50 per unit with a $199 monthly minimum, and does not charge tenants for ACH rent payments. Buildium sells three tiers from $62, $192 and $400 a month and charges $2.35, $1.35 or $0.60 for each incoming online payment. Under about 170 units Rentvine is usually cheaper than Buildium Growth once tenants pay online. Above about 210 units Buildium Premium usually wins, unless Rentvine quotes you below its standard rate.
Rentvine or Buildium, the short verdict
- Under 50 units, tenants paying online: Buildium Essential, about $180 a month against Rentvine's $199 floor, but inspections and the API cost extra.
- 80 to 170 units: Rentvine at the reported $2.50 rate, because Buildium Growth adds $1.35 for every online rent payment.
- 210 units and up: Buildium Premium, $400 in year one and $0.60 per payment after, unless Rentvine quotes its "as low as $1.50" rate.
- Every feature on one plan, open API included: Rentvine.
- The biggest marketplace of integrations and an HOA module: Buildium.
- Tenants already pay by ACH into your own bank account: neither processor fee buys you anything, see the flat price option below.
Rentvine vs Buildium pricing by unit count
Buildium publishes starting prices and fees on buildium.com/pricing, checked October 2026: Essential from $62 a month, Growth from $192 and Premium from $400, with incoming EFT at $2.35, $1.35 and $0.60 per payment (free for the first 12 months on Premium). Rentvine's pricing page shows one all inclusive plan "as low as $1.50 per unit" and a one time setup fee, without the full rate card. Review sites report its standard rate as $2.50 per unit with a $199 minimum. The table assumes every tenant pays rent online once a month.
| Units | Rentvine, $2.50 reported | Buildium Essential | Buildium Growth | Buildium Premium, year one / after | Letting, yearly / monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | $199 | $109 | $219 | $400 / $412 | $29 / $59 |
| 50 | $199 | $180 | $260 | $400 / $430 | $94 / $189 |
| 100 | $250 | $297 | $327 | $400 / $460 | $94 / $189 |
| 150 | $375 | $415 | $395 | $400 / $490 | $94 / $189 |
| 250 | $625 | $650 | $530 | $400 / $550 | $224 / $449 |
| 500 | $1,250 | $1,237 | $867 | $400 / $700 | $224 / $449 |
| 1,000 | $2,500 | $2,412 | $1,542 | $400 / $1,000 | $399 / $798 |
Monthly cost before screening, eSignature and setup fees. Buildium figures use its starting prices, which rise with unit count on the quote, so treat them as a floor. If Rentvine quotes $1.50 per unit, its column drops to $375 at 250 units, $750 at 500 and $1,500 at 1,000.
Two things move real quotes away from this table. Buildium lets you pass the EFT fee to tenants, which takes it off your bill but not off theirs. And Rentvine prices per active unit managed, so doors you stop managing drop off the next bill.
First year cost with setup
Neither vendor publishes a fixed onboarding price. Rentvine charges a one time setup fee for full service migration with a dedicated onboarding specialist and financial analyst, and quotes about 45 days to go live. Buildium offers self guided setup or paid onboarding packages.
| Units | Rentvine, year one | Buildium Growth, year one | Buildium Premium, year one | Letting, billed yearly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | $2,388 plus setup | $3,114 plus onboarding | $4,800 plus onboarding | $1,128 |
| 150 | $4,500 plus setup | $4,734 plus onboarding | $4,800 plus onboarding | $1,128 |
| 250 | $7,500 plus setup | $6,354 plus onboarding | $4,800 plus onboarding | $2,688 |
| 500 | $15,000 plus setup | $10,404 plus onboarding | $4,800 plus onboarding | $2,688 |
Premium looks cheap in year one because incoming EFT is free for 12 months. From month 13 a 500 unit company pays about $3,600 a year more on Premium for those payments.
Fees outside the subscription
The subscription is only part of the bill. Buildium lists its add on and transaction fees publicly, and they change with the plan:
- Incoming EFT: $2.35 on Essential, $1.35 on Growth, free for 12 months then $0.60 on Premium
- Outgoing EFT to owners and vendors: $0.99 each on every plan
- Credit card payments: 2.99 percent
- Business bank account setup: $99 each on Essential; 10 free on Growth, 100 free on Premium
- Inspections: $99 setup plus $40 to $95 a month on Essential, included on Growth and Premium
- eSignature: $5 per document on Essential, $1 on Growth, unlimited on Premium
- Tenant screening: $17 to $35 per report
Rentvine states there are no feature add ons and no hidden fees, and it does not charge tenants for ACH rent payments. Screening is charged per report, and the setup fee is set in the quote.
How the two products differ
Buildium is owned by RealPage and sells to small and mid size residential managers and associations. Its tiers gate features: the open API and the free EFT year sit on Premium, while Essential leaves inspections and some automation as add ons. It has a large integration marketplace and a mature HOA side, which is why many association managers stay on it.
Rentvine is a newer platform aimed at growing property management companies, especially single family and small multifamily portfolios. Every customer gets the same feature set: trust accounting, owner and tenant portals, maintenance workflows, leasing with unlimited eSignatures, reporting and an open API. Reviewers often mention its accounting and reconciliation screens. The trade off is the floor price, which makes it expensive under about 80 units.
Trust accounting on both
Both are trust accounting systems: they hold owner funds, security deposits and operating money in separate ledgers and produce the reports a state real estate commission asks for in an audit. Rentvine adds an optional portfolio ledger for owners with several properties, while Buildium posts every transaction against an individual property. If your state audits trust accounts, test the three way reconciliation report on both before you sign. Many firms also track the state rules themselves, such as deposit deadlines and audit dates, in compliance management software so nothing slips between software changes.
Small managers under 100 units
Under 80 units Rentvine charges its $199 floor, so a 30 unit landlord pays about $6.63 per door. Buildium Essential looks cheaper on paper, but at $2.35 per online payment and $40 or more a month for inspections, a 50 unit manager pays $220 to $275. If your tenants already pay by bank transfer and your main job is the monthly owner statement, Letting Agency covers up to 150 units for $94 a month billed yearly. Our property management software for 50 units page compares every major vendor at that size.
Growing companies at 150 to 500 units
This is where the two cross. At the reported $2.50 rate Rentvine passes Buildium Growth at about 170 units and Premium at about 210, and by 500 units Rentvine costs $1,250 a month against $700 on Premium after year one. A Rentvine quote at $1.50 per unit closes that gap. For a company at this size with tenants paying by ACH, Letting Portfolio stays at $224 a month billed yearly from 151 to 500 units. See property management software for 250 units and for 500 units.
When neither Rentvine nor Buildium fits
Both are full platforms with payment processing, screening, listings and portals built in. Skip both if your tenants already pay into your own bank account, you do not need a payment processor in between, and what you actually need is a clean rent roll, arrears and a statement for each owner.
- Lowest per unit rate on an annual agreement: Yardi Breeze at $1 per unit with a $100 minimum
- Leasing heavy apartment teams: AppFolio, see AppFolio vs Buildium
- Per unit pricing with tenant payments in one app: DoorLoop, see DoorLoop vs Buildium
- Tenants pay by ACH, owner statements every month: Letting, flat from $29 billed yearly
Switching from Rentvine or Buildium
Both systems export units, tenants, leases, owners and balances to CSV or Excel. Export the lists, import them into Letting owner group by owner group, set opening balances for anyone in arrears, and import one month of bank transactions to check that every payment matches. Keep your old system read only for one closed month so you can compare owner statements side by side before you cancel.
FAQ
Is Rentvine cheaper than Buildium?
It depends on unit count and how tenants pay. At the reported $2.50 per unit with a $199 minimum, Rentvine is cheaper than Buildium Growth up to about 170 units once tenants pay online, because Buildium charges $1.35 per incoming payment. Under about 58 units Buildium Essential costs less than Rentvine's $199 floor. Above about 210 units Buildium Premium is cheaper, unless Rentvine quotes its lower $1.50 rate.
How much does Rentvine cost per month?
Rentvine's pricing page lists one all inclusive plan "as low as $1.50 per unit" per month plus a one time setup fee. Review sites report a standard rate of $2.50 per active unit with a $199 monthly minimum, so a 50 unit company pays $199 and a 300 unit company about $750 before screening fees.
How much does Buildium cost per month?
Buildium starts at $62 a month on Essential, $192 on Growth and $400 on Premium, with prices rising by unit count. Incoming online rent payments add $2.35, $1.35 or $0.60 each, outgoing payments $0.99. Our Buildium pricing guide shows the full cost by unit count.
Does Rentvine charge ACH fees?
Rentvine says it does not charge tenants for ACH rent payments, so residents always have a free way to pay. Credit card payments and screening carry fees. Buildium charges $0.60 to $2.35 per incoming EFT depending on the plan, which you can absorb or pass to tenants.
Is Rentvine good for small landlords?
Rentvine is built for growing property management companies, not small landlords. Its reported $199 monthly minimum means a 20 unit landlord pays about $10 per door. Landlords under 50 units usually pay less on Buildium Essential or a flat plan such as Letting Landlord at $29 a month billed yearly.