Software is a valuable tool for any landlord looking to manage their properties in the twenty-first century.
But with so many different property management software options on the market, it can be difficult to decide which platform will best help you reach your rental goals.
Innago and Buildium are two popular software choices for landlords and property managers. Both offer key features like rent collection and tenant screening, and both have high ratings for functionality and simplicity.
However, if you need to choose between these two options, you’re in the right place. In this article, we break down the major pros and cons of Innago and Buildium to help you decide which is the best tool for managing your properties.
Pricing
Buildium
Buildium’s platform uses a three-tiered pricing structure. Users can choose between the Essential, Growth, or Premium plans. All three plans include rental accounting, maintenance management, violations, and online portals.
The Essential plan costs $52 per month and is designed for new landlords looking to set up basic, daily tasks. It offers basic tenant screening and customer ticket support. Other features are available for purchase, including property inspections ($40/month), eSignatures ($5 per signature), bank account connection ($99 per account), and new client leads.
The Growth plan is for landlords looking to expand. It starts at $166 per month, and adds features such as premium tenant screening, unlimited eSignatures, five free bank accounts, performance analytics, and live phone support.
Lastly, Buildium’s premium plan, designed for well-established landlords, starts at $479 per month. It offers all the features from the Growth plan, plus open API, priority support, and a dedicated growth consultant for new client leads.
Innago
Innago’s approach to pricing is much simpler: access to the software is 100% free for landlords.
How can this be? Instead of charging landlords a monthly fee, Innago charges tenants small fees for add-on services. For instance, tenants pay a $2 fee for ACH transfers and 2.75% of every credit card transaction. Additionally, rental applicants pay $30-$35 for tenant screening reports and may also purchase renter’s insurance on the platform.
Landlords can cover any of these costs if they wish, but they aren’t required to. This is how Innago keeps their software entirely free for users – no caveats or hidden fees.
Features
Buildium
The key features included in every Buildium plan include:
- Rental accounting
- Maintenance management
- Online portals for landlords and tenants
- Tenant screening
- Online leasing with eSignatures
- Online rent payments
- Standard reports
- Ticket support
Overall, Buildium’s features received 4.3 out of 5 stars on Capterra.
Innago
The key features included in every Innago plan include:
- Online rent collection via credit, debit, or ACH transfer
- Listing syndication and marketing on major listing sites, including Zumper, Realtor.com, and PadMapper
- Custom rental application builder
- Tenant screening, including credit, criminal, and eviction reports
- Online leasing with eSignatures, status tracking, and unlimited Cloud storage
- Automated rent payment reminders, tenant communication, and messaging
- Automated invoices and recurring billing
- Automated late fee enforcement
- Maintenance management, with ticket tracking and picture/video upload
- Financial reporting tools
- Support by phone, email, or live chat, plus a dedicated account representative
- A mobile app
Overall, Innago’s features received 4.8 out of 5 stars on Capterra.
Customer Support
Customer support is essential for any software product. Your livelihood depends on your ability to get questions or problems with the software resolved as quickly as possible.
Buildium offers ticket support and a help center with training videos and how-to blog articles. However, keep in mind that Buildium users can’t get live phone support without at least a Growth plan, and only Premium members get priority support. Plus, assistance with onboarding and account setup always costs extra, no matter which plan you buy. In general, Buildium’s customer support earned 4.5 out of 5 stars on Capterra.
Innago, on the other hand, offers full email, phone, and live chat support for all users during business hours. Users are also assigned a dedicated support representative, who assists you during onboarding and beyond. Lastly, if you need help after hours, you can call the general support line or browse educational blog articles on Innago’s website. Innago also hosts live webinars or one-on-one demos by request.
Overall, Innago’s customer support team earned 4.9 stars, one of the highest ratings in the industry.
Reviews
On the whole, only 81.2% of Buildium reviewers said they were likely to recommend the software to other users. This percentage pales in comparison to Innago’s 97.4%. In in general, Innago users are much happier with their choice of software than users on other platforms.
Conclusion
If you’re considering Innago vs. Buildium, the decision is an easy one. No other platform can beat Innago’s free pricing, exceptional customer support team, and smooth interface. Why bother with complex pricing plans and limited access to support when you could manage your rentals for free with Innago?
