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Best Free Rent Collection App for Small Landlords

Last checked: Oct 14, 2026

“Free rent collection” usually means free for the landlord. Tenants still often pay a small ACH or card convenience fee. The goal for a 1–10 unit DIY landlord—many of us in Memphis and across Tennessee—is simple: get paid on time, keep a clean record, and stop chasing cash, checks, and Venmo screenshots.

Below is a practical look at the main options small landlords actually compare, with prices and fees checked on vendor sites on Oct 14, 2026.

Quick picks

Verdict in one line: Start with TurboTenant if you want free landlord software and solid rent tools; move to RentRedi when you want a paid all-in-one without per-unit pricing.

See TurboTenant pricing · See RentRedi pricing

What “free” should include

For a small landlord, a useful free (or low-cost) rent setup usually means:

1. Recurring rent charges and a tenant portal
2. ACH (bank) payments into your business/operating account
3. Automatic reminders and a late-fee setting that matches your lease and state law
4. Receipts and a payment history you can hand an accountant
5. Clear fees—who pays ACH vs card

Cash and peer apps don’t give you #3–#5 in a landlord-friendly way.

#1 TurboTenant Free — best free landlord rent collection

Source: TurboTenant pricing, support: cost to sign up, rent collection page

What’s free for landlords

• Online rent collection
• Late fees, receipts, and reminders (as described on their rent pages)
• Listings, applications/screening (applicant typically pays screening)
• Maintenance requests, condition reports, and related DIY tools on the Free plan

TurboTenant states you can stay on Free forever—not a time-boxed trial.

Fees to know (usually tenant-paid)

• ACH: about $2 convenience fee on Free (and Essentials); waived on Pro
• Card: 3.49% (tenant-paid; cannot be waived per their materials)
• Screening: applicant pays $55 on Free or $45 on paid plans (landlord can choose to cover)

Payout timing (vendor-stated)

• Free: ACH often 5–7 business days
• Premium: about 2–4 business days

Paid upgrades (if you outgrow Free)

For 1–10 units (annual billing only):

• Essentials: $149/year (~$12.42/mo equivalent)
• Pro: $199/year (~$16.48/mo equivalent)

Higher unit bands cost more (up to $349 / $999 per year). No month-to-month Premium billing per TurboTenant support.

Who TurboTenant Free is for

• First rental or a handful of doors
• Landlords who want $0 software cost and can live with a ~$2 tenant ACH fee
• People who also want free listing + screening in the same login

Who should skip or upgrade

• You need unlimited e-sign state leases in-app → Essentials+
• You want waived ACH fees and fuller accounting → Pro
• You hate annual billing when you upgrade

See TurboTenant pricing

#2 RentRedi — best cheap paid alternative (not free)

Source: RentRedi pricing, convenience fees

RentRedi is not free. It’s here because many “best free” searches compare it next—and for good reason.

• $12/month billed annually, $20/month on 6-month, or $29.95/month month-to-month
• Unlimited properties/tenants
• ACH convenience fee $1 (tenant by default)—lower than TurboTenant’s Free ACH fee
• Card: 3.1% + $0.30
• 30-day money-back guarantee (billed at signup)

Pick RentRedi over free TurboTenant when you want one paid stack (rent + accounting helpers + unlimited e-sign style workflow) and the $1 ACH fee matters more to tenants than a $0 landlord bill.

See RentRedi pricing

#3 Buildium — when “free” isn’t the goal

Source: Buildium pricing

Buildium has no free plan. Essential starts at $62/month, plus incoming EFT fees ($2.35 on Essential). It’s the wrong answer to “best free app,” but the right answer when you’ve outgrown DIY tools and need PM-grade books and portals.

See Buildium pricing

Why not Venmo, Zelle, or cash?

Vendors and landlord ops guides repeat the same issues—and they match real DIY pain:

TurboTenant’s own rent page calls out Zelle limits and Venmo business fees as reasons landlords move to purpose-built tools. Use peer apps only as a temporary bridge, not your system of record.

Fee comparison at a glance (Oct 14, 2026)

Always confirm who is configured to pay the fee inside the app settings.

Memphis / Tennessee notes

• Prefer ACH into a dedicated rental account—not a personal peer-payment balance.
• Put the payment method, due date, grace period, and late fee in the lease and match the software settings to Tennessee rules and your lease language. This article is not legal advice.
• If tenants are used to cash, RentRedi’s retail cash option (vendor-stated 90,000+ locations) or Buildium’s PayNearMe-style add-on may help—confirm availability for your tenants before promising it.

Who should pick which

• Brand-new landlord, tight budget: TurboTenant Free.
• A few doors, want one polished paid app: RentRedi annual.
• Growing, need real PM accounting / owners: Buildium.
• Only collecting from one roommate-style situation: still use a landlord app if it’s a true rental—future you will thank present you at tax time.

Bottom line

The best free rent collection app for small landlords right now is TurboTenant’s Free plan: $0 for you, online ACH/card rent, reminders, and a path to upgrade without switching platforms. If “free” matters less than a flat unlimited toolkit and a $1 ACH fee, RentRedi is the stronger paid pick. Skip peer-payment apps as your main system.

See TurboTenant pricing · See RentRedi pricing

Last checked Oct 14, 2026 on vendor sites. Re-verify fees before you enroll tenants.