Appfolio Review With Top 5 Alternatives

Summary

For larger commercial property management operations, AppFolio's all-in-one solution could provide significant value and streamline processes. However, smaller operations or those with more specific needs might find the cost prohibitive or the lack of integrations limiting.

AppFolio is a generalist. It’s an all-in-one property management software designed for multiple use-cases (apartment, residential, commercial, student housing, etc.). But the problem with generalist solutions is that they often fall short when it comes to specialization.

What are Appfolio's key features?

Commercial Leases and Lease Management: AppFolio offers specialized tools for handling commercial leases, which is crucial for our sector.
Accounting Suite: The software includes robust accounting features such as billing, invoicing, online rent collection, and payment processing with multiple payment methods.
Tenant Portal: This feature facilitates communication with tenants, allowing for maintenance requests, rent payments, and general inquiries.
Owner Portal: Generate reports and print checks from a central location, which is essential for keeping commercial property owners informed.
Maintenance Management: Communicate with tenants about maintenance orders, generate work orders, and assign vendors efficiently.

What are some of the pros & cons?

Pros

Comprehensive Feature Set: AppFolio covers all the essential aspects of commercial property management in one platform.
Intuitive User Interface: Users report that the software is relatively easy to use and responsive, which is crucial for efficient property management.
Some Specialized Commercial Tools: The inclusion of features tailored for commercial properties sets it apart from some competitors.

Cons

High Minimum Monthly Fee: The $298 minimum monthly fee could be prohibitive for smaller operations or those managing a limited number of commercial properties.
Customer Service Concerns: Some users report slow response times and inconsistent quality of support, which can be problematic when dealing with time-sensitive commercial property issues.
Limited Integrations: AppFolio offers fewer integrations compared to some competitors and lacks an open API, which may limit customization options for commercial property managers with specific tech stack requirements.

What are the top 5 alternatives?

1. Re-Leased

We're biased no doubt, but Re-Leased is entirely focused on commercial real estate. Our focus on the commercial property makes us the best in the market for commercial property management.

We understand what commercial professionals need and make the complex, simple because that’s what great technology should do.

We are also accounting system agnostic and let you use your specialist systems like Quickbooks, Xero, Sage or NetSuite with the best two way integrations in the market.

Wanna take a peak inside the product?

2. DoorLoop

Like AppFolio, DoorLoop’s software is built for property managers, management companies, owners, landlords, investors, or anyone managing any type of property worldwide. Unlike AppFolio, DoorLoop is specifically designed for property managers with smaller portfolios.

3. Buildium

Buildium’s software is designed for residential property managers, property managers with mixed portfolios, and managers of community and homeowners associations. Like DoorLoop, it’s a good place to start if you’re just getting into property management and have a small portfolio.

4. Yardi Voyager

Yardi Voyager is a browser-based property management system designed for large properties like condominiums, co-ops, and homeowner associations. Compared to Yardi Breeze, which is better suited to small residential real estate, most mid to large property management companies will be better served by Voyager.

5. MRI Software

Founded in 1971, MRI has been around the block when it comes to the real estate industry. They offer both residential and commercial solutions that are ideally suited to companies managing large portfolios.