AppFolio vs Avail

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Our analysts compared AppFolio vs Avail based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Property Management Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Product Basics

AppFolio is a comprehensive software solution designed to streamline property management tasks. It caters primarily to property managers and real estate professionals, offering a suite of tools that facilitate the management of residential and commercial properties. One of the key benefits of AppFolio is its ability to enhance operational efficiency through features such as online rent payments, maintenance request tracking, and automated property listing. Users appreciate its user-friendly interface and the way it simplifies daily management tasks, making it a popular choice among property management professionals. When compared to similar products, AppFolio stands out for its robust functionality and scalability, making it suitable for managing portfolios of various sizes. Pricing for AppFolio typically involves a monthly subscription fee, which may vary based on the number of units managed, emphasizing its flexibility and adaptability to different business needs.

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Designed for landlords and tenants, Avail is an administration tool to manage online payments, create digital leases and track maintenance requests. Landlords can advertise vacant properties, find tenants, view and scan documents such as applications, criminal and eviction reports, and analyze and calculate property rent. Tenants can view renter profiles, make payments and report rent with CreditBoost. Landlords can use both free and paid versions.
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$1.49/Unit, Monthly
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Product Assistance

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Product Insights

  • Increase Visibility: Integrate and manage every property, resident and accounting data from a single platform. Track leads, leases and profitability from the dashboard. 
  • Streamline Communication: Maintain clear lines of communication throughout the organization and record interactions for easy year-end audits. Send and receive emails and text messages through a unified inbox. 
  • Spend Less Time on Admin Work: Automate recurring administrative tasks like rent collection, invoice generation, vacancy posting, utility tracking, report generation, bookkeeping and more. Streamline maintenance activities with smart workflows and AI. 
  • Embedded Intelligence: Leverage AI for tasks like analyzing rent structure, gathering performance insights, assisting prospects through the leasing process and streamlining screening and maintenance activities. 
  • Expedite Turnover Cycles: Always keep properties ready-to-rent and shorten the move-out and move-in cycles through regular updates on every maintenance and vacancy task. 
  • Promote Efficiency and Accountability: Minimize human errors and improve efficiency by automating operations. Promote accountability for activities with role-based user access and itemized history of tracked changes. 
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  • Centralize Management: Localize marketing, maintenance and management workflows in a single platform. Monitor property advertisements, tenants and maintenance activities from the dashboard. 
  • Save Time & Resources: Automate administrative tasks like rent collection, transaction recording, sending reminders, receipt generation and document storage. 
  • Streamline Marketing: List properties with multimedia content on multiple channels and manage every listing from the dashboard. Track leads and schedule showings with a few clicks. 
  • Secure Screenings: Customize application forms to get business-specific information from prospects like parking needs, smoking habits, income, employment history and more. Check credit, background, eviction and criminal history for each application through TransUnion to select suitable tenants. 
  • Quick Leasings: Leverage a library of state-specific lease templates, edit unique clauses, rules and attachments and generate customized leases. Expedite the leasing process by allowing prospects to remotely e-sign documents. Store files, track leases and get renewal updates. 
  • Improve Tenant Experience: Tenants can use a customizable profile to pay rent, submit maintenance tickets, store documents, interact with landlords and apply for other properties listed on partnered sites. Reward every on-time rent payment by reporting transactions to TransUnion for credit boosts. 
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  • Communication: Maintain a flat organization with clear communication between team members, managers, landlords and tenants. 
    • Individual Portals: Provide unique communication portals to associated parties based on their role. Tenants can pay rent, submit maintenance requests, interact with managers and view lease documents. Enables managers to communicate with multiple owners, issue work orders and send notifications and updates in bulk. Owners can track property-specific performance reports, assign tasks and transfer funds. 
    • Document Library: Maintain a centralized library of documents, leases and tenant information. Set role-based access permissions for each document. 
    • Board Member Management: Commercial property businesses can schedule board meetings, conduct polls on invoices and architectural requests, track votes and share documents and reports. 
    • Tenant Insurance: Tenants can submit proof of renter insurance or buy insurance provided by the vendor. Manage each policy and its maturity from the dashboard. 
    • Emails and Surveys: Email surveys, updates and notifications in bulk or send individually based on requirements. Offers unique surveys and text templates. 
    • Mobile App: Access the platform via any device and promote remote workflows. 
  • Accounting and Reporting: Gain visibility and make informed decisions faster. 
    •  Automate transaction recording and property-specific bookkeeping. 
    •  Offers CAM tracking and reconciling modules for commercial properties. 
    •  Use AI and machine learning to read PDF invoices from vendors, identify key information and automate accounts payable. 
    •  Leverage over 80 report templates and automate recurring report generation. Every template is customizable and updated frequently. 
    •  Customize the dashboard with real-time data visualizations and receive AI-driven performance insights. 
    •  Supports integration with personal banks and digital wallets to unify renting, accounting and reporting workflows. 
    •  Customize late fee processes. Set personalized rules in bulk or case-by-case waivers. 
    •  Manage multiple tenant accounts, track lease lifecycle and refund deposits directly from escrow. 
  • Marketing and Leasing: Generate leads, schedule showings, design leases and screen prospects from the dashboard. 
    • AI Leasing Assistant: Use an AI chatbot to automate property showing appointments, qualify leads according to set parameters, cross-sell units and answer FAQs. Respond to customer queries 24/7 through texts or emails. 
    • Omnichannel Marketing: Syndicate portfolio on multiple internet listing services (ILS) and manage every listing from the dashboard. Get real-time notifications upon each engagement and generate custom guest cards to track prospects. 
    • Personal Website: Design a personalized website with brand color and logo for portfolio marketing. Available at an extra cost. 
    • Rent Analysis: Retain a competitive edge by comparing rental prices of neighboring units to determine the best price for marketed properties. 
    • Virtual Showings: Accommodate prospects’ needs by scheduling and running live virtual tours of listed properties. Supports integrations with PropTech like smart locks and HVACs to facilitate self-guided property tours by prospects. 
    • Vacancy Management: Consolidate vacancy postings and tasks, view current status, and market units on multiple ILS from the unified dashboard. 
    • Tenant Screening: Screen every applicant’s credit score, eviction history, income verification and criminal record via TransUnion. Property managers can either pay for the reports or charge applicants. 
    • Leasing Hub: Design custom leases with personalized clauses and allow applicants to eSign them from anywhere. Track every lease lifecycle and set defaults for automatically updating lease dates, rent structures and statuses upon expiration. 
    • Student Housing: Supports lease and tenant management based on beds occupied. 
  • Maintenance: Streamline maintenance processes with AI and intelligent workflows. 
    • Smart Maintenance: Use the mobile app to receive maintenance requests, issue work orders and track progress. Set default rules to automatically dispatch pre-approved vendors. Accurately calculate the shared fee for common area maintenance and send invoices to renters. 
    • Vendor Onboarding: Vendors can access the platform, receive work orders, share status and send invoices. Automate bills payable and maintain records of work done for a clear audit trail. 
    • Utility Management: Track and charge each renter based on actual consumption and automate utility invoice processing. Use analytics to identify and fix leaks. 
    • Mobile Inspections: Perform mobile inspections, log issues and expedite turnovers. 
    • Auditing Center: View an itemized history of every activity and track changes made by team members and vendors. Use unique filters to identify and correct mistakes quickly. 
    • 24/7 Maintenance Contact Center: Deal with tenant calls, dispatch pre-approved vendors and input data directly to the user database. 
  • Team Management: Onboard unlimited team members, define role-based access levels and manage each person’s workflow. 
    • Training: Embed training manuals into the software to onboard new hires more easily. Centralize policies and procedures to ensure associates follow protocols while performing tasks. 
    • Task Management: Set tasks, assign staff and monitor progress with an interactive calendar. Team members can share tasks and customize workflows. 
    • Universal Search: Use the search bar to quickly navigate and find documents, records or data. 
  • Integrations: Supports integrations with personal marketing websites and third-party applications, including BlueMoon, CodeBox, Engrain, MatterPort and CIT. 
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  • Automatic Listing: Create customized listings and automatically post them on various property listing websites. Leverages partnerships with industry-leading property websites, including Trulia, Zillow, Doorsteps.com, HotPads and more. 
  • Rent Analysis: Determine optimum rent for specific properties via rental analysis through collaboration with RentRange. Compare rent and other data with competing listings relevant to user portfolios. 
  • Customizable Digital Lease: Draft property leases with specific clauses, rules and attachments using state-specific lease templates tailored to comply with various laws and regulations. Invite tenants to e-sign documents and communicate with them from the online portal. 
  • Marketing Website: Create a personalized marketing website through which prospective tenants can view rental properties and apply for listings. 
  • Online Rent Payments: Save time and hassle with its automatic online rent collection system that handles payments, rent reminders, receipts and reporting. Renters can pay rent online at their convenience from any device and via checking and savings accounts, credit cards and debit cards, as well as set up monthly recurring payments via Autopay. Direct deposits rent payments into landlords’ bank accounts in approximately two business days; cut payment processing time and receive next-day payments with FastPay, available for landlords on a premium plan. 
  • Rental Application: Choose information to receive on rental applications based on customizable templates. The standard application contains screening questions on smoking, bankruptcies, felonies, evictions and more. Custom questions are available through the Unlimited Plus Plan. Applications are free for both tenants and landlords. 
  • Tenant Screening: Screen tenants through a partnership with TransUnion. Choose which tests to require, with options including background checks, credit score checks and a National Eviction Records search. Applicants can pay for their background checks directly. Reports don’t hurt their credit scores and can be reused on unlimited applications within 90 days. 
  • Maintenance Tickets: Plan and schedule maintenance activities while maintaining an open line of communication between all parties. Keep track of expenses, materials used and work status. Tenants can submit and track requests online, with the ability to upload pictures and videos as necessary.  
  • Integrations: Integration with CreditBoost helps boost tenants’ credit scores through timely payments, while the Lemonade integration provides renter’s insurance quotes and options. 
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Product Ranking

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Analyst Rating Summary

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Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

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Accounting & Financial Management Business Operations Dashboards And Reporting Leasing Maintenance Marketing Platform Capabilities 92 100 100 97 86 93 93 0 25 50 75 100
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User Sentiment Summary

Excellent User Sentiment 1847 reviews
Excellent User Sentiment 376 reviews
92%
of users recommend this product

AppFolio has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 92% when considering 1847 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

91%
of users recommend this product

Avail has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 91% when considering 376 user reviews from 2 recognized software review sites.

4.7 (14)
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4.6 (187)
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4.62 (232)
4.6 (1640)
4.5 (144)
4.2 (6)
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Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated AppFolio and concluded it deserves the award for the Best Overall Property Management Software available today and earns best-in-class honors for Business Operations, Dashboards and Reporting and Integrations and Extensibility. AppFolio stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

Analysts' Pick Award
User Favorite Award
Business Operations Award
Dashboards and Reporting Award
Integrations and Extensibility Award

Avail stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Maintenance Management: 89% of users discussing this aspect said that they saved time with smart maintenance workflows.
Workflow Localization: According to 96% of users who reviewed this benefit, the software is feature-rich and localizes accounting, marketing and management workflows.
Ease of Use: It’s an intuitive platform that doesn’t require technical knowledge for beginners, as mentioned by 95% of users reviewing the user interface.
Collaboration: It provides an efficient centralized communication hub, according to 100% of reviews on native interactions.
Universal Search Bar: All the reviews on the search bar noted that it’s easy to locate documents and data throughout the organization.
Mobile App: Users can perform every major function remotely via the app, according to 88% of users reviewing the mobile app.
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Lease Templates Library: It’s easy to generate custom leases using the state-specific lease templates, according to 84% of users talking about digital leases.
Customer Support: Over 92% of users who reviewed support said they were satisfied with the vendor’s response time and quality.
Deployment: About 78% of users mentioning onboarding and implementation said it’s easy to deploy and integrate the solution with current workflows.
Marketing: It helps manage listings on multiple channels from a single dashboard, according to 100% of reviews on the marketing suite.
Tenant Experience: It enhances overall tenant experience through customizable individual profiles, according to 88% of reviews mentioning this element.
Prospect Screening: Around 89% of users reviewing the screening process said they were satisfied with the in-depth capabilities offered.
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Integrations: It doesn’t support unique integrations with third-party software, according to 89% of reviews on backend connectivity.
Reporting: Reports generated through the platform lack customizations, as observed by 73% of reviews on the analytics module.
Accounting: Lack of automatic bank feeds and weekly recurring transactions and recording expenses without creating bills hinder smooth accounting, according to 57% of users reviewing the accounting module.
Customer Support: 67% of users mentioning customer support said that they were not satisfied with the support response time.
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Accounting: Lacks accounting features and integrations, according to 92% of users talking about this feature.
User Interface: The user interface isn’t intuitive and involves a steep learning curve, according to 75% of reviews mentioning the UI.
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AppFolio is an all-encompassing platform covering every aspect of property management. According to reviews, it’s an intuitive platform that localizes business processes and offers unique collaboration tools and a mobile app. Along with AI-embedded maintenance workflows, the universal search bar is one of its standout features. However, reviews noted that it’s difficult to understand a variety of nuanced features without proper training. Also, due to no open API, businesses should be wary of their existing software stack requiring integration with the platform. In conclusion, AppFolio is a robust management platform with various advanced features to support every kind of property. But the high cost, hit-or-miss support suite and scarce training resources can make it inconvenient for single landlords and managers with smaller portfolios.

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Avail helps property managers and landlords market, maintain and manage their properties. Reviews state it’s an all-in-one solution ideal for smaller portfolios. Users have identified the lease template library, omnichannel marketing suite and responsive customer support as the standout features. However, users have noted that it lacks any accounting capabilities and requires third-party apps for these tasks. Plus, the user interface is challenging to understand for beginners. The free starter plan is a good way to get a feel for the platform before deciding whether to choose the paid version.

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