AppFolio vs RealPage

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Our analysts compared AppFolio vs RealPage 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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RealPage 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 RealPage is its ability to enhance operational efficiency through automation of routine tasks, such as rent collection, maintenance requests, and tenant screening. Its popular features include accounting and financial reporting, lease management, and utility billing, which collectively contribute to its reputation as a robust property management platform. When compared to similar products, users often highlight RealPage's user-friendly interface and the depth of its features as significant advantages. However, pricing considerations, which can vary based on the number of units managed and the specific services required, are an important factor for potential users to consider. Payment for RealPage services typically follows a subscription model, with fees charged on a monthly basis.

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$1.49/Unit, Monthly
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$7.30/10,000 Square Feet, Monthly
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Product Assistance

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Live Online
Videos
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Videos
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Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
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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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  • Work in One Place: Manage the entire portfolio’s marketing, maintenance, and accounting workflows from a unified platform. 
  • Eliminate Paper Files: Digitize documents, store them in a central library and use the search bar for quick navigation. Reduce manual data entries and minimize human errors. 
  • Increase Digital Engagement: Design branded portfolio websites and generate unique multimedia content. Prospects can use a unified platform for discovery, application and leasing. 
  • Enhance Resident Experience: Add value to the living experience with resident portals, community events and rewards, insurance options, smart homes, and more. 
  • Improve Decision-Making: Gain real-time insights and drill down on opportunities by localizing operational data and creating unique visualizations with business-specific metrics. 
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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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  • GoDirect Marketing: Drive qualified traffic directly to personal property websites instead of indirect leads generated from internet listing services. Optimize marketing strategies and unify customers’ online journey. 
  • Digital Content Services: Increase engagement and drive online traffic with quality digital content. Streamline marketing efforts with centralized storage, manage media from the dashboard, and review and analyze data to elevate online visibility. Some of the unique content creation tools available are: 
    • Video Call Tours: Remote leasing agents can conduct virtual property tours with interactive walkthroughs and professional photography. Prospects can schedule tours on demand. 
    • Matterport Tour: Provide an interactive VR tour of high-definition photographs of up to 20 locations within a unit, including click points containing unique information. 
    • 3D Virtual Tour: Create an animated virtual tour from the property’s 2D or 3D floor plan; viewers can take control of their tours from inside the unit. 
    • Storybooks Digital Brochure: Arrange a mix of photographs, graphics and music to highlight the property’s best amenities. 
    • Lifestyle Video: Include premium quality videos shot on location with professional filming techniques. 
    • Drone Video: Offer a high-definition aerial view video with stunning visuals, providing a broader perspective of the location.  
    • Copy Service: Hire professional writers and editors to produce customized blogs, articles and listings to attract target demographics. 
  • Contact Center 3.0: Leverage an AI-backed 24/7 augmented solution to maximize conversions through on-time information delivery. Manage sales calls, leasing queries and maintenance requests. 
  • Personalized Website: Design professional websites and create unique touch points between the brand and renters with assistance from marketing reps. Increase engagement with mobile-friendly website templates. 
  • Leads to Lease: Make informed business decisions by tracking leads and integrating marketing data with revenue data. Draft customizable e-leases with personalized terms and clauses, and renew leases with new additions. 
  • Deposit Alternatives: Tackle bad debts and avoid losing leads due to requiring a high security deposit upfront. 
    • Deposit Insurance: Generate ancillary revenue; instead of paying a hefty security deposit, residents can set up an affordable and non-refundable monthly premium payment. 
    • DepositIQ: An upfront, non-refundable surety bond that ensures lease obligations, can be used in place of a hefty security deposit. 
  • Insurance Solutions: Mitigate risks for both residents and landlords, and enhance revenue with these unique and customizable solutions: 
    • Renter’s Insurance: eRenterPlan offers residents comprehensive insurance coverage of rental and personal assets. Optional RenterProtection provides coverage for vacant units or uninsured residents. 
    • AssetProtect: Offers property owners and managers an insurance program that protects rental assets, drives ancillary revenue and maximizes compliance. 
  • AI Screening: Access the industry’s largest rental payment database, screen for criminal background information and perform credit checks through top credit reporting bureaus. Verify identities and detect fraudulent applications using machine learning, equipped with behavioral data. 
  • Building Operations: Residents get keyless smart access to every door, use popular third-party applications for smart apartments and leverage high-speed internet access through the CommunityConnect integration. They can also submit maintenance requests with multimedia attachments to substantiate their claims. 
  • Payment Portal: Accept payments for rent, bills and other expenses through check, money order, credit and debit cards online. Integration with LockBox allows residents to mail checks to designated P.O. boxes. From there, checks are scanned, converted into digital transactions and routed to the owner’s account. 
  • Vendor Credentialing: Reduce liability and increase visibility by choosing pre-verified vendors who meet personal compliance requirements. The Credential Key Program thoroughly assesses each vendor’s background, success metrics and insurance and liability coverage to clear those eligible for same-day approval. 
  • Utility Management: Increase efficiency through a platform for billing ancillary costs. Manage and track property energy consumption and reduce waste. The submetering feature allocates utility costs among residents based on actual consumption. Reduce expenses through automatic cost allocation and avoid deploying on-site staff. 
  • Community Rewards: Offer residents digital reward points for engagement with the property?— from surveys and contests to online bill payments, renewals and more. Encourage engagement to increase loyalty and online reputation assessment scores, which helps cut lead tracking expenditure and cost-per-lease. 
  • Accounting Suite: Automate data entry, streamline workflows, record company financials, maintain general ledgers and manage and track bills. Outsource tasks to the SmartSource accounting team instead of staffing and training new accountants. 
  • Analytics: Gain critical insights into performance, track risks and opportunities, and maximize profitability. Optimize pricing through accurate demand and supply balance management. Receive detailed analysis of revenue management and market conditions. 
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Product Ranking

#1

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Property Management Software

#11

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Property Management Software

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Analyst Rating Summary

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94
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Business Operations
Dashboards and Reporting
Leasing
Marketing
Platform Capabilities
Marketing
Platform Capabilities
Business Operations
Leasing
Dashboards and Reporting

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

AppFolio
RealPage
+ Add Product + Add Product
Accounting & Financial Management Business Operations Dashboards And Reporting Leasing Maintenance Marketing Platform Capabilities 92 100 100 97 86 93 93 86 96 94 96 85 98 97 0 25 50 75 100
88%
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88%
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86%
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Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

75%
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38%
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62%

User Sentiment Summary

Excellent User Sentiment 1847 reviews
Great User Sentiment 168 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.

83%
of users recommend this product

RealPage has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 83% when considering 168 user reviews from 3 recognized software review sites.

4.7 (14)
4.2 (17)
4.6 (187)
3.9 (56)
4.6 (1640)
4.3 (95)
4.2 (6)
n/a

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

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated RealPage and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Marketing.

Marketing 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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Centralized Communication Hub: RealPage serves as a central hub for resident communication, maintenance requests, and online rent payments, streamlining property management operations.
Accounting Features: The platform offers robust accounting tools, including accounts payable and receivable management, budgeting, and financial reporting, simplifying financial management for property managers.
Marketing and Leasing Tools: RealPage provides tools to create and manage property listings, screen tenants, and process lease applications, aiding in attracting and securing new residents.
Maintenance Management: The platform facilitates efficient maintenance management by allowing residents to submit requests online, tracking work orders, and managing vendor relationships.
Reporting and Analytics: RealPage offers comprehensive reporting and analytics capabilities, providing insights into property performance, resident trends, and financial metrics to support data-driven decision-making.
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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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Customer Service: Users frequently report challenges in getting timely and effective support from RealPage's customer service team. This can lead to frustration when encountering technical issues or needing assistance with the platform's features.
Usability: The platform's interface can be complex and challenging to navigate, especially for new users. This complexity can lead to a steep learning curve and hinder efficient use of the software's capabilities.
Cost: RealPage's pricing structure can be a significant concern for property management companies, particularly smaller businesses or those with tighter budgets. The cost of the software may outweigh its perceived benefits for some users.
Integrations: Integrating RealPage with other software systems can be a complex process, potentially requiring additional development work or custom solutions. This can create challenges for property management companies that rely on multiple software platforms to manage their operations.
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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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RealPage has emerged as a prominent contender, offering a suite of features designed to streamline operations for property managers of all sizes. Let's delve into the feedback from users over the past year to uncover the strengths and weaknesses of this platform and determine if it aligns with your unique requirements. RealPage has received accolades for its user-friendly interface and comprehensive functionality. Users appreciate the ability to efficiently manage rent collection, maintenance requests, tenant communication, and financial reporting all within a single platform. The software's automation capabilities have been particularly well-received, as they save property managers valuable time and effort. However, some users have expressed concerns about the software's pricing structure, finding it to be relatively expensive compared to some competitors. Additionally, a few users have noted that the software's customization options could be more robust, limiting their ability to tailor the platform to their specific workflows. RealPage distinguishes itself through its extensive range of features and its focus on providing data-driven insights. The platform's analytics tools empower property managers to make informed decisions based on real-time data, optimizing property performance and maximizing revenue. Furthermore, RealPage's integration with various third-party applications enhances its versatility and adaptability. Considering its comprehensive feature set and data-driven approach, RealPage is best suited for property management companies seeking a robust and scalable solution to manage their portfolios effectively. It is particularly well-suited for larger organizations with complex operations that require advanced analytics and automation capabilities.

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