Apartments.com Rental Manager vs Stessa
Stessa scores 7.0/10 vs 6.5/10. Best for: Individual real estate investors who want free financial tracking with tax-ready reports.
Stessa scores higher overall at 7.0/10 vs 6.5/10. Stessa is the best free option for real estate investors focused on financial tracking and tax preparation rather than day-to-day tenant management. Its automatic bank feeds and Schedule E reports are genuinely useful, but landlords needing tenant portals, robust maintenance workflows, or full property management capabilities will need to look elsewhere or supplement with other tools.
Apartments.com Rental Manager 
Stessa Rank
#21 of 26
Rank
#16 of 26
Features
10/17
Features
11/17
Starting at
$0/mo
Starting at
$0/mo
User reviews
4.2/5 (50)
User reviews
4.5/5 (450)
What they cost
| Apartments.com Rental Manager | Stessa | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting at | Free /mo | Free /mo |
| Free trial | Free tier available | Free tier available |
| Number of plans | 3 | 3 |
What the pricing really means
At first glance, Stessa looks cheaper at $0/month vs $0/month. But sticker price is only part of the story. Look at what is included on the base plan, how many users you get, and whether you need add-ons to get the features you actually need. The $99/month plan that requires $200 in add-ons is actually more expensive than the $250/month plan that includes everything.
Where Apartments.com Rental Manager wins
- Free listing syndication across the Apartments.com network reaches millions of renters
- Core features like screening, rent collection, and applications are free
- Backed by CoStar Group, giving it long-term stability and investment
- Inherited Cozy's user-friendly approach to small landlord management
Where Stessa wins
- Generous free tier with unlimited properties and automatic bank feeds
- IRS-compliant Schedule E reports simplify tax filing significantly
- Clean, intuitive dashboard designed specifically for real estate investors
- Cash management account earns competitive APY on idle funds
Where Apartments.com Rental Manager falls short
- No built-in accounting or financial tracking beyond basic expense logging
- Website can be glitchy, especially during peak application processing
- Maintenance tracking lacks advanced features like recurring tasks and priority levels
- Limited feature depth compared to dedicated property management platforms
Where Stessa falls short
- Auto-imported transactions sometimes get dropped or miscategorized, requiring manual correction
- No tenant portal for self-service rent payments or maintenance requests
- Free plan limits you to one portfolio with basic reporting only
- Customer support responsiveness is inconsistent across plans
Who is each product built for?
Apartments.com Rental Manager
Target: 1-50 units
Apartments.com Rental Manager is best for small landlords who value listing exposure above all else. Being part of the largest rental listing network in the US is a genuine competitive advantage for filling vacancies quickly. However, the management tools are relatively basic — there is no real accounting, and the platform works better as a listing and screening tool than a full property management solution.
Stessa
Target: 1-50 units
Stessa is the best free option for real estate investors focused on financial tracking and tax preparation rather than day-to-day tenant management. Its automatic bank feeds and Schedule E reports are genuinely useful, but landlords needing tenant portals, robust maintenance workflows, or full property management capabilities will need to look elsewhere or supplement with other tools.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Apartments.com Rental Manager | Stessa |
|---|---|---|
| Tenant Management | ||
| Tenant screening | ||
| Online rent collection | ||
| Lease management | ||
| Tenant portal | ||
| E-signatures | ||
| Property Operations | ||
| Maintenance requests | ||
| Owner portal | ||
| Property inspections | ||
| Vendor management | ||
| Vacancy advertising | ||
| Finance & Reporting | ||
| Accounting/bookkeeping | ||
| Bank account management | ||
| Insurance tracking | ||
| Reporting/analytics | ||
| Platform | ||
| Document storage | ||
| Mobile app | ||
| API access | ||
Common questions
Apartments.com Rental Manager is designed for 1-50 units, making it a strong pick for small shops. Stessa targets 1-50 units.
Apartments.com Rental Manager starts at $0/month. Stessa starts at $0/month. Pricing was last verified in 2026-03-01.
Apartments.com Rental Manager has a free tier you can use to get started.
Yes, you can switch between Property Management tools. The main effort is migrating your data and setting up new workflows. Plan for 1-2 weeks of overlap where you run both systems.
The bottom line
Pick Apartments.com Rental Manager if...
Small landlords who want free listing exposure on the largest rental marketplace in the US
Pick Stessa if...
Individual real estate investors who want free financial tracking with tax-ready reports