AppFolio Property Management Software Review

AppFolio sells its software to property management businesses, and its own pages now call it the AppFolio Performance Platform, "formerly known as AppFolio Property Manager" (AppFolio). This review covers what AppFolio publishes about its plans, prices, contract terms, tenant screening and resident fees, checked on its website on October 29, 2026, and what that means for a landlord with 1 to 50 units.

AppFolio pricing and features: Core, Plus and Max

The AppFolio pricing page lists three plans for residential portfolios, "no matter the size of your business or the mix," each priced per unit per month with a "Get a Quote" button. Core is "an out of the box solution"; Plus is for "growing businesses with complex portfolios"; Max is "an enterprise solution for large operators."

Plan names, starting prices, minimums and feature lists from the AppFolio pricing page, read October 29, 2026. AppFolio also sells add-on services separately: "you'll only pay for what you need." Their prices are not on the pricing page.

What the 50-unit minimum means for a small landlord

Core's footnote reads: "Minimum spend and 50 unit minimum apply. Contact us for details." At the starting rate, 50 units cost $74.50 a month ($1.49 x 50), or $894 a year, before the minimum spend, whose amount AppFolio does not publish. The page does not say whether a smaller portfolio can sign up by paying for 50 units; it says to contact AppFolio.

If a smaller portfolio did pay that floor, it would work out to $14.90 per unit a month at 5 units, $7.45 at 10 and $2.98 at 25. For comparison, 50 units at the Plus and Max starting rates would be $1,920 and $3,000 a year, but those plans state a unit minimum without a number.

Every small-landlord plan in the chart costs less a year than the AppFolio Core floor except DoorLoop, whose One plan has a $199 monthly minimum on yearly billing. Five companies on this site also have a free plan: TurboTenant, Innago, Baselane, Stessa and Landlord Studio (Landlord Studio's is for up to 3 units). See the landlord software pricing comparison for 1, 5 and 10 units.

AppFolio tenant screening (FolioScreen Trusted Renter)

AppFolio's screening product is FolioScreen Trusted Renter. AppFolio says it covers "credit checks, criminal history, landlord-tenant history, and verified income, employment, and ID," and that because the application, screening report and lease sit in one system, "screening can automatically begin the moment an application is submitted" (AppFolio). AppFolio also cites its own "October 2023 survey of 1,376 typical Trusted Renter Customers" in which 89% preferred it to other screening services.

Fees residents and owners pay

For residents, AppFolio offers the FolioSpace app, which it says is "natively built into AppFolio's Performance Platform" (AppFolio). Residents pay by "eCheck (direct withdrawal from bank account) or Credit / debit card (Apple Pay or direct)" (AppFolio help center). Owners can send contributions online, up to $15,000 each (AppFolio owner help).

From AppFolio's resident portal help and owner portal help pages, read October 29, 2026. Transaction fees are not counted toward a resident's autopay maximum: "transaction fees are not included in the maximum limit set on pay-in-full auto payments."

Contract terms, onboarding fees and renewals

The AppFolio Property Manager Core Terms of Service (last updated January 30, 2026) set the rules a Core customer signs up to:

• Term: "the term will be set forth on the order form or in the online sign-up flow." The base subscription "will automatically renew for the same period as your initial term" unless either side gives written notice of non-renewal "at least thirty (30) days prior to the expiration."
• Fees: Service fees "are due and payable on the date of invoice and are non-refundable." For a subscription, the rate "is fixed for the term of the subscription and may only be increased at renewal."
• Minimums: "Unless set forth on your order form, we may increase the minimum amounts for a Service from time to time by providing you with no less than thirty (30) days advance notice."
• Onboarding: "non-refundable fees for onboarding and data migration in the amount set forth on the order form." If a re-migration is needed, AppFolio charges "an additional one-time non-refundable Onboarding Fee."

What AppFolio does not publish

AppFolio review: who it fits

The verdict follows from AppFolio's own numbers: its plans are built and priced for management companies, and Core's 50-unit minimum sits at the top of the 1 to 50 unit range this site covers. For 1 to 50 units, the software on our small landlord software comparison publishes plan prices or starting prices you can see before talking to sales, and five companies have free plans (Landlord Studio's for up to 3 units).

AppFolio review checklist: questions to ask before you sign

1. What is the minimum spend on my plan, and can I sign up with fewer than 50 units?
2. What per-unit rate applies to my portfolio, and how long is the term on the order form?
3. What is the onboarding and data migration fee, and when is it non-refundable?
4. What do residents pay per eCheck and card payment, and can I cover it?
5. What does a FolioScreen Trusted Renter report cost, and who pays it?
6. Which add-on services would I need, and what do they cost?

AppFolio alternatives for 1 to 50 units

Comparing two property-manager suites? See Buildium pricing and DoorLoop pricing, or the free property management software roundup.

Comparing the two big platforms? See AppFolio vs Buildium and the Buildium review.