Hemlane Review: Software or Property Manager?

Hemlane sits between landlord software and a property manager. Its two cheapest plans are software only; its two dearer plans add people, a 24/7 repair coordinator and then an assistant who talks to your tenants. This page explains each plan, works out what it costs at 1, 5, 10 and 20 units on both billing terms, and says who should use it. To compare Hemlane with every other tool's price, see landlord software pricing.

Hemlane plans and what they include

Starter is "Free forever, no credit card required" and lets you "Advertise to Apartments.com, Zillow, and 7 more top websites," screen applicants (Hemlane pricing) and keep "Full rental accounting: bank sync, cash flow report, income statement, and more" (Hemlane). Basic adds lease tracking, document storage and e-sign, and "Rent collection, late fees, financial tracking, $0 ACH fees" (Hemlane). Essential adds "End-to-end repair coordination with 24/7 emergency support" and state-specific leases and notices (Hemlane). Complete adds "All tenant communications done by your property management assistant" and access to Hemlane's repair network (Hemlane).

What Hemlane costs at 1, 5, 10 and 20 units

Hemlane's pricing page calculates the total for the unit count you enter: the per-unit price times units plus one platform fee, $28 a month on annual billing or $34 billed monthly (pricing page script). The page opens on annual billing; the monthly per-unit prices are $2.50, $24 and $65 (pricing page script).

Computed with Hemlane's own formula (per-unit price x units + one platform fee) from Hemlane's pricing page, read November 2, 2026. The 1-unit annual figures match the totals the page prints ($30, $48 and $86, each "incl. $28 platform fee"). Annual billing saves "up to 20%" (Hemlane).

The jump between tiers is steep because Essential and Complete pay for people. At 5 units on annual billing, Basic is $38.00 a month while Complete is $318.00. That is the price of handing off repairs and tenant calls, not of better software.

Annual or monthly billing?

Monthly totals above x 12. The saving shrinks on the dearer plans because the per-unit discount is smaller there ($65 to $58 on Complete against $2.50 to $2 on Basic).

On Basic at 5 units, annual billing is $456 a year against $558 billed monthly; on Complete it is $3,816 against $4,308. Two rules from Hemlane's help center matter before you commit to a year: plans are "prorated to the day" as you add or archive units, and "Refunds are not provided on annual plans if you reduce the number of units in your portfolio." If you cancel, the paid period stays active "through the final day of that period, whether monthly or annual" (Hemlane help center). If you may sell a unit this year, monthly billing costs more but keeps you flexible.

Because plans are "prorated to the day" (Hemlane help center), adding a unit mid-month on Basic billed monthly costs only part of the $2.50 unit price for that month, and archiving a unit leaves a credit on your Hemlane account rather than a refund to your bank. That makes monthly billing the safer choice while your portfolio is changing, and annual billing the cheaper one once the number of units is settled for the year. You can switch from monthly to annual later from the Subscriptions page.

Fees for tenants and extra services

From Hemlane's pricing page, read November 2, 2026. Screening covers national credit, criminal, eviction and income reporting.

What you hand off on each plan

From the plan lists on Hemlane's pricing page, read November 2, 2026.

Worked example: three single-family rentals

Computed with Hemlane's formula: per-unit price x 3 + one platform fee ($28 annual, $34 monthly).

For three houses, Basic is $34.00 a month on annual billing, while Complete costs $2,424 a year on annual billing. Whether Complete is worth it depends on what your time and distance are worth: it covers every tenant call and repair, but you still make the decisions.

Hemlane at 20 units

At 20 units the per-unit price dominates. Basic is $68.00 a month on annual billing, still modest, while Essential is $428.00 and Complete $1,188.00. By that size, a landlord paying for Complete is spending what many owners budget for a full-service manager, so compare quotes from local managers before choosing it; Hemlane's advantage is that rent and late fees still go straight to you and you keep the final say on repairs.

The $40 screening fee also matters at any size. It is above New York's $20 limit on screening charges and is not allowed at all in Massachusetts and Vermont, so check rental application fee laws by state before listing there.

Setting up Hemlane

Hemlane's getting-started guide for owners walks through the same order most landlords follow (Hemlane help center):

1. Add your properties and units.
2. Set up the bank account where rent and late fees land.
3. Add other users, such as a co-owner or manager.
4. Add your service pros, such as an electrician or plumber, if you will dispatch your own.
5. Set up your subscription and choose annual or monthly billing.

Hemlane compared with its closest alternatives at 5 units

Hemlane computed above; Avail $9 a unit a month x 5 x 12; TenantCloud Starter and RentRedi from their pricing pages, read November 2, 2026. Tenant fees differ: Hemlane Basic charges no ACH fee; Avail's free plan charges tenants $2.50 per bank payment.

On software alone, Hemlane Basic costs more than RentRedi or TenantCloud Starter at 5 units, and less than Avail's Unlimited Plus. Its case rests on the service plans: none of the alternatives above sells 24/7 repair coordination or a tenant assistant.

Is Hemlane legit?

Yes. It publishes every plan price, its platform fee and its service prices, says it operates in all 50 states (Hemlane), and routes "100% of rent and late fees" to the owner rather than holding it (Hemlane). One detail differs between its pages: the pricing page lists Apartments.com, Zillow "and 7 more" sites, while the home page says tenants are found "through 15+ listing sites" (Hemlane).

Questions to ask Hemlane before you sign up

1. Which 9 or 15 listing sites will my vacancy appear on?
2. On Essential and Complete, who approves repair costs, and at what threshold?
3. Can I move between software-only and service plans month to month?
4. Will I reduce units this year, given no refunds on annual plans?

Hemlane pros and cons

Who should pick Hemlane, and who should not

• Starter or Basic if you self-manage and want free or low-cost software with free bank rent payments.
• Essential if repairs at 2 a.m. are the part you want off your plate.
• Complete if you live far from the rental and want someone else to handle tenants, but keep control of decisions.
• Not Hemlane if you only want cheap software for 5 or more units: RentRedi's flat $144 a year costs less than Basic.

Hemlane alternatives