Hemlane vs Innago for Landlords (2026): Full-Service Help vs Free Software
- The short answer
- Feature comparison (2026)
- Where Innago genuinely shines
- Where Hemlane earns its fee
Hemlane and Innago are both built for small landlords, but they solve opposite problems. Innago is free property management software — the pitch is "everything the big platforms do, $0." Hemlane is software plus a services layer: real humans who take maintenance calls and place tenants for you. Here's the honest comparison.
The short answer
Innago wins on price (it's free); Hemlane wins on time savings. Innago gives you tenant screening, online rent collection, leases, maintenance tracking, and basic accounting for $0 — genuinely free, not a trial. Hemlane charges per unit per month (roughly $30–$40/unit for its core plan) but adds a 24/7 repair coordinator who fields maintenance calls and a leasing network for tenant placement. If your scarcest resource is money, Innago. If it's your evenings and weekends, Hemlane. See Hemlane's current plans
Feature comparison (2026)
| Feature | Innago | Hemlane |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | ~$30–$40/unit/mo (core) |
| Online rent collection | Yes (free ACH) | Yes |
| Tenant screening | Yes | Yes |
| Digital leases | Yes, state-specific | Yes |
| Maintenance tracking | Ticketing system | 24/7 repair coordinator included |
| Tenant placement | Listing syndication | Full leasing network service |
| Accounting/reports | Basic | Stronger, investor-grade |
| Best for | Budget-conscious DIY | DIY landlords who want backup |
Where Innago genuinely shines
Don't let "free" make you suspicious — Innago's core is solid. Free ACH rent collection, screening with credit/criminal/eviction reports, e-sign leases, and maintenance ticketing cover what most 1–10 unit landlords actually use. The catch, such as it is: you still do the work. When the furnace dies at 11 PM, Innago gives you a ticketing system; you are the one calling the HVAC tech. For the details, see our Innago review.
Where Hemlane earns its fee
Hemlane's software is comparable to Innago's — the fee buys the services layer. The repair coordinator takes tenant maintenance calls around the clock, dispatches your preferred vendors (or theirs), and handles the follow-up. The leasing network can take a vacancy from listing to signed lease. For a landlord with a day job and 5+ units, that's not a luxury — it's the difference between landlording and having a second job. Full breakdown in our Hemlane review.
The math that decides it
Innago: $0/month, and you spend ~2–5 hours per unit per month on management tasks. Hemlane: ~$30–$40/unit/month, and the coordinator absorbs the maintenance-call load. At 5 units, Hemlane runs ~$175/month — if it saves you even 4 hours a month of 11 PM maintenance calls, most landlords with day jobs call that a win.
The honest verdict
Start with Innago if you're budget-first or managing 1–3 units where the workload is light — free software that does the job is hard to argue with. Graduate to Hemlane when the phone calls start costing you sleep: the repair coordinator is the feature, and everything else is table stakes. Either way, run the numbers against the field — compare Hemlane vs. TurboTenant, Innago vs. TurboTenant, Innago vs. Avail, and our best property management software roundup before you commit.
Compare more landlord software
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