TurboTenant vs Hemlane (2026): Free Landlord Software vs the Hybrid Platform, Scored Head-to-Head
- The platforms in 30 seconds
- Pricing: the real cost math
- Category scorecard
- Total scores
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TurboTenant and Hemlane are the two names that come up most when a self-managing landlord asks "which platform should I run my rentals on?" — but they solve different problems. TurboTenant is the strongest free landlord platform in the market: unlimited units, listing syndication, screening, and rent collection for $0. Hemlane is the hybrid: DIY software with a 24/7 repair coordination team and a network of local leasing agents you can switch on when a pipe bursts or a vacancy sits.
This comparison scores both head-to-head in 2026 across nine categories, runs the real cost math at 1, 3, 5, and 10 units, and tells you exactly which landlord profile fits each. Prices verified September 2026. For the broader overview of the category, see our Hemlane vs TurboTenant overview — this article is the feature-by-feature scorecard.
Quick verdicts: Hands-on local landlord who takes their own repair calls? TurboTenant's free tier is the best value in landlord software. Check Hemlane's current plans if the 2 a.m. maintenance call is the part of landlording you hate — the 24/7 repair coordination is the feature TurboTenant can't match.
The platforms in 30 seconds
TurboTenant is a landlord-first platform serving 600,000+ landlords (and growing — it acquired competitor TenantCloud in August 2026 and accounting specialist REI Hub before that). The business model: a genuinely generous free tier monetized by optional paid upgrades, screening fees (paid by applicants or landlords), and add-on services.
Hemlane (founded 2015) is the hybrid property management platform: full DIY software — listings, applications, screening, leases, rent collection, maintenance — plus optional human services layered on top. A 24/7 repair coordinator takes tenant maintenance calls around the clock on the Essential tier, and a network of local licensed leasing agents can handle tenant placement when you need it. The free Starter tier covers one property with advertising, screening, and lease storage — the easiest free trial in the category.
Pricing: the real cost math
| Plan | TurboTenant | Hemlane |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | $0 — unlimited properties, listings, applications, screening, rent collection, expense tracking, maintenance requests | $0 (Starter) — 1 property, 1 bank account; advertising, applicant tracking, screening, lease storage (no rent collection or repair coordination) |
| Entry paid | Pro $119/year (~$9.92/mo): free state-specific leases, custom screening questions, lease addendums, forms library, phone support | Basic ~$30/mo ($28 base + $2/unit): full DIY software for 1 unit |
| Premium paid | Premium $149/year (~$12.42/mo): everything in Pro + income verification, discounted screening, team tools, waived ACH fees for renters | Essential ~$48/mo ($28 base + $20/unit): adds 24/7 repair coordination for 1 unit |
| Top tier | — | Complete ~$86/mo ($28 base + $58/unit): adds local leasing agents and full-service support for 1 unit |
Monthly cost by unit count (annual billing where available):
| Units | TurboTenant (free → Premium) | Hemlane (Starter → Basic → Essential) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $0 → $12.42/mo | $0 → $30/mo → $48/mo |
| 3 | $0 → $12.42/mo | $0 → $34/mo → $88/mo |
| 5 | $0 → $12.42/mo | $0 → $38/mo → $128/mo |
| 10 | $0 → $12.42/mo | $0 → $48/mo → $228/mo |
Two things stand out. First, TurboTenant's flat pricing means your software bill never grows with your portfolio — five units or fifty, the most you'll pay is $149/year. Second, Hemlane's per-unit pricing on the paid tiers means the repair-coordination safety net gets expensive as you scale: at 10 units, Essential runs $228/month, which is approaching real property-manager money. That's the central tradeoff of the whole comparison.
Category scorecard
1. Free tier depth — TurboTenant wins
TurboTenant's free tier is the most capable $0 plan in landlord software: unlimited properties and units, listing syndication, applications, screening, rent collection (tenants pay the $2 ACH or 3.49% card fee), expense tracking, maintenance requests, and document storage. Hemlane's Starter is free but capped at one property and one bank account, and excludes the two features that define Hemlane — rent collection and repair coordination. If your budget is $0, there is no contest.
Score: TurboTenant 10/10, Hemlane 6/10
2. Listing and vacancy marketing — TurboTenant wins
TurboTenant syndicates listings to 28+ rental sites with lead management, showing scheduling, and pre-screener questions that filter out unqualified applicants before they waste your time. Hemlane covers rental advertising on the free Starter tier, but syndication depth and the application flow are TurboTenant's strongest territory — it's the platform landlords cite for the most polished rental marketing workflow.
Score: TurboTenant 9/10, Hemlane 7/10
3. Tenant screening — tie, different models
Both screen through reputable bureaus. TurboTenant's screening costs $55 per applicant on the free plan (paid by the applicant or the landlord; Premium members get it for $45, with income verification included). The application and screening are combined into one polished flow. Hemlane runs screening through TransUnion — credit, criminal, and eviction checks — available even on the free Starter tier, with the screening fee paid by the applicant.
Pick TurboTenant if you want the smoother applicant experience and landlord-paid options; pick Hemlane if you want screening bundled into the platform you're already using without a separate flow.
Score: TurboTenant 8/10, Hemlane 8/10
4. Leases and documents — TurboTenant wins on the free tier
TurboTenant charges $59 per state-specific lease on the free plan — a real cost, but unlimited on Pro ($119/year). Lease addendums and a library of landlord forms come with the paid tiers. Hemlane includes lease templates and e-signing on its paid tiers (leases are stored, not created, on Starter). If you need a state-specific lease this month and nothing else, TurboTenant's one-time $59 beats Hemlane's $30/month subscription.
Score: TurboTenant 8/10, Hemlane 6/10
5. Rent collection — TurboTenant wins (for now)
TurboTenant's free plan includes full online rent collection with automated late fees and reminders, tenant autopay, and expedited payouts on paid tiers. Hemlane's paid tiers automate rent collection with late fees and payment tracking too — but rent collection is excluded from the free Starter plan. Both charge standard processing fees (TurboTenant: $2 ACH / 3.49% card, paid by the tenant; Premium waives ACH fees for renters).
Score: TurboTenant 9/10, Hemlane 7/10
6. Maintenance and repairs — Hemlane wins decisively
This is the category that justifies Hemlane's price. The Essential tier includes a 24/7 repair coordinator — a human who takes tenant maintenance calls around the clock, triages the issue, and dispatches from a vetted repair network. TurboTenant's free tier handles maintenance requests and messaging, but you're still the one getting the 2 a.m. call. TurboTenant sells maintenance coordination as a separate add-on. For out-of-state owners, busy professionals, or anyone who's had a plumbing emergency at midnight, this is the single biggest differentiator between the platforms.
Score: Hemlane 10/10, TurboTenant 5/10
7. Accounting and reporting — Hemlane wins, narrowly
Hemlane's paid tiers include financial tracking, income/expense reporting, and tax-ready exports as part of the platform. TurboTenant's free tier has basic expense tracking and rent reporting; the integrated REI Hub accounting engine is available as a paid add-on, and the platform's accounting depth trails a dedicated tool. Neither replaces a real accounting system — see our landlord accounting tools comparison for the dedicated options — but Hemlane's built-in reporting is the more complete of the two.
Score: Hemlane 7/10, TurboTenant 5/10
8. Human services and leasing help — Hemlane wins decisively
Hemlane's Complete tier (~$86/mo for one unit) adds local licensed leasing agents for tenant placement, plus full-service support — effectively property management you can switch on per unit. TurboTenant's answer is Autopilot, a separate flat-fee full-management service (priced by quote, cancellable) that handles tenant placement, maintenance, rent collection, and tenant communication inside the TurboTenant ecosystem. Both work; Hemlane's version is more transparently priced and more deeply integrated with the DIY platform, since you can manage the unit yourself and only call in the agents when needed.
Score: Hemlane 9/10, TurboTenant 7/10
9. Support — TurboTenant wins
TurboTenant offers 24/7 customer support by chat and phone (phone support on paid tiers, chat on free). Hemlane's support is solid but users report longer wait times than the category leaders. Neither is bad; TurboTenant's always-available support is the edge.
Score: TurboTenant 9/10, Hemlane 7/10
Total scores
| Category | TurboTenant | Hemlane |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier depth | 10 | 6 |
| Listing/marketing | 9 | 7 |
| Screening | 8 | 8 |
| Leases | 8 | 6 |
| Rent collection | 9 | 7 |
| Maintenance/repairs | 5 | 10 |
| Accounting | 5 | 7 |
| Human services | 7 | 9 |
| Support | 9 | 7 |
| Total | 70 | 67 |
The three-point gap hides the real story: the two platforms win completely different categories. TurboTenant sweeps everything software-only — free tier, listings, leases, rent collection, support. Hemlane sweeps everything involving humans — maintenance, leasing agents, full-service support — plus accounting. Your decision isn't really "which is better"; it's "which half of the problem keeps you up at night?"
Which one should you pick?
Choose TurboTenant if:
- Your budget is $0–$149/year. The free tier handles unlimited units, and Premium is the cheapest paid tier in the category.
- You live near your properties and handle maintenance yourself. If you're the kind of landlord who likes meeting the plumber, TurboTenant gives you the best software for free.
- You manage 5+ units and Hemlane's per-unit pricing starts to hurt. At 10 units, Hemlane Basic is $48/month — TurboTenant is still $0.
- Your bottleneck is filling vacancies. Listing syndication, pre-screeners, and the application flow are TurboTenant's home turf.
Choose Hemlane if:
- The 2 a.m. repair call is the part of landlording you hate. The 24/7 repair coordinator on Essential (~$48/mo for one unit) is the single most differentiating feature between these platforms.
- You own out-of-state property and need local backup without hiring a full property manager. The Complete tier's leasing agents give you boots on the ground only when you need them.
- You want one platform that covers software and human services together, so you're never stuck switching tools mid-crisis.
- You have 1–5 units where the per-unit math still works. Beyond ~10 units, compare Hemlane's Essential pricing against a local property manager before committing.
Check Hemlane's current plans — the free Starter tier lets you run a vacancy through the full workflow before paying anything.
Can you use both?
Some landlords do, and it's not crazy: run TurboTenant's free tier for listings, screening, and rent collection on units you self-manage locally, and put your out-of-state or high-maintenance units on Hemlane Essential for the repair coordination. That's $0 for the local units and ~$48–$88/month for the ones that need backup. The downside is two systems, two logins, and books split across platforms — which is exactly the kind of fragmentation that drives landlords back to one tool. Our landlord bookkeeping guide has the consolidation workflow if you go this route.
The bottom line
TurboTenant is the best free landlord software in 2026 — the most capability for $0, flat pricing that never punishes growth, and a $149/year Premium tier that undercuts every competitor's paid plan. It's the right pick for hands-on landlords who manage their own maintenance.
Hemlane is the right pick when the maintenance phone calls — not the software — are the problem. The 24/7 repair coordinator and on-demand leasing agents are services TurboTenant's free tier simply doesn't provide, and for out-of-state owners or busy professionals, that human backup is worth the $30–$86/month per unit. Start with the free Starter tier, run one vacancy through it, and upgrade only when a specific limit actually bothers you.