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6 REI Hub alternatives for landlords and real estate investors

Content Marketing Manager @ Baselane

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REI Hub has served many landlords well for rental property accounting, but real estate investors managing multiple properties often need more than standalone bookkeeping software. With separate tools required for rent collection, banking, and tenant management, the gap between accounting-only platforms and comprehensive financial operations creates operational complexity. This guide examines six REI Hub alternatives through the lens of integrated financial management, helping landlords and real estate investors evaluate options for property-level accounting, rent collection, and banking workflows.

Key takeaways

  • Integrated banking addresses the multi-tool problem: Baselane combines banking, bookkeeping, and rent collection in one platform, while REI Hub focuses exclusively on accounting without rent collection or banking capabilities.
  • Property-specific accounts simplify financial tracking: Baselane allows real estate investors to create unlimited checking and savings accounts organized by property and entity with no monthly account maintenance fees.
  • AI-powered categorization reduces manual bookkeeping: Baselane automatically assigns transactions to each property, entity, and tax category using 120+ real-estate-specific categories.
  • Rent collection integration varies significantly: REI Hub does not include rent collection functionality, requiring landlords to use separate payment processors, while alternatives like Baselane, Stessa, and Avail include built-in rent collection.
  • Tax preparation features differ by platform: Dedicated Schedule E reporting is available in Baselane and some accounting-focused alternatives, while broader property management platforms may offer more basic income, expense, or tax reporting.

Why landlords seek REI Hub alternatives

REI Hub is purpose-built for rental property accounting with features like automatic mortgage amortization and Schedule E export. However, the platform focuses exclusively on bookkeeping, which means landlords and real estate investors must manage rent collection, banking, and tenant screening through separate tools.

This fragmented approach creates several operational challenges:

  • Multiple platform logins: Separate systems for banking, accounting, and rent collection spread financial information across applications
  • Connected transaction feeds: REI Hub can automatically import transactions from linked bank and credit card accounts, with matching rules to streamline categorization
  • No native rent collection: REI Hub does not process rent payments itself, though supported integrations can import payment data into the accounting system
  • Limited cash flow visibility: Without banking integration, real-time cash position across properties requires checking multiple accounts

For landlords managing multiple properties across different entity structures, these friction points compound. Each LLC or property may require separate bank relationships, creating additional complexity during tax preparation and financial reporting.

REI Hub alternatives at a glance

Platform Best for Key features Pricing
Baselane Banking and bookkeeping organized by property and entity Property-specific checking and savings accounts, bookkeeping, rent collection, Schedule E reports, Smart automation Core: $0/month; Smart: $20/month
Stessa Investment tracking and portfolio analytics Rental accounting, portfolio reporting, Cash Management accounts, rent collection, lease and maintenance tools Essentials: Free; Manage: $15/month ($12/month annually); Pro: $35/month ($28/month annually)
Landlord Studio Mobile-first rental accounting Income and expense tracking, receipt capture, financial reports, rent collection, rental listing and screening tools Go: Free for up to 3 units; Pro: $12/month annually for 3 units + $1/additional unit
Avail Tenant acquisition and leasing Rental listings, tenant screening, state-specific leases, rent collection, maintenance tracking Unlimited: Free; Unlimited Plus: $9/unit/month
Hemlane Hybrid property management with optional human support Listings, screening, accounting, rent collection, lease management, repair coordination Starter: Free; Basic: $2/unit + $28 platform fee; Essential: $20/unit + $28 platform fee; Complete: $58/unit + $28 platform fee
TenantCloud Lease management and configurable property workflows Listings, rent collection, maintenance management, lease tools, accounting, bank reconciliation on higher tiers Starter: $25/month ($15/month annually); Growth: $35/month ($29/month annually); Pro: $60/month ($50/month annually); Business: from $100/month

1. Baselane: Banking and bookkeeping platform for real estate investors

Baselane is a banking and bookkeeping platform designed specifically for multi-property real estate investors and operators. Unlike accounting-only tools, Baselane integrates FDIC-insured banking with automated bookkeeping and rent collection in a single platform.

Key capabilities

  • Property-specific banking accounts: Baselane allows real estate investors to create unlimited checking and savings accounts partitioned by property, entity, security deposits, and operating expenses with no monthly account maintenance fees or minimum balance requirements
  • Automated transaction categorization: Baselane automatically assigns transactions to each property, entity, and tax category using 120+ real-estate-specific categories
  • Rent collection: Automated invoicing, payment reminders, and late fee calculations with tenant payments via ACH or card
  • Physical and virtual debit cards: Property-specific Visa debit cards with custom spend limits, enabling use cases like STR owners issuing virtual cards with spending limits to co-hosts
  • Tax preparation tools: One-click generation of Schedule E reports and complete tax packages including transaction ledgers, receipts, and income statements

Banking features

Baselane provides FDIC-insured accounts through Thread Bank with coverage up to [v="fdic_long"]¹. Savings accounts earn up to [v="apyvalue"] APY², significantly exceeding national average rates for business accounts. Real estate investors can send ACH transfers at no cost, while outbound wires carry a $15 fee that is waived when the total Baselane Banking balance is $50,000 or more at the time of the wire.

Rent collection integration

Baselane's rent collection works directly with its banking accounts, depositing tenant payments into property-specific accounts. Tenants can pay via ACH, debit card, or credit card through a secure portal, with automatic reminders and late fee calculations based on lease terms.

Pricing structure

  • Core: $0/month with unlimited banking accounts, basic bookkeeping, rent collection, 5-day rent deposits, and physical/virtual debit cards
  • Smart: $20/month with 30-day free trial, adding AI auto-tagging, 2-day rent deposits, advanced categorization rules, auto-receipt matching, custom categories, and balance sheets

What sets Baselane apart

Baselane addresses the core limitation of accounting-only platforms by integrating banking directly with bookkeeping and rent collection. This eliminates the need to manually import transactions from external banks or reconcile payments from separate rent collection services. For landlords managing properties across multiple LLCs, Baselane centralizes banking and bookkeeping workflows that would otherwise be spread across separate bank logins and applications.

2. Stessa

Stessa is a rental property analytics platform that provides portfolio tracking, reporting, and cash-on-cash return calculations. The platform includes a free Essentials tier with unlimited properties, online rent collection, and Cash Management, while paid tiers add features such as Schedule E reporting, accelerated rent payments, and advanced reporting.

Stessa's primary focus

  • Portfolio analytics: Track property performance with NOI calculations and cash-on-cash returns
  • Transaction import: Connect external bank accounts and credit cards via Plaid for consolidated transaction views
  • Property manager data feeds: Import data from property management software
  • Rent collection: Available for tenant payments via ACH and card
  • Tax reporting: Schedule E reports available on Manage+ tier

Banking features

Stessa Cash Management is available across Essentials, Manage, and Pro, with APY varying by subscription level and balance tier. The platform provides debit cards for expense tracking, though banking integration is secondary to its analytics focus.

Pricing structure

  • Essentials: $0/month with basic reporting and rent collection
  • Manage: $12/month with maintenance tracking and Schedule E reports
  • Pro: $28/month with unlimited receipts and higher APY on savings

Stessa's approach

Stessa positions itself primarily around portfolio analytics and performance tracking. The platform is used by real estate investors who prioritize cash-on-cash return calculations and property performance metrics alongside basic accounting functions.

3. Landlord Studio

Landlord Studio is a property management and accounting platform with a strong focus on mobile functionality. The platform emphasizes on-the-go expense tracking through its receipt scanning app.

Landlord Studio's capabilities

  • Mobile receipt scanning: Photograph and categorize receipts directly from the app
  • Expense tracking: Log expenses with property-level categorization
  • Rent collection: Online payment processing for tenants
  • Xero integration: Two-way sync for accounting workflows
  • Mileage tracking: Log property visits for tax deductions

Pricing structure

  • Free: Up to 3 units with basic features
  • Pro: $12/month when billed annually, including 3 units, plus $1 per additional unit

Landlord Studio's positioning

Landlord Studio is designed for landlords who need mobile-first expense tracking and receipt management. The per-unit pricing model means costs scale with portfolio size, which may affect total cost for larger portfolios.

4. Avail

Avail, now part of Realtor.com, is a DIY landlord platform that combines listing syndication, tenant screening, and rent collection. The platform offers a free tier with full features for landlords.

Avail's core features

  • Listing syndication: Publish rental listings to Realtor.com, Redfin, Zumper, and other partner sites
  • Tenant screening: Background checks, credit reports, and eviction history
  • Rent collection: Online payments with FastPay acceleration on paid tier
  • Lease creation: State-specific digital lease templates
  • Maintenance tracking: Request submission and tracking for repairs

Pricing structure

  • Free: Unlimited properties with standard features
  • Unlimited Plus: $9/unit/month with FastPay, custom leases, and priority support

Avail's focus

Avail focuses on the full landlord workflow from listing to lease signing to rent collection. The platform integrates with Realtor.com for listing syndication, making it useful for landlords who want exposure on major rental listing sites. Accounting features are more basic compared to dedicated bookkeeping platforms.

5. Hemlane

Hemlane is a property management platform that emphasizes maintenance coordination and repair services. The platform offers 24/7 repair coordination on higher tiers.

Hemlane's capabilities

  • 24/7 repair coordination: Emergency maintenance handling with contractor dispatch
  • Rent collection: Online payment processing with automated reminders
  • Tenant screening: Background and credit checks
  • Local leasing agent support: Available on Complete plan
  • Owner portal: Financial reporting and property oversight

Pricing structure

  • Starter: $0/month with core software features
  • Basic: $28 platform fee plus $2/unit/month
  • Essential: $28 platform fee plus $20/unit/month with repair coordination
  • Complete: $28 platform fee plus $58/unit/month with expanded management assistance

Hemlane's positioning

Hemlane is designed for landlords who want hands-off maintenance management, particularly remote investors who cannot personally coordinate repairs. The per-property pricing structure reflects the included service components.

6. TenantCloud

TenantCloud is a cloud-based property management platform offering tenant portals, accounting, and maintenance tracking at affordable price points.

TenantCloud's capabilities

  • Tenant portal: Online access for rent payments and maintenance requests
  • Accounting: Basic income and expense tracking
  • Rent collection: ACH and card payments
  • Maintenance requests: Tenant submission and tracking
  • Lease management: Digital lease creation and storage

TenantCloud's positioning

TenantCloud provides broad property management functionality at lower price points. The platform covers multiple landlord workflows including accounting, rent collection, and tenant communication, though individual features may be less specialized than purpose-built alternatives.

Choosing the right REI Hub alternative

The right platform depends on which capabilities matter most for rental property operations. For landlords managing multiple properties across different entities, Baselane's approach of combining banking with bookkeeping addresses the operational complexity of maintaining separate bank relationships. Baselane allows investors to create property-specific accounts and automatically categorize transactions without importing data from external banks.

The platform's integrated approach means rent payments deposit directly into property-specific banking accounts, transactions are automatically assigned to each property and entity using 120+ real-estate-specific categories, and tax preparation workflows pull from a single system rather than requiring data exports and imports across multiple tools. Real estate investors can issue physical and virtual debit cards with property-specific spend limits, manage security deposit accounts separately from operating accounts, and generate complete tax packages including Schedule E reports, transaction ledgers, and receipt documentation.

Making the transition

Migrating from REI Hub to an alternative platform typically involves:

  1. Exporting transaction history: REI Hub provides CSV export for historical data
  2. Setting up property structures: Configure properties, entities, and categories in the new platform
  3. Connecting accounts: Link bank accounts and payment processors
  4. Verifying categorization: Review how the new platform handles transaction assignment

Most platforms offer onboarding support to assist with data migration. Baselane provides onboarding assistance for new accounts, and the platform's banking accounts can be opened online without branch visits.

For landlords evaluating tax preparation software specifically, consider how each platform handles Schedule E generation, multi-entity reporting, and receipt management during the transition.

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FAQs

What features does REI Hub offer that alternatives may not?

REI Hub provides automatic mortgage amortization that splits principal, interest, and escrow without manual entry. This feature is particularly useful for landlords who want detailed loan tracking. However, REI Hub does not include rent collection, banking, or tenant screening, requiring separate tools for those functions.

Can Baselane be used alongside property management software?

Yes. Baselane positions itself as the banking and bookkeeping layer that works alongside property management tools. The platform handles financial operations including banking accounts, transaction categorization, rent collection, and tax reporting, while separate PM software can handle maintenance coordination, listing management, and other operational workflows.

How does Baselane's rent collection work with its banking accounts?

Baselane's rent collection deposits tenant payments directly into property-specific banking accounts. Landlords can set up automated invoicing and payment reminders, and the platform automatically applies late fees based on lease terms. Tenants pay through a secure portal using ACH, debit card, or credit card.

What is the difference between Baselane's Core and Smart tiers?

Baselane's Core tier ($0/month) includes unlimited banking accounts, basic bookkeeping, rent collection, 5-day rent deposits, and physical/virtual debit cards with no monthly account maintenance fees. The Smart tier ($20/month with 30-day free trial) adds AI auto-tagging, 2-day rent deposits, advanced categorization rules, auto-receipt matching, custom categories, balance sheets, and priority support.

Do any REI Hub alternatives offer high-yield savings accounts?

Baselane offers savings accounts earning up to [v="apyvalue"] APY² with FDIC coverage up to [v="fdic_long"]¹. Stessa also offers savings accounts through its Cash Management feature. Most other alternatives do not include integrated banking or savings account functionality, requiring landlords to use external banks for reserve funds and operating capital.

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