Short answer: Flat-rate software is usually easier to budget, while per-unit pricing can be efficient when the portfolio is small and the minimum is low. Neither model is automatically cheaper. The correct comparison adds subscription tiers, minimums, transactions, screening, signatures, messaging, onboarding, integrations, migration, and staff time over three years.
The formula vendors rarely put on one page
Use this calculation for every finalist:
Three-year cost = subscription + usage fees + onboarding + migration + integrations + internal setup time + expected price changes.
Keep payment-processing funds separate from software cost when the tenant pays the fee, but include any amount your business absorbs.
Model three portfolio sizes
Calculate today's portfolio, the expected portfolio in 18 months, and a downside case where growth stalls. A plan can look inexpensive today and become awkward at the next threshold. Flat tiers can also waste money when the business sits just above a cap.
Include fees by workflow
- Leasing: applications, screening, lease templates, and eSignatures.
- Payments: incoming ACH, cards, outgoing owner or vendor payments, and chargebacks.
- Communication: SMS, dedicated numbers, email volume, and automated messages.
- Operations: additional users, document storage, inspections, API access, and automation.
- Implementation: data cleaning, imports, training, parallel operation, and accountant review.
A worked planning example
Suppose a 20-property team compares a $29 flat tier with a product billed at $2 per unit but carrying a $50 monthly minimum. Subscription-only math favors the flat tier by $21 per month. That answer can reverse if the flat product requires a separate accounting tool or the per-unit product includes a workflow that saves several staff hours. Assign an hourly cost to repeated manual work.
How current products illustrate the models
JHA Solutions publishes flat portfolio tiers: free for three properties, Starter at $29 for up to 25 properties, and Pro at $99 with unlimited properties. Yardi Breeze publishes starting per-unit prices with minimums. Buildium publishes package starting prices and separate charges for selected services. AppFolio asks buyers to request a quote. These are different commercial structures, not directly comparable sticker prices.
Questions to send every salesperson
- What is the complete price for our current units and users?
- What changes at our next portfolio threshold?
- Which features or integrations require a higher tier?
- Which transaction fees can our company absorb?
- What will implementation, import, training, and cancellation cost?
- How do we export all records, documents, and financial data?
Bottom line
The cheapest subscription is not always the lowest-cost operating system. Compare the cost of completing the work correctly. Use JHA's current pricing page and our full cost worksheet.