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How to Create a Digital Lease Agreement
Digital lease agreements eliminate the stress of printing off lengthy rental contracts, attending time-consuming in-person signings with tenants, and keeping track of sensitive...
The best online rent payment software should make collecting rent effortless, but with so many options on the market, where should you turn? Cash and checks are outdated, and according to PYMNTS, “renters who use online payment methods report a satisfaction rate of 77%, which is much higher than the 35% satisfaction rate among those who use traditional payment methods.”
To help you decide on the right software for you, we’ve analyzed the top brands of 2025 and scrutinized essential factors such as payment options, security features, automation capabilities, and cost.
Some platforms on this list focus strictly on rent payments, while others boast other features that help landlords streamline their entire rental operation. Continue reading to discover the ideal fit for your portfolio and eliminate manual rent collection processes today.
Online rent payment software is a streamlined way to collect rent electronically, track payments, send reminders, and manage financial records online. Major property management companies have used it for some time, but now, independent landlords have a range of options to consider.
Like those large companies, no landlord wants to chase down physical payments, especially those who manage properties remotely. Envelopes full of cash, bounced checks, and the same old tired excuses from tenants simply won’t cut it anymore. It’s 2025, remember?
As you search for a product, consider the following features while you decide:
Price: Free for landlords
TurboTenant’s rent collection software is 100% free for landlords. It’s engineered to reduce friction throughout the payment process, making rent collection and payment easy for both landlords and tenants.
Through a secure payment portal, tenants can send rent via ACH, debit, or credit card. Furthermore, landlords who accept cash, checks, or money orders can record these offline payments within the platform to maintain a balanced ledger.
Regarding other payment features, TurboTenant allows landlords to assess automatic late fees, enable rent reporting, set up recurring payments, and more. These features are easily accessible within the online portal and enable seamless integration with TurboTenant’s powerful rental accounting software, powered by REI Hub.
Landlords will also appreciate TurboTenant’s other intuitive features that help users market rentals, screen tenants, create leases, coordinate maintenance, and more. With over 750,000 landlords using TurboTenant, signing up is a no-brainer for any independent property owner.
Create a free TurboTenant account today (no credit card required) to collect rent online and centralize all your other essential landlording duties.
Pros: Free for landlords, multiple tenant payment options, automatic late fees, rent reminders, rent reporting, fast setup
Cons: Tenants pay processing fees for card transactions
Price: Basic plan starts at $12/month
RentRedi provides landlords with detailed control over rent collection, including ACH, debit, and credit card payments, as well as automatic recurring payments and late fee settings. Like TurboTenant, RentRedi landlords can split rent, set up auto-pay, and send reminders through a user-friendly interface.
In addition to rent collection, RentRedi includes rental applications, customizable lease templates, maintenance tracking, accounting integrations with QuickBooks, and more. It’s a serviceable, well-reviewed option for rent collection and other landlord duties in 2025.
The downsides? RentRedi doesn’t offer a free tier like some competing platforms and requires landlords to purchase a paid subscription to start collecting rent.
Pros: Supports auto-pay, late fee administration, QuickBooks integration
Cons: Paid subscription required (no free plan), some features better suited for mid-sized portfolios
Price: Free 7-day trial, paid plans start at $24/month
PayRent, a digital rent collection platform, lets landlords accept ACH, debit, or credit card payments. With it, landlords can block partial payments, set automatic late fees, send rent reminders, and receive next-day deposits with a paid plan.
Additionally, landlords can enable rent reporting to all three credit bureaus, customize payment rules, and pass on fees to tenants. In terms of pricing, PayRent offers three plans: Pay-As-You-Go (pay for what you use), Do-It-Yourself ($24/month), and Go-Like-A-Pro ($59/month).
Unfortunately, PayRent doesn’t include property marketing, lease generation, or maintenance features. Some of its best tools, such as rent reporting and instant funding, require a paid subscription, which is pretty standard. If you need it for rent collection and a few other needs, it could be a fit for you.
Pros: Block partial payments, rent reporting, next-day deposits, auto-late fees, e-sign
Cons: No lease templates or maintenance management
Price: $15/month for the first debit and $2 for each additional debit. Bi-weekly and semimonthly debits cost $4.
ClearNow helps landlords collect rent via automatic ACH withdrawals on a fixed schedule. It allows tenants to authorize recurring bank drafts, and landlords receive the funds 3 business days later. As with many options here, this is a set-it-and-forget-it solution for rent collection.
In addition to rent collection, ClearNow offers detailed payment tracking, automated email notices for failed payments, optional rent reporting, and split payments that allow roommates on the same lease to pay their share separately.
A key limitation is the inability for tenants to pay with credit or debit cards. While ClearNow handles ACH rent payments as reliably as you could ask for, landlords should look elsewhere if they desire more of an all-in-one approach that can handle debit and credit card payments.
Pros: Automated ACH drafts, rent reporting, roommate payment support, no tech skills required
Cons: No tenant portal, no one-time payments, no leasing tools, slow deposit timeline
Price: Free for landlords, tenants pay a small transaction fee
RentTrack allows tenants to pay rent securely via ACH, debit, or credit card while automatically reporting on-time payments. Landlords receive funds directly into their bank accounts via direct deposit and can track payment status in a digital dashboard.
With an emphasis on credit building, RentTrack encourages tenants to make on-time payments. It works like this: For a monthly fee of $6.95 per person, tenants can have their rent payments reported to all three major credit bureaus. For retroactive reporting, the LookBack feature allows users to report up to 24 months of past rent payments at their current property for a one-time fee of $50.
While the RentTrack platform lacks leasing, maintenance, and screening tools, it’s a solid choice for landlords who want to incentivize tenants to build their credit by making on-time payments. With that in mind, it won’t handle any other property management tasks beyond rent collection.
Pros: Rent reporting, recurring payments, multi-credit bureau support, tenant credit dashboard
Cons: No lease templates, no maintenance features, limited landlord tools outside of rent collection
Price: Free
Zelle lets tenants send rent directly from their bank to yours, within minutes. It’s free, widely available, and easy to use. So, what’s the catch? For starters, Zelle wasn’t designed specifically for rent payments, so landlords must manually handle tracking, reminders, and late fees.
Furthermore, Zelle doesn’t offer much else outside of instant payments. Their barebones software offers no lease integration, bookkeeping tools, or tenant communication features. It’s strictly a peer-to-peer payment app, making it best for informal or low-volume landlords.
Not to mention, Zelle offers zero dispute resolution or fraud protection for landlords. It does what it sets out to do very well, but landlords using it will need to handle rent collection without customer support, issue management, or other essential security features.
Plus, if you have a non-paying tenant and are seeking eviction, a partial payment through Zelle could derail the proceedings.
Pros: Free to use, instant transfers, no sign-up if your bank supports it, available through most major banks
Cons: No payment tracking, no automatic reminders, no late fee support, no landlord protections
Price: Free for landlords with a Baselane bank account, tenants pay debit/credit card fees
Baselane processes rent through ACH, credit, and debit cards, and offers features like recurring payments, automatic late fees, and next-day deposits. Tenants can receive email reminders before each due date and report on-time payments to credit bureaus for free, a rare perk.
On top of rent collection, Baselane functions as a banking and financial center. With it, landlords can open dedicated rental bank accounts, automate bookkeeping, categorize expenses by property, and generate detailed financial reports, all for free.
Baselane focuses heavily on financial features but lacks tools for leasing, maintenance requests, and more. So, while it offers powerful financial tools, landlords should look elsewhere to automate the rest of their property management operation.
Pros: Free ACH payments, built-in bookkeeping, rent reporting, property-level income tracking
Cons: No lease templates, no maintenance tracking, banking-first interface may not suit all landlords
Price: Free for landlords, tenant-paid processing fees
RentMerchant processes rent via ACH, debit, credit card, or eChecks. Optional auto-pay, late fee settings, and email payment reminders eliminate manual tasks. Landlords receive funds directly into their bank accounts, and tenants pay processing fees, making it free for landlords to collect online payments.
With Rent Merchant, landlords can create customizable payment pages to embed into their existing website. New users can also try Rent Merchant for free for 30 days (no credit card required), making it easy to test drive the platform’s tools without paying a dime.
Keep in mind that RentMerchant is a rent-only platform with a basic interface and limited customization features. It’s best suited for hands-on landlords who want simple payment collection and nothing else.
Pros: Free for landlords, flexible payment types, auto-late fees, simple dashboard
Cons: No lease tools, no maintenance tracking, limited reporting features
Price: Starts at $55/month, based on unit count
Buildium, a popular option among landlords with large portfolios, processes rent through ACH and credit/debit cards. Users can apply customizable due dates, automatic late fees, recurring payments, and same-day bank deposits for eligible accounts.
Beyond rent, it’s a full property management system that offers lease agreement templates, tenant screening, maintenance coordination, accounting tools, document storage, and e-sign capabilities. It also provides bank reconciliation and bulk messaging, which is helpful for complex setups.
The tradeoffs? It’s built (and priced) for large-scale property managers, not small-time landlords. If you’re managing a few units, it might not be the most cost-effective solution for you. But, if you manage a large number of units, it could work well.
Pros: Same-day deposits, intuitive accounting tools, robust lease and screening features, tax prep tools
Cons: Higher cost, overbuilt for small landlords, learning curve
Price: Free basic plan, $9/unit/month for Unlimited Plus
Avail, a property management platform owned by Realtor.com, offers rent collection via ACH, credit, or debit card. As with many other options on this list, landlords can also set up automatic payments, late fees, rent reminders, and track transactions in real-time.
Beyond payments, Avail offers a range of useful property management features, including tenant screening, state-specific lease agreements, maintenance request tracking, and bookkeeping tools. Premium users can enable next-day payouts and rent reporting to TransUnion.
In terms of drawbacks, Avail doesn’t offer a mobile app. For on-the-go landlords, that may be a deal-breaker.
Pros: Auto-pay setup, lease templates, rent reporting, maintenance tracking
Cons: No mobile app
Price: Free for personal use, fees for business accounts
You likely already have Venmo, PayPal, or Cash App on your phone, making it easy to receive rent from your tenants with just a username or QR code. No platform setup, forms to fill out, or special account necessary.
In terms of features, these mobile payment powerhouses offer basic payment notes, instant transfers (for an extra fee), and simple transaction logs. PayPal includes limited invoicing. CashApp, on the other hand, supports direct deposits, which provide landlords with fast access to their earnings.
However, these options lack basic landlord functionality, which means no automatic payments, rent reminders, late fee assessment, or integration with accounting software. By collecting rent through Venmo, PayPal, or CashApp, you’ll need to hope that your tenant pays on time and track all your rental transactions yourself.
Plus, there isn’t much security if your tenant gets your username wrong and sends rent to somebody else.
Pros: Easy to use, widely adopted, instant transfers, no subscription
Cons: No auto-pay, no late fees, no lease tie-in, manual tracking required
From simple rent payment processors to full-on property management software platforms, we’ve recommended some of the best options online today.
So, which company should you choose?
If you’re looking for a well-rounded rent collection platform that also handles essential landlord tasks, such as marketing, screening, and lease management, TurboTenant offers a compelling solution for an inexpensive price.
Sign up for a free account today to cross rent collection off your never-ending to-do list.
Any option on this list will work for rent collection, but the best choice depends on how you manage your rentals. For independent landlords, we recommend using TurboTenant to collect rent, as it’s free and includes additional tools to streamline property management.
The easiest way to collect rent online is through platforms tenants already use, like Zelle, Venmo, or Cash App. However, while these options are simple to use, they lack essential features such as accounting, security, and property management. Landlords seeking an all-in-one solution should look elsewhere.
Yes, it’s safe to pay rent online. All the tools on this list utilize secure processing, typically through trusted providers such as Stripe or Plaid. The brands on this list encrypt sensitive data, protect bank details, and eliminate the risks associated with mailing checks or accepting cash.
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