AppFolio and DoorLoop end up on the same shortlist when a property management company passes 50 doors and its first software stops keeping up. The two vendors price in opposite ways. DoorLoop publishes a ladder that steps up every 20 units. AppFolio took its prices off the website in September 2024 and now sells only by quote, with a 50-unit minimum printed on the page. That makes a straight comparison hard, so we put the last AppFolio list rates next to DoorLoop's current ladder and did the arithmetic by door count.
Both are back offices. Neither one fills an empty unit. If a vacancy is costing you this month, you can list the unit on RentPlace for $39 a month and receive inquiries that already answer move-in date, income and occupants, or check your ad first in the Listing Grader.
The short answer
Under 50 units, DoorLoop is the only one of the two you can buy, because AppFolio Core has a 50-unit minimum. From 50 to 300 units, DoorLoop Pro costs less than AppFolio Core at its last list price: $2,508 a year against $3,576 at 100 units, and $4,728 against $5,364 at 300. Above 300 units DoorLoop moves to a sales quote, and AppFolio's $1.49 per unit is the only published rate left of the two.
The tier you compare matters. AppFolio Core's flat $298 monthly minimum covers everything from 50 to 200 units, so against DoorLoop Premium, AppFolio is cheaper from about 100 units up. The full ladders are on our AppFolio pricing and DoorLoop pricing pages.
AppFolio vs DoorLoop pricing from 50 to 500 units
Yearly subscription before onboarding and payment fees. DoorLoop's figures are its annual-billing monthly rate times twelve. AppFolio's are its August 2024 list rates times twelve, the last prices AppFolio printed; a quote today may land above or below them.
| Units | DoorLoop Pro | DoorLoop Premium | AppFolio Core | AppFolio Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | $1,968 | $2,868 | Not sold below 50 | Not sold |
| 50 | $2,148 | $3,228 | $3,576 | Minimum applies |
| 100 | $2,508 | $3,828 | $3,576 | Minimum applies |
| 200 | $3,228 | $6,108 | $3,576 | $7,680 plus minimum |
| 300 | $4,728 | $9,108 | $5,364 | $11,520 plus minimum |
| 500 | Quote | Quote | $8,940 | $19,200 |
Per door, the two products cross over. DoorLoop Pro runs from $3.58 a door per month at 50 units to $1.31 at 300. AppFolio Core starts at $5.96 a door at 50 units, because the $298 minimum is spread over few units, and only reaches its headline $1.49 at 200. If you are at 60 doors and growing fast, the AppFolio bill will not move until you pass 200; the DoorLoop Pro bill steps up six times on the way.
What residents pay on each platform
The subscription is only half of it. Both platforms charge residents per online rent payment, and the gap is large enough to show up in renewal conversations.
| Fee | DoorLoop | AppFolio |
|---|---|---|
| Rent by ACH | $2.49 Starter, $0.99 Pro, free on Premium, charged to the tenant | Shown at payment; reported as $2.49, or $1.00 if the manager absorbs it |
| Rent by card | 3.25% on every plan | Shown at payment, not published |
| Cash at a retailer | $3.95 at Western Union | $3.99 or $4.99 (AppFolio's help gives both) |
| Tenant screening | $45 / $35 / $25 by plan, can be passed to applicants | Set in your quote |
At 100 units with every tenant paying by ACH, residents pay about $1,188 a year in platform fees on DoorLoop Pro and nothing on Premium. On AppFolio at the reported $2.49, they pay about $2,988, or the company pays $1,200 if it takes the reduced fee on itself. That is why DoorLoop Premium at $3,828 can be the cheaper all-in choice at 100 units for a manager who absorbs payment fees as a resident perk.
Is AppFolio more expensive than DoorLoop?
Against DoorLoop Pro, yes, at every published count. Against DoorLoop Premium, only below about 100 units. AppFolio Core's $298 monthly floor costs more than DoorLoop Pro at every count from 50 to 300 units. From 200 units up, Core's flat $1.49 per unit undercuts DoorLoop Premium by a wide margin, and above 300 units AppFolio is the only one of the two with a published rate at all.
AppFolio's own results show where its money comes from. In fiscal 2025 it reported $950.8 million of revenue, of which $721.5 million came from Value Added Services such as payments and screening, against $211.5 million from the core subscription. The subscription is the small part of what an AppFolio customer and its residents pay over a year.
The costs neither pricing page shows
- Onboarding. Both charge a one-time onboarding fee "based on portfolio size", and neither publishes it. Ask for it in writing.
- DoorLoop's AI add-on. AI inspections, the assistant and listing descriptions cost 25% on top of the Pro price or 15% on Premium.
- AppFolio's API. Core has none. Read access comes with Plus and write access with Max, so an integration can move you up a plan.
- Migration labor. Moving ledgers, owners and leases is the expensive week. Before cutover, reconcile each trust bank statement against the ledger you are exporting, so opening balances in the new system start clean.
Where AppFolio is the better buy
- Against DoorLoop Premium from 100 units. Core costs $3,576 a year at 200 units against $6,108 for Premium, and it covers growth from 50 to 200 units without a single price step.
- More than 300 units. DoorLoop stops publishing at 300; AppFolio's scale is 9.4 million units under management across its customers at the end of 2025.
- You need an API on a large portfolio. Plus and Max include read and read/write access with a dedicated success manager on Max.
Our AppFolio review covers what managers report after signing, and the Buildium vs AppFolio pricing comparison runs the same numbers against the third big suite.
Where DoorLoop is the better buy
- Under 50 units. AppFolio will not sell to you; DoorLoop sells from one unit.
- 50 to 200 units on Pro. Cheaper than AppFolio Core at every count, with published prices you can budget against.
- You want ACH free for residents. Premium waives the tenant ACH fee on every payment.
- You want to see the price before the demo. DoorLoop's ladder is public; AppFolio's has not been since 2024.
If Buildium is the other name on your list, see DoorLoop vs Buildium pricing, and our DoorLoop review covers support and setup.
What to ask on both demo calls
- The price at your next growth step. DoorLoop moves every 20 units; AppFolio's minimum and per-unit rate decide when the floor stops mattering.
- The onboarding fee at your exact door count, and whether a current offer waives it.
- Every resident fee by payment method, and whether you can absorb it.
- Contract length and the price at renewal. A first-year discount is common on both sides.
Then deal with the part neither platform touches. A vacant unit at $1,800 a month costs about $60 a day, and the back office only earns once a lease is signed. RentPlace's plans for property managers sort inquiries by move-in date, income and occupants before they reach your leasing team, and the $99 and $299 tiers cover 25 and 150 active listings.