Zillow Rental Manager and TurboTenant both cost a landlord nothing to start, so the price comparison is really about two other things: what each one charges when you want more, and what each one charges your tenants and applicants. Zillow sells visibility on its own portal, $39.99 per listing per vacancy. TurboTenant sells software, a flat yearly fee per portfolio band. Those are different purchases, which is why most landlords who compare them end up using both.
Neither one decides which of the thirty people who wrote to you is worth a showing. If you have an empty unit right now, you can list it on RentPlace for $39 a month and get inquiries that arrive with move-in date, income band and pets already answered, or score your current ad first in the Listing Grader.
The short answer
Zillow Rental Manager is cheaper for the landlord: $0 a year unless you buy a $39.99 premium upgrade, against $0, $149 or $199 a year for one to ten doors on TurboTenant. It is also cheaper for tenants: free bank payments, a $35 application and a 2.95% card fee, against $2 per payment, $45 or $55 and 3.49% on TurboTenant. TurboTenant wins on reach beyond Zillow and on landlord tools such as accounting and faster payouts.
Every fee behind those numbers is on our Zillow Rental Manager cost and TurboTenant pricing pages. This article puts them in one place and does the arithmetic for a typical small portfolio.
Zillow Rental Manager vs TurboTenant pricing for the landlord
The two price on different units. TurboTenant charges by how many doors you own, billed once a year. Zillow charges by how many vacancies you choose to promote, $39.99 each for up to 90 days, with no bulk pricing and no automatic renewal. So the fair way to compare them is a year of a real portfolio: doors owned and vacancies filled.
| Portfolio | Zillow, free listings | Zillow, every vacancy upgraded | TurboTenant Free | TurboTenant Essentials | TurboTenant Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 door, 1 vacancy a year | $0 | $39.99 | $0 | $149 | $199 |
| 3 doors, 1 vacancy a year | $0 | $39.99 | $0 | $149 | $199 |
| 5 doors, 2 vacancies a year | $0 | $79.98 | $0 | $149 | $199 |
| 10 doors, 4 vacancies a year | $0 | $159.96 | $0 | $149 | $199 |
| 20 doors, 8 vacancies a year | $0 | $319.92 | $0 | $199 | $399 |
Yearly cost to the landlord, US dollars. A slow unit that stays empty past 90 days needs a second $39.99 upgrade, which the table does not count. TurboTenant's paid plans are billed annually only; the per-month figure on its pricing page is the yearly price divided by twelve.
Two readings matter. At ten doors with normal turnover, upgrading every Zillow vacancy costs about the same as TurboTenant Essentials, so the decision is about what you get, not the bill. And the two columns are not substitutes. The Zillow money buys a higher spot in Zillow search for one listing. The TurboTenant money buys state-specific leases and phone support on Essentials, plus accounting, income verification and free bank payments for tenants on Pro, across every door all year.
What tenants and applicants pay on each
This is where Zillow is clearly the cheaper platform, and it is the half of the comparison most landlords skip. Both companies earn from the renter side, but Zillow takes less.
| Fee | Zillow Rental Manager | TurboTenant |
|---|---|---|
| Application and screening | $35, portable to other Zillow listings for 30 days | $55 if you are on Free, $45 on Pro |
| Rent by bank transfer (ACH) | Free | $2 per payment, waived on Pro |
| Rent by debit card | $9.95 flat | 3.49% |
| Rent by credit card | 2.95% | 3.49% |
| Can the landlord change the fee? | No, Zillow states the $35 cannot be adjusted | Upgrading to Pro lowers screening and waives ACH |
Put numbers on it for five doors at $1,800 rent with two vacancies and four applicants each. On Zillow the eight applicants pay $280 and tenants paying by bank pay nothing. On TurboTenant Free the applicants pay $440 and the tenants pay $120 a year in bank transfer fees, $560 in all. Pro brings that to $360 and $0 for $199 of your money. A tenant who pays by debit card is the starkest case: $9.95 a month on Zillow, $62.82 on TurboTenant.
In states that cap application fees, the fixed $35 can matter more than any of this, because neither landlord can lower it below the platform's price. Check your state's limit before you send either link.
Does TurboTenant post to Zillow?
No. TurboTenant's own help center says it does not publish listings directly on Zillow. Its listings can reach Zillow's sister sites, HotPads and Trulia, which is why some leads show up labeled "Zillow Group", and it syndicates to partners including Apartments.com, Zumper and Realtor.com within about 48 hours. If you want the unit on Zillow itself, you post it there.
That single fact settles most of the "which one" question. A landlord who uses only TurboTenant is missing the largest rental portal. A landlord who uses only Zillow Rental Manager is missing Apartments.com, Zumper and Realtor.com, and has no accounting or lease builder beyond Zillow's own tools. Our Zillow vs Apartments.com for landlords article covers how much of the audience each portal holds, and the Apartments.com listing fees page covers what posting there directly costs.
One caution if you run both. Zillow publishes a single version of a listing per address across its network, and a listing already arriving from a feed or another account will not go live twice. If TurboTenant has the unit on HotPads or Trulia and you post it in Zillow Rental Manager too, check which version Zillow is showing and keep price, photos and availability identical in both places.
How fast the rent reaches you
Free rent collection on both platforms comes with a wait, and the wait is the real cost of the free tier.
| Payment | Zillow Rental Manager | TurboTenant Free | TurboTenant paid plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer (ACH) | 5 to 6 business days | 5 to 7 business days | 2 to 4 business days |
| Card | 2 to 3 business days | 1 to 3 business days | 1 to 3 business days |
If your mortgage payment is due on the fifth and rent is due on the first, a five-to-seven-day ACH payout can land after the mortgage. That alone moves some landlords onto a paid TurboTenant plan. Zillow has no faster payout option to buy. For late payments, Zillow lets you send a one-time request for a late fee yourself; TurboTenant can charge late fees and send reminders automatically on every plan, including Free.
Where Zillow Rental Manager is the better buy
- Your tenants carry the fees. Free bank payments and a $35 application against $2 and $55 on TurboTenant Free.
- You own one to three doors and turn over rarely. One $39.99 upgrade a year, or none, beats any paid band.
- You want Zillow itself. TurboTenant cannot put the unit there; only Zillow Rental Manager or a feed can.
- Debit card payers. A flat $9.95 against 3.49% is a $50-plus monthly gap on typical rent.
Where TurboTenant is the better buy
- You want reach beyond Zillow. Apartments.com, Zumper, Realtor.com, HotPads and Trulia from one listing.
- You want a back office. Accounting, unlimited state leases, roles and income verification on Pro, $199 a year for ten doors.
- Rent has to arrive fast. Paid plans pay out ACH in 2 to 4 business days, Zillow takes 5 to 6.
- You have ten doors and steady turnover. Pro waives tenant ACH fees across all ten for less than five Zillow upgrades.
If TurboTenant is on the shortlist with someone other than Zillow, our TurboTenant vs Avail pricing and Hemlane vs TurboTenant pricing comparisons run the same arithmetic, and the TurboTenant review covers what landlords say after a year on it.
Zillow Rental Manager vs TurboTenant questions landlords ask
Is TurboTenant better than Zillow Rental Manager?
For running the tenancy, yes: TurboTenant adds accounting, state leases, faster payouts and syndication to more than a handful of portals. For listing on Zillow and keeping tenant fees low, no: Zillow Rental Manager is free to post, charges applicants $35 against $45 or $55, and charges nothing for bank rent payments. Many landlords run both.
Is Zillow Rental Manager free for landlords?
Yes. Posting, applications, screening reports, leases and bank rent collection cost the landlord nothing. The only landlord charge is the optional premium upgrade, a one-time $39.99 per listing for up to 90 days, which does not renew on its own. Renters pay the $35 application fee and any card fees.
Can I use TurboTenant and Zillow Rental Manager together?
Yes, and it is a common setup: Zillow Rental Manager for the Zillow listing, TurboTenant for the other portals and the back office. Keep the listing details identical in both, because Zillow shows one version per address across Zillow, Trulia and HotPads, and screen every applicant through one platform so you compare like with like.
Which is cheaper for tenants, Zillow or TurboTenant?
Zillow. Bank transfers are free on Zillow and $2 on TurboTenant Free, applications are $35 against $55 on Free or $45 on Pro, and card payments are 2.95% or a flat $9.95 by debit against 3.49% on TurboTenant. Only a landlord on TurboTenant Pro closes the bank transfer gap.
What neither one does with the inquiries
Run both platforms and the inquiries double, and each one is still a name and a free-text message. Sorting thirty of those into five showings is a phone call each, and an $1,800 unit costs about $60 a day while you make them. If a co-owner or an assistant shares the inbox, a tool that routes every lead and request to the right person stops two of you calling the same renter. The bigger fix is upstream.
On RentPlace, renters answer move-in date, income band, occupants, pets and lease length before their message can send, so the sorting is done when the inquiry arrives. Use it alongside either platform. The Landlord plan is $39 a month for up to five listings, and every plan is on the pricing page.