How AppFolio prices
AppFolio prices in tiers (Core, Plus, Max), each with a stated minimum spend — Core additionally carries a 50-unit minimum. None of the three tiers publish an actual dollar figure; every plan routes to "Get a quote" after a demo call.
At a glance
| Direct PMS | AppFolio | |
|---|---|---|
| Vacancy earns without a second login | LT and ST share one calendar per unit — a lease can't be created that overlaps an active booking, and a booking can't be taken against a leased unit. | AppFolio has no booking calendar. A vacant unit earning nightly income becomes a second subscription, reconciled by hand. |
| No 50-unit minimum to get started | Pricing is per unit, per module, from the first unit you list. | AppFolio's Core tier alone carries a 50-unit minimum — a smaller portfolio doesn't qualify for its lowest tier. |
| One ledger for every business line | Rent, resale commissions and caretaking costs post to the same ledger an owner statement pulls from. | AppFolio's rent roll is the whole product — sales and caretaking, if you run them, get reconciled somewhere else. |
| Published pricing | Free to 2 properties, then from $50/month plus a per-property fee. Every figure is on the pricing page. | AppFolio prices in tiers (Core, Plus, Max), each with a stated minimum spend — Core additionally carries a 50-unit minimum. None of the three tiers publish an actual dollar figure; every plan routes to "Get a quote" after a demo call. |
Where Direct PMS is different
LT and ST share one calendar per unit — a lease can't be created that overlaps an active booking, and a booking can't be taken against a leased unit.
AppFolio has no booking calendar. A vacant unit earning nightly income becomes a second subscription, reconciled by hand.
Pricing is per unit, per module, from the first unit you list.
AppFolio's Core tier alone carries a 50-unit minimum — a smaller portfolio doesn't qualify for its lowest tier.
Rent, resale commissions and caretaking costs post to the same ledger an owner statement pulls from.
AppFolio's rent roll is the whole product — sales and caretaking, if you run them, get reconciled somewhere else.
The honest objection
"We're already deep into AppFolio — why would we re-platform?"
You wouldn't, for the leasing book alone — AppFolio is a capable rent-roll tool. The question is what happens the day an owner asks you to also handle their short-term rental, their eventual resale, or the turnover work between tenancies. AppFolio doesn't have a booking calendar or a sales pipeline; that becomes a second subscription and a second login, reconciled by hand.
Switching from AppFolio
Coming from AppFolio, the export you already run for owner reporting — units, tenants, active leases, deposit balances — is the same data we map in. Nothing about switching means re-entering your rent roll by hand.
What you get that AppFolio doesn't cover
Direct PMS runs every business line on one registry — you only subscribe to the modules you use.
Tenancy onboarding that blocks the calendar, monthly invoicing, a Paid/Arrear/Due cell per tenancy per month, deposits posted to the ledger and refunded on move-out.
Maintenance work orders with SLAs, move-out inspections, building staff and assets.
A vacant furnished unit is one flag away from nightly income on your own booking site — and tenancy onboarding automatically refuses if bookings conflict.
Dispositions and owner resales through your own pipeline.
Turn-key furnishing between tenancies, quoted and invoiced.