They charge PMS money.
You need a lease portal.

Full PMS tax

Buildium

Full property management software for growing portfolios

~$50+/mo

≈ 5× JustLease base

Often ~$50+/mo and up (unit-based PMS plans)

• –Core / Growth-style plans commonly start around the $50/month range and scale with units and features.
• –Full PMS pricing is built for accounting, maintenance, and portfolio ops—not a thin lease portal.
• –E-sign, banking, and add-ons can sit outside the base sticker depending on plan and partners.

You pay for a full property management stack even if you only wanted tenants to sign a lease and pay rent.

Enterprise stack

AppFolio

Enterprise-style property management for professional operators

Custom $$$$

≈ 20× JustLease base

Typically custom / high for professional operators

• –AppFolio is sold to property managers and larger operators; pricing is usually quote-based, not a $10 DIY sticker.
• –Expect software cost in a different league than hobby or few-door landlords.
• –Implementation, training, and modules push total cost of ownership up fast.

Enterprise PMS economics. Fine if you run a shop. Painful if you own a duplex and just need e-sign + rent.

Marketplace bleed

Zillow Rental Manager

Listing, screening, and rent tools tied to the Zillow marketplace

Fees stack up

Listings often free; ops tools and payments add fees

• –Basic listing on Zillow-family sites is often free or low friction for landlords.
• –Tenant screening, premium placement, and payment products can add per-use or percentage costs.
• –You are still in a marketplace ecosystem—not a landlord-owned lease workspace.

The “free listing” headline does not replace a clear monthly portal for docs, free e-sign, and rent history you control.

Pay per vacancy

Apartments.com

Rental listings and lead generation for vacant units

Ad packages

Advertising / package pricing to get leads

• –Pricing is typically listing packages, featured placement, or property advertising—not a flat $10 ops portal.
• –You pay to fill a vacancy, then still need somewhere to run the signed lease and rent.
• –Lead gen cost is separate from ongoing tenant portal software.

Marketing spend does not include free digital lease signing and a permanent tenant portal at a transparent software price.

Traffic only

Rent.com

Rental advertising and renter search

Ad spend

Listing / advertising cost to attract renters

• –Cost is oriented around advertising exposure and renter traffic, not monthly lease ops.
• –Packages and promotions vary; you are buying attention, not a full document + rent stack.
• –Once leased, you still need a portal for docs, signatures, and payments.

You can spend on ads and still lack free e-sign and a cheap landlord portal for day two.

Learn ≠ operate

BiggerPockets

Education, community, and investing tools for real estate investors

~$39+/mo

≈ 3.9× JustLease base

Membership tiers (Pro / Pro+ style) for education & tools

• –BiggerPockets sells community and investor education; Pro-style memberships are a separate monthly/annual spend.
• –Calculator and investing tools do not replace a lease document vault and rent ledger.
• –Worth it for learning—still not your tenant-facing portal.

Paying for education memberships does not buy free lease e-sign and online rent collection for your doors.