You communicate on your phone, learn new things on your phone, get directions on your phone—you may as well collect rent on your phone, too. The best rent collection apps streamline the process of sending and receiving payments, saving you and your tenants time.
Even if you already collect rent online, apps can speed up the process and make it easy for you to get paid no matter where you and your renters are. But with so many apps out there, it can be tough to find the right one.
If you want to simplify rent collection, you’ve come to the right place. Here, we’re going over how rent collection apps work, what features you’ll need, and a few different apps to choose from. Keep reading to learn about the best rent collection apps of 2026.
What is a rent collection app, and how does it work?
A rent collection app is a handy piece of software that allows people to send and receive payments from their phones. Digital rent collection is the safest, most efficient way to collect rent today, and a dedicated app further improves the process.
Renters can send payments with a single tap (or, better yet, automate them entirely). Landlords receive rent payments through the app of their choice, regardless of location, so there’s no need to be tied to a desk or a mailbox to get paid.
Rent collection apps generally fall into one of two categories. You can choose either a peer-to-peer (P2P) payment app, such as Zelle or Venmo, or an app powered by a purpose-built rental management software. Ideally, you’ll want to use one of the latter.
Features to Look for in Rent Collection Apps
The functionality of rent collection apps can vary widely across the market. For the most convenience and ease of use, look for an app with these features:
Payment Reminders and Autopay: A good rent collection app should help you automate as much of the process as possible, including rent payment reminders and autopay options.
Responsive Customer Support: Some tenants might struggle to make in-app rent payments, and a strong customer support team can help them get back on track, saving you time and hassle.
Payment Tracking: When rent is due, automatic payment tracking lets you see who has and hasn’t paid in real time.
Built-in Accounting: While not all rent collection apps offer this feature, built-in accounting can simplify your financial recordkeeping, so you can easily monitor your income.
Rent Reporting: Landlords and tenants can benefit from rent reporting tools, which report on-time payments to credit bureaus. Your tenants build good credit, and you get fewer late payments.
Communication Tools: Ideally, you should be able to communicate with your renters on the same platform they use to make payments, simplifying oversight.
Automatic Late Fee Charges: Nobody wants to confront their tenants about late rent fees. Rent collection apps can handle the hard part, automatically charging late fees without a fight.
5 Best Rent Collection Apps of 2026
In 2026, rent collection apps are everywhere. To help you narrow down your options, we weighed the factors above and came up with these 5 apps:
TurboTenant
TurboTenant offers benefits for landlords and tenants alike. The app lets you automate payments, late fees, and reminders, and offers strong mobile support. Integrated financial accounting and a tenant communications hub make this a true one-stop shop for rent collection.
Landlords can join TurboTenant for free, and rent collection is included across all membership tiers. Though it won’t cost landlords extra, industry-standard transaction fees apply: tenants will pay an additional $2 for ACH direct deposits or 3.49% for credit and debit card payments.
TurboTenant’s easy-to-use interface and comprehensive property management tools, including lease generation, tenant screening, and maintenance coordination, make the app a top choice for landlords. Though some users report slower payment processing times, TurboTenant’s additional features may offset this for many landlords.
TenantCloud
Property management software TenantCloud offers mobile-friendly rent collection with several helpful tools. With it comes autopay and rent reporting, as well as expedited payment options. Landlords and tenants can also view payment history in a single central location, helping prevent disputes and complaints on either side.
TenantCloud memberships start at $16.50 monthly for landlords. Tenants, meanwhile, pay 3.5% plus $0.30 per card payment, and between $1.50 and $1.95 per ACH payment, depending on their landlord’s plan. Rent reporting also costs tenants $4.95 per month.
Despite these costs, your renters can easily get started with TenantCloud thanks to its streamlined interface. The software also offers significant value for landlords with small portfolios. However, TenantCloud’s accounting features are on the simple side, so you won’t get many bells and whistles.
RentRedi
RentRedi is a property management software that provides extensive options for rent collection and financial tracking. Renters can put rent on autopay, opt in to rent reporting, and even pay in cash if they prefer, while landlords get access to detailed financial insights via REI Hub.
RentRedi memberships start at $5 per month, and a full REI Hub plan adds $25-$99 per month to your costs. Additionally, tenants pay a $1 fee for ACH deposits and a 3.1% (plus $0.30) fee for credit and debit card payments.
Though tenant costs are relatively minimal, RentRedi can get pretty pricey for landlords. Some users have also complained about payment processing delays. Still, RentRedi’s highly detailed accounting software, along with its standard rental management tools, makes the program a strong option for rent collection.
Zelle
While Zelle isn’t a dedicated rent collection app, it does offer a few different tools that landlords and tenants can appreciate. To start, it’s easy to use and provides a digital paper trail for payment tracking. Plus, all you need is your own banking app to use it.
Perhaps best of all, Zelle doesn’t charge any fees for either landlords or tenants. It’s completely free to send money back and forth between different financial institutions, making it an attractive option for landlords on a budget.
All in all, Zelle is a cost-effective and simple way to collect rent. However, there are certainly downsides: not all banks support Zelle, and if there are mistakes, it will be all but impossible for your renter to recover their money.
Venmo
Like Zelle, Venmo is a P2P payment platform that lets landlords collect rent on the go. Most renters and landlords already use Venmo, and, like Zelle, Venmo also offers digital payment tracking. Landlords receive payments within days or instantly with a small fee.
To collect rent using Venmo, you’ll need to sign up for a Business Profile, which will incur costs (to you) of 1.9% plus $0.10 per transaction. Instant Transfers cost an additional 1.75% of the transaction amount, though tenants won’t have to pay anything.
Since most renters and landlords already have Venmo, there’s no need for a lengthy setup, and the transaction process is fast and straightforward. However, fraud is unfortunately common on Venmo, and the app also lacks many essential tools, such as accounting and credit reporting.
Rent Collection Apps vs. Alternative Payment Methods
We know, we’ve already covered the efficiency and convenience of rent collection apps. But to drive it home, let’s compare a few other payment methods.
Cash
Ah, good, old-fashioned cash. A cash payment is instant, and you can spend it as soon as you receive it. You don’t have to worry about fraud, bounced checks, or insufficient funds in your renters’ accounts, and, of course, there are no processing fees.
But unfortunately, cash rent payments come with significant drawbacks. There’s no paper trail, which can lead to confusion. Most renters don’t have huge sums of cash lying around these days. And, finally, you and your renters can easily lose cash, adding an extra layer of stress.
Rent collection apps eliminate the physical issues of handling cash, including the difficulty of obtaining it in the first place. Apps also provide an easily accessed online record to track who’s paid and when, and there’s little risk of anyone losing a digital payment.
Check
Checks are another tried-and-true method for rent collection. Like cash, there are no processing fees, and checks also create a payment record. You can collect checks by mail, and, last but not least, it’s safer than carrying around large sums of cash.
On the other hand, checks lead to time-consuming delays. You’ll have to wait for your renter to mail the check, for it to reach you, and for the deposit to hit your account. Checks can also bounce, leaving you holding the bag.
Rent collection apps eliminate intermediary steps. Unlike checks, you won’t have to worry about losing a payment or a payment bouncing. The entire process is faster with rent collection apps, and since digital payments can take place anywhere, you aren’t tied to your mailbox.
Direct Bank-to-Bank Transfer
Direct bank-to-bank transfers allow funds to be transferred between accounts or even between financial institutions. These transactions can be done anywhere, come with a high level of security and verification, and typically cost nothing for senders or recipients.
Still, though, even bank-to-bank transfers are far from ideal. Moving money can be slow, and mistaken payments are usually irreversible. While transfers are usually free, some banks may charge more than others. And, of course, there are no additional landlord tools, like automation or accounting.
Most dedicated rent collection apps support ACH payments, offering many of the conveniences of bank-to-bank transfers while eliminating their downsides. Landlords will benefit from additional rental-specific tools and can often receive rent faster through options like autopay. It’s the most hands-off option there is.
Which app will you use to collect rent?
If you want to collect rent from anywhere, at any time, rent collection apps are the way to go. You won’t have to wait for payment confirmations or worry about losing checks in the mail, and your tenants can send payments in moments.
It’s not just about rent collection, either. Purpose-built rental apps like TurboTenant, TenantCloud, and RentRedi provide a comprehensive suite of helpful tools in addition to rent collection, so you can easily manage all aspects of your rental properties in one place.
You probably have your phone on you already—in fact, you may even be reading this article on your phone. So, go ahead and download the app of your choice to simplify the collection process, improve security, and manage your properties wherever you go.
FAQs: Rent Collection Apps
Which apps are best for rent collection?
Though you can use P2P apps in a pinch, dedicated property management apps such as TurboTenant, TenantCloud, and RentRedi are best for rent collection. They offer landlord-specific tools, as well as key rent-collection features, including accounting, automation, and tenant communication.
Do rent collection apps charge fees?
Some rent collection apps charge fees to process payments and for memberships. Costs vary by software. For example, a TurboTenant membership is free, but tenants pay nominal processing fees. RentRedi and TenantCloud charge tenants processing fees in addition to membership fees.
Do rent collection apps sync with accounting and bookkeeping software?
Many rent collection apps sync with accounting and bookkeeping software, providing landlords with a one-stop shop to manage their rental properties. On the other hand, P2P apps like Venmo and Zelle do not offer this service.