HOA management software price comparison, HOA software pricing, Self-managed HOA, HOA accounting software, HOA software comparison, HOA management software
Team HOAfy
Quick Answer: Which HOA Software Offers the Best Value?
For many self-managed HOAs, HOAfy offers the best published price-to-feature balance, especially when the board requires native accounting together with billing, payments, violations, requests, work orders, voting, communications, and a resident portal. HOAfy is the lowest-priced vendor in this investigation at every representative community size when the comparison requires native HOA accounting and published subscription pricing, while offering one of the broadest feature sets compared.
That does not make one product universally best. High-rise, mobile, amenity, or specialized violation workflows may justify a quoted or higher-tier price. The useful comparison is the price of the tier that includes the board's actual work.
Disclosure and research limits: HOAfy publishes this article and is one of the products compared. Pricing and feature information comes from vendor-owned pages reviewed on September 27, 2026. Feature presence is vendor-claimed and was not independently verified through hands-on testing. Prices, packages, transaction fees, and availability can change. Confirm a written quote and demonstrate critical workflows before buying.
How This HOA Software Price Comparison Was Built
This analysis is for a self-managed association, with a volunteer treasurer who needs reliable books and board members who need practical resident and operational tools.
We applied five rules:
- Use monthly equivalents. Annual prices are divided by 12 so subscriptions can be compared on one scale.
- State the annual-billing assumption. HOAfy and PayHOA headline prices use annual billing. A monthly contract can cost more.
- Separate subscription from variable costs. Table prices are before taxes, add-ons, professional services, payment processing, mail, and migration unless noted.
- Compare the tier that contains the feature. A low tier without accounting is not equivalent to a plan with a native general ledger, reconciliation, and financial reports.
- Do not manufacture a quote. When a vendor asks buyers to contact sales, the table says "quote" or "not modeled" instead of estimating an unpublished price.
The comparison set is HOAfy, PayHOA, TownSq, HOALife, and Condo Control. Buildium appears only as a property-management reference because community-association pricing requires a custom quote.
Pricing Overview for Self-Managed HOA Software
| Vendor | Pricing model | Published entry price | Billing caveat | Major cost caveat | Likely best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOAfy | One feature set; unit tiers through 500, then per unit | $36/mo for 1-30 units | Displayed annual monthly equivalent is 10% below the monthly rate | Association pays Stripe's standard processing fees, with lawful payer pass-through available; funds settle directly to the association; HOAfy adds no fee or markup; USPS $1.50; tiered SMS allowance | Self-managed boards wanting native accounting and broad operations in one published plan |
| PayHOA | Unit-tiered all-in-one subscription | $49/mo for 0-25 units | Billed yearly; vendor says annual saves 10% | ACH $2.45; card 3.5% + $0.50; mail and optional bookkeeping/tax services cost extra | Boards wanting an established broad HOA feature set and optional back-office services |
| TownSq | Pro and Advanced plans through 300 units; Enterprise quote | $90/mo Pro or $145/mo Advanced for up to 300 units | Published prices are limited to the stated size range | Fully integrated accounting and management is listed under Enterprise personalized pricing, not Pro or Advanced | Communities prioritizing a polished web/mobile resident experience, communications, and service requests |
| HOALife | Starts at a published minimum; final price scoped in demo | Starts at $199/mo | Month-to-month; final price is quoted | Bring-your-own accounting; QuickBooks Online integration is optional | Communities focused on violations, architectural review, inspections, and operational compliance |
| Condo Control | Standard, Modern, and Premium tiers plus add-ons | Self-managed starts at $67.50/mo under 50 units | Exact price requires a quote | Accounting, violations, amenities, AI, website, and voting may depend on tier, integration, or add-on | Condos and high-rises with resident mobile, security, amenity, and front-desk priorities |
| Buildium | General property-management tiers; association quote | Generic plans start at $62/$192/$400 per month | Community-association pricing is custom | Rental-property starting prices are not comparable to an HOA-specific quote | Mixed property-management firms, subject to an association-specific proposal |
HOAfy has one available feature set with unlimited users, storage, and email, a tiered SMS allowance, no contracts, and a no-card 30-day trial. Its annual equivalents run from $36 for 1-30 units to $234 for 401-500, then $0.45 per unit above 500; the displayed annual equivalent is 10% below the monthly rate. PayHOA's optional bookkeeping starts at $199 per month, 1120-H preparation at $399, and 1099 service at $15.
Monthly Price at Representative Community Sizes
All dollar figures below are monthly subscription equivalents. They exclude taxes, transactions, add-ons, and services. HOAfy, PayHOA, and Buildium values assume annual billing. Buildium figures use its general property-management calculator, not its custom community-association pricing.
| Units | HOAfy | PayHOA | TownSq | HOALife | Condo Control | Buildium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | $36 | $49 | $90 Pro / $145 Advanced | Not targeted | $67.50+ | $192 |
| 60 | $63 | $99 | $90 Pro / $145 Advanced | Not targeted | Quote | $252 |
| 100 | $90 | $99 | $90 Pro / $145 Advanced | $199+ quote | Quote | $252 |
| 200 | $126 | $169 | $90 Pro / $145 Advanced | $199+ quote | Quote | $301 |
| 300 | $162 | $199 | $90 Pro / $145 Advanced | $199+ quote | Quote | $482 |
| 500 | $234 | $249 | Not modeled | $199+ quote | Quote | $722 |
| 1,000 | $450 | $550 | Not modeled | $199+ quote | Quote | $1,390 |
Important table notes:
- TownSq's published Pro and Advanced prices apply through 300 units. The lower tiers do not include the fully integrated accounting and management offer shown under Enterprise personalized pricing.
- HOALife says customers bring their own accounting and can optionally integrate QuickBooks Online. Its $199 starting point should not be treated as including native HOA accounting.
Feature Comparison: What Does the Price Include?
The labels are deliberately restrained. Included means the vendor presents the capability as part of the product; Tier/add-on means availability or depth depends on packaging; External/integration relies on another product; and Not available identifies a documented HOAfy gap.
| Capability | HOAfy | PayHOA | TownSq | HOALife | Condo Control |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Native HOA accounting | Included | Included | Tier/add-on | External/integration | Tier/add-on |
| Dedicated association email address | Included | N/A | N/A | N/A | Coming soon |
| Broadcast communications | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included announcements |
| HOA fee payments and autopay | Included | Included | Included payments; autopay N/A | Included | Included payments; autopay N/A |
| Violations and ARC | Included | Included | Tier/add-on | Included | Tier/add-on |
| Requests | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Work orders | Included | Included | Included tasks and maintenance requests | Included | Included maintenance requests |
| Vendor management | Partial | Included | Enterprise/add-on | N/A | Tier/add-on |
| Document hosting, management, and sharing | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Community directory | Included | N/A | Included address book | Included owner rosters | Included resident database |
| Bank connection and transaction feeds | Included | Included | Enterprise/add-on | External/integration | N/A |
| Bank reconciliation | Included | Included | Enterprise/add-on | External/integration | N/A |
| Voting | Included | Included | N/A | Included | Tier/add-on |
| Community website | Included | Included | Included | Included | Tier/add-on |
| Resident portal | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Native mobile app | Coming in Oct 2026 | N/A | Included | N/A | Included |
| Amenity reservations | N/A | Included | N/A | N/A | Tier/add-on |
| AI Copilot | Included | N/A | N/A | N/A | Tier/add-on |
| Data migration / import-export | Included | Basic migration included; export N/A | N/A | Direct imports; export N/A | Report exports; migration/import N/A |
N/A means that we could not confirm the existence of this feature from public materials.
This table is a shortlist tool, not a substitute for a demo. "Included" does not mean two products offer equal depth. For example, one accounting module may handle a chart of accounts, budgets, reconciliation, bank feeds, and period controls, while another may emphasize collections and reporting. Ask each vendor to run the same end-to-end scenario with the same sample community.
HOAfy's current native feature set includes HOA general-ledger accounting, budgets, reports, reconciliation and bank feeds; billing, payments and autopay; an owner portal; violations; voting; configurable requests; work orders; communications; an association mailbox; a public website; HOAfy Copilot; and calendar/events. Its vendor/AP and document workflows are partial. HOAfy does not currently offer a native mobile app, amenity reservations, event RSVPs, resale packages, mature management-company portfolio operations, full AP/OCR/1099 processing, or a vendor marketplace.
Vendor-by-Vendor Analysis for Volunteer Boards
HOAfy: Broad Native Workflows at a Published Mid-Market Price
HOAfy is strongest when a board wants the treasurer's work and the rest of the association's operations connected. Native accounting includes the general ledger, chart of accounts, funds, budgets, financial reports, periods, reconciliation, and bank feeds. Billing, online payments, autopay, violations, voting, requests, work orders, communications, mailbox, calendar, resident portal, and public website use the same association records.
That combination matters during board turnover: a treasurer should not have to reconcile an operations platform against a separate roster and personal inbox. One-feature-set pricing also avoids plan selection.
There is no native mobile app or amenity booking today. Vendor/AP and document management do not yet have mature enterprise depth, and management-company portfolio operations remain limited.
PayHOA: The Closest Broad All-in-One Benchmark
PayHOA is the closest direct comparison because it publishes unit-tiered prices and a broad HOA-specific feature set. Optional bookkeeping and tax services may appeal to a board that wants to outsource financial work.
PayHOA costs more than HOAfy at all six modeled sizes, and its published ACH and card fees are higher. Its standard and first-class mail prices are lower, however, and some boards may value the optional service layer.
TownSq: Resident Mobile Experience Before Full Accounting
TownSq's Pro and Advanced pricing is easy to understand through 300 units. Pro includes a web and mobile app, announcements, a website and custom domain, requests, a forum, messages, and an address book. Advanced adds audit logs, guest authorization, and architectural reviews.
That can fit a community prioritizing communication, requests, and mobile access. A board requiring native accounting should request TownSq's Enterprise scope and compare the actual quote, not place a Pro price beside a full-accounting product.
HOALife: Specialized Compliance and Inspection Workflows
HOALife serves communities from 100 to more than 5,000 homes and starts at $199 per month, with final pricing scoped in a demo. Its emphasis includes violations and architectural review, owner portal access, communications, inspections, documents and audit history, voting, websites, and work orders/assets. Month-to-month terms can reduce contract risk.
The product may justify its price for substantial inspection and enforcement volume. Its bring-your-own-accounting approach can suit a board with a disciplined QuickBooks process, but it is not one native accounting and operations database.
Condo Control: A Stronger Fit for Building Operations
Condo Control's self-managed starting price is $67.50 per month for communities under 50 units, but exact pricing requires a quote. It offers Standard, Modern, and Premium plans plus add-ons. Published capabilities include a resident portal and mobile experience, payments, maintenance and architectural requests, communications, and documents. Accounting appears through higher tiers or integration, while violations, amenities, AI, a public website, and voting may be tiered or added.
For staffed buildings, security, guest, package, amenity, and front-desk workflows can outweigh a small price difference. Ask for an itemized tier and add-on proposal, including any separate accounting requirement.
Buildium: A Property-Management Reference, Not a Like-for-Like Price
Buildium's general property-management plans start at $62, $192, and $400 per month, but community associations require a custom quote. A self-managed HOA should not treat the generic $62 price as its association price; include Buildium only when broader property-management workflows are relevant.
Model the Total Cost, Not Just the Subscription
A useful HOA software cost model is:
Total annual cost = subscription + transaction fees + accounting or add-ons + volunteer time + migration and change costs
Use the actual billing term and expected unit growth. Apply transaction fees to the association's historical payment and mail mix. Add required accounting, bookkeeping, tax, website, voting, amenity, or support costs. Estimate duplicate entry, reconciliation, resident follow-up, reports, and board handover consistently. Include data cleanup, opening balances, document transfer, training, parallel operation, and eventual export.
Illustrative 100-Unit Subscription Example
For a hypothetical 100-unit self-managed HOA, using subscription fees only, the monthly equivalents are HOAfy at $90, TownSq Pro at $90, PayHOA at $99, TownSq Advanced at $145, and HOALife at $199 or more. That equals annual subscriptions of $1,080, $1,080, $1,188, $1,740, and at least $2,388 respectively. Condo Control requires a quote at this size.
This is illustrative, not a total-cost forecast. It assumes no transaction volume, payment mix, mail, QuickBooks, bookkeeping, migration, or volunteer-hour value, and it does not make TownSq Pro equivalent to a native-accounting product.
At 100 units, HOAfy and TownSq Pro share a subscription figure, but the cited TownSq tier lacks fully integrated accounting. PayHOA is $9 more per month than HOAfy before transactions or services.
Verdict: Best Price Depends on the Work Included
The evidence supports three practical conclusions for a self-managed board:
- HOAfy has the strongest transparent price-to-feature balance for many associations requiring broad native accounting plus operations. Its published plan connects financial, resident, governance, and board workflows without a separate feature tier.
- PayHOA is the closest direct benchmark. HOAfy is 6% to 27% less expensive at every representative size modeled, and HOAfy's listed ACH and card fees are lower. PayHOA may still earn its higher total price for a board that values its specific workflow or optional bookkeeping and tax services.
- Specialized needs can justify other vendors. TownSq's mobile community experience, HOALife's violations and inspections focus, and Condo Control's high-rise and amenity orientation may outweigh a subscription difference for the right property.
The purchasing decision should follow a scripted demonstration. Have the treasurer run assessment billing, an online and manual payment, reconciliation, and financial statements. Have another board member run a resident request, violation or architectural review, vote, communication, and board transition. Price the tier that completes all of those tasks, then compare three-year total cost and data export terms.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does HOA management software cost in 2026?
Published subscriptions in this self-managed comparison start at $36 per month equivalent for HOAfy, $49 for PayHOA, $67.50 for Condo Control under 50 units, $90 for TownSq Pro, and $199 for HOALife. These are starting points under different billing terms and feature scopes. Custom quotes, transaction fees, accounting products, add-ons, and services can make total cost higher.
What is the cheapest HOA management software for a self-managed HOA?
HOAfy has the lowest published entry subscription in this comparison at $36 per month equivalent for 1-30 units. The cheapest option at another community size or by total cost depends on the association's required features, payment and mail volume, migration work, support needs, and volunteer time.
Is HOAfy cheaper than PayHOA?
Yes, at every representative size modeled here using annual-billed monthly equivalents. HOAfy is approximately 27% less at 25 units, 9% at 100, 25% at 200, 19% at 300, 6% at 500, and 18% at 1,000. This claim applies to the listed sizes and reviewed prices; buyers should confirm current quotes.
Which HOA software includes accounting?
HOAfy and PayHOA claim native accounting in their broad offers. TownSq places fully integrated accounting and management under Enterprise personalized pricing. HOALife uses a bring-your-own-accounting model with optional QuickBooks Online integration. Condo Control's accounting availability depends on tier or integration. Verify the general ledger, reconciliation, budgets, reports, period controls, and export workflow in a demo.
Does an HOA need a native mobile app?
Not always. A responsive resident portal may cover balances, payments, requests, documents, and voting without an app installation. A native app matters more when residents rely heavily on push notifications, mobile credentials, guest access, amenities, packages, or front-desk interactions. HOAfy does not currently offer a native mobile app; TownSq and Condo Control advertise mobile apps.
What fees should a board ask about besides the subscription?
Ask about setup, migration, training, ACH, cards, returned payments, lockbox, mail, SMS, accounting integrations, bookkeeping, tax filing, voting, websites, amenities, storage, premium support, cancellation, and data export. Request a written three-year estimate based on the association's own transaction history rather than a generic scenario.
How should a volunteer treasurer compare HOA software?
Give every vendor the same test: import opening balances, create assessments, record online and manual payments, post expenses, reconcile a bank account, close a period, and produce a balance sheet, income statement, budget comparison, and owner ledger. Then export the data. This reveals more than a checklist because it tests whether the financial workflow is complete and understandable.
Evaluate HOAfy Against Your Requirements
Review HOAfy's complete feature set, calculate the current HOAfy price for your community, or start a 30-day trial without a credit card. Use the same workflow scorecard and total-cost model for HOAfy and every other vendor on your shortlist.
Sources
Vendor pages were reviewed on September 27, 2026:
Prices and feature packages can change after review. Confirm current terms directly with each vendor.