Buildium vs. QuickBooks vs. DoorLoop: Which Should You Choose?

QuickBooks has long been the trusted source for in-house property management accounting for property management businesses and landlords.

However, it has its problems: it’s not designed for property management.

As a result, many tasks unique to property management can be arduous or needlessly complex with the system.

So, how does it compare to a comprehensive property management tool like DoorLoop or Buildium?

That’s the purpose of this guide.

Below, we’ll help you figure out which is better for you: DoorLoop vs. Buildium vs. QuickBooks.

Read on to discover which is best for you and your property management needs.

Disclaimer: This post highlights certain features on each platform. This does not mean the other platforms do not have those features. Please do your own research before making any conclusions.

Buildium vs. QuickBooks vs. DoorLoop: Features

To compare each of our accounting software tools, we’ll be looking at four main sets of features:

• Accounting
• Tenant portal and rent collection
• Communications tools
• Maintenance management

We’ll also be breaking down the following:

• Pricing
• Each software's pros and cons
• Non-feature points, such as customer service and ease of use

As we move through each feature set, pricing, and pros and cons, consider what is most important to you.

Also, keep in mind that one of our contenders plays nice with QuickBooks (while one doesn’t).

So, you could consider using them together if you’d prefer not to let go of QuickBooks as your accounting tool of choice.

In fact, let’s start there.

Feature: Accounting Tools

Each of our tools offers a large number of great accounting features.

Buildium

Buildium has a set of accounting features for property managers, owners and landlords, including but not limited to the following:

• Automatic rent payments
• Bank reconciliations
• Payment and fee tracking

Does Buildium Integrate with QuickBooks?

While Buildium does offer robust accounting features, Buildium does not integrate with QuickBooks Online.

So, if QuickBooks is your preferred accounting tool and you’d like to keep it that way, you may want to find another option.

As expected, QuickBooks has very extensive accounting features for property management companies.

But while QuickBooks wins in accounting by a landslide, it loses out big time in the realm of property management when compared to dedicated property management software.

DoorLoop's dedicated software features include the following for your property management business:

• Expense and deposit tracking
• Robust reporting
• Invoicing and vendor payments
• Tax tools

DoorLoop

DoorLoop offers an all-in-one suite of property management features, including everything you need for everything from accounting to maintenance management and bank accounts syncing.

One of the most notable points in terms of DoorLoop's accounting features, and what really allows the software to pull ahead of its competition, is that it offers a convenient QuickBooks Online integration—something Buildium doesn’t offer.

With DoorLoop, you don’t have to choose between a great property management tool and your favorite accounting platform; you can get the best of both worlds simultaneously.

Alternatively, if you'd rather keep everything on one platform, DoorLoop’s extensive accounting features allow you to manage all your property accounting from one place.

Features include:

• Robust reporting
• Automatic rent payments
• Bank reconciliations
• Full chart of accounts
• Straightforward bank account syncing with Plaid, which allows you to automatically sync your income and expenses all from within DoorLoop
• Convenient QuickBooks Online integration that can be set up in minutes

Feature: Tenant Portal and Rent Collection

Moving on from accounting, we get to where the dedicated property management software shines: everything else.

It’s no surprise that QuickBooks isn’t built specifically for property management, but that means you’re missing out on a lot of features that can help you streamline, optimize, and maximize your property management efforts.

Still, it remains a great accounting option that can work in tandem with DoorLoop’s easy integration. But more on that later.

Next, let’s talk about tenant portals and rent collection features.

Buildium

Buildium offers a “resident center,” which includes essentially the same features as the standard tenant portal.

Features include, but are not limited to:

• Collect rent and other fees online
• Late payment reminders
• Association fees

QuickBooks

QuickBooks doesn’t offer a tenant portal or a way to collect rent payments from tenants, unless you use an integration like NowRenting.

However, doing so doesn’t offer the same benefits as a dedicated property management software, and it comes with no additional benefits of its own.

DoorLoop

DoorLoop offers an easy-to-use tenant portal that allows tenants to do everything from paying their rent to communicating directly with their landlord.

Features include:

• Ability to issue and collect rent and other fees online
• Automatic rent payments
• View payment history

Feature: Communications Tools

Property management software offers invaluable communication tools that simplify tenant communication and simplify property management in general.

Let’s see how each stacks up here.

Buildium

Buildium offers these communication tools, and more:

• In-app maintenance requests
• Bulk email tenants
• Physical letter service with EZMail

QuickBooks

QuickBooks doesn’t offer a way to communicate directly with tenants.

DoorLoop

DoorLoop offers a variety of modern communication tools:

• SMS text messaging
• Direct emailing from within the app
• Maintenance order communication with tenants

Feature: Maintenance Management

Maintenance management is another invaluable feature you get with property management software.

It allows you to funnel maintenance requests into a central location, saving you time and headache.

Buildium

With Buildium, tenants can create maintenance requests. You can communicate together on that request, issue work orders to vendors, and pay them via the platform.

QuickBooks

QuickBooks doesn’t offer maintenance management features.

DoorLoop

DoorLoop offers a complete maintenance management system, including the ability to do the following:

• Create and edit maintenance requests and add attachments
• Communicate with tenants on that order via the app, including the convenient smartphone app
• Assign work to a vendor
• Pay that vendor out when they’re done
• Offer status updates to tenants along the way

Pricing

Now that we’ve compared features, let’s take a look at pricing.

This is where each option really separates from one another, even our two dedicated property management tools.

Let’s see where they stand:

Buildium Pricing

Please visit Buildium’s website to see their latest prices and packages as the information below may have changed.

Their Essential plan has lots of standard features:

• Most accounting features, including online payments
• Maintenance management
• Tenant portal

Several features are only available with the higher level Growth plan:

• Analytics
• eLeasing
• And live phone support

In addition to that, you’ll need to move to Buildium's Premium plan to get any of these features:

• Premium support
• Open API
• Waived incoming EFT transaction fees

QuickBooks Pricing

QuickBooks Online has a pretty complex pricing system, but the basic business plans start at $30 per month.

You’ll need to upgrade to their Essentials plan at $60 per month to get certain key features like multiple users and bill pay. There's also a $90 Plus plan that adds invetnory and project profitability tools. Meanwhile, the $200 Advanced plan gives you access to analytics and online training.

Summary

QuickBooks offers affordable pricing. However, when compared to the two dedicated property management tools on this list, it’s important to remember that you’re getting a robust accounting platform with none of the other property management features.

DoorLoop Pricing

DoorLoop offers one of the most simple and affordable pricing plans that grows with you.

The Starter plan offers the majority of DoorLoop’s features at just $59 per month for up to 20 units.

Moving up to the $119 Pro plan for up to 20 units gives you access to the following:

• Owner portal
• Professional website for your listings
• Bank reconciliations

The top-level Premium plan for $179 per month and up to 20 units includes these as well:

• API access
• Web portal integration
• Gmail + Microsoft Outlook add-on

Summary

Especially when you factor in a true feature-to-feature comparison, DoorLoop is the most affordable option on the list.

Buildium vs. QuickBooks vs. DoorLoop: Pros and Cons

With features and pricing covered, let’s dive into the overall picture of each software and look at the pros and cons.

Before we do that, however, keep in mind that these pros and cons are based partly on real user reviews, not just a single opinion, to offer the most unbiased review possible.

Buildium

Buildium has a robust set of features along with a strong knowledge base that makes it easy to get started.

• Pro: Extensive knowledge base
• Pro: Comprehensive features
• Con: No QuickBooks online integration

QuickBooks

QuickBooks is highly affordable and has the best set of accounting features of the options on our list, and for good reason.

It’s a dedicated accounting tool, which means you won’t get any of the great features you’d enjoy from an all-in-one property management software like DoorLoop.

• Pro: Best set of accounting features
• Pro: Long list of integrations
• Con: Non-responsive customer service
• Con: Only handles accounting

DoorLoop

DoorLoop has a lot going for itself.

It has one of the most comprehensive feature sets in general for property management.

It gets big points for having a QuickBooks integration, so it plays nice with your favorite accounting tool. It also offers great ease of use and incredible customer service.

• Pros: Best accounting features across property management software, QuickBooks integration, amazing ease of use, stellar customer service
• Cons: Lacks community features

In Summary: Who Wins?

All three of our contenders offer a great set of accounting features that makes it easier to manage your property accounting.

QuickBooks offers the most comprehensive accounting features, but that comes at the cost of not offering any of the amazing property management features of DoorLoop or Buildium.

However, with DoorLoop’s super simple QuickBooks integration, you can get the best of both worlds from DoorLoop and QuickBooks together.

Rather keep everything in one software? DoorLoop also offers the most comprehensive set of accounting features of our two dedicated property management software tools on the list.

So, you'll have the following:

• Everything you need for your property accounting, including custom reports and a variety of payment methods (e.g., ACH and credit cards)
• Built-in CRM and tenant portal that allows you to collect rent, offer renters' insurance, and accept applications
• And much more

Schedule a free demo today to see what DoorLoop can do for you.

Want to compare more property management software systems? Download this free whitepaper to get the inside scoop on the most popular picks!