Cozy vs. Avail: A Property Management Software Comparison

Finding the best property management software can be a journey.

With that said, finding the right tool can also completely transform your day-to-day operations.

Not only netting you both time and peace of mind…

… but a whole lot more productivity.

One of the most common comparisons is Cozy vs. Avail, two often-used rental property management software tools.

The only problem?

One of those– Cozy– no longer exists as a property management solution.

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Why?

That’s because in 2018, Cozy was purchased by Apartments.com owner CoStar.

The purpose of the deal was for Cozy to integrate its tenant-side features into the Apartments.com ecosystem:

However, that never came to pass, so existing Cozy users were left out to dry.

That said, while a true comparison is no longer possible, there are now other property management software options that are even more robust and just as affordable as Cozy was that we can compare against Avail’s rental property management software.

In doing so, we hope to help you find the best property management tool for you.

First, let’s start by talking about a few great Cozy alternatives.

Then, we’ll take one of those and pit against Avail.

4 Great Cozy Alternatives

Cozy is no more, but there are several great alternatives to it that are arguably better suited to supercharging your portfolio.

Here are four:

1. DoorLoop

Our very own DoorLoop isn’t just a strong contender, it’s been rated as the emerging favorite rental management software of 2021 by software review site Capterra.

An all-in-one leading property management software solution for property managers, property owners, and real estate professionals alike, DoorLoop is designed to make managing your portfolio (yes, even commercial properties) a cinch from anywhere.  

Not to mention, it helps you supercharge your property management in countless ways, from rent collection to maintenance management.

The complete suite of DoorLoop features comes together to offer the perfect collection of tools you need to manage every aspect of your rental property business.

DoorLoop features:

• Collect rent easier than ever (and more of it) with the convenient owner and tenant portals
• … and streamlined communication tools, allowing you to greatly simplify communication with your tenants including  
• A complete set of accounting features including bank reconciliations, multiple payment methods, and easy QuickBooks Online integration, full chart of accounts, and more (as a property manager, these tools will upscale your entire game)
• Comprehensive maintenance requests management, including the ability to communicate with tenants on work orders, assign to vendors and pay them all from within the app
• Leasing tools such as tenant screening and eLeasing
• Not to mention: amazing marketing tools, a convenient smartphone application, and so much more.

DoorLoop pricing

DoorLoop’s starter tier is just $59 per month for up to 20 units.

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

2. TenantCloud

TenantCloud is a great option for anyone on a tight budget and who has a small number of units or looking for free property management software options.

That’s because they offer an almost free plan for up to 75 units, though with a highly limited base of features.

If you’re just looking to dip your toes, so to speak, as opposed to taking advantage of the full power of property management software right away, TenantCloud might be a good option for you.

TenantCloud features:

• Maintenance management
• Online rent payments
• Payment tracking
• Owner portal

TenantCloud pricing

TenantCloud’s basic tier is free up to 75 units, though features are really limited to only a few minor tools.

If you’d like to take advantage of a slightly larger base of features, you can move up to their $12 and $40 plans respectively, with their $40 plan giving you access to their entire set of features. It’s still a bit limited, but it’s much closer to a good property management software option.

3. WildApricot

Wild Apricot is a good option for anyone looking for something that’s built specifically for HOA communities.

It has features designed for small associations and communities. So, if that’s what you’re looking for, it could be a good option for you.

With that said, there are certain community features it lacks such as calendar management and work order management, so you may find it doesn’t quite check off all the boxes.

WildApricot features:

• Event management
• Committee features
• Member database
• Payment management

Pricing

Wild Apricot’s pricing is pretty straightforward and is based on contacts as opposed to units like most property management software tools. It starts at $60 for up to 100 contacts for its full feature set, up to $900 per month for up to 50,000 contacts.

4. Innago

Innago is another good option if you’re looking for something more affordable but limited in scale, making it a good starting point.

It offers a mostly free plan, though, like TenantCloud, features are limited.

What sets it apart is that users report having an easy time navigating the application. Plus, many report finding their verification tools especially easy to use.

With that said, their lease templates leave much to be desired and reportedly frustrate users. So, if you’re looking for that it might not be the best option for you.

Innago features:

• Good leasing tools such as tenant screening and lease management
• Basic accounting tools
• Maintenance management

Innago pricing

Innago has a mostly free plan, with no monthly fee but $2 per ACH payment and 2.75% for debit and credit card payments. They also charge $30-35 for criminal and credit history reports.

Avail vs. DoorLoop

Now, it’s time to jump into an in-depth comparison of one of our above options and Avail.

We’ll compare our very own DoorLoop and Avail together to see which comes out on top in each major area.

Including:

• Features
• Ease-of-use
• Customer service
• And finally, pricing

Let’s get started:

Avail vs. DoorLoop: Features

In terms of features, Avail and DoorLoop are relatively similar. Here’s a breakdown:

DoorLoop offers everything you need to manage your entire portfolio while helping you streamline and optimize many processes to improve productivity and gain peace of mind.

We’ve covered many of DoorLoop’s features already, but a few additional features include:

• Automatic rent payments and payment reminders, making rent collection easier than ever before
• Marketing tools such as automatic listings and a professional IDX-based website
• An owner portal where you can print key reports and print checks
• A convenient mobile app you can use to take DoorLoop with you anywhere you go
• And more

Avail offers a robust set of features that gives you access to virtually everything you need to manage your properties (though at a high price, as we’ll cover later).

Features include:

• Online rent payments
• Tenant screening
• Maintenance management
• eLeasing
• Smartphone app

Avail vs. DoorLoop: Ease-of-use

Ease-of-use is one of those things that’s easy to forget about when you look into new property management software, but becomes incredibly important as soon as you begin to use it.

Note: we’ll be using actual user review information from review sites like Capterra to inform the next two sections below, not opinion.

Let’s see how they stack up:

DoorLoop users report having an incredibly easy time navigating the software itself, with locating items being especially easy and something often noted by reviewers.

And, as you’ll see in the next section, combined with stellar customer service that’s always there to help you find or get to what you need, and navigating DoorLoop becomes as easy as can be.

Avail users report that it’s generally easy to use and relatively intuitive, which is great news.

However, they’re known for not having great getting started guides and a help center that is lacking, so getting started with Avail and learning the software itself is often reported to be difficult.

Avail vs. DoorLoop: Customer service

Similar to ease-of-use, this is easy to underestimate– until you’re sitting there having a hard time with some aspect of the software and you need help… and can’t get a hold of anyone.

Let’s see how they do:

DoorLoop users report having an incredibly easy time getting a hold of support, and no reported issues.

Plus, a unique aspect of DoorLoop’s support: they make it super easy to get a hold of a live human being over the phone. In an age where companies actively shy away from this (much to the frustration of their users and customers) DoorLoop goes the extra mile with the option of getting 24/7 live support from a real person.

Avail users report having a generally easy time getting a hold of support and getting help for their issues.

Their help center is scarce and it can be difficult to find documentation to help solve a problem, but contacting support seems reliable according to user reviews.

Avail vs. DoorLoop: Pricing

Here’s the biggy: pricing.

While everything so far has sounded hunky-dory, the next section can often be a make-or-break topic.

We know pricing is the sticking point for most, so let’s get into it:

With DoorLoop, you get access to the lion’s share of its feature set via its starter plan for just $59 per month for up to 20 units. That’s far more affordable than other comparable full-featured property management software tools.

With Avail, you can get started for nothing via a limited free plan with a few basic features. However, you’ll be paying a hefty price if you want to get the large number of features you’d be lacking compared to DoorLoop:

To get access to their full feature set, you’ll need to move up to their pricey Unlimited Plus Plan at $5 per unit per month, far higher than the industry average of $1-2 per unit.

Compared to DoorLoop, you’d pay $100 for a similar feature set for the same 20 units, more than twice the price.

And the winner is…

Fumbles with the envelope

Jokes aside, the winner of this comparison is whichever software does what you need it to do best.

We know which one we’d pick, but what about you?

If you’re looking for a property management tool that offers:

• A robust set of features that offers everything you need to manage your properties and track maintenance requests
• Incredible ease-of-use
• Responsive customer service with real human beings
• And competitive pricing that can fit any budget

Then DoorLoop is the one to try.

So, you’re ready to supercharge your property management with DoorLoop’s comprehensive and easy-to-use property management tools, click below:

‍Get started with DoorLoop today.

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