How much does self-managed HOA software cost? $5 per user, free migration

The short answer on price

Self-managed HOA software generally runs from $0 (the spreadsheet you already have) up to $2–$4 per unit per month for the big legacy platforms. We charge $5 per user per month, all features included — and we don't do add-on pricing, per-door fees, or "call for a quote" games. A user is a board member, a manager, or a homeowner with a login. If you have a 40-home association with a five-person board and 35 homeowners who want to pay dues online, that's roughly 40 users, or $200 a month. Compare that to a typical management fee of $12–$25 per door, which on the same 40 homes is $480–$1,000 a month before you pay for anything extra.

That gap is the whole reason we built this. Not because spreadsheets are bad — we ran on them for years — but because the alternative got expensive and opaque.

What "per user" actually means, and why it matters

Legacy HOA platforms tend to price per door, per unit, or per "managed community." That's fine if you're a management company billing your clients. It's rough if you're a self-managed board. You end up paying for homes that never log in, and you get upsold on modules — online payments here, document storage there, a "resident portal" that costs extra.

We price per user because that's what actually costs us money to run, and it maps to who's actually doing the work. Your board gets role-based access: treasurer sees the ledger, secretary manages docs and minutes, ARC chair sees architectural requests, and everyone sees the same calendar. Homeowners get a simple login for dues autopay, their own account history, and community announcements. No hidden tiers.

If you want a side-by-side on how the bigger names stack up on features and price, we keep a running comparison at best HOA management software. It's not pretty, but it's honest.

Free migration: what it really involves

"Free migration" gets thrown around a lot. Here's what we mean by it: you send us your current data — homeowner roster, dues balances, governing docs, whatever you have — and we load it into your new account. No charge. If you're coming off Buildium, AppFolio, or PayHOA, we'll pull what those systems will export. If you're coming off a spreadsheet, we'll take the spreadsheet.

Two caveats, because you deserve them:

• Garbage in, garbage out. If your current ledger has three years of unreconciled entries, we can load it, but it'll still be messy. Many boards use migration as an excuse to do a one-time cleanup with their treasurer. That's usually worth it.
• Timing matters. Don't migrate mid-assessment-cycle if you can avoid it. Pick a clean month boundary so dues and late fees line up.

Migration takes most boards a week or two of back-and-forth. It's not instant, but it's not the six-month project your last manager implied either.

Where the real savings show up

The software line item is the obvious one, but it's not the biggest. When a volunteer board runs its own HOA management software, three other costs usually drop:

Dues collection. Online invoicing and autopay cut the "did the check clear?" email chain and the late-fee arguments. Homeowners pay on time because it's one click, not a stamp and an envelope. That alone can knock your delinquency rate down noticeably in the first two quarters.

Meeting overhead. Voting, motions, and minutes live in the system. No more "wait, what did we approve in March?" The secretary stops being a human search engine.

Maintenance tracking. Requests come in through one queue instead of three text threads and a sticky note on the clubhouse fridge. You can see what's open, what's been quoted, and what's been paid.

None of that is glamorous. It's just the difference between a board that's firefighting and a board that's actually governing.

What you still need to handle yourself

Self-managing doesn't mean the software does everything. You still need a treasurer willing to reconcile, a board willing to enforce CC&Rs consistently, and someone who reads your state statutes. We publish plain-language guides to help with that last part — HOA laws by state is the most-used page on our site, and it's free whether you're a customer or not.

You also still need to know when to call a lawyer or a CPA. Software is a tool, not a substitute for professional advice. If your association is mid-litigation, mid-special-assessment, or has a reserve study that says "uh oh," get real help. We'll be here when you're ready to organize the paperwork.

The honest bottom line

For most self-managed HOAs under 200 homes, $5 per user per month with free migration is dramatically cheaper than a management contract, and it's more transparent than the legacy software pricing we've seen. If your board is paying $800 a month for a manager who mostly forwards emails and files things late, run the numbers. You might find you're paying a lot for a little.

If you're curious what it looks like in practice, poke around HOA By Owners. No pressure, no demo gate. And if you're still weighing spreadsheet vs. software vs. manager, our blog has more on that at hoabyowners.com/blog.