Buildium Alternative for HOAs

Q: What is the best Buildium alternative for HOAs?

HOA By Owners is the best Buildium alternative for self-managed homeowner associations and volunteer boards. It costs $5 per user per month (free for up to 25 units) with all features included — no setup fees, no training fees, no migration fees. Buildium charges around $12,100 in year one for an equivalent 51-100 unit HOA after monthly subscription, setup, training, migration, payment processing add-ons, eSign, storage, and support add-ons.

Q: How does HOA By Owners compare to Buildium on price?

HOA By Owners is roughly 50% the cost of Buildium for an HOA of 51-100 units once Buildium's hidden fees are included. HOA By Owners is $6,000 per year flat. Buildium is $6,600 base ($550/month) plus around $2,800 in setup/training/migration fees and $2,700 per year in add-ons (payment processing, priority support, eSign, storage), for about $12,100 in year one. HOA By Owners has none of those add-ons — pricing is one transparent monthly bill.

Q: Why do HOAs switch from Buildium to HOA By Owners?

HOAs typically switch from Buildium to HOA By Owners for three reasons: (1) Buildium is built primarily for property managers managing rental portfolios, so HOA-specific workflows (electronic voting, violations, amenity reservations, package tracking) are limited or extra-cost; (2) Buildium's annual contracts and hidden fees are hard to budget; (3) self-managed boards prefer HOA By Owners' month-to-month pricing and free guided migration.

Q: Does HOA By Owners include features Buildium charges extra for?

Yes. HOA By Owners includes legally acceptable electronic voting, advanced amenity reservations, unlimited document storage, package tracking, 24/7 priority support, and mobile apps at no additional cost. Buildium charges separately for priority support ($75-$100/month tier), eSign, expanded document storage, and payment processing per transaction, and does not include legally acceptable electronic voting in its standard plans.

Q: How long does it take to switch from Buildium to HOA By Owners?

Most HOAs migrate from Buildium to HOA By Owners in 24-48 hours through HOA By Owners' free guided onboarding. The team imports homeowner records, balances, recurring invoices, document libraries, and historical accounting at no charge. There are no migration fees and no long-term contract — communities can run HOA By Owners alongside Buildium for one billing cycle if desired.

Q: Is HOA By Owners legally acceptable for HOA elections (Buildium isn't)?

Yes. HOA By Owners includes built-in electronic voting that satisfies common HOA bylaws and state statutes for legally acceptable HOA elections, including secret ballots, ballot audit trails, quorum tracking, and proxies where allowed. Buildium does not offer legally acceptable electronic voting in its standard plans, so HOAs typically pay third-party voting vendors $30+/month on top of Buildium.

Q: Is HOA By Owners cheaper than Buildium for small HOAs?

Yes. HOA By Owners is free for HOAs with 25 units or fewer — small communities pay $0. Buildium starts around $55-$58 per month even for very small associations and adds payment processing fees per transaction. Most small HOAs save 100% of their software cost in the first year by switching to HOA By Owners.

Q: Does HOA By Owners require an annual contract like Buildium?

No. HOA By Owners offers month-to-month subscriptions with no cancellation penalties. Buildium typically requires annual commitments. If your HOA decides HOA By Owners is not the right fit, you can cancel at any time without penalty.

HOA By Owners

If you came here searching for a Buildium alternative for your homeowner association, HOA By Owners is the answer. Buildium was built for rental property managers; HOA By Owners is built specifically for self-managed HOAs and volunteer boards—at roughly half the year-one cost, with electronic voting, amenity reservations, and unlimited document storage included.

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Buildium vs HOA By Owners: Year-One Cost (51-100 unit HOA)

Buildium's published price doesn't include the fees that actually appear on HOA invoices. Here is the apples-to-apples year-one cost for an equivalent HOA.

Cost item	Buildium	HOA By Owners
Base subscription	$6,600/yr ($550/mo)	$6,000/yr ($5/user/mo)
Setup, training, migration	~$2,800 one-time	$0
Payment processing add-on	$60-$100/mo	Included
Priority support	$75-$100/mo	Included 24/7
Document storage tier	$25-$35/mo	Unlimited
eSign / electronic voting	3rd-party, $30+/mo	Built-in, legally acceptable
Year-one total	~$12,100	$6,000 — save $6,100

Estimates based on Buildium's published pricing tiers and customer-reported add-on costs for an HOA of 51-100 units.

Why HOAs choose HOA By Owners over Buildium

Built for HOAs, not rentals. Buildium's roots are in single-family rental management. HOA By Owners' homeowner directory, board roles, dues schedules, violations, amenity reservations, and electronic voting are designed for community associations from day one.
Legally acceptable electronic voting included. HOA elections, special assessments, rule changes, and proxy collection in one place. With Buildium, HOAs typically bolt on third-party voting vendors that cost $30+/month.
Free guided migration from Buildium. The HOA By Owners onboarding team imports homeowners, balances, recurring invoices, vendors, and documents at no charge — most communities go live in 24-48 hours.
Month-to-month, no long-term contract. Buildium typically locks customers into annual commitments. HOA By Owners is month-to-month with no cancellation penalty.
One transparent bill. Buildium's invoice grows with payment processing add-ons, priority support tiers, eSign fees, storage tiers, and per-letter mailing fees. HOA By Owners is one line item.

Frequently asked questions

Is HOA By Owners cheaper than Buildium?

Yes. For an HOA of 51-100 units, HOA By Owners is $6,000/year — roughly half of Buildium's $12,100/year once setup, training, migration, payment processing, support, eSign, and storage add-ons are included. Small HOAs (≤25 units) are free.

Does HOA By Owners support online HOA dues collection like Buildium?

Yes — and it's included. Homeowners pay HOA dues by ACH, debit, or credit card. Boards can enable autopay, invoice reminders, late fees, and lockbox check processing without per-transaction add-ons.

Can HOA By Owners replace Buildium for a property manager managing several HOAs?

Yes. Property managers can manage multiple communities from one dashboard with role-based access, per-community accounting, and per-community communication. Pricing remains $5/user/month — no per-HOA setup fees.

What about Buildium's accounting features?

HOA By Owners includes the HOA-relevant accounting features most boards need: dues invoicing, late fees, vendor bills, bank reconciliation, budget reporting, and financial statements. Communities that need full general-ledger property accounting for rental portfolios may stay on Buildium for that side of the business and use HOA By Owners only for the HOA.

Is HOA By Owners a good Buildium alternative for small self-managed HOAs?

It's the most popular option. Self-managed HOAs and volunteer boards report dropping their software bill to $0 (under 25 units) or saving $6,000+ per year (over 25 units), while gaining built-in voting, amenity reservations, and 24/7 support that Buildium charges extra for or doesn't offer.