Modern HOA management software

Built for self-managed communities

Best HOA management software for 2026

Updated Oct 20, 2026 · prices checked against each vendor's site

The best HOA management software depends on who runs the community. Volunteer boards do best with Kahoa, RunHOA or PayHOA, which bundle dues, books and communication. Management companies running many communities usually choose AppFolio or Buildium, and staffed condo buildings choose Condo Control.

Kahoa makes Kahoa. We put it through the same HSAT as every other tool, and every pick lists where it falls short, ours included.

What is HOA management software?

HOA management software runs the business of a homeowners association: collecting dues, paying bills, keeping the books, tracking violations and requests, and keeping owners informed.

Some tools are built for the volunteer board itself; others are built for management companies that run dozens of communities. The difference shows up in pricing minimums, setup and who the screens are designed for.

760 of 4,092registered Utah HOAs list no management company, so their boards choose the software themselves.Utah HOA registry, counted by Kahoa, Jul 31 2026

50 homesAppFolio's minimum, plus a minimum spend, which rules most small volunteer boards out.appfolio.com/pricing, Oct 20 2026

$9.25 vs $7.55what a homeowner pays to send $250 in dues by card on PayHOA versus Kahoa.Vendor fee schedules, Oct 20 2026

Does it pass the HSAT?

The HSAT, our HOA Stewardship Accounting Standard, is 5 pass-or-fail questions a careful board asks before trusting software with the association's money. The HSAT is Kahoa's own test, not an official accounting standard.

01Are operating and reserve funds kept apart?Passes if the entry plan tracks operating and reserve money as separate funds.

02Is the 1120-H included?Passes if the yearly federal return is prepared from the books at no extra cost.

03Does the price stay flat as homes are added?Passes if the board pays the same at 25 homes as at 150.

04Are homeowner fees published?Passes if the fee a neighbor pays to send dues is listed up front.

05Can the board leave with its books?Passes if the board can export every ledger itself, any day, free.

How do the top HOA management tools compare?

each row links to its source

Software	HSAT	Board pays	Fund accounting	1120-H	Homeowner bank fee	Full export
Kahoakahoa.app/pricing	5 of 5	$50/moany number of homes	Included	Included	$2.45	Anytime, free
RunHOArunhoa.com/pricing	5 of 5	$399/yrany number of homes	Included	Included	0.8%, max $5board can absorb it	PDF, Word, Excel
PayHOApayhoa.com/pricing	3 of 5	$54–$275/morises with homes	Included	From $399 extra	$2.45	Self-serve CSV and PDF
AppFolioappfolio.com/pricing	1 of 5	From $1.49/home/mo50-home minimum	Included	Not offered	$2.49third-party reports	Report by report
Buildiumbuildium.com/pricing	2 of 5	$80/moEssential, up to 40 homes	Included	Not offered	$2.35+$99 setup per bank account	Partial
TownSqtownsq.io/pricing	0 of 5	$90–$270/mo	Enterprise plan only	Not offered	~$1.50via ATG Pay	Not published
Condo Controlcondocontrol.com/pricing	1 of 5	From $67.50/mounder 50 units	Sold as modules	Not offered	Not published	Self-serve

IncludedCosts extraNot offered or not published

HSAT: one point per question passed on the entry plan. Prices and fees from each vendor's public pricing page, checked Oct 20, 2026. "Not published" means the vendor doesn't list it publicly. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it within a day.

Which HOA management software is best for your community?

Best for volunteer boards

Kahoa

Our product

Kahoa gives a volunteer board an AI community manager it supervises: Kahoa keeps the books from the bank feed, collects dues, answers owners from the CC&Rs and drafts letters for the board to approve. Kahoa costs $50 a month for any number of homes.

Why it's here

Books, dues, owner questions and letters in one place
Fund accounting and the 1120-H included
One flat price at any size

Where it falls short

Kahoa launched in 2026, so it has the shortest track record here
Kahoa's state-law guidance covers Utah first

Start a 30-day trial See pricing

Kahoa's dues screen showing 34 of 47 homes paid — Kahoa's dues ledger, with late homes and failed autopay flagged · image: Kahoa

The numbers

HSAT5 of 5

Board pays$50/mo

Homeowner bank fee$2.45

1120-HIncluded

Best on the lowest budget

RunHOA

RunHOA covers directories, accounting, dues, voting, a website and the 1120-H for $399 a year. RunHOA suits boards comfortable entering bank activity by hand.

Why it's here

$399 a year for every home
Broad feature list for the price

Where it falls short

RunHOA lists no bank connection
RunHOA has almost no public reviews

RunHOA alternatives

RunHOA's bank register for its Demo Valley HOA — RunHOA's bank register · image: RunHOA help center

The numbers

HSAT5 of 5

Board pays$399/yr

Homeowner bank fee0.8%, max $5

1120-HIncluded

Best for unlimited texts and calls

PayHOA

PayHOA bundles dues, accounting, violations, requests and unlimited messaging on every plan, priced in nine bands from $54 a month. PayHOA is the most-reviewed self-managed tool here, at 4.7 of 5.

Why it's here

Unlimited email, text and robocalls
4.7 of 5 from hundreds of reviews

Where it falls short

Price rises as homes are added
1120-H preparation costs extra

PayHOA pricing and alternatives PayHOA vs TownSq

PayHOA's budget overview, budgeted against actual — PayHOA's budget overview, Apr 2026 · image: PayHOA help center

The numbers

HSAT3 of 5

Board pays$54–$275/mo

Homeowner bank fee$2.45

1120-HFrom $399 extra

Best for management companies

AppFolio

AppFolio runs association and rental portfolios for management companies, starting at $1.49 per home a month with a 50-home minimum and a minimum spend.

Why it's here

Portfolio-wide reporting
Rentals and associations in one system

Where it falls short

Minimums rule out most volunteer boards
No 1120-H and no homeowner voting

AppFolio alternatives

AppFolio's association overview dashboard for board members — AppFolio's association overview · image: AppFolio product update, 2024

The numbers

HSAT1 of 5

Board paysFrom $1.49/home/mo

Homeowner bank fee$2.49

1120-HNot offered

Best for boards with a bookkeeper

Buildium

Buildium offers property-management-grade accounting with violations and unlimited storage, from $80 a month for up to 40 homes. Bigger communities move to Growth pricing or a quote.

Why it's here

Deep reports
Lowest card fee for homeowners, 2.99%

Where it falls short

No 1120-H
Full ledger export isn't self-serve

Buildium pricing and alternatives

Buildium's bank reconciliation matching ledger entries to the bank feed — Buildium's bank reconciliation · image: Buildium help center

The numbers

HSAT2 of 5

Board pays$80/mo

Homeowner bank fee$2.35

1120-HNot offered

Best resident app when a manager runs it

TownSq

TownSq gives residents a polished app for payments, requests and announcements, rated 4.7 of 5 on the App Store. TownSq sells violations, architectural requests and voting as add-ons, and keeps full accounting on its Enterprise plan.

Why it's here

Popular resident app
Package and guest tools as add-ons

Where it falls short

Accounting on Enterprise only
Homeowner payment fees not published

TownSq alternatives PayHOA vs TownSq

TownSq's homeowner account and ledger — TownSq's homeowner account, Jun 2026, names blurred by Kahoa · image: TownSq release notes

The numbers

HSAT0 of 5

Board pays$90–$270/mo

Homeowner bank fee~$1.50

1120-HNot offered

Best for staffed condo buildings

Condo Control

Condo Control is built around buildings with a front desk: packages, visitors, amenities and security logs. Condo Control starts at $67.50 a month under 50 units.

Why it's here

Front-desk and security tools
Rated 4.8 of 5 on G2

Where it falls short

Accounting is an add-on integration
Many tools are add-ons

Condo Control alternatives

Condo Control's payments report, with email addresses blurred — Condo Control's payments report, emails blurred by Kahoa · image: Condo Control help center

The numbers

HSAT1 of 5

Board paysFrom $67.50/mo

Homeowner bank feeNot published

1120-HNot offered

Which is best for your community's size?

SmallUnder 25 homesRunHOA or Kahoa

Pick on time saved. A small board has one or two volunteers, so automatic bank feeds and a prepared 1120-H matter more than features.

Mid-size25–150 homesKahoa or PayHOA

Compare the price at your home count. PayHOA's bands climb from $54 to $142 a month across this range; Kahoa stays at $50.

Large or managed150+ homesKahoa, or AppFolio via a manager

Large self-managed communities save the most with flat pricing. Managed communities usually use whatever their management company runs.

What will homeowners pay in fees?

on a $250 dues payment

The board's subscription is only half the cost. Homeowners pay a fee each time they send dues, and across a year those fees can cost the community more than the software.

Software	Bank transfer	Card	Card, 12 payments
Kahoa	$2.45	$7.55	$90.60
RunHOA	$2.00	$7.55	$90.60
Buildium	$2.35	$7.48	$89.70
PayHOA	$2.45	$9.25	$111.00
TownSq	~$1.50	$9.75–$11.75	$117–$141

Card fees: Kahoa and RunHOA pass through Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30; Buildium 2.99%; PayHOA 3.5% + $0.50; TownSq ~3.5% + $1–$3 via ATG Pay. RunHOA's bank fee is 0.8% ($2.00 on $250), and RunHOA lets the board absorb it.

How do you choose in three questions?

Is the community self-managed or managed?

Self-managed boards should start with Kahoa, RunHOA or PayHOA. Managed communities usually use their manager's software, most often AppFolio, Buildium or TownSq.

Does the building have staff?

A staffed condo building with a front desk needs package and visitor tools, which Condo Control does best. Without staff, those tools go unused.

What will homeowners pay?

Compare the fee each homeowner pays to send dues, not just the board's price. Across a year, homeowner fees can cost a community more than the software.

Still on QuickBooks or a spreadsheet?

What about QuickBooks?

QuickBooks wasn't built for HOA funds or dues, so treasurers end up keeping a second ledger beside it. Spreadsheets work until the treasurer changes.

QuickBooks for HOAs

Comparing two directlyPayHOA vs TownSqCompare PayHOA vs RunHOACompare Buildium vs PayHOACompare AppFolio vs BuildiumCompare All comparisonsBrowse

What else do boards ask?

What is the most popular HOA management software?

Among management companies, AppFolio and Buildium have the most reviews. Among self-managed boards, PayHOA is the most reviewed, with 4.7 of 5 on Capterra and G2.

What is the cheapest HOA management software?

RunHOA is the cheapest full HOA tool we found, at $399 a year for any number of homes. Kahoa costs $50 a month flat; PayHOA starts at $54 a month for up to 25 homes.

Do homeowners pay fees to use HOA software?

Usually, yes. Most HOA software charges homeowners a fee each time they pay dues online, from about $1.50 to $2.49 per bank transfer and around 3% per card payment.

Does HOA management software replace a management company?

For many small communities, yes. HOA software handles the books, dues and communication; the volunteer board still makes decisions and enforces the CC&Rs.

Try it on your own books

Connect your bank and watch the funds sort themselves

Thirty days, no card. Bring last year's bank statements and Kahoa builds the ledger from them.

Start a 30-day trial See pricing

$50a month, flat, for every home in your community.