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Best HOA payment software for 2026

Jared McKinney · Founder, Kahoa
Updated · prices checked against each vendor's site

The best HOA payment software keeps the fee a homeowner pays to send dues low and publishes it up front. RunHOA has the lowest homeowner fees and lets the board absorb them, Buildium has the lowest card percentage, and Kahoa passes card fees through at Stripe's cost. PayHOA and TownSq charge homeowners the most per card payment.

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 payment software?

HOA payment software lets homeowners pay dues online by bank transfer or card, set up autopay, and see each payment land on the right home's balance.

The software company or its payment processor charges a fee on every payment, and most charge it to the homeowner. That fee schedule can cost a community more each year than the board's subscription.

$3,270–$4,455what 100 homes paying $200 a month send in fees each year, from RunHOA to PayHOA.Worked out by Kahoa from published fees, Oct 2026
$9.25 vs $7.55what a homeowner pays to send $250 by card on PayHOA versus Kahoa.Vendor fee schedules, Oct 20 2026
2.9% + $0.30Stripe's card rate, which Kahoa and RunHOA pass to homeowners without a markup.Kahoa and RunHOA fee schedules

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 does HOA payment software compare?

each row links to its source
SoftwareHSATBoard paysFund accounting1120-HHomeowner bank feeFull export
RunHOArunhoa.com/pricing5 of 5$399/yrany number of homesIncludedIncluded0.8%, max $5board can absorb itPDF, Word, Excel
Kahoakahoa.app/pricing5 of 5$50/moany number of homesIncludedIncluded$2.45Anytime, free
Buildiumbuildium.com/pricing2 of 5$80/moEssential, up to 40 homesIncludedNot offered$2.35+$99 setup per bank accountPartial
PayHOApayhoa.com/pricing3 of 5$54–$275/morises with homesIncludedFrom $399 extra$2.45Self-serve CSV and PDF
TownSqtownsq.io/pricing0 of 5$90–$270/moEnterprise plan onlyNot offered~$1.50via ATG PayNot published
AppFolioappfolio.com/pricing1 of 5From $1.49/home/mo50-home minimumIncludedNot offered$2.49third-party reportsReport by report
Condo Controlcondocontrol.com/pricing1 of 5From $67.50/mounder 50 unitsSold as modulesNot offeredNot publishedSelf-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 payment software is best for your homeowners?

01
Best for the lowest homeowner fees

RunHOA

RunHOA charges homeowners 0.8% per bank transfer, capped at $5, and Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 by card, and RunHOA lets the board absorb the fees instead. On $200 dues that's $1.60 per bank transfer.

Why it's here
  • Lowest bank-transfer fee on typical dues
  • Board can choose to absorb fees
Where it falls short
  • RunHOA lists no bank connection for the books
  • RunHOA has almost no public reviews
RunHOA alternatives
RunHOA's bank register · image: RunHOA help center
RunHOA's bank register for its Demo Valley HOA
RunHOA's bank register for its Demo Valley HOA
The numbers
HSAT5 of 5
Board pays$399/yr
Homeowner bank fee0.8%, max $5
1120-HIncluded
02
Best for card fees at cost and a flat price

Kahoa

Our product

Kahoa passes card payments through at Stripe's cost, 2.9% + $0.30, and charges a flat $2.45 per bank transfer, the market-standard rate. Kahoa's payments post straight into the books, sorted by fund.

Why it's here
  • Card fees at Stripe's cost, never marked up
  • Payments post into the ledger automatically
  • $50 a month flat
Where it falls short
  • Kahoa's $2.45 bank fee is higher than RunHOA's on dues under $306
  • Kahoa launched in 2026
Start a 30-day trialSee pricing
Kahoa's dues ledger, with late homes and failed autopay flagged · image: Kahoa
Kahoa's dues screen showing 34 of 47 homes paid
Kahoa's dues screen showing 34 of 47 homes paid
The numbers
HSAT5 of 5
Board pays$50/mo
Homeowner bank fee$2.45
1120-HIncluded
03
Best for the lowest card percentage

Buildium

Buildium charges homeowners 2.99% by card with no fixed fee and $2.35 per bank transfer on Essential, dropping to $0.99 on Growth and free on Premium. Buildium charges the board $99 to set up each bank account for online payments.

Why it's here
  • 2.99% card fee with no fixed charge
  • Bank transfers free on Premium
Where it falls short
  • $99 setup per bank account on Essential
  • Essential covers only up to 40 homes
Buildium pricing and alternatives
Buildium's bank reconciliation · image: Buildium help center
Buildium's bank reconciliation matching ledger entries to the bank feed
Buildium's bank reconciliation matching ledger entries to the bank feed
The numbers
HSAT2 of 5
Board pays$80/mo
Homeowner bank fee$2.35
1120-HNot offered
04
Best for boards still taking paper checks

PayHOA

PayHOA offers a free lockbox that scans, deposits and codes mailed checks alongside online payments, so boards can move owners online gradually. PayHOA charges homeowners $2.45 per bank transfer and 3.5% + $0.50 per card payment.

Why it's here
  • Free lockbox for mailed checks
  • Unlimited payment reminders by text and call
Where it falls short
  • Card fee of $9.25 on $250, among the highest here
  • Price rises as the community grows
PayHOA pricing and alternatives
PayHOA's budget overview, Apr 2026 · image: PayHOA help center
PayHOA's budget overview, budgeted against actual
PayHOA's budget overview, budgeted against actual
The numbers
HSAT3 of 5
Board pays$54–$275/mo
Homeowner bank fee$2.45
1120-HFrom $399 extra
05
Best bank-transfer fee, if your manager uses it

TownSq

TownSq's processor, ATG Pay, charges about $1.50 per bank transfer, the lowest flat bank fee here, but about 3.5% + $1–$3 by card. TownSq doesn't publish these fees centrally, and one App Store reviewer was charged over $20 in card fees without warning.

Why it's here
  • About $1.50 per bank transfer
Where it falls short
  • Card fees not shown at checkout, per reviewers
  • Fees not published by TownSq
TownSq alternativesPayHOA vs TownSq
TownSq's homeowner account, Jun 2026, names blurred by Kahoa · image: TownSq release notes
TownSq's homeowner account and ledger
TownSq's homeowner account and ledger
The numbers
HSAT0 of 5
Board pays$90–$270/mo
Homeowner bank fee~$1.50
1120-HNot offered

Which is best for your community's size?

Low duesDues under $150RunHOA or Buildium

On small payments, percentage fees beat flat ones: RunHOA's 0.8% is $1.20 on $150, against $2.45 flat.

Typical dues$150–$300RunHOA, Kahoa or Buildium

Bank fees land between $1.20 and $2.45. Card fees decide it: PayHOA charges about $1.70 more per card payment than Kahoa.

High duesDues over $300Kahoa or Buildium

Flat bank fees win on large payments. Above about $306, RunHOA's 0.8% passes Kahoa's flat $2.45.

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.

SoftwareBank transferCardCard, 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?

01
Who pays the fee, the homeowner or the board?

Most tools charge the homeowner. RunHOA lets the board absorb it; budget for it if you want owners to pay nothing extra.

02
Is the fee published before they pay?

Check that the fee appears at checkout and on the vendor's site. TownSq's and AppFolio's homeowner fees aren't published centrally.

03
Do payments land in the books on their own?

A payment tool that posts each payment to the right home and fund saves the treasurer a monthly reconciliation chore.

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 TownSqComparePayHOA vs RunHOACompareBuildium vs PayHOACompareAppFolio vs BuildiumCompareAll comparisonsBrowse

What else do boards ask?

Can homeowners pay HOA dues online for free?
Usually not by card, because card networks charge a fee on every payment. Bank transfers can be free to homeowners if the board absorbs the fee, which RunHOA and Buildium Premium allow.
What is a normal HOA payment fee?
About $1.50 to $2.49 per bank transfer and 2.9% to 3.5% plus a small fixed fee per card payment, across the HOA software compared here.
Is it legal to charge homeowners a card fee?
Card surcharge rules vary by state, and card networks require a surcharge to be disclosed before payment. A fee that appears only after payment, as one TownSq reviewer described, is the kind boards should avoid.
Does Kahoa mark up payment fees?
No. Kahoa passes card fees through at Stripe's cost and charges a flat $2.45 per bank transfer, the market-standard rate.
Card fees at cost

Collect dues without marking up your neighbors' fees

Thirty days, no card. Kahoa passes card fees through at Stripe's cost and posts every payment to the books.

Start a 30-day trialSee pricing
$50a month, flat, for every home in your community.