Kahoa
Kahoa costs $50 a month at any size, with operating and reserve funds kept apart and the 1120-H included.
Modern HOA management software
Built for self-managed communities
HOA Start pricing, reviews and the best alternatives
HOA Start now prices by quote, based on the number of homes, though older listings still say $39 a month. It publishes homeowner fees: 1% by bank and 3.5% + $0.30 by card. The best HOA Start alternatives are Kahoa and RunHOA for flat prices and the 1120-H, and PayHOA for published price bands.
Kahoa makes Kahoa, one of the alternatives here. HOA Start is scored with the same HSAT as every other tool, and every claim links to its source.
What is HOA Start?
HOA Start is a website and management platform for self-managed HOA, condo and property owner associations: member portal, dues through Stripe, violations, architectural requests, voting and email blasts, with a Financials module in beta.
HOA Start bills yearly. Bookkeeping, guided onboarding and Concierge services cost extra. HOA Start is made by Membershine, LLC.
How much does HOA Start cost?
hoastart.com/pricing, checked Oct 20, 2026| The board pays | Price |
|---|---|
| Software, priced by homes | Quote |
| Older listed price | $39/mo |
| Bookkeeping and Concierge | Not published |
| Billing | Yearly, auto-renews |
HOA Start's pricing page asks for the number of homes and quotes a price; its own 2025 comparison page and software directories still list $39 a month.
| Homeowners pay | Per payment |
|---|---|
| Bank transfer | 1%, max $6.25 |
| Bank transfer, on $250 dues | $2.50 |
| Card | 3.5% + $0.30 |
| Card, on $250 dues | $9.05 |
A year of fees, worked out by Kahoa
A 100-home community with $200 monthly dues, 75 homes paying by bank and 25 by card, sends $3,990 a year to HOA Start in homeowner fees. The same community pays $4,035 on Kahoa, so HOA Start costs homeowners less in fees.
Does HOA Start pass the HSAT?
HOA Stewardship Accounting StandardHOA Start1 of 5Passes one of the HSAT's five pass-or-fail questions on its entry plan.
- Are operating and reserve funds kept apart?Not documented
- Is the 1120-H included?No
- Does the price stay flat as homes are added?No, priced by homes
- Are homeowner fees published?Yes, in the help center
- Can the board leave with its books?No, CSV by area
The HSAT is Kahoa's own five-question standard, not an official accounting standard. How the HSAT works
What do HOA Start reviewers say?
SourceForge, Oct 2026What reviewers like
- Responsive sales and support
- Easy website builder
What reviewers flag
- Almost no public reviews we could read
“dealings with HOA Start have exceeded our every expectation”Stacey G., director of communications, SourceForge
HOA Start's Capterra and GetApp pages block automated reading and it has no G2 reviews; this is the only public review we could read.
What are the best HOA Start alternatives?
| Software | HSAT | Board pays | 1120-H | Homeowner bank fee | Better than HOA Start at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOA Startthe one you're replacing | 1 of 5 | Quote only | Not offered | 1%, max $6.25 | — |
| Kahoaour product | 5 of 5 | $50/mo | Included | $2.45 | Flat price, fund accounting, 1120-H |
| RunHOArunhoa.com/pricing | 5 of 5 | $399/yr | Included | 0.8%, max $5 | Lowest flat price, 1120-H |
| PayHOApayhoa.com/pricing | 3 of 5 | $54–$275/mo | From $399 extra | $2.45 | Published bands, many reviews |
| Buildiumbuildium.com/pricing | 2 of 5 | $80/mo | Not offered | $2.35 | Bookkeeper-grade reports |
| Condo Controlcondocontrol.com/pricing | 1 of 5 | From $67.50/mo | Not offered | Not published | Staffed condo buildings |
HSAT: one point per question passed on the entry plan. Prices checked against each vendor's pricing page, Oct 20, 2026. Spot something out of date? Tell us.
RunHOA
RunHOA costs $399 a year for any number of homes, with Form 1120-H generated from the books.
PayHOA
PayHOA publishes every price band, from $54 a month, with hundreds of reviews to judge by.
Who should stay on HOA Start?
When HOA Start is still the right call
- Your community website is the main thing you need.
- A CPA keeps your books and HOA Start handles dues and messages.
- You use HOA Start's paid bookkeeping service and it works.
Leaving HOA Start
How do you switch from HOA Start?
- Download CSVs of households, transactions, vendors and the chart of accounts from HOA Start.
- Load them into the new tool and match opening balances to the bank.
- Check the renewal date first: HOA Start's yearly plan isn't refundable.
What else do boards ask about HOA Start?
How much does HOA Start cost?
HOA Start now quotes a price based on the number of homes. Older listings, including its own 2025 comparison page, say $39 a month.
What do homeowners pay on HOA Start?
1% per bank payment (the board sets a flat $6.25 above $625) and 3.5% + $0.30 by card. The HOA absorbs the fee unless the board passes it to homeowners.
Does HOA Start prepare the 1120-H?
No. HOA Start's help center says its financial suite can't generate 1099s, and it doesn't mention Form 1120-H.
Does HOA Start have fund accounting?
Not documented. Its chart of accounts has account types but no operating or reserve fund setting, and the Financials module is labeled beta.
Want the price in writing?
$50 a month, any number of homes
Thirty days, no card. Kahoa builds the ledger from your export and last year's bank statements.
$50a month, flat, at any size. The 1120-H is included.