Comparing rental tools
AppFolio or Dardaris? An honest side by side.
AppFolio is built for management companies running dozens or hundreds of units, with a 50-unit minimum and pricing available only by asking its sales team for a quote. Dardaris is built for an owner: it reads your leases and your bank, spots late rent, drafts the next step under each building’s own law, and runs it all through workflows you control, so nothing reaches a tenant without your yes. Here is where each one wins, with what each actually publishes about its price.
14 days on Pro before the first charge. Checkout asks for a card first, and nothing is switched on until you say so.
AppFolio
Dardaris
- Best for
- Property management companies running 50+ unitsOwners who want the reading and chasing prepared
- Free plan
- No free plan; no published trialNo, a 14-day trial
- Paid plans from
- Quote only; no price published€12,25 a month, up to 3 lots
- Whose law
- US state rules; no cross-border coverage foundRead off each building’s address
- AI
- Realm-X, its own AI platformReads leases and deeds, answers from your records
Monthly, before tax where it applies. Dardaris at its beta price.
AppFolio in four figures
- operating since, now listed on Nasdaq (APPF)
- 2006
- minimum portfolio size before it will quote you
- 50 units
- on G2, from 1,033 reviews
- 4.6 / 5
- on Capterra, from 1,891 reviews
- 4.5 / 5
Reviewers praise the reporting and the all-in-one leasing workflow. The complaints that come back are added costs for screening, payments and AI features on top of the per-unit fee, and slower support during busy periods.
The short answer
Two different jobs
AppFolio is the better fit if
- You already run a portfolio of 50 or more units, the minimum AppFolio will even quote.
- You want owner and resident reporting built for a management company’s own books.
- A quote from a sales team suits you; you do not need the price up front.
- You want a name with two decades in business behind it, listed on Nasdaq.
Dardaris is the better fit if
- You own across several countries or currencies, or want a lease or a deed read from its PDF rather than typed in.
- You want late rent spotted on the bank feed and the next step drafted for you, under the law of the building’s own address.
- You want every automated step to wait for your yes, and leave a record of what ran and why.
- You would rather the paperwork read itself than fill in another form.
Feature by feature
What each one does, and what it does not
AppFolio’s column is read from its own public pages, checked on 27 September 2026; Dardaris’s is what a production build does today. Where AppFolio does not describe something, the table says so rather than guessing.
| Feature | AppFolio | Dardaris |
|---|---|---|
| Leases and the property | ||
| Lease drafting | Yes | Yes |
| Reads an existing lease from its PDF | Not described | YesYou confirm what it read |
| Electronic signature | Yes | Coming |
| Inventory (move-in / move-out) with photos | Not described | No |
| Rent indexation or rent increases | Not described | Yes |
| Rules for a property outside its home country | No | YesSix housing codes researched by hand; every other flagged to confirm |
| Rent and money | ||
| Rent receipts | Not described | YesDrawn up once the rent is matched, for you to send |
| Bank connection | PartlyOnline rent payments; no external bank-feed sync described | YesPonto in Europe, Plaid elsewhere |
| Late rent | Not described | YesSpotted on the bank feed, next step drafted |
| Service charge reconciliation | Not described | PartlyOn the Pro plan |
| Tax return help | Yes1099-NEC generation built in | PartlyExports for your accountant |
| Everything else | ||
| Automated workflows | YesRealm-X automates leasing and maintenance triage | YesMatching, late rent and receipts, each step recorded |
| AI-drafted replies to tenants | YesRealm-X answers renewal, rent and lease questions | ComingDrafted from their own tenancy, for you to send |
| Buildings in several currencies | No | YesEach in its own currency, totals at the day’s rate |
| AI assistant | YesRealm-X, its own agentic AI platform, with a Claude integration announced in 2026 | YesOn every plan |
| API and MCP for AI tools | PartlyTiered: read-only or read/write, not on every plan | Yes |
| Every automated step waits for approval, and is recorded | Not described | Yes |
| Tenant portal | YesResident and owner portals, plus a separate resident app | No |
| Applications from candidates | Yes | No |
| Seasonal or short-stay lets | Not described | Coming |
| Mobile app | YesiOS and Android, plus a separate resident app | PartlyIn the phone’s browser |
| Several people on one account | Yes | Yes |
What it costs
AppFolio against Dardaris, lot by lot
The monthly price for the same number of lots, before tax, on the cheapest plan of each that carries them, each in the currency it lists its own price in.
1 lot
AppFolioAsk for a quote · CoreDardaris€12,25 · Ownerlist price €493 lots
AppFolioAsk for a quote · CoreDardaris€12,25 · Ownerlist price €495 lots
AppFolioAsk for a quote · CoreDardaris€37,25 · Prolist price €14925 lots
AppFolioAsk for a quote · CoreDardaris€37,25 · Prolist price €149
Dardaris is 75% off while in beta: the filled bar is what you pay, the outline the list price it returns to, with at least 30 days’ notice.
What the difference pays for is the work itself: the reading, matching and drafting, run by workflows you control. If you would rather do that part yourself, the cheaper tool is the sensible saving.
Automations
What runs on its own, and what waits for you
Dardaris runs workflows that read, match and draft, and holds anything that would reach a tenant for your decision.
Runs on its own today
- Matches each bank payment to the rent notice it pays
- Opens an arrears case when a rent has not arrived, and tells you
- Draws up the receipt once a rent is paid
- Reads a lease or a deed you upload into its fields
- Records every step, with what ran and why
Waits for your yes
- Every reminder and formal notice
- Anything that would reach a tenant
- Any legal figure the rules mark to confirm
Coming next
- Tenant emails read in their own language, with a reply drafted from their tenancy and checked against your records
- Choosing, workflow by workflow, what may run on its own
A reply never leaves from your address on its own: even once the inbox ships, the most Dardaris does unattended is file the drafted answer on the thread for you.
Where Dardaris differs
What happens when a rent does not arrive
Dardaris starts from the bank feed, follows the steps of the building’s own law, and stops before anything reaches the tenant.
The days shown are common practice, not law, so Dardaris marks them to confirm and runs none of these steps without you. A payment that arrives closes the case and draws up the receipt.
Due date
The rent falls due
The rent notice for the month is already on file.
Grace days over
An arrears case opens
You are toldThe bank has reported and nothing paid the notice. You are told; no letter goes out.
Around day 3
A friendly reminder
Waits for youDrafted from the lease and the balance, for you to send.
Around day 15
Formal notice
Waits for youDardaris prepares it and says how it has to be served.
Around day 30
Order to pay
Waits for youServed by whoever the local procedure names, whom you instruct.
Several countries, several currencies
Each building keeps its own law and its own currency
Dardaris reads which housing law applies from each building’s address, keeps its rent in that country’s currency, and counts the whole portfolio in the one currency you choose.
Every other country opens on rules whose every figure is marked to confirm, so the product acts on none of them alone. See the countries covered
- LyonFrench law of 6 July 1989Researched850 €EUR
- BrusselsBrussels Housing CodeResearched€1.100EUR
- GhentFlemish Housing Rent DecreeResearched€950EUR
- AmsterdamDutch tenancy lawResearched€1.650EUR
- LondonHousing law of EnglandTo confirm, line by line£1,400GBP
- New YorkNew York State tenancy lawResearched$2,800USD
Totals are counted in your account currency at the rate published that day, and a converted figure is marked as converted.
Moving across
Switching, in three steps
- Step 1
Add the building
Type its address. The law it stands under is read from it.
- Step 2
Drop in the lease
The PDF is read into the tenant, the rent and the dates, and you confirm what it read.
- Step 3
Connect the bank
The account the rent arrives on. Payments are matched to rent notices from then on.
Keep your current tool open while you try Dardaris. Switching changes nothing in the lease itself, and nothing is sent to your tenant.
Frequently asked questions
What is AppFolio?
AppFolio Property Manager is a property management platform aimed at management companies and larger portfolios. It was founded in 2006 in Santa Barbara, California, and has been publicly traded since 2015 (Nasdaq: APPF). Its entry plan requires at least 50 units, and pricing is only available by asking its sales team for a quote.
Does AppFolio have a free plan or trial?
No. AppFolio publishes no free plan and no self-serve trial; every plan starts with a quote request and a 50-unit minimum. Dardaris has no free plan either, but the first 14 days on Pro cost nothing before the first charge, with no minimum portfolio size. After that, the Owner plan is €12,25 a month for up to 3 lots.
Is Dardaris a real alternative to {rival}?
For leases, rent notices, receipts and the bank connection, yes. Its core is different: it reads your leases and deeds, spots late rent on the bank feed, drafts the next step under the law of the building’s address, and waits for your approval before anything goes out. Where AppFolio covers ground Dardaris does not yet, the comparison table above says so.
Can Dardaris handle properties in several countries and currencies?
Yes. Each building is filed under the housing law of its address and keeps its rent, deposit and costs in that country’s currency. The portfolio is counted in one currency you choose, at the rate published that day, and a converted figure is marked as converted. Where the rules for a country have not been researched, every legal figure is marked to confirm.
What does Dardaris automate today?
Matching bank payments to rent notices, opening an arrears case when rent has not arrived, drawing up the receipt once rent is paid, and reading the leases and deeds you upload. Every step is recorded. Reminders, formal notices and anything that reaches a tenant wait for your approval.
Can Dardaris reply to tenants automatically?
Not yet. Reading tenant email and drafting the reply is being built: the answer is drafted from that tenant’s own tenancy and checked against your records. Even then it does not leave on its own. Dardaris has no way to send from your address, so the drafted reply waits on the thread for you.
Can I move from {rival} to Dardaris?
Yes. Add each building’s address, drop in the current lease so it is read rather than retyped, and connect the account the rent arrives on. Switching tools changes nothing in what the existing lease says, and you can keep AppFolio running while you try.
Try it on one building before you decide.
Add one address and its lease, and see what Dardaris reads and prepares in the first 14 days, no 50-unit minimum and no sales call required.
14 days before the first charge · Nothing is switched on until you say so
AppFolio’s figures were checked via its own public pages, G2 and Capterra on 27 September 2026 and may have changed since; AppFolio does not publish exact pricing, only that quotes start at a 50-unit minimum. AppFolio is a trademark of its owner; Dardaris is not affiliated with it.