Update: This post has been updated with new scoring and winners based on changes or upgrades to some of the products and services. We have also included new products that have come to our attention since the last update. Read on to see our winners for the best free online ways to advertise property for rent 2022:
Any landlord knows that having rentals sit vacant will quickly turn the ink on their balance sheet from black to red. Reaching and attracting new prospective tenants is the first step in filling vacancies. Online property management software products can dramatically streamline the process of marketing empty units. As you’ll see in this and other articles we’ve written, we believe strongly that these products improve the ease and profitability of managing rental property. We take a look at leading software providers, many of whom offer free online ways to advertise property for rent.
Our Winners: Best free online ways to advertise property for rent
These are our winners for the best free online ways to advertise property for rent. Read below for complete criteria and scores:
SERVICE | DESCRIPTION | RATING | MORE |
---|---|---|---|
BEST OVERALL
![]() |
Avail
|
![]() 49.5 |
Read ReviewSign Up Here |
LARGE PORTFOLIOS
![]() |
TenantCloud
|
![]() 48.5 |
Read ReviewSign Up Here |
BEST FOR MOBILE
![]() |
RentRedi
|
![]() 46.5 |
Read ReviewSign Up Here |
Overall Winner: Best Free Online Way to Advertise Property For Rent
Among free online ways to advertise property for rent, Avail is our Overall Winner.
- Vacancies are syndicated (posted-on) a broad range of rental listing sites, reaching a huge percentage of people searching for housing online.
- The user interface is attractive and easy to use, and units advertised on your personalized listings website are presented in a professional, appealing way.
- A customizable online application is a click away from your vacancy page.
- Avail is the only service to score on for both of our Extra Credit categories: automated showing time scheduling, and a rental research feature.
- There are three different screening reports to choose from. Landlords choose whether to pay, or require tenants to do so.
- Advertise your property, find and screen tenants, sign leases, collect rent, and e-sign custom local leases, with tools built specifically for DIY landlords.
- Strength: Complete Solution




Winner: Best for Property Managers Or Larger Portfolios
If you’re asking us to recommend a great software product for advertising and managing larger real estate portfolios (25+ units??) we like TenantCloud. The platform offers robust features from vacancy listings through maintenance and financial management. While products such as Avail also support higher unit counts, we believe that the subscription pricing of TenantCloud – though unappealing at first glance – become a good value once you have more than a handful of rentals.
- End-to-end property management solution. Receive payments online, advertise properties and screen potential tenants. Robust accounting and maintenance features.
- Strength: Complete Solution


Winner: Mobile App
RentRedi’s app is truly convenient and enjoyable to use, for both landlords and tenants. Advertising your vacancy can be managed easily from any mobile device, allowing you to correspond easily with prospective tenants from anywhere, in real time. For landlords on the go, and renters who expect mobile convenience, we see RentRedi as a great tool!
- RentRedi is an all-inclusive landlord-tenant app. Manage vacancies, screening, and rent collection from wherever you are, on any device.
- Strength: Complete Solution

Best Free Online Ways To Advertise Property For Rent: Our Contenders
Landlords have many options when searching for free online ways to advertise property for rent. We’ve avaluated these leading property management software products to help you find the solution that best serves your needs.

Avail
Avail is an end-to-end property management software that helps small landlords create online listings, receive appications, run screening reports, collect rent, and get instant access to lawyer-approved leases and electronic signing. It does a lot of the work for you, including contacting former landlords, so you can fill vacancies quickly with qualified tenants. Here’s our full product overview.

Buildium
Buildium property management software supports the larger DIY landlord and property managers. The software includes tools to help with accounting and bookkeeping, lease & document management, maintenance tracking, applications and screening, and more. Here’s our full product overview.

TenantCloud
TenantCloud is a full-service property management software tool that does a very nice job of meeting the needs of a landlords managing anything from a single home to several hundred units. There are features relevant to owner-managers as well as property managers. From rent-up of vacancies, to financial reporting, to maintenance coordination with service providers, TenantCloud offers valuable solutions. Here’s our full product overview.

Rentec Direct
Rentec Direct offers property management software and tenant screening solutions for landlords and real estate professionals to manage properties, tenants, and accounts online. Subscribers can collect rent payments, post vacancies, screen applicants, collect rent, and more. Here’s our full product overview.

RentRedi
RentRedi is particularly appealing to landlords who operate on-the-go, and have tenants who do the same. Their attractive & intuitive app enables landlords to post vacancies, ask pre-screening questions, request information, and accept or deny applicants from their mobile devices. Listings are posted to the RentRedi site as well as the heavily trafficked Doorsteps.com and Realtor.com. Here’s our full product overview.

Hemlane
Hemlane takes property management software a step further, by giving landlords the option to outsource maintenance coordination and/or leasing. The platform syndicates vacancy listings broadly across listing services (30 sites) and streamlines applications, screening, and rent collection. Hemlane charges a flat fee per unit, and at their upper tiers they take the burden of managing repairs and filling vacancies off of the owner’s shoulders. Here’s our full product overview.

LandlordStudio
LandlordStudio has recently entered the arena of rental advertising, and has built simple, easy interface to create attractive listings. Our favorite feature is their long list of pre-screening questions landlords can require applicants to answer, as we find this a very efficient way to narrow down our search quickly and save time. LandlordStudio really shines when it comes to financial tracking and accounting, however they don’t syndicate ads to listing sites, so you’ll have to do that yourself. Here’s our overview of LandlordStudio’s features.
Evaluation Criteria: Scoring the best free online ways to advertise property for rent
We graded each of the software providers on 5 key rental marketing factors, on a 10 point scale, plus two bonus features. Read on for more details, here’s how they stack up:
CRITERIA: |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Reach of Listings | 9.5 | 10 | 8.5 | 9 | 8 | 9.5 | 6 |
Presentation | 9.5 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 9.5 | 10 | 8 |
Cost | 9.5 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 8 |
Applications | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9.5 | 9 |
Screening | 9.5 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 9.5 | 9 |
Bonus: Rent Estimates | +2 | - | +2 | - | - | - | - |
TOTAL | 49.5 | 46.5 | 48.5 | 41 | 46.5 | 45.5 | 40 |
Takeaway: Best Free Online Ways To Advertise Property For Rent
Reaching and appealing to the maximum number of prospective tenants is the first important step in keeping your properties fully occupied with great residents. There are many free online ways to advertise property for rent, and we’ve evaluated the best products in order to help you choose the solution that’s right for you.
Additional Resources
We have also reviewed how property management software products compare on other features. See our other winners here:
- The Best Online Rent Payment Service for Small Landlords
- Best Tenant Screening Service for Small Landlords
- Best Accounting Software for Landlords
- Residential Lease Agreements: Best Software for Small Landlords
- Best Free Property Management Software for Small Landlords
- Best Property Management Software for Managing Maintenance on Rental Property
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links and Landlord Gurus may earn a commission. Our mission remains to provide valuable resources and information that helps landlords manage their rental properties efficiently and profitably. We link to these companies and their products because of their quality, not because of the commission.