Suite 1000 — Researched review
Stessa Review: Free Rental Accounting With Banking Built In
Stessa started as free rental-property accounting and has grown into a landlord platform with banking, rent collection and screening, while keeping its bookkeeping roots. It is associated with Roofstock, whose branding appears on its site. This review is built from Stessa's published pricing and features plus independent reviews, compared against the platforms we cover on this site. We have not run our own portfolio on it.
The short version
The best free option if your main headache is bookkeeping. Unlimited properties, automatic bank feeds and investor-style reports on the free plan. Management features are lighter than a full property management platform.
What Stessa does
Stessa connects to your bank accounts and categorizes rental income and expenses per property, producing reports such as income statements and, on paid plans, a Schedule E report. It also offers online rent collection, tenant screening, maintenance tracking, vacancy marketing and its own cash-management accounts. A separate full-service management option is offered through a partner.
Pricing
As of October 2026, from Stessa's website. Always confirm current pricing before you sign up.
| Plan | Price | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | Free | Unlimited properties, bank feeds, basic reports, screening, rent collection, maintenance tracking |
| Manage | $12/mo annual ($15 monthly) | Schedule E report, 60+ legal forms, unlimited state-compliant leases, faster rent payouts |
| Pro | $28/mo annual ($35 monthly) | Advanced reports, budgeting and pro formas, unlimited receipt scanning, more e-signatures |
Stessa offers interest on cash balances in its accounts at variable, tiered rates that differ by plan; its own page shows inconsistent figures, so check current rates directly. Banking is provided by Thread Bank.
Strengths and weaknesses
What works
- Strong free plan with unlimited properties
- Accounting-first: bank feeds and investor-grade reports
- Paid plans are inexpensive
- Banking, rent collection and screening in the same place
Where it falls short
- Not a full property management system for managing other owners
- Schedule E report and legal forms require a paid plan
- Lease templates cost extra on the free plan
- Banking is through a partner bank, not Stessa itself
How it compares
Against Baselane: both pair banking with bookkeeping. Stessa leans toward investor reporting and analysis; Baselane toward banking per property. See our Baselane review.
Against DoorLoop: DoorLoop is a full management platform with owner statements and maintenance workflows. If you only need books, Stessa is cheaper; if you need to run operations, DoorLoop is the stronger fit. Read the DoorLoop review →
Who it is for
Self-managing investors with a handful to a few dozen units whose biggest pain is keeping clean books for taxes and lenders.
The verdict
Stessa is the easiest recommendation for free rental accounting. Pair it with a rent-collection tool, or move to a full platform once operations, not bookkeeping, are the bottleneck.
Want management and accounting in one place?
DoorLoop combines rent collection, maintenance and full accounting, and most landlords are running within a day.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. See our Affiliate Disclosure for details. We have no affiliate relationship with Stessa. Pricing is taken from Stessa's website in October 2026 and may change.
Frequently asked questions
Is Stessa really free?
Yes. The Essentials plan is free with unlimited properties, bank feeds, basic reports, screening, maintenance tracking and online rent collection. Lease templates cost $15 each on the free plan.
Is Stessa a bank?
No. Stessa says it is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank; its banking is provided by Thread Bank.
Stessa or DoorLoop?
Stessa if bookkeeping is the main job and you self-manage. DoorLoop if you want full property management, owner statements and maintenance workflows in one platform.