Bench
Rent Manager
| Feature | Bench | Rent Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $299/mo | From $1/mo |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.1 / 5 | 4.1 / 5 |
| Best For | small-business-owners, freelancers, startups, busy-entrepreneurs | property-managers, landlords, real-estate-investors, multi-unit-owners |
| Founded | 2012 | 1982 |
| Monthly Bookkeeping | ✓ | ✗ |
| Financial Statements | ✓ | ✗ |
| Tax Preparation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Expense Categorization | ✓ | ✗ |
| Year End Reporting | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dedicated Team | ✓ | ✗ |
| Accounting | ✗ | ✓ |
| Maintenance Tracking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Tenant Portal | ✗ | ✓ |
| Screening | ✗ | ✓ |
| Marketing | ✗ | ✓ |
| Reporting | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Bench Pros
- Dedicated bookkeeping team
- Year-end tax-ready financials
- Simple to use platform
- No bookkeeping knowledge needed
✗ Bench Cons
- Expensive for basic needs
- Limited real-time access
- Less control over process
✓ Rent Manager Pros
- Full double-entry accounting
- Customizable reports and dashboards
- Built-in tenant portal
- Scales from 10 to 10,000+ units
✗ Rent Manager Cons
- Dated interface compared to newer tools
- Steep learning curve
- Per-unit pricing adds up quickly
The Verdict
Bench is built for small business owners and freelancers, with a focus on monthly-bookkeeping and financial-statements. Rent Manager targets property managers and landlords and leads with accounting and maintenance-tracking.
On pricing, Rent Manager is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $1/mo compared to $299/mo for Bench. That $298/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Neither tool offers a free plan, so factor the subscription cost into your decision from the start.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.