Sahab Key: the Buildium alternative for small landlords
Buildium is a capable platform sold in three tiers, and the features you want decide which tier you pay for. Sahab Key is one plan at two dollars a unit a month, with flat add-ons instead of tier jumps, priced for the portfolio you actually have.
- $2 a unit a month
- $50 a month minimum
- No setup fees
- No free trial, no contract
Who each product is really for
The honest answer is that Buildium and Sahab Key price the same job in different shapes, and the right pick follows from which shape fits your portfolio.
Buildium is broad property management software for residential rentals, community associations, and mixed portfolios. As of August 2026 its published pricing page lists three plans: Essential starts at $62 a month, Growth starts at $192, and Premium starts at $400, with the final price scaling by unit count. The tiers gate features: business analytics and enhanced screening arrive with Growth, and the open API arrives with Premium. On top of the subscription there are per-use fees on the entry plan, such as $2.35 per incoming electronic payment and $5 per e-signed lease. If you manage associations or a large mixed portfolio, that breadth is the point.
Sahab Key is built for residential landlords and small managers who want the whole operation handled on one plan. Rent lands in your bank through Stripe, the books balance to the cent, maintenance stays tracked with tenant photos, and every tenant gets a portal with autopay. It is two dollars a unit a month, the fifty-dollar minimum covers your first twenty-five units, and everything else is a flat-price add-on you take or leave. There is no tier to outgrow and no feature waiting a price jump away.
Pricing, side by side
Sahab Key publishes its full price on the pricing page: two dollars per unit per month, a fifty-dollar monthly minimum that covers the first twenty-five units, and flat monthly add-ons if you want them. Forty units is eighty dollars a month. One hundred units is two hundred. No setup fees, no contract, and the bill follows your portfolio up or down.
Buildium publishes starting prices, which is more than many competitors do, but the price moves in jumps rather than a line. As of August 2026, Essential starts at $62 a month, and the moment you want business analytics the next published starting price is Growth at $192. The open API sits another jump up, on Premium at $400. What your specific unit count costs inside each tier is not published, and per-transaction fees on the entry plan add up beside the subscription.
Sahab Key and Buildium, feature by feature
Only features Sahab Key genuinely offers are listed. Competitor details reflect Buildium's published information as of August 2026.
| Sahab Key | Buildium | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing published online | Included | Starting prices only; full price scales by unit count |
| Per-unit price | $2 per unit a month | Not published |
| Monthly minimum | $50, covers first 25 units | Essential starts at $62 a month (per buildium.com, August 2026) |
| Every feature on one plan | Included | Three tiers: analytics on Growth and up, open API on Premium |
| Setup fees | None | Not published |
| Online rent collection (ACH and card) | Included | Included; incoming electronic payments $2.35 each on Essential |
| Tenant portal with autopay | Included | Included |
| Maintenance tracking with photos | Included | Included |
| Accounting and financial reporting | Included | Included; business analytics on Growth and up |
| Owner portal and payouts | Included | Included |
| Lease e-signature | Add-on, $15 a month, flat | $5 per lease on Essential, unlimited on Premium |
| Online rental applications | Add-on, $29 a month, as intake, application fee, and manager review. Sahab Key does not offer tenant screening. | Included, with screening from $17 per applicant |
| Section 8 housing authority payment tracking | Included | Not published |
| AI on your own portfolio data | Add-on, $49 a month | AI features expand by tier (per buildium.com, August 2026) |
| API access | Add-on, $49 a month, read-only with revocable keys | Premium plan only, starting at $400 a month |
Buildium pricing and plan details are drawn from buildium.com as of August 2026, which lists Essential starting at $62, Growth at $192, and Premium at $400 a month, with final pricing scaled by unit count and per-use fees such as $2.35 per incoming electronic payment, $5 per e-signed lease, and screening from $17 per applicant on the Essential plan. Sahab Key add-ons are flat monthly prices: AI Insights $49, lease e-signature $15, online rental applications $29, texting $15, and AI and API access $49.
Buildium is a trademark of its respective owner. Sahab Key is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Buildium.
The next feature costs a tier.
With Sahab Key, the next unit costs two dollars.
What this means at a small portfolio
Put real numbers on it.
- 12 units Buildium's Essential plan starts at $62 a month, before per-payment fees. $50 a month
- 30 units On Buildium, business analytics still sits a tier up, at a $192 starting price. $60 a month
The pattern holds as you grow: on Buildium the jumps come when you want the next tier's features, and the price between the published starting points is a conversation. On Sahab Key the same features are flat add-ons, and the base price moves two dollars at a time.
That is the whole reasoning. At a small portfolio, the tier structure makes you pay for a plan sized around features, not units. Sahab Key is priced for the portfolio you actually have today, and everything optional has a flat price printed next to it. If you are early, read the plain-English breakdown for small portfolios.
When Buildium is the better choice
Credibility matters more than a clean sweep. There are real cases where Buildium is the right call, and we would rather you pick well.
Community associations and mixed portfolios
Buildium is purpose-built for community associations alongside rentals: association accounting, board and homeowner communications, and violations tracking. If you manage HOAs or condos, or mix in student housing, commercial, or storage, that breadth is what you are buying and Sahab Key is not trying to be it.
Built-in screening and the Premium toolset
Buildium's rental applications come with tenant screening built into the flow, from $17 per applicant, and its Premium plan adds inspections, unlimited e-signatures, and an open API. Sahab Key does not offer tenant screening at all, so if screening inside the application is a must, Buildium serves you better.
Switching to Sahab Key
Getting started is quick, not a project plan. You add your buildings, units, leases, and tenants in the app, connect a Stripe payout account for each building, which is required before your tenants can pay, and invite your tenants. They can pay online the same day, turn on autopay, and report maintenance with a photo. There is no data-import project and no onboarding fee, and if you get stuck, a person answers your email.
There is no free trial and no contract. You start when you are ready, the price follows your portfolio, and you can cancel anytime. When you want the full breakdown, the pricing page shows every number, including the add-ons.
Run your rentals on Sahab Key
Two dollars a unit a month, one plan for everyone, and no tier to outgrow. Start with your first building.