Comparison
Stewardly vs Buildium
Buildium is powerful property-management software — built for professional managers running large rental and association portfolios. Stewardly is built for the self-managed HOA board: AI-native, all-in-one, and one flat price with no per-unit fees.
Made for volunteer boards
Stewardly is designed for self-managed HOAs and condos of ~20–300 units — not property-management firms. The workflows assume a volunteer board, not a professional back office.
AI that does the work
Stewardly answers residents from your governing documents, logs packages from a photo, and helps keep the books clean. Buildium has no comparable AI.
Flat, predictable pricing
One price per community, never per door. Buildium is tiered by unit count with a monthly minimum, priced for professional portfolios.
Feature-by-feature
| Feature | Stewardly | Buildium |
|---|---|---|
| Online dues & payments (card + ACH) | ||
| Accounting & bank sync | ||
| Owner/resident portal & messaging | ||
| Documents & file storage | ||
| Maintenance requests | ||
| Financial reports | ||
| AI document Q&A (answers residents from your bylaws) | ||
| AI package logging from a photo | ||
| AI-assisted bookkeeping & board reports | ||
| Meetings, agendas & minutes + calendar sync | ||
| Parking & guest permits | ||
| Built for self-managed HOAs (not property managers) | ||
| Flat price — no per-unit fees | ||
| Free trial | 30 days, no card | Yes |
Comparison based on publicly available information as of June 2026. Buildium is a trademark of its respective owner; Stewardly is not affiliated with Buildium.
Pricing that rewards growth instead of punishing it
One predictable price your board can budget for — Stewardly never charges per door.
Stewardly
Flat price per community
- Starter — $49/mo, up to 50 units
- Growth — $129/mo, up to 250 units
- Pro — $299/mo, unlimited units
- No per-unit fees, ever
Buildium
Tiered by unit count, monthly minimum
- Multiple tiers (Essential / Growth / Premium)
- Priced by the number of units under management
- A monthly minimum applies on every plan
- Structured for professional property managers
Why boards switch to Stewardly
“We’re a self-managed board, not a property manager.”
Stewardly is built for exactly that. You get dues, accounting, a resident portal and documents — plus meetings, packages, and parking — without the complexity and cost of software designed for professional management companies.
“We want software that answers residents for us.”
Stewardly’s AI answers residents’ questions from your bylaws and governing documents, 24/7, with citations. Buildium stores documents; it doesn’t answer questions about them.
“Per-unit pricing gets expensive as we grow.”
Stewardly is flat per community — add homes without adding cost. Buildium’s pricing scales with unit count and carries a monthly minimum.
“Switching sounds like a project.”
Most boards are live the same day. Bulk-import your owners and units, and Stewardly’s AI can extract the owner and unit list straight from your existing documents. 30-day free trial, no card.
Frequently asked questions
Is Stewardly a good Buildium alternative for a self-managed HOA?
Yes. Buildium is aimed at professional property managers; Stewardly is purpose-built for self-managed HOAs and condos of roughly 20–300 units. You get the same core — online dues, accounting and bank sync, an owner portal, documents and maintenance — plus meetings, packages, parking, and AI that answers residents and helps with the books, at one flat price.
How is Stewardly’s pricing different from Buildium’s?
Stewardly charges one flat price per community — Starter $49/mo, Growth $129/mo, Pro $299/mo — with no per-unit fees. Buildium is tiered by unit count with a monthly minimum, structured for professional property-management portfolios, so cost rises as the number of units grows.
What can Stewardly do that Buildium can’t?
Stewardly answers residents’ questions directly from your governing documents, logs package deliveries from a single photo, assists with bookkeeping and board reporting, and includes meetings, minutes, calendar sync, and parking. Buildium has no comparable AI and leaves several of those community-specific tools to add-ons or other apps.
Is Buildium overkill for a small HOA?
For many self-managed boards, yes. Buildium’s depth is built for professional managers running large portfolios, which can mean more complexity and cost than a volunteer board needs. Stewardly focuses on the self-managed HOA use case specifically.
How hard is it to switch from Buildium to Stewardly?
Most boards are live the same day. You can bulk-import owners and units, and Stewardly’s AI can extract your owner and unit list from your existing documents. There’s a 30-day free trial with no credit card required.
See the difference for your community
Start a 30-day free trial — no credit card needed. Import your community and have AI working for you the same day.