AppFolio Property Manager Reviews & Product Details

As a community association manager with over ten years of experience, I've worked across a wide range of setups: four different third-party management companies and one self-managed association. Each one relied on its own software system for handling accounts receivable (AR), accounts payable (AP), financial tracking, owner interactions, resident communications, and day-to-day operations. Some were proprietary platforms built in-house by larger firms, while others came from smaller vendors or more basic tools. I've seen the good, the bad, and the frustratingly outdated.

When my current management company switched to AppFolio, it was a game-changer. I have to say—wow. Hands down, AppFolio is by far the best system I've used in my career. It outperforms the clunky proprietary software that big management companies often cling to, and it blows away the more limited options I've dealt with at smaller firms.

Communications are another huge win. The built-in email and text messaging tools work flawlessly for sending notices, reminders, violation letters, or updates to owners and residents. Everything is tracked in one place, templates make it efficient, and the multi-channel inbox keeps things organized. What really stands out is how user-friendly it is on the resident side. We get next to no calls or emails from homeowners asking for help with payments, viewing statements, submitting requests, or accessing documents. The resident portal (and owner portal) is intuitive—people just log in, handle what they need, and move on. That reduction in support calls alone frees up hours every week.

For HOA-specific needs like dues collection, violation tracking, architectural reviews, and community calendars, AppFolio handles it all in one unified platform without feeling bolted-together. It's cloud-based, mobile-friendly, and just works reliably.

If our management firm ever decided to switch to a different platform, I'd genuinely be heartbroken. After a decade of dealing with subpar systems, AppFolio feels like the gold standard—professional, powerful, and actually enjoyable to use. I recommend it without hesitation to any community association manager tired of fighting their software. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Only complaint would be I like to be able to insert images into emails to the residents. That's it only complaint more of a suggestion. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It's so easy to use. I not only can do my daily work quickly and efficently-research is so easy. I love that I can just type an amount or word in the search engine and it will pull up everything with that amount or word. Corrections are so simple-click "edit" and it's fixed. And, if you are looking at financials and make a correction-hit refresh and the corrections are there. There are so many good things about this software. The Help option in Support is awesome. Most of the time if you have a question and type it in-the information is there in seconds. Reporting is another amazing feature. They are so "useable". You can download to pdf or Excel. Changing the format and add columns are such a useful features. The majority of the aspects of Appfolio is easy to understand and do. Need to print 50 checks?-download bulk checks. Need to do a large journal entry batch with 100s of lines? -download bulk journal entries. I just can't say enough good things about Appfolio. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The only thing that I don't like about Appfolio-is getting assistantance from a customer rep. I hate having to go through the bot and ask if I can speak to one. I really wish we could have a dedicated customer rep that could help us in emergencies. For example: We had an echeck that was fraudulent. We contacted Appfolio through support and it took days to get any help. If the response had been faster, we could have recouped the $25K that was stolen instead of $900. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What I like best about AppFolio Property Manager is how it centralizes all property management tasks in one platform. It makes handling lease renewals, work orders, tenant communication, and compliance tracking more efficient and organized. The automation features and real-time updates help reduce manual work and ensure nothing is missed, which is especially valuable when managing multiple properties. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

One thing I dislike about AppFolio Property Manager is that some features can feel overwhelming at first, especially for new users. There is a learning curve due to the number of tools available, and certain processes require multiple steps that could be more streamlined. Additionally, customization options for reports and workflows can sometimes be limited depending on the account setup. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What I like best about AppFolio Property Manager is the ease of user experience. Throughout the software it is easy to navigate to any page or report for any property. The customizable reports are also very helpful when reviewing for certain metrics. AppFolio is also incredibly easy to integrate across multiple management portfolios. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The only thing I dislike about AppFolio is the timeline for implementing third-party vendors. We’ve spoken with multiple third-party vendors who were waiting on AppFolio integration. I understand this is a relatively small complaint, and that third-party integrations take time to properly vet, but if I had to point to one issue, it would be this. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like that AppFolio Property Manager is accessible either via phone or web, which makes it easy for me to reach out to my residents, especially with the text tool. This is super handy in case of emergencies or when I need to contact them after hours, using a text number provided through AppFolio. It's also very useful for communicating with residents who might be at work or school and can't answer the phone. I believe the text tool really enhances communication, and everything being in one base helps minimize the amount of tools needed. I also find the setup very easy, with step-by-step tools to manage the program and useful information updates on the AppFolio website. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

One thing that could be improved is the text blast feature. Unlike the email blast, which allows you to send messages by building, the text option only lets you send messages to the entire community. It would be better if the text blast could be individualized by building. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I find the owners portals feature really effective. The fact that both owners and tenants portals are in the same database is HUGE for us. The owners love being able to log in to their accounts to see invoicing, billing, requests, etc., all with just a few clicks. Setting up AppFolio Property Manager was easy, and I find the communication between tenants and owners seamless. This was a big improvement over our previous software, which made everything more manual. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It doesn't integrate or have all the bells and whistles as Entrata. A lot of reports and actions Entrata users have are still very manual for us. For example, we're all moving to EZ Turn for turn and inspections. Entrata users have ALL the features, we only have a couple because it's not fully integrated. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

LIKES:

I like the simplicity of the platform and how easy it is for all users to use, including residents, property, managers, and owners as well. I like that you can customize your leasing templates and work flows. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

My dislike would have to be price because there is a big expense that comes with the software additionally, outside of that it’s seems that most of the stacks are required to pay an extra fee. I do feel like the stack should be included in the price point. I don’t like that you cannot do bulk updates for property pages and or unit pages. Additionally, I feel like the stacks that are offered or some of the stacks that are offered are offered because Appfolio does not want to dedicate time to making that product. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

It helps keep your property organized, with work orders and financial information in a format that we can understand and use to make sense of the community. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

There are lots of options, with menus nested in various places because of the complexity of homeowner associations and the related financial and documentation needs. Since there isn’t a single, consistent way to organize everything, we’re often looking things up in the help pages and training materials. With so many menus and functions, it can feel daunting at first, and the learning curve is steep before you really master it. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I have been using AppFolio Property Manager for 4 years, primarily for leasing purposes. One of the features I truly appreciate is how it facilitates communication with tenants and prospects, making this aspect of property management significantly smoother. The software's intuitive nature stands out; it is very easy to navigate, which enhances user experience and efficiency. Additionally, AppFolio Property Manager loads quickly, ensuring that tasks are not delayed by slow system performance. The system is not only easy to navigate but also simple to understand, which greatly benefits both new and seasoned users alike. I also appreciated the seamless initial setup of the software, making the transition process straightforward and hassle-free. This ease of use and effective functionality reveals why I would rate my likelihood to recommend AppFolio Property Manager at a 10. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Sometimes it logs me in and gets stuck on a lease. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Everything is very straightforward. All tasks are organized, and navigating the system is incredibly easy. Customer support is always very quick to respond to questions, and the Help section is full of walkthroughs and detailed explanations of tasks. I use the software every day in my professional life and have found it superior to the previous software I've used. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

My biggest caveat with the software is that it does not allow for tenants to be refunded via ACH for overpayments. I love that you can refund security deposits using the tenant-confirmed stored banking information, but they do not permit any other funds to be transferred in this manner. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.