Buildium vs Yardi Breeze: pricing, features, and which to choose (2026)

Buildium vs Yardi Breeze at a glance

Buildium and Yardi Breeze both target small and mid-size property managers. Each is the entry product of a much larger company. RealPage owns Buildium, and Yardi Systems makes Breeze. Breeze wins on price. Buildium offers more AI and more published detail about fees.

The differences that matter

Price and how it scales

Breeze charges $1 per unit for residential, so a 200-unit portfolio pays $200 per month. Buildium's Growth plan starts at $192 per month, but Buildium does not publish how the price rises with unit count. At small sizes the two are close. As the portfolio grows, Breeze's per-unit model is easier to predict.

Buildium also charges per transaction. Incoming EFT payments cost $2.35 each on Essential and $1.35 on Growth. Breeze does not publish payment fees. It does list extra fees for resident screening, renters insurance, and its AI chatbot.

Property types at published prices

Breeze publishes rates for more property types. Commercial Breeze is $2 per unit with a $200 minimum. Breeze Premier lists associations at $1 per unit and affordable housing at $3 per unit, both with a $400 minimum. Premier's commercial, self storage, and manufactured housing plans are quote only.

Buildium lists residential, association, multifamily, commercial, and student segments. Its pricing page sends community associations and portfolios over 5,000 units to sales.

AI

Buildium has the deeper AI offer. Essential includes an AI Assistant for in-app help. Lumina AI adds bill scanning, summaries, and message drafting. Lumina AI Workforce adds five agents for leasing, accounting, maintenance, resident experience, and business operations. The full suite is on Premium. Other plans buy the AI Workforce as an add-on, and its price is not published.

Breeze Premier includes Smart AP at no extra cost. It reads invoices by OCR, validates the data, and sends each invoice to staff for approval. Breeze's residential chatbot costs extra.

Setup and contract

The Breeze FAQ says there are no data conversion charges, and it has a built-in import feature. A third-party source, Vendr, gives Breeze setup estimates of $2,000 to $10,000 in one place and $10,000 to $50,000 for implementation in another. Those statements conflict, so get the setup cost from Yardi in writing. Breeze contracts are annual, with an option to cancel within the first 30 days.

Buildium requires its onboarding service on Growth and Premium, and does not publish the fee. It offers a free trial with no credit card. It does not publish contract terms.

Cost at 50, 200, and 1,000 units

Breeze's cost follows from its rates and minimums. Buildium publishes only starting prices, so its column shows the floor for each plan.

At 50 units, Breeze costs $100 per month against Buildium Essential's $62 starting price. Buildium's EFT fees then add up. If 50 residents pay by EFT on Essential, the fees are 50 x $2.35 = $117.50 per month. Breeze does not publish payment fees, so ask before you compare totals.

Details for each vendor are in our Buildium pricing guide and Yardi Breeze pricing guide.

What reviewers say

Buildium rates 4.5 on Capterra and 4.4 on G2, as of October 2026. Capterra reviewers praise its ease of use and all-in-one scope, and G2 reviewers praise its tenant management and support. Common complaints include accounting problems, QuickBooks connectivity, limited customization, and cost for small portfolios.

G2 reviewers also name ease of use as Breeze's top strength. Its common complaints are missing features and inadequate reporting. Capterra reviewers report mixed support, with praise for live chat from some and criticism from others. One non-profit reviewer on G2 calls the per-unit cost a drawback and reports a steep increase from the prior year.

Both products draw the same broad complaint: missing features as the portfolio grows.

Who should choose each

Choose Yardi Breeze if price is your main filter, or you manage commercial, association, or affordable units and want a published rate. Its annual contract has a 30-day exit option. See Yardi Breeze vs Rent Manager if you are also considering Rent Manager.

Choose Buildium if you want AI agents, a free trial before you commit, and a published schedule of every fee. Read our Buildium review for the full picture.

A third option: Darcy

Darcy is AI-native property management software. One price, $2 per unit per month, covers leasing, maintenance, accounting, and the AI agents. Payment processing is billed per transaction. Darcy costs more per unit than Breeze, and the AI does more of the daily work: resident replies, collections, renewals, maintenance triage, and the month-end close. Your team reviews each task until you choose to let Darcy run it. Darcy imports exports from Buildium and Yardi and stages every record for your approval. Compare Darcy vs Buildium and Darcy vs Yardi Breeze, or book a demo.