Stessa vs RentalCalcs
Stessa: free bookkeeping and reporting for rentals you already own. RentalCalcs: free full-featured rental analysis with market research built in. The honest side-by-side, including where Stessa is the right choice.
RentalCalcs is our product. Competitor details verified from public pricing and feature pages, July 2026.
The short answer
Stessa is not really a rental property calculator, and that is fine: it is the best free bookkeeping tool for landlords. Run RentalCalcs to decide whether to buy, then run Stessa on what you own. Many investors use both; they overlap almost nowhere.
Feature by feature
| Feature | Stessa | RentalCalcs |
|---|---|---|
| Underwriting a deal before you buy | ||
| Sensitivity and projection modeling | ||
| Built-in market research | ||
| Bookkeeping and bank sync | ||
| Rent collection | ||
| Tax-ready expense reports | ||
| Free tier |
Pricing
Stessa pricing
Free Essentials tier; Manage at $12 to $15/month; Pro at $20/month.
Genuinely free for unlimited properties: bank feeds, basic reports, rent collection.
RentalCalcs pricing
First analysis free with every Pro feature. Pro is $29/month or $290/year.
First analysis includes everything: sensitivity analysis, 30-year projections, PDF export. A basic free tier continues after that.
Strengths and gaps
Where Stessa wins
- Free bookkeeping with automatic bank transaction sync
- Tax-ready income and expense reports per property
- Rent collection and cash management built in
- Unlimited properties on every tier
What Stessa does not do
- Not an underwriting tool: it records what happened, it does not analyze a deal before you buy
- No cash flow projections, sensitivity analysis, or financing comparison
- No market research, buy vs rent, house hack, or Section 8 analysis
Which should you use?
Pick Stessa if: You own rentals and need the accounting side handled: books, receipts, Schedule E prep.
Pick RentalCalcs if: You are deciding whether to buy: underwriting, projections, and market research happen before a property ever reaches a bookkeeping tool.
Run your numbers free
Your first RentalCalcs analysis includes every Pro feature: sensitivity analysis, 30-year projections, and PDF export. No results paywall.
Competitor pricing and features verified from public sources, July 2026. Details can change; check Stessa directly for current terms.