When you search for "free HOA management software," you get two kinds of results: platforms that are genuinely free to use, and platforms that offer a "free trial" or a stripped-down free tier designed to funnel you into a paid subscription. Knowing which is which saves your community real money.
How traditional HOA software actually charges you
Most established HOA software platforms charge on a subscription model — typically a monthly fee based on the number of units you manage. Here's what the math looks like at common sizes:
- 50 homes: $49–$79/month = $588–$948/year
- 150 homes: $99–$149/month = $1,188–$1,788/year
- 300 homes: $149–$299/month = $1,788–$3,588/year
This fee applies whether you collect a single payment through the platform or not. It's a fixed overhead cost, budgeted like landscaping or insurance. For a 100-home community paying $150/month in dues, $100/month in software fees represents 0.67% of your total assessment revenue — before you count payment processing fees on top.
Payment processing fees are separate — and often opaque
Subscription fees are just part of the picture. Most HOA platforms also charge transaction fees for online payments. These come in two forms:
- Pass-through Stripe fees: The platform passes Stripe's standard rates (2.9% + $0.30 for card, 0.8% for ACH) directly to you or your residents. This is transparent and generally fair.
- Platform markup on payments: Some platforms add their own percentage on top of Stripe fees. A 1% platform markup on $15,000/month in dues is $150/month you're paying on top of the subscription — and it's easy to miss in the fine print.
Before committing to any platform, ask explicitly: "What is the all-in cost per dollar of dues collected?" Get a number that includes subscription, processing fees, and any platform markup.
The per-home model: one flat rate per door
An alternative to tiered subscriptions is per-home (per-door) pricing: one flat monthly rate for each home in the community, with every feature included regardless of activity or plan tier.
This is how HavenHOA works. After a 30-day free trial, the base software price is $0.55 per home per month and includes every core workflow — accounting, elections, violations, documents, amenities, and more. Online-payment processing is separate: 0.85% for bank transfers ($2.00 minimum, $5.50 maximum) and 3.5% + $0.50 for cards. Invoice collection, custom domains, and optional usage beyond included allowances are also priced separately.
For a 100-home community, that is a flat $55/month for the software, no matter how active the association is. Processing fees apply only to the online payments you actually collect, and you can choose to absorb them or pass them through to residents at checkout.
When does subscription pricing make sense?
Subscription software makes the most sense when:
- You have very high dues volume — the math favors a fixed fee over a percentage at some point (typically above $30,000/month in collections)
- You need features a flat-rate platform doesn't offer
- You're a professional management company where predictable software costs matter for billing clients
When "free" is a red flag
Not all free software is created equal. Watch for these patterns:
- Freemium with locked features: The free tier excludes online payments, accounting, or bulk communication — the things you actually need. Every useful feature requires an upgrade.
- Free for the board, paid for residents: Some platforms charge residents a "convenience fee" to pay online. Residents hate this, and it reduces autopay adoption dramatically.
- Free trial, no clear terms: A "free trial" that requires a credit card and doesn't clearly state what happens at the end is not free software. It's a subscription with a grace period.
Questions to ask any HOA software vendor
Before you sign up (or sign a contract), get answers to these:
- What is your monthly fee for our unit count?
- What happens to our data if we cancel?
- Is there a contract or minimum commitment?
- What is the all-in cost per payment transaction?
- Are there fees for residents, or only for the HOA?
- What features are excluded from the plan we're considering?
The right software vendor answers these questions clearly and doesn't make you dig through their pricing page footnotes to find the real number. Pricing transparency is itself a signal about how the company will treat you as a customer.