GPs and property managers juggle many different investment management factors. Property management software assists with tasks like raising capital, tracking and reporting, online payments, investor relations, and customer support. However, cost is important, and commercial real estate investors must weigh software options carefully.

AppFolio Investment Management overview

AppFolio is a real estate investment management platform that offers two primary investment management software solutions. AppFolio Property Manager helps property managers with day-to-day property management business operations. Meanwhile, Investment Manager streamlines fundraising, investor relations, asset management reporting, and portfolio management. AppFolio Investment Manager combines tools such as a CRM, investor portal, and financial dashboards, along with automation features, to track investment positions and improve the investor’s experience.

AppFolio Investment Manager pricing plans

AppFolio Investment Manager pricing comes in two plans. The Core plan starts at $650 per month, while the Premier plan comes with custom pricing.

Core: features included in base pricing

Investment Manager’s pared-down Core plan contains basic real estate investment management features, including a leasing CRM, fundraising workflows, an investor portal, investment financials, asset & pipeline tracking, security features, and a customer care representative.

Premier: expanded asset management features with custom pricing

The Premier version of AppFolio’s investment management software offers everything in the Core plan, plus features like API access, Zapier integration, custom fields, SQL export for data warehouse, and Google Tag Manager integration.

Additional services: AppFolio Alpha, investor payments, and investor websites

Real estate investment management and property management companies can further customize AppFolio plans with additional paid services, including AppFolio Alpha, investor payments, and investor websites.

Key factors influencing AppFolio pricing

Several factors determine AppFolio investment management pricing:

  1. Number of active users – The Core plan’s CRM, investor portal, and fundraising workflows handle investment management tasks for smaller real estate investment firms. Growing investment firms typically need Premier’s advanced features for sophisticated reporting and integrations.
  2. Portfolio size and complexity – AppFolio notes that Investment Manager pricing depends on portfolio size. Larger, more complex real estate portfolios require higher monthly charges for comprehensive portfolio management and asset management capabilities.
  3. Reporting and compliance needs – Investment managers with advanced reporting, audit, or regulatory demands may choose Premier for features like custom fields and advanced data exports that support investor relations.
  4. Support, training, and onboarding – Core includes dedicated customer care, while AppFolio doesn’t list additional support features for Premier. This factor may not significantly impact the investment management platform pricing. 

How to select the right AppFolio pricing plan for your portfolio

Your choice of AppFolio plan or investment management platform depends on portfolio scale and complexity. Before making this decision, it’s worth understanding why GPs need comprehensive investor management software to ensure you’re selecting features that will support your growth. Smaller investment firms with fewer investors may find Core sufficient, while firms with larger portfolios, multiple funds, and complex operations need Premier’s advanced property management customizations and integrations.

AppFolio Investment Manager vs. Agora: A detailed comparison

AppFolio Investment Manager isn’t the only investment and property management platform in the market. We’ve covered how it stacks up with other investment management software in the following articles: AppFolio vs Yardi, AppFolio vs SyndicationPro, and AppFolio vs RealPage IMS.

Let’s take a closer look at how it compares with Agora.

AppFolio Investment ManagerAgora
Real estate investment management workflowsProvides standard CRM tools, fundraising workflows, and investor portal tools to manage capital calls and distributions.Streamlines end-to-end workflows with automation across fundraising, cap tables, distributions, and fund administration, reducing manual property operations.
Investor communication and CRM capabilitiesIncludes a built-in CRM and portal for sharing updates and documents with investors.Offers property managers a flexible CRM with automation and a white-labeled investor portal that elevates the investor experience.
Fundraising, onboarding, and document workflowsSupports online subscriptions, capital calls, and distributions with secure portal access.Simplifies capital raising with AI-supported onboarding, automated document workflows, and seamless investor contributions.
Investor portal experienceProvides an intuitive investor portal summarizing positions, distributions, and performance.Delivers a portal with customizable dashboards, branding, and data rooms tailored for each investor.
Reporting, analytics, and insightsOffers standard dashboards in Core. Premier adds SQL export, Zapier, and API access for deeper reporting.Provides real-time reporting and customizable analytics available to all clients, with insights designed for faster decision-making.
Customization and white-labeling optionsBasic branding options in Core. Premier unlocks custom fields, integrations, and APIs for more white-labeling options.Built for full white-labeling from the start, allowing firms to showcase their brand consistently across portals, emails, and websites.
Integration with accounting and other toolsIntegrates with AppFolio Property Manager; Premier clients can connect via SQL export, Zapier, or API.Connects with 5,000+ tools out of the box, plus built-in property accounting services to streamline back-office operations.
Overall cost efficiency and ROICore starts at $650/month. Cost can climb with the custom-priced Premier, which is better suited for firms that need added flexibility.Starting at $749 per month, Agora provides firms with a cost-efficient platform that includes advanced features without the steep premiums often seen with traditional providers.

What makes Agora a compelling alternative to AppFolio Investment Manager?

AppFolio Investment Manager delivers useful functionality, including advanced tools for firms that need to streamline investor relations and reporting. Agora, however, is investment  management software built specifically for commercial real estate sponsors. It was founded by industry pros, and many of its features were shaped by direct feedback from CRE firms.

Today, Agora is used by investment managers who want purpose-built features for fundraising, investor relations, investment management, reporting, and onboarding.

Conclusion

AppFolio Investment Manager can be a solid option for firms that already rely on AppFolio’s property management software and want investor management tools under the same umbrella. However, with a $650 monthly starting price and additional costs for advanced features, its pricing structure may not be the most flexible fit for every sponsor.

For commercial real estate firms that want a more affordable, purpose-built, and fully branded alternative, Agora may be the better choice.