Guide · 7 min read
Landlord and buy-to-let software in the UK, compared
Nine tools, ours included: what each does, what it costs, who it suits and where it falls short.
Two kinds of landlord software
"Landlord software" covers two different jobs. Deal tools help in the weeks before an offer: is the price right, does the rent cover the mortgage, and what's left after tax. Portfolio apps help after you've bought: rent, costs, certificates, and the quarterly updates HMRC now wants under Making Tax Digital.
A few tools try to do both. Most do one well, so it pays to know which job you're hiring for.
Checking a deal right now?
- ✔ Free, with no account and no card
- ✔ Every fee, stamp duty or Welsh LTT, and Section 24
- ✔ Own name or company, side by side
Deal tools compared
For deciding whether to buy, and where.
| Tool | What it does | Price |
|---|---|---|
| NestInsights Us Landlords with a few properties deciding whether a deal pays | A verdict on a buy-to-let deal with stamp duty or Welsh LTT, Section 24 and own name vs company worked out, plus free area figures across England and Wales. | Free calculator, no account needed. Pro £9 a month or £90 a year |
| PropertyData Investors, sourcers, developers and agents | Area and postcode data, valuations, sourcing alerts and a deal analyser, paid for in credits. | From £15 + VAT a month (20 credits). 14-day free trial |
| Lendlord Landlords who want deals, portfolio and finance in one app | A deal analyser, portfolio tracking and Making Tax Digital in one place, from a company that also arranges mortgages and bridging loans. | Core features free. Premium (bank feeds) £12 a month or £99 a year |
| PaTMa Deal Finder Active investors searching for deals, including BRRR and flips | Finds and scores listings, with price history, rent estimates, yields, comparables and area data. | From £18 a month inc. VAT. 14-day free trial, no card |
| PropCalc Investors bidding at auction or on HMOs and flips | Deal analysis with valuations, rent estimates and a maximum bid, including personal vs limited company tax. | £9.99 a month or £99 a year. 7-day trial, card needed |
Portfolio apps compared
For running the properties you own.
| Tool | What it does | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Landlord Studio Independent landlords and small portfolios | Income and costs, bank feeds, tenancies, reminders and Making Tax Digital submissions. | Free for up to 3 units (£5 per MTD submission). Pro £144 + VAT a year |
| Hammock Landlords, including HMOs, who want their books done for them | Rent and arrears tracking, bookkeeping with bank feeds, tax statements and Making Tax Digital filing. | From £8 + VAT a month (1 to 3 properties). 30-day free trial |
| August Self-managing landlords, from one property up | Rent tracking, compliance reminders, documents, maintenance and tenant payments, with Making Tax Digital on paid plans. | Free for up to 2 tenancies. Paid from £8.99 a month |
| Landlord Vision Landlords running a portfolio, and their accountants | Rent, costs, bank feeds, compliance and reports, with Making Tax Digital on every plan. | Priced by number of tenancies; see their site. 14-day free trial |
Each tool in brief
What each one is good at, and what to watch for. Every point comes from the tool's own site.
Deciding on a deal
NestInsights Us
Our pricingBest for: Landlords with a few properties deciding whether a deal pays
- Good at
- A plain verdict on a deal in a minute, with no account: every fee, stamp duty or Welsh LTT, Section 24 and own name vs company on the rules for your completion date, plus free area figures.
- Watch out for
- No bookkeeping, bank feeds or Making Tax Digital, no phone app, and England and Wales only.
- Price
- Free calculator, no account needed. Pro £9 a month or £90 a year
PropertyData
Their pricing pageBest for: Investors, sourcers, developers and agents
- Good at
- The deepest area and postcode data here, with valuations, sourcing alerts and title boundaries.
- Watch out for
- Every search uses a credit, there's no free plan, and the trial charges automatically unless you cancel.
- Price
- From £15 + VAT a month (20 credits). 14-day free trial
Lendlord
Their pricing pageBest for: Landlords who want deals, portfolio and finance in one app
- Good at
- A lot for free: deal analysis and portfolio tracking, and it's HMRC-recognised for Making Tax Digital.
- Watch out for
- It's also a mortgage broker and bridging lender, so expect finance offers. Bank feeds need Premium.
- Price
- Core features free. Premium (bank feeds) £12 a month or £99 a year
PaTMa Deal Finder
Their pricing pageBest for: Active investors searching for deals, including BRRR and flips
- Good at
- Built for finding deals: it scores listings with price history, rent estimates and comparables, and the trial needs no card. PaTMa's separate Property Manager is free for one property and HMRC-recognised.
- Watch out for
- Paid only after the trial, and planning, licensing and Article 4 data are on the £39-a-month Pro plan.
- Price
- From £18 a month inc. VAT. 14-day free trial, no card
PropCalc
Their pricing pageBest for: Investors bidding at auction or on HMOs and flips
- Good at
- A clear verdict with a maximum bid, valuations and personal vs company tax, aimed at auctions.
- Watch out for
- No free plan: the 7-day trial needs a card and allows 3 searches.
- Price
- £9.99 a month or £99 a year. 7-day trial, card needed
Running your properties
Landlord Studio
Their pricing pageBest for: Independent landlords and small portfolios
- Good at
- A free plan for up to 3 units, and Pro adds bank feeds, tenancy tools and free MTD submissions.
- Watch out for
- On the free plan each MTD submission costs £5, and Pro adds £1.20 + VAT for each unit over 3.
- Price
- Free for up to 3 units (£5 per MTD submission). Pro £144 + VAT a year
Hammock
Their pricing pageBest for: Landlords, including HMOs, who want their books done for them
- Good at
- Strong on bookkeeping: unlimited bank feeds, a tax statement mapped to the SA105 form and MTD filing on every plan.
- Watch out for
- No free plan after the trial, and the price rises with your number of properties.
- Price
- From £8 + VAT a month (1 to 3 properties). 30-day free trial
August
Their pricing pageBest for: Self-managing landlords, from one property up
- Good at
- Free for up to 2 tenancies with no card, a modern app, tenant rent payments and an AI assistant.
- Watch out for
- Making Tax Digital is only on the paid plans.
- Price
- Free for up to 2 tenancies. Paid from £8.99 a month
Landlord Vision
Their pricing pageBest for: Landlords running a portfolio, and their accountants
- Good at
- Made for portfolios: bank feeds, compliance, reports and Making Tax Digital on every plan.
- Watch out for
- No free plan, and prices depend on your number of tenancies and the current offer, so check the monthly price before you sign up.
- Price
- Priced by number of tenancies; see their site. 14-day free trial
How to choose
- Start with the job. Deciding whether to buy needs a deal tool; keeping records and filing with HMRC needs a portfolio app.
- Check the tax. The stamp duty surcharge on extra homes has been 5% since 31 October 2024. A good deal tool uses it, handles Section 24, and shows owning through a company if you're considering one.
- Try before you pay. Several tools have a free plan or a trial with no card. A trial that takes your card may charge you if you forget to cancel.
- Add up the real cost. Credits, fees for each extra property and VAT can put the price well above the headline.
- For Making Tax Digital, check HMRC's list. Pick an app HMRC recognises as compatible, and check that the plan you're on can send the updates.
Where NestInsights fits
We built NestInsights for the decision before you buy. Put in a price and rent and you get a plain answer: will this deal pay? It counts every fee, stamp duty or Land Transaction Tax, Section 24, and owning in your own name or through a company, on the rules for your completion date.
We don't do bookkeeping, bank feeds or Making Tax Digital. If you need those, one of the portfolio apps above will serve you better, and our Making Tax Digital guide explains what you'll need. Pro adds reports and a dashboard for the homes you own.
Questions
Is there free landlord software in the UK?
Yes. On their own sites on 10 October 2026: Lendlord's core features are free, August is free for up to 2 tenancies, Landlord Studio for up to 3 units and PaTMa's Property Manager for one property. The NestInsights deal calculator is free with no account. Check what each free plan leaves out: on August's, for example, Making Tax Digital needs a paid plan.
Do I need Making Tax Digital software?
Landlords whose qualifying income was over £50,000 have had to use it since April 2026, and the line drops in the next two years. If you need it, choose an app on HMRC's list of compatible software. Our Making Tax Digital guide has the dates and what counts.
Can I use NestInsights alongside a Making Tax Digital app?
Yes, and many landlords will. Use NestInsights to decide whether a deal pays before you buy, and an app from the second table to keep your records and send HMRC its updates after you buy.
How we checked
Every price and feature on this page comes from the tool's own website, opened on 10 October 2026; each write-up links to the page we used. Prices are for paying monthly unless a yearly price is given, leave out short-term offers, and show VAT as each site shows it. Where a site didn't make something clear, we left it out rather than guess.
None of the companies listed has reviewed or approved this page. Prices and plans change often, so check the tool's own site before you buy. We recheck this page at least once a year; if you spot something out of date, email support@nestinsights.com and we'll fix it.