HOA-OS vs PayHOA: an honest comparison
PayHOA is an established, accounting-first HOA platform with a long track record. HOA-OS is the newer, AI-forward option built to do the administrative work for the board, not just track it. If you're a self-managed board comparing the two, here's the straight version.
| Feature | HOA-OS | PayHOA |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | One flat price per community $49 Community / $89 Premium a month. Every unit included, at any size. | Nine tiers by unit count $49 at 25 units up to $0.55/unit above 500 — the price steps up as you grow. |
| AI | Built throughout Drafts newsletters, budgets, violation notices and board packets; 24/7 resident assistant. | None advertised No AI features on their product or pricing pages (checked 2026-08-12). |
| Website builder | AI builds and hosts it for you The board approves a draft site rather than building one. | Included on all plans The board builds the site itself. |
| Payment fees | 1% + standard Stripe rates ≈2.9% + 30¢ card / 0.8% capped $5 ACH — published. | 3.50% + $0.50 per card $2.45 per ACH — published on their pricing page. |
| Board decides | AI drafts; the board approves Everything that goes out is board-approved. | The board drafts everything itself |
Pricing model
- HOA-OS
One flat price per community
$49 Community / $89 Premium a month. Every unit included, at any size.
- PayHOA
Nine tiers by unit count
$49 at 25 units up to $0.55/unit above 500 — the price steps up as you grow.
AI
- HOA-OS
Built throughout
Drafts newsletters, budgets, violation notices and board packets; 24/7 resident assistant.
- PayHOA
None advertised
No AI features on their product or pricing pages (checked 2026-08-12).
Website builder
- HOA-OS
AI builds and hosts it for you
The board approves a draft site rather than building one.
- PayHOA
Included on all plans
The board builds the site itself.
Payment fees
- HOA-OS
1% + standard Stripe rates
≈2.9% + 30¢ card / 0.8% capped $5 ACH — published.
- PayHOA
3.50% + $0.50 per card
$2.45 per ACH — published on their pricing page.
Board decides
- HOA-OS
AI drafts; the board approves
Everything that goes out is board-approved.
- PayHOA
The board drafts everything itself
What it costs at your size
PayHOA's price steps up nine times as your community grows. HOA-OS is one flat price per community, every home included.
HOA-OS
$89 /mo
Premium, flat — every one of your 150 homes included
Lighter needs start at $49 a month.
PayHOA
$129 /mo
Their 101-150 tier, on yearly billing
Steps up again as you grow.
At 150 homes that is $480 a year back in your budget — and it does not move the next time your unit count crosses a tier.
PayHOA figures are their published yearly-billing rates (their cheapest numbers), verified on their pricing page. Compared against HOA-OS Premium, the like-for-like tier.
Why boards switch to HOA-OS
The software does the work, not just the tracking.
AI drafts the budget, the violation notices, the newsletter and the board packet — the board reviews and approves.
One flat price as you grow.
Per-community pricing doesn't climb every time your unit count crosses a tier.
Your website is built for you.
AI drafts and hosts the community site — no page-building project for the board.
The association receives 100% of what it bills.*
Payment fees are added at checkout and paid by the resident — not deducted from what reaches the association's account.
* With the payer-pays fee setting turned on — the default for communities on HOA-OS. The board can choose to absorb payment fees instead.
Meet your AI assistants
The row PayHOA has nothing in. Three specialized assistants that know your community inside and out — answering questions, managing requests, and crunching numbers around the clock.
Included with the Premium plan.
Resident Assistant
Sunset Ridge HOA
Frequently asked questions
Updated 2026-09-18
- Is HOA-OS a good alternative to PayHOA?
- Yes, and the difference that matters most is how the bill behaves as the community grows. PayHOA prices across nine bands by unit count on their yearly plan, starting at $49 a month for up to 25 units, $199 at 201 to 300 units and $249 at 401 to 500, and above 500 units it bills per unit. PayHOA pricing checked 2026-08-16, upper bands 2026-08-12. HOA-OS is a flat price per community at $49 for Community or $89 for Premium, whatever the size, so a 250-home association pays what a 40-home association pays. HOA-OS builds AI into every tier too: newsletter drafting from Starter, the AI website builder and the board packet from Community. PayHOA lists no AI features on its product or pricing pages as of 2026-08-16.
- How does HOA-OS pricing compare to PayHOA?
- At 25 units and below the two are the same price: $49 a month, PayHOA on their yearly plan and HOA-OS on its Community tier. Above that they separate. On their yearly plan PayHOA is $99 a month at 51 to 100 units, $129 at 101 to 150 and $199 at 201 to 300, while HOA-OS stays at $49 or $89. Transaction fees differ by rail: PayHOA publishes $2.45 per incoming ACH payment and 3.5% plus 50 cents per card payment, and HOA-OS charges a 1% platform fee on cards or $1 flat on ACH with standard Stripe processing on top. PayHOA pricing checked 2026-08-16, upper bands 2026-08-12.
- What are the best PayHOA alternatives for a self-managed HOA board?
- The alternatives a self-managed board actually shortlists are HOA-OS, EasyHOA, RunHOA, HOA Start and TownSq. RunHOA is the cheapest full-featured option at $399 a year flat for unlimited units. EasyHOA bundles accounting into $49 a month at small sizes. HOA Start sells a staffed White-Glove setup service from $149 a month. TownSq is built around resident engagement. HOA-OS is the one that holds a flat price per community at any size with AI newsletter drafting from Starter, the AI website builder and the board packet from Community, for the board to approve. All prices checked 2026-08-16.
- Does PayHOA have AI?
- No AI features appear on PayHOA's product or pricing pages as of 2026-08-16. Its published feature set covers invoicing and payments, violations, requests, document storage, communications, more than fifty report types, bank reconciliation and vendor payables, and it sells bookkeeping as a human service from $199 a month. HOA-OS includes AI at every tier: newsletter drafting at Starter, the AI website builder at Community, and a 24/7 AI homeowner assistant plus an autonomous agent at Premium that reviews overdue dues, stalled violations and pending requests each morning and surfaces recommended actions for the board to act on.
- Can we move our data from PayHOA to HOA-OS?
- Yes. HOA-OS imports your owner roster on Community and above, and your income and expense categories on Premium. The roster import accepts spreadsheets and documents rather than one fixed format. The trial is 30 days on the plan you choose and needs no credit card, so a board can load its real roster and run both systems side by side before deciding. Org admins can also export the community's complete data at any time as CSV and JSON, so the association is never locked in.
Read the full buyer's guide: best HOA software for self-managed boards →
Switching is straightforward
Import your roster from a spreadsheet, and AI drafts the first version of your site, budget and newsletter. Try HOA-OS free for 30 days and run it alongside what you have before you decide.