Nomad vs. Avail: Pricing, Rent Collection & Support (2026)

If you've decided to manage your rental yourself, the next question is which tools you'll use and how much backup you want behind you. Plenty of owners start with free software such as Avail, TurboTenant or Zillow Rental Manager: list the home, collect applications, sign a lease, take rent online. Free software covers the paperwork. It doesn't cover what happens when a tenant stops paying or a pipe bursts on a Saturday night.

Avail and Nomad both keep you in charge. You set the rent, pick the tenant and decide on repairs with either one. Avail is free landlord software owned by Realtor.com, with a paid upgrade at $9 per unit. Nomad is software you use to lease and manage the home yourself, with guaranteed rent, a 24/7 repair line and showing help included or available. Below we compare what each fee covers, how much of the work stays with you, how rent collection works, and what happens if a tenant stops paying.

The short answer

Avail and Nomad both give you the core tools to self-manage a rental, and the difference is what's behind you once the lease is signed.

• Cost: Avail is free, or $9 per unit a month for Unlimited Plus. Nomad costs more: 4% of the lease up front (or 6% of monthly rent) plus a $99 one-time onboarding fee.

• Listings: Avail's published listing partners don't include Zillow. Nomad lists on 30+ sites, including Zillow, Apartments.com and Realtor.com.

• The work: With Avail you do every step yourself: showings, repair calls and chasing late rent. With Nomad your tenant has a 24/7 repair line, and you can hand off showings when you'd rather not run them.

• Rent and damage: Nomad pays your rent on the 5th even when a tenant doesn't pay, and Property Protection covers accidental tenant damage. Avail offers neither.

Nomad vs. Avail at a glance

Avail figures are from avail.co/pricing, October 2026. Nomad figures are from nomadlease.com/pricing.

What do you pay for with Nomad and Avail?

Avail's software is free on the Unlimited plan, or $9 per unit a month on Unlimited Plus. Your tenants cover the per-transaction costs, like screening reports and payment fees. With Avail, everything after move-in is on you: if rent is late or doesn't come, a repair can't wait, or a tenant damages the home, the cost and the follow-up are yours.

Nomad charges 4% of the lease up front (or 6% of monthly rent, with a $75 minimum), plus a $99 one-time onboarding fee. That fee includes:

• Guaranteed rent, paid on the 5th of every month during the lease whether or not the tenant pays

• A 24/7 repair line for your tenant, with flat-rate prices on common jobs

• Listing on 30+ sites, applicant screening, a state-specific lease and rent collection

Showing help is optional: $0 if you show the home yourself, $900 for resident-led tours, or $1,500 for agent-led tours where they're offered. Your tenant's Resident Benefits Package also funds Property Protection for accidental tenant damage.

Avail is the free option if you only need a listing, a lease and online rent collection. Nomad's fee is for owners who want rent on a fixed date and backup when something goes wrong during the lease.

How much of the work is yours with Avail vs. Nomad?

With Avail, all of the work is yours, and that's the design. Avail gives you the tools and you do each step: answer inquiries in its message center, run every showing, pick a contractor when something breaks, and follow up when rent is late. If you live near the home and like being hands-on, that's a perfectly workable setup.

With Nomad, you can do the same, or hand off the parts you'd rather not do. Show the home yourself and pay no placement fee. Choose resident-led tours, and Nomad replies to renters, books tours and ships a self-guided lockbox; prospects pass a pre-screen and ID verification before they can book. Or pay for agent-led tours where they're offered (availability varies by city). Either way, you choose the tenant from screened applicants.

If you plan to run showings yourself on either platform, fast replies make the biggest difference, and our renter inquiry response templates give you wording you can send within minutes.

How do Avail and Nomad compare on listings and screening?

Avail syndicates listings to what it calls the "top 19 sites," including Realtor.com (Avail's parent company runs Realtor.com), Zumper, PadMapper, Walk Score and ApartmentList. Zillow isn't on that published list, and neither are Zillow's sister sites, Trulia and HotPads. That matters for how many inquiries you receive, as we typically see a high percentage come from Zillow. If you use Avail and want to reach Zillow renters, you can post the home separately through Zillow Rental Manager.

If you list with Nomad, your listing goes to 30+ rental sites, including Zillow, Apartments.com and Realtor.com.

Avail and Nomad both screen applicants. Avail offers credit, criminal and eviction reports, usually paid for by the applicant, and you decide what to make of them. Nomad runs a 10-point screen on every applicant: it verifies identity to catch fraud, confirms income, checks credit and runs national background checks, then shows you a summarized risk profile in your portal. You choose the tenant, and the lease you sign is backed by guaranteed rent, so if that tenant stops paying, Nomad covers the rent.

How does rent collection work on Avail vs. Nomad?

Avail collects rent online and deposits it to your bank account after the tenant pays. On the free plan, your tenant pays $2.50 for each bank transfer; on Unlimited Plus, that fee is waived and FastPay speeds up deposits. Card payments carry a 3.5% fee for the tenant on either plan. Avail can also auto-assess late fees and report on-time rent to the credit bureaus through CreditBoost.

Nomad collects rent from your tenant and pays you on the 5th of every month, whether or not the tenant has paid. Payment timing is the main difference between Avail and Nomad rent collection: with Avail, your income arrives when the tenant pays. With Nomad, it arrives on schedule.

Does Avail or Nomad offer guaranteed rent?

Avail doesn't include guaranteed rent. Its pricing and feature pages (October 2026) list no rent guarantee or rent-loss coverage. Avail partnered with Steady on rent guarantee insurance in 2019, but that offer doesn't appear on Avail's site today.

Nomad includes guaranteed rent in its fee. Guaranteed rent here means you're paid on a fixed monthly schedule for the term of a signed lease, whether or not the tenant actually pays. Nomad pays 100% of the rent on the 5th of each month while the lease is in effect. If a tenant stops paying, Nomad pays the first two months, then payments pause, and Nomad reimburses eviction costs for non-payment up to $5,000. Nomad's guaranteed rent covers missed rent during a lease, not the time between tenants.

How Nomad handles this: See how Nomad's guaranteed rent works

For a wider look at who offers a rent guarantee today, see our comparison of guaranteed rent companies.

What do you get from Nomad and Avail during the lease?

During the lease, Nomad pays your rent on the 5th and runs a 24/7 repair line for your tenant, while Avail tracks payments and repair requests for you to act on. Most of a rental's life happens after move-in, so here's what each one does for you during the lease.

If you're comfortable taking the 9 p.m. leak call and carrying a reserve for missed rent, Avail's free tools cover the paperwork. If you'd rather not be the one on call, or your mortgage depends on rent arriving on time, that's what Nomad's fee is for.

Who is Avail built for?

Avail is built for landlords who want free software and are happy to do every step themselves. It suits owners who live near the home, already have contractors they trust, and keep enough in reserve to ride out missed rent and an eviction. Unlimited Plus adds conveniences like faster deposits and a customizable lease for $9 per unit a month, but neither plan includes guaranteed rent, a repair line for your tenant or help with showings.

Why do owners choose Nomad over Avail?

Owners choose Nomad over Avail for five reasons:

• Your rent arrives on the 5th, whether or not the tenant pays. Guaranteed rent is part of Nomad's fee; Avail doesn't offer one.

• Your tenant has a 24/7 repair line. Requests come in at any hour, common jobs have flat-rate prices, and you decide who handles each one.

• You can hand off showings when you want to. Show the home yourself with no placement fee, or add self-guided or agent-led tours.

• Your listing reaches Zillow. Nomad syndicates to 30+ sites, including Zillow, Apartments.com and Realtor.com.

• You still keep the decisions. You set the rent, choose the tenant from screened applicants and approve repairs, the same as you would on Avail.

If you're still deciding between self-managing and hiring help, our breakdown of property manager fees vs. self-managing compares the first-year cost of each. A good local property manager is the right answer for plenty of owners, especially with several homes or no time to spare. If you're comparing other DIY landlord software, see how Nomad compares with TurboTenant. If you're also weighing full-service companies, see how Nomad compares with Belong and with Doorstead. To compare cost, guaranteed rent and who picks the tenant across all five, see our summary of Nomad alternatives.

How Nomad handles this: See what your home would cost on Nomad

Frequently asked questions

Is Nomad a good alternative to Avail?

Yes, Nomad is a good alternative to Avail if you want guaranteed rent and help after move-in. Like Avail, Nomad lets you list the home, screen applicants, sign a state-specific lease and collect rent online while you keep every decision. Unlike Avail, Nomad pays your rent on the 5th whether or not the tenant pays, gives your tenant a 24/7 repair line, and offers self-guided or agent-led showings. Avail costs less: its Unlimited plan is free.

Is Avail really free?

Yes, Avail is free on its Unlimited plan, which costs $0 for any number of units. Your tenants pay some fees instead: applicants usually pay for screening reports, and on the free plan tenants pay $2.50 per bank transfer and 3.5% for card payments (avail.co, October 2026).

What does Avail Unlimited Plus cost?

Avail Unlimited Plus costs $9 per unit per month. It adds FastPay for faster deposits, waived ACH fees for tenants, custom application questions, a customizable and reusable lease template, a branded property website and priority support.

Does Avail offer guaranteed rent?

No, Avail does not offer guaranteed rent. Avail's current pricing and feature pages list no rent guarantee. Avail is landlord software: rent reaches you when the tenant pays it. Nomad includes guaranteed rent, paying you on the 5th of each month during the lease whether or not the tenant pays.

Is Avail cheaper than Nomad?

Yes, Avail is cheaper than Nomad. Avail's software is free on its Unlimited plan and $9 per unit a month on Unlimited Plus. Nomad charges 4% of the lease plus a $99 onboarding fee, and that fee includes guaranteed rent, a 24/7 repair line for your tenant and Rent Advance, none of which Avail offers.

Does Avail list on Zillow?

Zillow isn't on Avail's published list of listing partners, and neither are its sister sites, Trulia and HotPads. You can post the home to Zillow yourself through Zillow Rental Manager, which is free to list on, and handle those inquiries there. TurboTenant doesn't post directly to Zillow either. Nomad syndicates to 30+ sites, including Zillow, Apartments.com and Realtor.com.

Who shows the home with Avail?

With Avail, you show the home yourself. Avail lets renters book a showing time from your listing, and you meet them at the home. With Nomad, you can show the home yourself, use self-guided lockbox tours, or book licensed agent-led tours where they're offered.

Is Nomad a full-service property management company?

No. Nomad is software that owners use to lease and manage their own homes. You set the rent, choose the tenant and approve repairs; the platform handles syndication, screening, the lease, rent collection and maintenance triage, with guaranteed rent included.

Does Nomad guarantee rent if my tenant stops paying?

Yes. Nomad pays rent on the 5th of each month during the lease whether or not the tenant pays. If a tenant stops paying, Nomad pays the first two months, then payments pause, and eviction costs for non-payment are reimbursed up to $5,000.