- What they share: both advertise on realestate.com.au, Domain and Rent.com.au, and handle applications, leases, bond collection, rent, condition reports and maintenance requests.
- Price: there’s not much in it. Paid monthly, RentBetter is $27 cheaper in year one. Paid once for the year, PropertyNow’s $441 plan includes two tenancy database checks (RentBetter doesn’t publish its annual price).
- Support: you can call or text PropertyNow 7 days a week. RentBetter’s support runs on weekdays by chat and email, and it can arrange a call if your query needs one.
- Features: RentBetter has tenant messaging and notice templates built in. PropertyNow has bookable private inspections and NT leases, and offers TICA checks (not listed on RentBetter’s website).
- On realestate.com.au: PropertyNow’s rentals show a higher median rent ($750 a week against $725) and fewer median days advertised (17 against 21) over the last 12 months. Medians reflect the mix of properties each one lists.
Prices and features as shown on each business’s website and help centre on 3 November 2026. All prices include GST.
What does each one cost?
Prices from each website’s published plans, all including GST. RentBetter doesn’t publish annual prices, so its yearly figures below are what you’d pay month to month over 12 months.
| What you’re paying for | PropertyNow | RentBetter |
|---|---|---|
| Advertising only, to find a tenant | $205. Your ad runs for up to 6 months, and relisting within 30 days of leasing is free | $199. Its help centre says ads have no time limit; its terms say an ad is typically reviewed within 12 months and further charges may apply |
| Ad plus your first year of management, paid monthly | $470 for the year: $209 up front, then $29 a month from month 4 | $443 for the year |
| Ad plus your first year of management, paid once | $441, with two National Tenancy Database checks included | Annual billing is available, but the price isn’t published on its website |
| Management only, if you already have a tenant | $35 a month ($420 a year), or $350 paid once for the year | $36 a month ($432 a year). Annual price not published |
| Ongoing monthly fee after the first year | $29 a month on the ad and management plan, or $35 on manage only | $29 a month on the ad and management plan, or $36 on manage only |
| Fees on rent payments | None for you or your tenant by PayTo or direct debit | None when your tenant pays from a bank account. Card payments attract a platform fee |
On monthly plans the first year compares like for like, and RentBetter is $27 cheaper. Add two tenant checks to each and it’s $479 for RentBetter against $535 for PropertyNow, on published prices. PropertyNow’s one payment plan is $441 with two checks included, which is less than either monthly total, but because RentBetter doesn’t publish its own annual price, we can’t put the two annual plans side by side.
What does each one include?
Both cover the everyday landlord jobs.
Both of them give you
- Ads on realestate.com.au, Domain and Rent.com.au, reviewed by a person on the team
- Identity and ownership checks before anything goes live
- Online rental applications and state based leases you sign digitally
- Bond collected through the platform (you or your tenant lodge it)
- Condition reports with photos
- Automatic rent collection with retries if a payment fails, plus receipts, reminders and a rent ledger
- Bills to your tenant (like water), expense tracking, document storage and an end of financial year report
- Email reminders before safety certificates, insurance and tradie compliance reports expire
- A tenant portal
- Help switching from a property manager, and custom pricing on request if you have several properties
Where they differ
| PropertyNow | RentBetter | |
|---|---|---|
| Where your ad appears | realestate.com.au, Domain, Rent.com.au, TenantApp and others | realestate.com.au, Domain and Rent.com.au |
| Booking an inspection | Tenants book a private inspection online at times you’ve set. Your availability shows as bookable slots on realestate.com.au and Domain, and you get an email for each booking | Advertised open home times only |
| Phone calls about your ad | A 24/7 automated line takes the call and sends you the caller’s details, which are also saved in your enquiry log | Phone enquiries are recorded on your dashboard |
| Leases in the Northern Territory | Yes, every state and territory | Every state except the NT |
| Condition reports | Do it yourself with photos, starting from your last report to save time | Do it yourself with photos, or pay $175 for the professional option |
| Tenant background checks | National Tenancy Database and TICA checks, at extra cost. Two National Tenancy Database checks come with the $441 yearly plan | National Tenancy Database checks, at extra cost. TICA checks aren’t listed on its website |
| Maintenance requests | Tenants report repairs with photos in their portal and urgent repairs are flagged. Invoices save as expenses. See maintenance requests | Yes, and you can get tradie quotes through hipages |
| Messaging your tenant | Coming soon | Yes, inside the platform |
| Rent increase, termination and entry notices | Our team points you to your state’s official government forms | Sent from the platform using state templates |
| How tenants pay rent | Direct debit or PayTo, or they pay you another way and you record it | Bank account or card (card payments attract a platform fee), or they pay you another way and you record it |
| Receipts for rent you record yourself | Your tenant is emailed a receipt automatically | A receipt is sent if you tick the box |
| Someone to run viewings for you | Not offered | $399 for 3 viewings |
See everything in PropertyNow’s plans on the rental management software page.
Can you call someone when you need help?
PropertyNow’s Australian team answers calls and texts 7 days a week, so you can talk a tenancy question through with someone on the weekend too.
| PropertyNow | RentBetter | |
|---|---|---|
| When you can reach them | 7 days, 9am to 5:30pm AEST (10am to 6:30pm AEDT) | Monday to Friday, 9am to 6:30pm AEDT |
| Phone and text | Call 1300 664 773 or text 0408 000 552 | No phone number listed on its website. Its help centre says the team can arrange a call if your query needs one |
| Chat and email | Yes | Yes |
How are they rated?
Thousands of landlords and sellers have reviewed PropertyNow over its 20 years.
| PropertyNow | RentBetter | |
|---|---|---|
| Trustpilot | 4.8 from 4,332 reviews | 4.2 from 7 reviews |
| ProductReview | 4.9 from 1,155 reviews, and a ProductReview award winner for real estate 8 of the last 9 years | 4.1 from 21 reviews |
| 4.3 from 120 reviews | 4.7 from 404 reviews | |
| Total reviews across all three | 5,607 | 432 |
| In business since | 2006 | 2016 |
Ratings and review counts as shown on Trustpilot, ProductReview and Google on 4 November 2026.
How do their rentals go on realestate.com.au?
Each business has an agency profile on realestate.com.au showing its rental results for the last 12 months.
| PropertyNow | RentBetter | |
|---|---|---|
| Median rent leased at | $750 a week | $725 a week |
| Median days advertised | 17 days | 21 days |
| Rentals leased in the last 12 months | 1,476 | 4,005 |
| For rent right now | 206 | 680 |
RentBetter leases a lot more rentals. PropertyNow’s listings show a higher median rent and fewer median days advertised. Those medians reflect the mix of properties and locations each one lists, so they don’t show that either platform gets landlords a better rent or a faster lease. Figures as shown on each business’s realestate.com.au agency profile in November 2026.
Which one is right for you?
Most landlords would be fine with either. It usually comes down to how you’d rather pay and how much you want done inside the platform.
RentBetter suits you if
- you want to keep year one as cheap as possible on a monthly plan ($443 against $470 for an ad and 12 months of management)
- you want tenant messaging and notices like rent increases handled inside the platform today
- you’d pay someone to run viewings ($399 for 3) or do an inspection ($175) rather than do them yourself
- your tenants want the option of paying rent by card
PropertyNow suits you if
- you want a published phone number you can ring or text, on weekends as well as weekdays
- you’d rather pay once and have the year sorted: $441 with two tenancy database checks included
- you’d like tenants to book private inspections around your availability instead of running open homes
- you want to check applicants on both the National Tenancy Database and TICA
- your rental is in the Northern Territory
- you’d like a licensed real estate agency behind your ad, one that’s been doing this since 2006