Baselane vs Avail: tenant screening and rent collection
Vendor pages read live on 2026-10-18. Prices change without notice.
Both are free to the landlord, and both ask the applicant to pay for screening. Underneath, they work differently. Baselane, a banking app, sells screening as a base report plus priced add-ons on Equifax data. Avail, a leasing app, lets you build the report from TransUnion data and decide who pays for it.
- Clearest screening price
- BaselaneA published $24.99 base with priced add-ons; Avail says its report costs vary by location.
- Most landlord control
- AvailYou choose the reports and choose who pays — you or the applicant.
- Cheapest rent by ACH
- DependsBaselane waives its $2 fee if rent lands in a Baselane account; Avail waives its $2.50 fee on the $9/unit plan.
Screening and rent, read from each vendor's page
| Line | Baselane | Avail |
|---|---|---|
| Credit bureau | Equifax | TransUnion |
| Base screening | $24.99: application, ID verification, credit report | Credit, criminal and eviction reports; price varies by location |
| Criminal report | +$5 add-on | Nationwide criminal history |
| Eviction report | +$10 add-on | 50 states plus DC, matched on name and SSN |
| Income check | +$10, paystubs and bank transaction data | Income verification and documentation |
| References | Self-reported on the application | Automated residence and employment reference checks |
| Who pays | Applicant; landlord pays $0 | Applicant (most common) or landlord, your choice |
| Report speed / shelf life | Under 5 minutes | Usually minutes; viewable for 30 days |
| Tenant ACH fee | $2; waived into a Baselane account | $2.50 on Unlimited; waived on Unlimited Plus |
| Card fee | 3.49% | 3.5% |
| Plan cost | Core $0; Smart $20/mo on an annual plan | Unlimited $0; Unlimited Plus $9/unit/month |
Read live on 2026-10-18 from baselane.com tenant screening, baselane.com/pricing, avail.com/pricing, avail.com tenant screening.
Two screening flows
Baselane sends the applicant one request. The base $24.99 covers the rental application, ID verification and an Equifax credit report. Criminal ($5), eviction ($10) and income verification ($10) are add-ons. Add all three and the applicant pays $49.99. Baselane checks income from paystubs and bank transaction data, and checks identity with database, document and face matching. Results come back in under five minutes.
Avail lets you pick the reports each applicant must provide: TransUnion credit, nationwide criminal history, and eviction searches across all 50 states and DC. Residence and employment reference checks are automated, and income verification is on the list. Avail does not publish a single price; its pricing page says only that the cost of these checks “vary by location due to state laws.” An applicant who already paid for an Avail Renter Profile can share it with other landlords. Reports stay viewable for 30 days.
A cheaper base report is not a cheaper screen
Baselane's $24.99 base report has no criminal or eviction search. If your written criteria mention either one, every applicant needs the add-ons. Set the package once in your rental application and use it for every applicant. Different checks for different people is the problem the tenant screening guide warns about.
Who pays, and whether you can choose
Baselane's page describes one model: the applicant pays and the landlord pays nothing. Avail lets you pay instead. That helps when you have already taken an application fee, or when your rules limit what an applicant can be charged. Avail's own page ties its prices to state law, so check your state's statute and any local rule before you pass a fee on. The questions you can and cannot ask alongside the report are in tenant screening questions. For the full list of applicant-paid options, see free tenant screening services.
The rent ACH fee: a bank account or a subscription
Each charges the tenant for paying rent by bank transfer, and each lets you remove the fee differently. Baselane's $2 goes away if rent is deposited into a Baselane checking account, so a free account clears it. Avail's $2.50 goes away on Unlimited Plus, at $9 a unit a month. For one unit, that is $108 a year to save the tenant $30.
Speed differs too. Baselane's standard rent deposit takes 5 business days, or 2 on its $20-a-month Smart plan. Avail sells faster payouts as FastPay on Unlimited Plus. If you already bank elsewhere, Avail's fee question is simpler. If you would move your rent account anyway, Baselane's is. How Baselane's banking and books compare is covered in Stessa vs Baselane. Avail's rivals on the leasing side are in TurboTenant vs Avail.
Choosing
Pick Baselane if you want rent, bank account and books in one place and an upfront screening price. Pick Avail if you want to choose the reports, choose who pays, and use state-specific leases in the same app. Either way, the decision and any adverse action notice are yours. Record what you collect on the rent ledger.