Side-by-side comparison
SmartLord.ai vs Tellus
Tellus is mobile-first, free for the landlord, and pairs the app with a high-yield savings account. Light on operations depth. SmartLord.ai is also free to start (1 unit) and bundles the AI co-pilot, vendor portal, 50-state lease compliance, and real accounting. Different ambitions.
Pricing and feature claims about Tellus reflect publicly listed information on tellus.com as of 2026. Tellus and the Tellus logo are trademarks of Tellus App, Inc. SmartLord.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Tellus.
The short answer
Both free. SmartLord.ai goes deeper on operations.
Pick SmartLord.ai if you
- Want AI that drafts every screening, lease, renewal, and rent notice for your one-click approval.
- Need 50-state lease compliance with automatic statute watch.
- Need a vendor portal with W-9 collection and 1099 tracking.
- Want identity verification on tenants, vendors, AND owners.
- Want AI maintenance triage handling 80 to 100% of tickets end-to-end.
Stay on Tellus if you
- Mostly use Tellus for the mobile app and high-yield savings account.
- Have 1-3 simple units and don't need lease compliance or vendor management.
- Don't want AI to prepare any decisions.
- Want a single app that combines a checking-style experience with rent collection.
- Are price-first, depth-second.
Side by side
Public pricing and feature claims. Verify on each vendor's site before you decide.
| SmartLord.ai | Tellus | |
|---|---|---|
| Target user | Self-managing landlords, 1-49 units, AI-augmented. | Landlords with 1-10 simple units, mobile-first. |
| Free tier | Yes 1 unit, full features + AI co-pilot. | Yes Free for the landlord. Tenant fees apply. |
| Paid tier | Prime $15/mo for 1-5 units ($10/mo annual). $3/mo per extra unit through 49. | None. Monetized via savings account + tenant fees. |
| High-yield landlord savings | Not offered. | Built in. Tellus Premier savings account. |
| AI co-pilot that prepares decisions | Yes | No (Matching + recommendations only.) |
| 50-state lease compliance with statute watch | Built in. Automatic statute watch. | Basic templates. No statute watch. |
| Tenant screening | FCRA-safe pass-through. No markup. | Available. Paid by applicant. |
| Online rent collection | Included. Landlord keeps 100% of rent. | Included. Tenant card fees apply. |
| Vendor portal (W-9, 1099) | Built in. | Not offered. |
| Identity verification | Tenants, vendors, AND owners. | Applicant screening only. |
| AI maintenance triage | Handles 80 to 100% end-to-end. | Basic maintenance request capture. |
| Accounting depth | Schedule E export, bank-feed reconciliation, full ledger. | Basic income/expense tracking. |
| Audit trail of AI decisions | Every AI draft logged beside your final approval. | Not applicable. |
| Visual damage ID | Yes | Not offered. |
| Mobile app | Responsive web (mobile-first design). | Native iOS + Android. App is the product. |
| Setup time | Under 5 minutes. | 5 to 10 minutes. |
Honest take
Where Tellus genuinely wins
Tellus has a tight mobile story that works well for casual landlords. Three real strengths:
- 1.Native mobile app. iOS and Android are well-designed and fast. If you manage from your phone, this is a real advantage.
- 2.High-yield savings under the same login. Tellus Premier (the savings account) earns a competitive APY and sits next to your rent ledger. Useful if your landlord cash flow currently lives in a 0% checking account.
- 3.Genuinely free. No monthly fee for landlords. Tenant pays card-payment fees. Funded by the savings account and tenant fees.
Where it stops fitting: AI is matching and recommendations, not decision prep. No 50-state statute watch, no vendor portal, no maintenance dispatch, no real accounting depth, no identity verification on vendors or owners. Once your portfolio has any complexity, Tellus runs out of room.
Where we win
Where SmartLord.ai wins
- ✓AI prepares every call. Screening, lease, renewal, late-rent notice, maintenance triage. You approve. The audit trail defends.
- ✓50-state lease compliance built in. Automatic statute watch. State-specific addenda.
- ✓Real vendor portal. W-9 collection, 1099 tracking, job acceptance, photo proof of work.
- ✓Identity verification on three sides. Tenants, vendors, AND owners.
- ✓AI maintenance triage with vendor dispatch. Handles 80 to 100% of tickets end-to-end.
- ✓Real accounting. Schedule E export, bank-feed reconciliation, full ledger.
Pricing snapshot
List-rate pricing as of 2026.
SmartLord.ai
From $0
- Free Forever: 1 unit, full features + AI co-pilot.
- Prime monthly: $15/mo for 1-5 units. $3/mo per extra unit through 49.
- Prime annual: $10/mo equivalent for 1-5 units. $2/mo per extra unit.
- 50+ units: custom quote.
- Concierge: from $200/mo.
Tellus
$0 (landlord)
- Landlord side: Free.
- Tenant payment fees: Card fees passed to tenant.
- Tellus Premier savings: High-yield account, no monthly fee.
- Tenant screening: Available, paid by applicant.
Public pricing on tellus.com. Funded by savings account and tenant fees.
FAQ
The questions landlords actually ask.
I use Tellus already. Should I switch?
Stay if you mostly use Tellus for the mobile rent app and high-yield account. Switch if you want AI that drafts every screening, lease, renewal, and rent notice for one-click approval, a vendor portal with W-9 and 1099 tracking, 50-state lease compliance with automatic statute watch, real accounting (Schedule E export and bank reconciliation), and identity verification on three sides.
Is Tellus really free?
The landlord side is free. Tellus monetizes via the savings account (Tellus Premier) and tenant fees. SmartLord.ai's Free Forever tier covers 1 unit with the AI co-pilot, vendor portal, statute watch, and full accounting in the base price.
Does Tellus handle vendors, maintenance triage, or compliance?
Tellus offers basic maintenance request capture and rent collection. It does not offer a full vendor portal with W-9 and 1099 tracking, AI maintenance dispatch, 50-state lease compliance with statute watch, or AI decision prep. Those are SmartLord.ai's home turf.
Can I import data from Tellus?
Yes. Properties, units, tenants, leases, and rent ledgers can be migrated via CSV. Concierge migration (an add-on) handles the import for you. Tellus supports basic data export from the dashboard.
Doesn't Tellus market itself as AI?
Tellus uses the AI label for matching, search, and recommendation features. It does not prepare full decisions on screening, lease addenda, renewals, or late-rent notices for landlord approval. SmartLord.ai's AI prepares the actual decision and surfaces a one-click Approve / Decline card with a full audit trail.
Is the AI safe for legal stuff like leases and adverse-action notices?
The AI never sends anything on your behalf. It prepares the draft, runs the FCRA-safe workflow, and surfaces the proposal in your inbox with a one-click Approve / Decline card. Every draft is logged beside your final answer in the audit trail. Nothing financial or legal commits without your explicit approval.
Try SmartLord.ai free.
See for yourself.
Free Forever covers 1 unit with the full AI co-pilot. No card required. Run it in parallel with Tellus and decide.