Side-by-side comparison
SmartLord.ai vs Yardi Breeze
Yardi Breeze is Yardi's small-market product: $1 per unit per month with a $100/month minimum (residential) or $400/month minimum (Premier). SmartLord.ai is $0 to $15/month flat for 1-5 units, $3/mo per extra unit, with no minimum floor and an AI co-pilot that prepares every decision for your one-click approval.
Pricing and feature claims about Yardi Breeze reflect publicly listed information on yardibreeze.com as of 2026. Yardi, Yardi Breeze, and the Yardi logo are trademarks of Yardi Systems, Inc. SmartLord.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Yardi.
The short answer
The $100/month minimum is the deciding factor.
Pick SmartLord.ai if you
- Self-manage under 50 units and don't want to pay $100/month minimum just to exist on the platform.
- Want a free tier on 1 unit before paying anything.
- Don't need trust accounting or owner statement workflows.
- Want AI that prepares decisions, not just enterprise software with no AI.
- Want to be self-serve. No annual contract, no sales call.
Pick Yardi Breeze if you
- Manage 50-200 units residentially, where $1/unit/mo becomes competitive.
- Have outside investors who expect Yardi-brand reporting.
- Need trust accounting on Breeze Premier ($400/mo minimum).
- Manage a mix of residential + commercial + HOA + affordable housing in one tool.
- Want the Yardi ecosystem and integrations.
Side by side
Public pricing and feature claims. Verify on each vendor's site before you decide.
| SmartLord.ai | Yardi Breeze | |
|---|---|---|
| Target user | Self-managing landlords, 1-49 units. | Small-to-mid PM firms, residential focus 50-500 units. |
| Free tier | Yes 1 unit, full features + AI co-pilot. | No Annual agreement required. |
| Pricing model | Per-unit, no minimum. | Per-unit + monthly minimum floor. |
| Starting paid price (residential) | $15/mo flat for 1-5 units. | $1/unit/mo with $100/mo minimum (Breeze). $400/mo minimum (Premier). |
| Cost at 5 units | $15/mo (monthly) or $10/mo (annual). | $100/mo (you pay the floor, not 5x$1). |
| Cost at 25 units | $75/mo (monthly) or $50/mo (annual). | $100/mo Breeze. $400/mo Premier. |
| Cost at 49 units | $147/mo (monthly) or $98/mo (annual). | $100/mo Breeze. $400/mo Premier. |
| Cost at 200 units | Custom quote (over 49 unit cap). | $200/mo Breeze ($1/unit at scale). |
| AI co-pilot that prepares decisions | Yes | No |
| 50-state lease compliance with statute watch | Built in. | State-aware lease library. Updates per Yardi release. |
| Trust accounting | Not offered. | Yes on Breeze Premier. |
| Commercial + HOA + affordable housing | Residential only. | Yes. Each priced separately ($1-$3/unit). |
| Online rent collection | Included. Landlord keeps 100% of rent. | Included via Yardi RentCafe integration. |
| Tenant screening | FCRA-safe pass-through. | Included. |
| Vendor portal (W-9, 1099) | Built in. | Included on Premier. |
| Identity verification | Tenants, vendors, AND owners. | Tenant screening. |
| AI maintenance triage | Handles 80 to 100% end-to-end. | Work-order management. Manual dispatch. |
| Annual contract required | No. Cancel anytime. | Yes. Monthly payment available but on annual agreement. |
| Sales process | Self-serve. Sign up online. | Sales call typical. Demo and onboarding scheduled. |
| Setup time | Under 5 minutes. | 1-2 weeks typical onboarding. |
Honest take
Where Yardi Breeze genuinely wins
Yardi is the largest PM software vendor in the industry for good reason. Their entry-tier Breeze product brings real enterprise heritage to the small-market. Three real strengths:
- 1.Trust accounting on Premier. If you have outside investors expecting institutional-grade owner statements, Breeze Premier handles that for $400/month minimum. SmartLord.ai doesn't.
- 2.Multi-property-type support. Residential, commercial, HOA, affordable housing, self-storage, manufactured housing all in one platform. SmartLord.ai is residential-first only.
- 3.Yardi brand and ecosystem. If you ever scale to enterprise (Yardi Voyager), the migration path is real. Brand recognition with auditors, lenders, and outside investors is meaningful.
Where it stops fitting: $100/month minimum makes the per-unit math punishing below 100 units. Annual contract required. No free tier. No AI co-pilot. If you self-manage under 50 units, you're paying the floor for features you don't need.
Where we win
Where SmartLord.ai wins
- ✓No $100/month floor. Start at $0 (Free Forever) or $15/mo. Pay only for what your portfolio needs.
- ✓AI prepares every call. Screening, lease, renewal, late-rent notice, maintenance triage. You approve. The audit trail defends.
- ✓No annual contract. Cancel anytime.
- ✓Self-serve signup. No sales call required.
- ✓50-state lease compliance with statute watch.
- ✓Identity verification on three sides. Tenants, vendors, AND owners.
- ✓Setup in under 5 minutes. Not 1-2 weeks.
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.
No minimum floor. No annual contract. Cancel anytime.
Yardi Breeze
From $100/mo
- Breeze (Residential): $1/unit/mo with $100/mo minimum.
- Breeze Premier: $1/unit/mo with $400/mo minimum. Adds trust accounting.
- Commercial: $2/unit/mo with $200/mo minimum (Breeze) or custom (Premier).
- Affordable Housing: $3/unit/mo with $400/mo minimum (Premier only).
- HOA / Self-storage / Manufactured housing: Custom pricing.
- Annual agreement required across all tiers.
FAQ
The questions landlords actually ask.
Should I pick Yardi Breeze or SmartLord.ai?
Depends on portfolio size and accounting depth needs. Yardi Breeze has a $100/month minimum (residential) or $400/month minimum (Breeze Premier). Below 50 units that floor makes Yardi Breeze meaningfully more expensive per door than SmartLord.ai. Above 100 units, Yardi Breeze's trust accounting and enterprise heritage start to matter more. If you self-manage 1 to 49 units, SmartLord.ai fits better. If you're a small PM firm with outside investors, evaluate Yardi Breeze Premier.
What's the difference between Breeze and Breeze Premier?
Both are $1/unit/month for residential. Breeze has a $100/month minimum; Breeze Premier has a $400/month minimum and adds trust accounting, owner statement workflows, and advanced configuration controls. Premier is essentially the PM-firm tier.
How does the math actually work out?
At 5 units: SmartLord.ai $15/mo vs Yardi Breeze $100/mo minimum (you pay the floor, not 5x$1). At 25 units: SmartLord.ai $75/mo (monthly) or $50/mo (annual) vs Yardi Breeze $100/mo. At 49 units: SmartLord.ai $147/mo (monthly) or $98/mo (annual) vs Yardi Breeze $100/mo (basically tied at 49 units, monthly). At 100+ units: Yardi Breeze becomes cheaper per door but you're in their target market now.
Does the Yardi brand matter?
Yes, especially if you have outside investors. Yardi is the largest PM software vendor (Yardi Voyager is the enterprise standard). Yardi Breeze is their small-market product. If your investors or auditor want to see a "name brand" on the management software, Yardi qualifies. SmartLord.ai is a younger product with no equivalent enterprise heritage.
Can I import my data from Yardi Breeze?
Yes via CSV. That said, Yardi Breeze's data model includes features (trust accounting ledgers, owner statements, commercial leases) that SmartLord.ai doesn't replicate. Concierge migration with hands-on review is recommended if you're actively using those features today.
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.
No $100/mo floor.
Free Forever covers 1 unit with the full AI co-pilot. Pay for what your portfolio needs, not for what an enterprise-heritage minimum thinks it should.