Comparison · Real estate

AppFolio vs Lofty

Two paths for real estate sales: an industry-built CRM versus an industry-built CRM.

Updated September 26, 2026

Higher scoreReal estate CRM

AppFolio

7.0

Fairout of 10

Property management performance platform — accounting, marketing and leasing, work orders, portals, and a Leasing CRM on Max. Built for rent rolls, not agent IDX lead gen.

Contact for pricing

Read full profile Official site

Real estate CRM

Lofty

6.8

Fairout of 10

Agentic AI real estate platform (formerly Chime) — IDX websites, AI-powered CRM, Smart Plans, dialer/text, and lead-generation programs sold as packages.

Contact for pricing

Read full profile Official site

Criteria where AppFolio wins

Ties

Criteria where Lofty wins

Score by criterion

In green, who wins the criterion. The overall score uses real estate weights: inventory and proposal and native messaging weigh more.

CriterionAppFolioLofty

Inventory and proposal1.3×
Property cards or unit inventory, matching to the lead, and a commercial proposal without a parallel spreadsheet.
7.8
8.5
Mortgage credit0.7×
Simulate a purchase mortgage (or a builder’s loan pipeline) without sending the client to another portal. Tenant screening is not mortgage credit.
2.5
3.0
Leasing and post-sale1.2×
Lease, collections, owner statements, or post-close assistance. A “won” stage in the funnel is not portfolio administration.
9.3
6.6
Native messaging1.3×
Native SMS or messaging inbox on the lead card, with team history. WhatsApp Business API also counts. Marketplace apps, extensions, and website buttons do not.
8.6
8.5
Price and transparency0.9×
Public plan in USD, trial, and what sits outside the monthly fee. A mandatory add-on for day-to-day work lowers the score.
5.0
5.0
Learning curve0.8×
English UI, listing and showing vocabulary, and time until an agent can work without a long implementation project.
6.2
7.2
Overall score
7.0
6.8

Native features

Only what is part of the product counts. Marketplace integrations or third-party apps are out.

FeatureAppFolioLofty

Property inventoryYesYes
Listing portalsNoYes
Brokerage websiteNoYes
Native messagingYesYes
Showing calendarYesYes
Proposal or contractYesNo
FinancingNoNo
Agent appYesYes

Compare with another rival

Each pair has its own page. The ranking only highlights the main duels — the rest are here and on each CRM profile.