GnomeOwner vs. Buildium, for self-managed HOAs.
Buildium is built for property-management companies running many properties; GnomeOwner is built for one volunteer board running its own HOA. GnomeOwner starts at $29/month ($39 standard) with a free AI assistant on every plan; Buildium’s entry Essential tier is $62/month, caps at 150 units, and its Lumina AI is Premium-tier-only at $400/month. On bank payments, GnomeOwner charges 0.75% of each payment, capped at $5 on top of Stripe’s own cost — never more than $10 all-in on a bank payment — while Buildium’s flat EFT fee ranges $2.35 down to $0.60 depending on tier. Residents pay $0 in fees, on either rail on GnomeOwner.
Buildium's Essential price and per-tier EFT fees are verified against buildium.com's own pricing page as of 2026-09-20; Growth/Premium prices and the trial length are third-party 2026 reporting, not yet re-confirmed on Buildium's own site — check buildium.com/pricing for current terms.
Three Buildium tiers, none built for one HOA.
GnomeOwner’s AI assistant is on every plan, including free. Buildium’s Lumina AI is locked to its top tier.
| GnomeOwner | Buildium Essential | Buildium Growth | Buildium Premium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $29+ (Starter, founding) | $62 | $192 | $400 |
| Unit cap | None published below Large tier | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| AI assistant | Included free, every plan | Not included | Not included | Lumina AI |
| Free tier | Yes (“Neighbor”) | None | None | None |
| Trial | 45-day full-access, no card | 14-day trial, no card required (third-party reported) | 14-day trial, no card required (third-party reported) | 14-day trial, no card required (third-party reported) |
Buildium's Growth and Premium prices and its trial length are third-party 2026 reporting; Essential's price and unit cap are from Buildium's own pricing page.
What a bank payment costs, by Buildium tier.
Buildium’s EFT-in fee is flat and gets cheaper on its higher (more expensive) tiers: $2.35 on Essential, $1.35 on Growth, $0.60 on Premium. GnomeOwner charges 0.75% of each payment, capped at $5 plus Stripe’s own bank-transfer cost (also capped at $5) on every plan — never more than $10 all-in on a bank payment.
| Payment size | GnomeOwner (all-in) | Buildium Essential | Buildium Growth | Buildium Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $150 | $2.33 | $2.35 | $1.35 | $0.60 |
| $250 | $3.88 | $2.35 | $1.35 | $0.60 |
| $500 | $7.75 | $2.35 | $1.35 | $0.60 |
| $1,000 | $10.00 | $2.35 | $1.35 | $0.60 |
| $5,000 | $10.00 | $2.35 | $1.35 | $0.60 |
Buildium's flat per-tier fees don't change with payment size; GnomeOwner's scales with the payment until both caps bind at $10.00. Card fees run 2.99% on Buildium versus GnomeOwner's Stripe card rate (2.9% + 30¢) plus our 0.75% margin — on GnomeOwner, residents pay $0 in fees, on either rail; Buildium's fee structure is set per property manager and not fully published.
If you’re a management company, Buildium may fit.
If you’re a volunteer board, you’re paying for a product built for someone else.
Full property-management accounting (trust accounting, portfolio-wide reporting across many properties at once), rental/tenant workflows a single HOA doesn’t need, an established product built for professional managers at scale, and a real, published AI feature (Lumina, Premium tier) from a major vendor.
Built for one self-managed board, not a portfolio: the AI assistant is free on every plan (including free), a free tier exists at all, the 50-state compliance calendar cites the actual statute, meeting minutes draft from the recording, and residents pay $0 in fees, on either rail, with no per-property-manager fee schedule to negotiate.
The questions boards actually ask.
Is Buildium built for a self-managed HOA board?
Not primarily — Buildium's own feature set (trust accounting, portfolio-wide reporting, tenant/rental workflows) is built for property-management companies running many properties, not a single volunteer board. A single volunteer board pays for depth it mostly won't use.
Is GnomeOwner cheaper than Buildium?
On the subscription, yes — GnomeOwner starts at $29/month (a founding rate the first 150 HOAs lock for life; $39/month standard after) versus Buildium's $62/month Essential tier, which itself caps at 150 units. On a single bank payment, GnomeOwner's 0.75% of each payment, capped at $5 plus Stripe's own processing cost is cheaper than Buildium Essential's flat $2.35 EFT fee below about $152 per payment; Buildium's Growth and Premium tiers charge lower flat EFT fees ($1.35 and $0.60) but cost $192/month and $400/month.
Does GnomeOwner include AI like Buildium's Lumina?
Yes, and on every plan — Buildium's Lumina AI is locked to its Premium tier; GnomeOwner's AI assistant is included free on every tier with no per-message charge, including the free plan, and answers are cited to your HOA's own governing documents.
