Portal & resident access

HOA portal with no monthly fee — 2026 comparison

Quick answer

Several platforms offer a $0/month software subscription for HOA portals — but most free tiers are website-only or capped at 10–50 units. KindHOA Good Neighbor includes a resident portal plus maintenance, ARC, dues, and formal elections at $0/month without a published subscription unit cap. HOA Express and Neigbrs Lite are strong free portals; online dues usually require a paid upgrade.

Boards search this query when the treasurer wants zero line-item software cost — but still need owners to pay dues, submit maintenance tickets, and read governing documents online.

Last updated June 28, 2026. Reviewed by KindHOA against KindHOA pricing and HOA Express pricing.

Start KindHOA free Full free software guide vs HOA Express KindHOA pricing Migration guides Dues calculator Late fee calculator

No. 01— Portal platforms

7 compared

KindHOA

Subscription:: $0 or $29/mo flat
Free tier:: Good Neighbor — free forever (no unit cap on subscription)
Online dues:: yes (Good Neighbor)
Elections:: yes (Good Neighbor)
Self-serve:: yes (~15 min)
Best for:: Volunteer self-managed boards wanting ops + elections without sales calls

Source: kindhoa.com/pricing

HomeHerald

Subscription:: $0 → $49+/mo tiers
Free tier:: Free forever ≤50 properties / 100 users
Online dues:: yes (Stripe on free)
Elections:: not highlighted on free tier
Self-serve:: yes
Best for:: Small communities wanting AI chat + amenities on a generous free cap

Source: homeherald.ai/pricing

LotWize

Subscription:: $0 → $59+/mo flat
Free tier:: Free forever ≤10 units
Online dues:: paid tiers
Elections:: no
Self-serve:: yes
Best for:: Very small HOAs (≤10 doors) wanting a forever-free portal

Source: lotwize.com/pricing

Neigbrs Lite

Subscription:: $0
Free tier:: Free forever — website, 15 docs, 1 notice/mo
Online dues:: no (Premium is quote-based)
Elections:: no
Self-serve:: yes (~10 min)
Best for:: Boards that only need a free website + document portal + monthly notice

Source: vinteum.io/neigbrs-lite

HOA Express

Subscription:: $0 → ~$21+/mo Engage
Free tier:: Free forever ≤50 households (website + directory)
Online dues:: no on free (Engage ~$21/mo+)
Elections:: no
Self-serve:: yes
Best for:: Website-first communities ≤50 homes without online dues on free tier

Source: hoa-express.com/pricing

TownSq

Subscription:: quote (~$90+/mo cited by reviewers)
Free tier:: none
Online dues:: yes (paid)
Elections:: surveys/polls
Self-serve:: demo required
Best for:: Communication-first communities with budget for paid portal

Source: townsq.io/pricing

HOA Sites

Subscription:: low-cost website plans
Free tier:: varies — website builder focus
Online dues:: no
Elections:: no
Self-serve:: yes
Best for:: Static community websites without operational workflows

Source: hoa-sites.com (verify current plans)

Platform	Subscription	Free tier	Online dues	Formal elections	Self-serve	Best for
KindHOA	$0 or $29/mo flat	Good Neighbor — free forever (no unit cap on subscription)	yes (Good Neighbor)	yes (Good Neighbor)	yes (~15 min)	Volunteer self-managed boards wanting ops + elections without sales calls
HomeHerald	$0 → $49+/mo tiers	Free forever ≤50 properties / 100 users	yes (Stripe on free)	not highlighted on free tier	yes	Small communities wanting AI chat + amenities on a generous free cap
LotWize	$0 → $59+/mo flat	Free forever ≤10 units	paid tiers	no	yes	Very small HOAs (≤10 doors) wanting a forever-free portal
Neigbrs Lite	$0	Free forever — website, 15 docs, 1 notice/mo	no (Premium is quote-based)	no	yes (~10 min)	Boards that only need a free website + document portal + monthly notice
HOA Express	$0 → ~$21+/mo Engage	Free forever ≤50 households (website + directory)	no on free (Engage ~$21/mo+)	no	yes	Website-first communities ≤50 homes without online dues on free tier
TownSq	quote (~$90+/mo cited by reviewers)	none	yes (paid)	surveys/polls	demo required	Communication-first communities with budget for paid portal
HOA Sites	low-cost website plans	varies — website builder focus	no	no	yes	Static community websites without operational workflows

No. 02— Portal-only vs operational

Decision matrix

Monthly software subscription

KindHOA: $0 Good Neighbor
Typical free portal tier: $0 (with caps)

Portal-only = website/docs; KindHOA = full ops

Typical free unit cap

KindHOA: no subscription unit cap
Typical free portal tier: 10–50 households

LotWize 10 · HOA Express/HomeHerald 50

Online dues without paid upgrade

KindHOA
Typical free portal tier: usually no

HOA Express Engage ~$21/mo+ for dues

Maintenance + ARC workflows

KindHOA
Typical free portal tier

Formal elections

KindHOA
Typical free portal tier

Self-serve signup

KindHOA
Typical free portal tier

TownSq requires demo

Feature

KindHOA

Typical free portal tier

Note

Monthly software subscription

$0 Good Neighbor

$0 (with caps)

Portal-only = website/docs; KindHOA = full ops

Typical free unit cap

no subscription unit cap

10–50 households

LotWize 10 · HOA Express/HomeHerald 50

Online dues without paid upgrade

usually no

HOA Express Engage ~$21/mo+ for dues

Maintenance + ARC workflows

Formal elections

Self-serve signup

TownSq requires demo

No. 03— By community size

Quick picks

≤50 homes — portal-first

HOA Express Free (website + directory) or HomeHerald Free (AI + payments, 50-property cap) if you want more than pages. Add Engage or Automate when you need blast email or automation.

≤10 homes — micro communities

LotWize Free covers up to 10 units forever. Pair with spreadsheets for dues if you outgrow manual workflows before upgrading to $59/month flat.

Any size — ops + elections at $0

KindHOA Good Neighbor when you need maintenance, ARC, violations, Stripe dues, and formal elections in one portal — not a standalone website builder. Leaving a portal-only tool? See our migration guides.

Documents + one notice/mo

Neigbrs Lite — free website, 15-file library, one official notice per month. Upgrade to quoted Premium when you need payments and violations.

No. 04— Paid portals

When free is not enough

TownSq does not publish a free tier — pricing is quote-based on townsq.io/pricing (reviewers often cite roughly $90+/month for small associations). It fits communication-heavy communities with budget for a paid portal.

If you need native HOA accounting without a subscription cap debate, compare paid alternatives: PayHOA, EasyHOA, Buildium, Condo Control, and KindHOA Board Automation ($29/mo flat). Model dues with our budget estimator and late fee calculator.

No. 05— Common questions

FAQ

Which HOA software has no monthly fee?

Permanent $0/month subscription options in 2026 include KindHOA Good Neighbor (full ops portal, no published unit cap on subscription), HomeHerald Free (≤50 properties), LotWize Free (≤10 units), Neigbrs Lite (website + documents + one notice/month), and HOA Express Free (≤50 households — website and directory; online dues need Engage plans from about $21/month). TownSq, PayHOA, and EasyHOA require paid subscriptions. Always confirm current limits on the vendor pricing page.

Is an HOA portal the same as HOA management software?

Not always. HOA Express Free and Neigbrs Lite primarily provide a resident-facing website, document library, and announcements — not full board workflows. KindHOA Good Neighbor includes a resident portal plus maintenance tickets, ARC, violations, finance hub, and formal elections at $0/month subscription. Boards searching “HOA portal no monthly fee” often need to decide whether they want a website only or operations in the same login.

Does HOA Express offer a free HOA portal?

Yes. HOA Express provides a permanent free tier for up to 50 households with website pages, file storage, calendar, and resident directory (hoa-express.com/pricing). Blast email, text messaging, and online payment processing require paid Engage-tier plans (from about $21/month in 2026). See our KindHOA vs HOA Express comparison for a feature ledger.

What is Neigbrs Lite?

Neigbrs Lite is the free forever tier of Neigbrs by Vinteum (vinteum.io/neigbrs-lite). It includes a customizable community website, up to 15 stored documents, and one official resident notice per month — no credit card. Premium Neigbrs adds dues, violations, and more via custom quote. Neigbrs Lite fits portal-only needs; KindHOA Good Neighbor fits boards that also need dues and elections without upgrading.

How does KindHOA compare to free portal-only tools?

KindHOA Good Neighbor is $0/month subscription and includes online dues (Stripe Connect), maintenance, ARC, violations, documents, and formal elections — not just a public website. HOA Express Free and Neigbrs Lite are strong when you only need publishing. HomeHerald Free adds AI chat and payments but caps at 50 properties. KindHOA Board Automation ($29/month flat) adds recurring dues automation, email broadcasts, and Smart Assistant when the free tier limits are reached.

Related resources

Keep exploring

HOA portal with no monthly fee — 2026 comparison

Quick answer

Boards search this query when the treasurer wants zero line-item software cost — but still need owners to pay dues, submit maintenance tickets, and read governing documents online.

Platform

Subscription

Free tier

Online dues

Formal elections

Self-serve

Best for

KindHOA

$0 or $29/mo flat

Good Neighbor — free forever (no unit cap on subscription)

yes (Good Neighbor)

yes (~15 min)

Volunteer self-managed boards wanting ops + elections without sales calls

HomeHerald

$0 → $49+/mo tiers

Free forever ≤50 properties / 100 users

yes (Stripe on free)

not highlighted on free tier

yes

Small communities wanting AI chat + amenities on a generous free cap

LotWize

$0 → $59+/mo flat

Free forever ≤10 units

paid tiers

yes

Very small HOAs (≤10 doors) wanting a forever-free portal

Neigbrs Lite

Free forever — website, 15 docs, 1 notice/mo

no (Premium is quote-based)

yes (~10 min)

Boards that only need a free website + document portal + monthly notice

HOA Express

$0 → ~$21+/mo Engage

Free forever ≤50 households (website + directory)

no on free (Engage ~$21/mo+)

yes

Website-first communities ≤50 homes without online dues on free tier

TownSq

quote (~$90+/mo cited by reviewers)

none

yes (paid)

surveys/polls

demo required

Communication-first communities with budget for paid portal

HOA Sites

low-cost website plans

varies — website builder focus

yes

Static community websites without operational workflows