portonOSportonOS

About

About portonOS property management software

A workspace for your company, not a public marketplace.

portonOS is operations software for small property managers, landlords, and owner-operator trades. Managers dispatch the work, owners see the money and the decisions, and vendors bid only on jobs they are invited to. Built for small portfolios, not 10,000-unit enterprises.

Why I built this

On one of my earliest jobs I was installing a rain gutter system on a two story home out in the country and that home changed the way I thought about my work. The client was nice, but their roof was not. The job took twice as long as it should have. I was frustrated as I left the last day and started home.

Shredded tire peeled off the wheel of a work van, still sitting in the wheel well

Halfway back to civilization, still in the country, my tire went flat and before I knew it had become so shredded that my work van wouldn't even move. Not only did I not make the money I should have on the job, but now I was about to fork out twice as much as I earned just to fix my van.

As a handyman you get used to everything being different every day. It is one of the perks and challenges of that line of work. Just repairing the tire and wheel felt straightforward, but then I saw the invoice. It wasn't so much the cost, but all the different "nickels and dimes" they were requiring of me to pay.

I was torn up because of the job, because of the work van, and now because of the invoice. I vowed to never "nickel and dime" my clients. That was in 2019.

Fast forward to 2026. Getting passed off from one property manager to the next, I had to change my processes and started looking for a solution that would help simplify my work. Every client's process was different, and I just needed a simple way to send invoices and to report and track the work and NOT get nickled and dimed to death. I needed a platform that could offer top tier USEFULNESS at a predictable cost.

I was tired of fighting for my social and classifieds ad spend to be heard above the noise, and of being lined up against nameless competitors who were willing to do it cheaper. I wanted a way to work with property owners and managers who value trust over the lowest price.

Those managers want the same thing, and they also need to handle maintenance requests, find vendors they trust, review applicants, collect rent, and send owners reports that are on time, complete, and beautiful. Large property-management software companies leave smaller portfolio managers with the scraps.

I was using a payment system, an invoicing system, a job tracker, a marketing system, and a couple of spreadsheets. I built what I needed instead. Other people in that spot will probably want it too.

- Nate, portonOS Founder

Related

Small-portfolio property managementSee the manager, owner, and vendor workflows.PricingSee the annual plans and included property counts.ChangelogRead dated notes on what has shipped.

Questions

How long does setup take?

You confirm a work email and open an empty workspace: your homes, your owners, your vendors. No sample portfolio is copied in. The demo is that same desk with sample homes, so you are not learning a second system after you start. There is no sales call.

What does it cost?

Core is $966 the first year (3 months at $25 and 9 months at $99), then $1,188 a year, billed annually and includes 25 properties. Operations is $1,788 a year ($149/mo), billed annually and includes 75 properties. Portfolio is $3,588 a year ($299/mo), billed annually and includes 250 properties. Free ACH payment processing on every included property. Need more properties? Add them anytime at a flat rate. No tier upgrades, no surprises. Each property past the included total is $18 a year. Add one before renewal and that $18 is prorated to the renewal date, including a partial month. Eleven months left is $16.50. About two weeks left is about $0.75. The payment provider's transaction fee is charged in addition. One flat price. No per-transaction fees, no onboarding fee, no per-lead charges. Applicant screening is on Operations and Portfolio. The report is separate from the annual workspace price. Each adult pays the screening partner's price, passed through. You can pay that price yourself, or waive it for one applicant. Full list on the pricing page.

How much is applicant screening?

Applicant screening is on Operations and Portfolio. A credit, criminal, and eviction report for each adult on the application. You make the leasing decision. The report is separate from the annual workspace price. Each adult pays the screening partner's price, passed through. You can pay that price yourself, or waive it for one applicant. Published prices elsewhere, as of October 2026: Buildium $17 when the manager pays or $35 when the applicant pays; DoorLoop $25 to $45 by plan, or $49.90 on its comprehensive applicant plan; TurboTenant $45 or $55; RentSpree $39.99, or $49.99 with income verification. Check those companies before you decide. Their prices can change.

Is my data private?

Your workspace is for your company. Vendor credentials never sit on a public page. We store the work email you give us and the records you put in the workspace so the desk can run. We do not sell that data.

How do vendors get paid or invited?

You invite vendors you already trust. Only invited vendors from a vetted list can join. They bid from a private link and run awarded work from a vendor desk. They do not pay to look eligible. The vendor desk is $19 a month. Online payments on invoices add $10 a month. Card processing is the payment processor's rate, 2.9% + $0.30, passed through. Processing rates are accurate as of September 29, 2026 and can change. You still pay the vendor for the job. portonOS keeps the bid, the visit, and the invoice on the work order.

Can I cancel?

Yes. Open Billing in the workspace and cancel there. You can leave a reason if you want. Within 30 days of an invoice we refund that invoice. After 30 days, cancel before the next annual invoice and you are not billed again. There is no onboarding fee. Applicant screening and card processing are the partner's charges, passed through, and are not part of the refund. Full terms on the terms page.

Who is this not for?

Built for small portfolios, not 10,000-unit enterprises. It is not a public marketplace and not a pay-per-lead board.