RunHOA vs PayHOA for self-managed HOAs (2026)

The self-managed board showdown

RunHOA and PayHOA both target self-managed HOA boards directly. Both offer HOA-specific accounting, online dues collection, and community management tools. Both sell to boards without requiring a management company. The similarity ends at price and proof.

RunHOA: the price leader

At $399/year flat, RunHOA undercuts every other HOA platform with accounting. The math is simple: $33.25/month effective, regardless of whether you have 50 units or 500. The feature list reads well on paper: accounting, budgeting, dues collection, e-voting, amenity reservations, 1120-H generation. No per-unit fees means no surprise cost increases.

The absence is what matters. Zero reviews on G2. Zero on Capterra. No native mobile app. No dedicated reserve compliance tools. You cannot find another board that has used RunHOA and reported their experience publicly. For a platform handling community finances, that gap is meaningful.

PayHOA: the validated option

PayHOA has the track record. G2 4.6/5 across roughly 75 reviews. Capterra approximately 4.5/5 across roughly 70 reviews. A $27.5M Series A in May 2024 means the company has funding to sustain operations and development. The platform is purpose-built for HOAs with online dues collection, violation tracking, homeowner portals, and a native mobile app.

All features are included at every tier — no feature gating. Starting around $49/month for up to 25 units, the pricing is higher than RunHOA’s. At 100 units, PayHOA costs approximately $109/month ($1,308/year), more than triple RunHOA’s annual cost.

PayHOA’s reserve tracking is partial: through the accounting module with custom chart of accounts and bank syncing, but no dedicated reserve study module or compliance tools.

The reserve compliance gap

Neither RunHOA nor PayHOA has dedicated reserve fund compliance tools. Both track reserves through accounting modules. Neither offers a percent-funded dashboard, reserve study integration, or state-specific compliance alerts.

For boards in states without mandatory reserve requirements, this gap may not matter today. For boards in Florida (mandatory structural reserve studies), California (30-year reserve projections required), or the growing list of states tightening reserve laws, both platforms leave compliance to spreadsheets.

Where Gavelhouse fits

We built Gavelhouse for boards that need the financial controls that RunHOA and PayHOA leave out. Reserve fund separation is structural, not manual, with reserve balance context available for board and CPA review. Reserve study and compliance review should remain in the board’s external workflow today.

At $14.50-$74.50/mo billed annually with LAUNCH50 flat, Gavelhouse sits between RunHOA’s price floor and PayHOA’s per-unit scaling. A 100-unit community pays $39.50/mo billed annually with LAUNCH50 ($474/year) — more than RunHOA, less than PayHOA, with enforced fund separation and reserve balance visibility included.

Verdict

PayHOA is the safer choice: proven by hundreds of boards, funded, and reviewed. RunHOA is the budget choice: cheapest option with accounting, but zero reviews means zero validation. Neither enforces operating/reserve fund separation. Gavelhouse ($14.50-$74.50/mo billed annually with LAUNCH50 flat) offers enforced fund separation and reserve balance visibility at a price between the two. For self-managed boards evaluating these tools because financial governance is the real gap, Gavelhouse is the stronger fit.