Free side-by-side research
Source-linked differences for HOA boards and community association managers. No sponsored winner and no blended review score.
PayHOA is a cloud platform for homeowners associations that centralizes dues collection, online payments, general-ledger accounting, communications and a resident portal. It is aimed primarily at self-managed HOAs, with public unit-based pricing tiers.
TownSq is a web and mobile community management platform for HOAs and condo associations that centralizes homeowner communication, online assessment payments, service and maintenance requests, amenity reservations, and architectural review (ARC) and violation workflows. It is sold in two forms: TownSq Community for running a single association (used by self-managed boards and managers) and TownSq Business for management companies overseeing multi-community portfolios from one workspace, with integrated accounting and management available at the Enterprise tier. The platform emphasizes a resident-facing app (newsfeed, forum, announcements, documents, package control, guest access) plus manager tools such as requests, tasks, audit logs, and AI-assisted replies to resident questions.
How PayHOA and TownSq line up, side by side. Rows where they differ are highlighted.
| Feature | PayHOA |
TownSq |
|---|---|---|
| Capterra rating | 4.7/5 (602) | 3.3/5 (4) |
| Starting price | From $49/mo (annual) | From $90/mo (to 300 units) |
| Best for | Self-managed small-to-midsize HOAs and volunteer boards that want dues, payments and accounting in one affordable platform. | HOAs and community management companies that want a resident engagement app (communication, payments, requests, ARC/violations) layered on top of association operations, from a single self-managed board up to multi-community portfolios. |
| Self-managed HOAs | ✓ | ✓ |
| Management companies | ✓ | ✓ |
| Accounting | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dues & payments | ✓ | ✓ |
| Violations & requests | ✓ | ✓ |
| Resident portal | ✓ | ✓ |
| Communication | ✓ | ✓ |
| Maintenance & work orders | ✓ | ✓ |
This is a fit comparison, not a universal winner. A tool built for a management-company portfolio is not the same as one built for a volunteer self-managed board. Validate the decisive workflow and total contract cost in both demos.
Start here when: Self-managed small-to-midsize HOAs and volunteer boards that want dues, payments and accounting in one affordable platform..
Start here when: HOAs and community management companies that want a resident engagement app (communication, payments, requests, ARC/violations) layered on top of association operations, from a single self-managed board up to multi-community portfolios..
Ratings are kept separate because software directories, app stores and company-location reviews measure different experiences.
Swipe horizontally to compare both products →
| Review platform | PayHOA | TownSq |
|---|---|---|
| Capterra | 4.7/5602 reviewsChecked July 16, 2026 · open source ↗ | 3.3/54 reviewsChecked July 16, 2026 · open source ↗ |
We do not calculate a single “reputation score.” Compare rating, volume, audience and recent themes at the original source.
These items come from vendor documentation. Treat them as a demo agenda, not proof of workflow quality.
Research interpretation based on current positioning and official documentation—not a substitute for implementation references.
Shortlist it when a self-managed board at a small or midsize community wants transparent per-unit pricing and to consolidate dues, payments and accounting without hiring a professional manager.
A strong fit for communities and managers whose priority is resident engagement, communication, and payment collection with a polished mobile app. Full fund accounting and deeper financial management are concentrated in the Enterprise/management tier, so self-managed boards needing complete bookkeeping may need a supplement. Pricing is unusually transparent for the category, published by community size.
Open the evidence directly. Dates describe our last check, not a promise that the vendor page has remained unchanged.
A fair comparison uses identical data and workflow scenarios.