TLDR
HOALife charges $45-$95/mo for violation management and community operations. Add QuickBooks Online for accounting and you are at $75-$155/mo for two platforms that do not share reserve fund data. BoardStack covers both for $20–$99/mo in a single platform.
HOALife
$45-$95/moper month
BoardStack
$20–$99/moper month, no setup fee
HOALife Pricing Tiers
| Tier | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $45/mo | Violation tracking, Homeowner portal, Document storage, Basic communications |
| Standard | $65/mo | Everything in Basic, Mobile inspection app, Photo documentation, Email notifications |
| Professional | $95/mo | Everything in Standard, QuickBooks Online integration, Advanced reporting, Work order management |
Hidden Costs You Won't See on the Pricing Page
- ⚠ QuickBooks Online required for accounting: $30-$60/mo additional
- ⚠ QuickBooks does not natively separate HOA reserve and operating funds
- ⚠ Reserve fund tracking requires manual spreadsheet management outside both platforms
- ⚠ Two-platform setup increases training time for new board members
Ready to try BoardStack?
Pick a plan to see pricing details and next steps. Start a 1-month free trial with a card, and we will email you 3 days before it ends.
See plans & pricingHOALife’s subscription cost
HOALife’s published tiers run from $45 to $95/mo depending on features. The pricing is reasonable for violation management software. The mobile inspection app in the Standard tier is a genuine differentiator: board members can document violations with photos directly in the field.
For communities where covenant enforcement is the primary operational load, HOALife’s violation workflow is worth looking at.
The accounting gap
HOALife’s accounting strategy is integration rather than inclusion. The Professional tier connects to QuickBooks Online, which handles the bookkeeping. This keeps HOALife’s core product focused on violations and community operations, but it creates a cost and complexity gap.
QuickBooks Online adds $30-$60/mo. The Simple Start plan at $30/mo handles basic income and expense tracking. Essentials at $60/mo adds bill management and time tracking. Most HOAs need Essentials at minimum for vendor payment tracking.
QBO does not separate reserve funds natively. Connecting HOALife to QuickBooks does not solve the reserve fund separation problem. A QBO chart of accounts can be set up to maintain separate reserve and operating accounts, but this requires accounting knowledge and manual discipline. It is not enforced by the software.
Real combined cost
| Scenario | Monthly cost |
|---|---|
| HOALife Basic only | $45 |
| HOALife Standard only | $65 |
| HOALife Professional + QBO Simple Start | $125 |
| HOALife Professional + QBO Essentials | $155 |
At the full Professional + QBO Essentials configuration, HOALife costs $155/mo for a two-platform setup that still does not include dedicated reserve fund tracking.
BoardStack’s comparable tier for 75-150 unit communities is $49/mo as a single platform.
| HOALife | BoardStack | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $45-$95/mo | $20–$99/mo |
| Setup fee | Varies | $0 |
| Contract | Varies | Month-to-month |
| Plan | Price | Key Features | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $45/mo | Violation tracking, homeowner portal, document storage, basic communications | Small HOAs with minimal violation workload |
| Standard | $65/mo | Mobile inspection app, photo documentation, email notifications | HOAs that do regular field inspections |
| Professional | $95/mo | QuickBooks Online integration, advanced reporting, work order management | Boards that already use QuickBooks for accounting |
Source: HOALife pricing page
Q&A
How much does HOALife cost for a small HOA?
HOALife starts at $45/mo for the Basic tier. If you need accounting, add QuickBooks Online ($30-$60/mo), bringing the total to $75-$155/mo depending on HOALife tier and QuickBooks plan. These are flat monthly rates, not per-unit.
Q&A
Are there hidden fees with HOALife?
The main hidden cost is QuickBooks Online, which HOALife does not include but requires for financial management. Add $30-$60/mo for QuickBooks on top of the HOALife subscription. Reserve fund tracking requires additional manual work outside both platforms.
Q&A
Does HOALife include reserve fund accounting?
No. HOALife covers violations and operations. Its QuickBooks integration syncs financial data but does not add reserve fund tracking. QuickBooks itself does not have HOA-specific reserve fund features without manual chart-of-accounts configuration.
Frequently asked