ClearNow
Rental payment software
Real estate software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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What is ClearNow
ClearNow is a rent payment service that enables tenants to pay rent via recurring ACH bank transfers and enables landlords/property managers to collect those payments. It is primarily used by small to mid-sized landlords and managers who want automated, bank-to-bank rent collection without requiring tenants to use a full property management suite. The product centers on payment authorization, scheduling, and remittance rather than broader leasing, accounting, or maintenance workflows.
Recurring ACH rent collection
ClearNow focuses on automated, recurring ACH transfers for rent, which reduces manual check handling and follow-up. Tenants authorize payments from their bank account, and payments run on a schedule aligned to rent due dates. This approach fits landlords who want a dedicated payment mechanism rather than a broader real estate operations platform.
Simple, payments-first workflow
The product scope is narrower than full property management systems, which can make setup and day-to-day use more straightforward for rent collection. Landlords can use it alongside existing bookkeeping or property management processes. This can be useful for portfolios that do not need integrated leasing, maintenance, or resident portals.
Bank-to-bank payment method
ACH transfers typically avoid card interchange and reduce reliance on card-based rent payments. For rent amounts that are large relative to typical consumer purchases, bank transfer can be a practical default. The product’s design aligns to that payment rail rather than offering many ancillary features.
Limited property management features
ClearNow is not positioned as a full real estate management platform with leasing, maintenance tracking, inspections, or integrated accounting. Users needing an all-in-one system may have to pair it with separate tools. This can increase operational fragmentation compared with suites that combine payments with property workflows.
Fewer tenant payment options
A payments approach centered on ACH may not cover all tenant preferences such as debit/credit cards, cash pay networks, or digital wallets. If tenants expect multiple payment methods and in-app experiences, landlords may encounter adoption friction. Broader rental platforms often provide more payment channels and resident-facing features.
Integrations and reporting depth
Compared with platforms that include built-in ledgers and reporting, a payments-only tool typically offers less financial reporting and fewer native integrations. Landlords may need manual reconciliation or exports to accounting software. This can be a constraint for managers who require portfolio-level analytics and audit-ready reporting.
Plan & Pricing
Pricing model: Pay-as-you-go Free tier/trial: Tenants use ClearNow for free; no evidence of a time-limited free trial for paid accounts on the official site. Example costs (from ClearNow official site):
- Monthly debit (choices: 1st, 5th, 15th, or 25th): $14.95/month for one debit; each additional debit (same debit day) is $2.00/month.
- Semimonthly debits (twice a month on the 3rd & 17th): $4.00 per debit.
- Biweekly debits (every other Tuesday): $4.00 per debit.
- Additional monthly account on a different debit day: $7.95/month for one debit; each additional debit $2.00/month.
- Direct deposit to owner's bank account (owner disbursement): $2.00 per tenant in addition to ClearNow's standard fees. Key notes (official site): No setup fees; fees are charged only when ClearNow attempts to debit a tenant; no long-term contracts stated; ClearNow furnishes rent-payment data to Experian RentBureau at no additional fee.
(Information sourced solely from ClearNow's official website: clearnow.com - pricing details and FAQ.)
