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Ranking · 9 min read

Best free rental property calculator 2026: 5 tools that actually work for free

Honest 2026 ranking of the 5 best truly-free rental property calculators — TrueCap, BiggerPockets' free reports, Stessa's calculator, Excel templates, and Zillow's mortgage calculator. What each free tier covers and where the gates kick in.

Published 2026-06-07

Quick answer

TrueCap has the deepest free tier — full cap rate, CoC, DSCR, NCF, monthly cash flow on unlimited analyses with no signup, no analysis cap, plus address auto-fill from HUD + FRED + state tax. BiggerPockets' free calculator gives a few reports per month then gates to its $390/yr Pro tier. Stessa has a basic free cap rate calculator but it's really an accounting tool. Excel templates work but require you to do all the lookups yourself. Zillow's mortgage calculator covers PITI math only — not rental underwriting.

The tools, ranked for free-only investors

#1 · Best truly free tier — unlimited analyses, no signup

TrueCap

Deep dive

Pricing: Free; Pro $19/mo

Free tier covers

  • +Cap rate, CoC, DSCR, NCF, monthly cash flow
  • +Address auto-fill (HUD rent + FRED rate + state property tax)
  • +Plain-English verdict (Strong / Solid / Mixed / Marginal / Negative)
  • +Unlimited analyses, no signup, no cap

Where the gates kick in

  • −10-year projection (Pro)
  • −Tax strategy + sensitivity (Pro)
  • −Deal Score, MAO, BRRRR analyzer (Pro)
  • −Save / compare deals (Pro)
  • −PDF export + share links (Pro)
Pick if: You want a free tier that actually does the underwriting work without gating cap rate or DSCR.
#2 · Best if you'll eventually pay for BP Pro anyway

BiggerPockets Free Calculator

Deep dive

Pricing: Free with limits; full access via BP Pro ~$390/yr

Free tier covers

  • +A few free reports per month
  • +Standard cap rate + cash flow + CoC
  • +BRRRR-style underwriting on free tier

Where the gates kick in

  • −Most outputs after the monthly report cap
  • −10-year projection (Pro)
  • −Tax + advanced features (Pro)
Pick if: You're going to subscribe to BiggerPockets Pro for the community anyway and don't mind the calculator's monthly cap.
#3 · Free cap rate widget bundled with free accounting

Stessa's Free Calculator

Deep dive

Pricing: Free; Stessa Pro ~$12/mo

Free tier covers

  • +Basic cap rate calculator widget
  • +Free bookkeeping for unlimited properties
  • +Schedule E export

Where the gates kick in

  • −Stessa isn't really an underwriting tool — the calculator widget is rudimentary
  • −No DSCR or detailed cash flow underwriting
Pick if: You already own rentals and want free accounting. Pair with TrueCap free for actual pre-purchase underwriting.
#4 · Best if you already have a custom model

Excel / Google Sheets templates

Deep dive

Pricing: Free (or your existing Office / Google subscription)

Free tier covers

  • +Total flexibility — model anything
  • +BiggerPockets and various REI bloggers offer free templates

Where the gates kick in

  • −You do all the data lookups (rent, rate, tax) manually
  • −Formula errors compound silently
  • −Mobile UX is broken at showings
Pick if: You have a battle-tested Excel template and use mobile rarely.
#5 · Best for PITI only (not actually rental underwriting)

Zillow's mortgage calculator

Deep dive

Pricing: Free

Free tier covers

  • +Monthly mortgage payment (PITI)
  • +Affordability calculator

Where the gates kick in

  • −Doesn't calculate cap rate, CoC, DSCR, or cash flow
  • −Not a rental property tool — homebuyer-oriented
Pick if: You only need the mortgage payment math, not the full rental underwrite.

Quick decision matrix

  • “You want the deepest free tier with no signup or cap.” TrueCap.
  • “You're already subscribing to BiggerPockets for the community.” BiggerPockets calculator (bundled).
  • “You already use Excel and have a template that works.” Excel.
  • “You want free accounting for properties you already own.” Stessa (not for underwriting).
  • “You only need PITI math.” Zillow's mortgage calculator.

FAQ

Is TrueCap really 100% free for rental analysis?
Yes. TrueCap's free tier covers cap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCR, NCF, monthly cash flow on unlimited analyses with no signup. Address auto-fill (HUD rent + FRED rate + state tax) is also free. Pro features (10-year projections, tax strategy, sensitivity, deal score, save deals, PDF export) require $19/month — but the core underwriting math doesn't.
Why is BiggerPockets' calculator capped on the free tier?
BiggerPockets monetizes via BiggerPockets Pro (~$390/year), which bundles forums, courses, podcasts, books, and the unlimited calculator. The free tier is a sample. If you're already paying for community access, the calculator is essentially free; if you only want the calculator, TrueCap is the cheaper unrestricted alternative.
What's the catch with TrueCap's free tier?
Honestly, there isn't one for basic underwriting. The catch is that you'll eventually want Pro features (10-year projection, tax strategy, sensitivity grid, deal score, share links, PDF export) at $19/month — which is normal SaaS pricing. The free tier itself is fully functional for cap rate / CoC / DSCR / cash flow on unlimited deals.
Can I underwrite a BRRRR or flip on a free calculator?
TrueCap's free tier handles the standard cap rate / DSCR / cash flow on any property, including BRRRR and flip candidates. The dedicated BRRRR + Fix-and-Flip analyzers (with cash-out refi math, ARV solver, break-even ARV) are Pro features. BiggerPockets' free tier supports basic BRRRR. Most flippers use a spreadsheet or Pro tier eventually.
Are there ad-supported free rental calculators?
A few exist (RentRedi's free calculator on their site, BiggerPockets' free reports). They're real but limited. TrueCap doesn't run ads and isn't lead-gen for a CRM — the free tier is the actual product, with Pro features as an upgrade path. That's an unusual model for a free SaaS calculator and it's intentional.

Try TrueCap free

The fastest way to know which tool fits your workflow is to run one of your real deals through it. TrueCap is free for the core underwriting, takes 60 seconds, no signup required.

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