TrueCap vs Mashvisor for short-term rentals: market scoring vs per-deal STR underwriting
By TrueCap · built by a Philadelphia rental investor
Both serve STR investors. Mashvisor is the market-discovery + revenue-projection tool (Airbnb occupancy rates, ADR by neighborhood). TrueCap turns user-reviewed revenue assumptions into a full modeled analysis (cap rate, DSCR, cash flow, projection). TrueCap's Short-term Rental mode is a beta revenue screen: it models revenue as nightly rate × occupancy and does not fully model platform fees, turnover, lodging tax, seasonality, or local STR eligibility. The user verifies the inputs and makes the investment decision.
TL;DR for short-term rental investors
Use TrueCap when
- You want a full underwriting analysis with cap rate, DSCR, cash flow on a specific STR.
- You want financing math (PITI, amortization) on a specific property.
- You're comparing LTR vs STR scenarios on the same property.
- You want a free tier that doesn't cap analyses.
Use Mashvisor when
- You want STR market discovery (heatmaps, neighborhood Airbnb scores).
- You want automated STR revenue projections from real Airbnb data.
- You're scouting which city or neighborhood to invest in next.
- You're scaling STR investments across multiple markets.
Short-term rental feature-by-feature
Where each tool wins on the short-term rental workflow specifically.
| Feature | TrueCap | Mashvisor |
|---|---|---|
| Market discovery (heatmaps, scores) | No | Yes, on Standard and above: heatmaps and neighborhood analytics for short-term and long-term rentals |
| STR revenue projection (ADR + occupancy) | Manual: a nightly rate and occupancy you set (Short-term Rental mode, beta), or a monthly figure in the rent field | Yes — automated from Airbnb data |
| Cap rate / CoC / DSCR analysis | Yes — full engine, free tier | Cash flow, cap rate and cash-on-cash estimates; editable expenses on Standard and above; DSCR not listed |
| Mortgage + financing math (PITI + amortization) | Yes — full | Adjustable financing assumptions in its calculator, and a mortgage calculator |
| 10-year projection | Pro — rent + expense + appreciation | Not listed on Mashvisor's plan comparison |
| Deal score (0–100) | Free — 0–100 score with factor breakdown | Investment Opportunity Score per property |
| Starting values (rent/rate/tax) | HUD rent + FRED rate + manual local property tax | Long-term and short-term (Airbnb) rental estimates |
| Free tier | Yes — core cap rate, CoC, DSCR, and cash flow | No free plan on its pricing page; platform subscriptions have no free trial |
| Pricing (paid tier) | Paid Pro; see live pricing for current rates | $39.99 to $99.99 a month billed annually, or $49.99 to $119.99 billed quarterly (as of October 2026) |
Mashvisor plans, prices and features were checked against its pricing page in October 2026. See mashvisor.com/pricing for current terms.
Once Mashvisor hands you an ADR and occupancy figure, you can run your own underwrite on it. Our short-term rental underwriting playbook walks through turning revenue projections into a complete modeled underwrite, and the best STR analysis tools of 2026 rounds up where the data comes from. To put those projections through the deal math yourself, our free deal analyzer turns an ADR and occupancy estimate into cap rate and cash flow in one pass.
Common questions about TrueCap vs Mashvisor
Quick answers to the questions investors comparison-shopping these tools actually ask.
Is TrueCap a Mashvisor alternative for STRs?
Not really — they solve different problems. Mashvisor is STR market discovery + revenue projection. TrueCap is the underwriting calculator that runs the deal math on top. Mashvisor feeds inputs; TrueCap runs cap rate / DSCR / cash flow. The two are used at different steps.
Mashvisor vs AirDNA — which one for STR data?
AirDNA is STR-specific: its free plan has a limited Rentalizer revenue calculator and market insights, and its Market Research plan adds a customizable Rentalizer, comparable sets, and historical market data. Mashvisor covers both long-term and short-term rentals, with heatmaps and rental comps on its Standard plan and above. Compare each vendor's current plans for the markets you care about.
Does Mashvisor do underwriting?
Partly. Mashvisor estimates cash flow, cap rate, and cash-on-cash return for a property, and Standard and Professional subscribers can edit expenses and recalculate. TrueCap adds DSCR, sensitivity, an Offer Ceiling for your targets, and a cash-flow and equity projection for a shortlisted property. TrueCap does not currently expose a tax-specific module.
Can I use TrueCap free with Mashvisor data?
Yes. TrueCap free covers cap rate, CoC, DSCR, and cash flow on every analysis. Pull Mashvisor's projected monthly STR revenue, replace TrueCap's HUD rent benchmark with it, and review every operating assumption. Pro adds a 10-year cash-flow and equity projection plus sensitivity.
Is a Mashvisor subscription worth it?
Mashvisor's priced plans run $39.99 to $99.99 a month billed annually, or $49.99 to $119.99 billed quarterly (as of October 2026). If you're actively scouting STR markets across multiple regions, the market data and heatmaps replace manual market research. If you invest in one local market with 1-2 properties, you may not need market discovery: TrueCap with AirDNA's Rentalizer (limited on AirDNA's free plan, customizable on its paid Market Research plan) may be enough.
On price, plainly
Tools in this space run from free to well above TrueCap — check Mashvisor's live pricing for their current number. What TrueCap's price buys is the decision layer, not more calculation: an Offer Ceiling for your targets, Buy Box fit with reasons, the downside stress test, and assumptions that are source-labeled instead of silently defaulted. Whether that workflow justifies the price depends on your volume, verification process, and existing tools.
Screening listings for investor clients? TrueCap for agents keeps a client roster and screens each deal against the Buy Box of the client you assign it to.
Underwrite your next short-term rental deal, free.
Free covers the standard cap rate, CoC, DSCR, cash flow, and plain read-only share links. Pro adds 10-year cash-flow and equity projections, sensitivity, Offer Ceiling, co-branding, and included PDFs. New one-time PDF checkout is temporarily unavailable.
About TrueCap
TrueCap is built by one person, a rental investor in Philadelphia. It started as the tool he wanted for his own underwriting — a way to get from an address to a source-labeled first-pass answer — and it's still how he runs the deals he considers.