TheGoodHOA

TheGoodHOA is software for volunteer boards that manage their own homeowners associations. It suits communities that want finances, resident requests, records, and voting in one system. Its broad free offering is compelling for communities within the 400-unit limit; boards needing a public website should weigh the separate add-on costs.

Overview

TheGoodHOA brings association administration and resident services together in a portal. Boards can manage dues, violations, maintenance, voting, documents, meetings, announcements, a community feed, and a community map. That range makes it a strong fit for self-managed communities trying to keep routine work and records in one place, though it is not aimed at associations that rely on a management company.

Key features

Finances and payments

Boards can invoice dues, track balances and late fees, set payment plans, and build budgets with CSV and Excel exports. Residents can pay by card or ACH bank transfer, and the board chooses whether the resident or the association pays processing fees. Autopay can charge a saved card or bank account on the invoice due date, with an email reminder three days beforehand. Stripe stores saved payment details and handles the one-time bank connection. These tools cover recurring association finance workflows, although the board should consider who will bear processing fees before enabling online payments.

Requests, voting, and records

Violation tracking supports photo evidence, while residents can send maintenance requests from their phones. Official ballots can be sealed into tamper-evident records and exported as PDF or CSV, a useful combination for boards that need a durable voting record. Document access sits alongside the communication tools, giving residents a place to find community materials and updates.

Data and support

The maker says data is encrypted in transit and at rest, hosted on Google Cloud, and visible only to people invited to the community. The HOA owns its community records and can request an export at any time. Email support is included with the free plan.

Pricing

TheGoodHOA uses a freemium model and has no free trial. Its Free forever plan covers up to 400 units, includes all modules, and allows unlimited residents and documents. For a volunteer-run association within that cap, it is a substantial starting point rather than a narrow preview. Communities above 400 units are asked to contact the company.

The Core platform is priced by custom pricing for 400 units. The Community website add-on also has custom pricing. The Community website plan is $10 a month for an optional public community website, while Community Wall is $5 a month as an optional add-on to that website. Printed mail costs $4.99 per letter, and done-for-you onboarding is quoted per community. Boards that only need private resident tools can avoid website add-ons; those wanting a public-facing site should account for the additional monthly charge.

Platforms

TheGoodHOA is available on Android, iOS, and the web. Residents can submit maintenance requests from their phones, while boards can use the web platform for the broader administrative and financial workflows.

Who it's for

The best match is a volunteer board managing its own community, especially one under 400 units that wants dues, resident requests, voting, and documents covered without a management company. It is less suitable for communities above the unit cap or boards that want management-company-led operations. A public website is optional, but it adds cost beyond the core free offering.

Pros and cons

• Pro: The free plan includes all modules for up to 400 units, with unlimited residents and documents, so smaller self-managed associations can use the full platform without a per-resident cap.
• Pro: Card and ACH payments, autopay, late fees, and payment plans address common dues collection needs in one system.
• Pro: Tamper-evident ballot records and photo-backed violation tracking give boards more structured records for governance and enforcement.
• Con: Communities above 400 units must contact the company, so the free plan's generous scope does not extend to larger associations.
• Con: A public website, Community Wall, printed letters, and onboarding can introduce separate costs beyond the core platform.
• Con: The board must decide whether residents or the association cover payment processing fees, which affects the cost of online collections.

Alternatives

For a simpler tool focused on resident messaging, HOA Messenger has a free plan for unlimited HOAs and residents, with 90-day visibility, and a free trial. Nestingbird is another free option for self-managed HOAs, with unlimited units and residents on its Community plan; it is web-only. KindHOA offers a permanent free platform on Android and iOS, though its Good Neighbor plan has 5 GB of storage and 10 active violations.

Boards considering paid platforms can also compare CINC, Vantaca, FRONTSTEPS, or Condo Manager. Vantaca uses fees that may be based on authorized users or active doors, while Condo Manager offers unlimited units and corporations. ApnaComplex is a freemium option with a free plan covering society data, collaboration, help desk, security, facility management, and accounting.

Browse the HOA Management Software directory for more options.

Verdict

TheGoodHOA is a strong choice for volunteer boards running communities of up to 400 units: its free plan brings financial workflows, resident service, voting, and records together without limiting residents or documents. Look elsewhere if the community exceeds that cap or needs a public website without an add-on cost.