CAMAudit vs AppFolio: CAM Reconciliation for Commercial Properties
AppFolio is a popular, affordable property management platform built primarily for residential portfolios. CAMAudit is designed specifically for commercial NNN lease CAM reconciliation. Here is an honest comparison of both tools.
TL;DR — Key Differences
- AppFolio is a residential-first platform. Commercial features were added over time, not designed from the ground up.
- AppFolio's commercial CAM tracking lacks documented support for BOMA gross-up or complex NNN lease structures.
- CAMAudit is purpose-built for commercial: BOMA 2024 gross-up, pro-rata validation, cap tracking, and AI lease extraction with mandatory human review.
At a Glance
| CAMAudit | AppFolio Core | AppFolio Max | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built for commercial | Yes | No (residential-first) | No (residential-first) |
| CAM gross-up | BOMA 2024, fixed/variable split | Not documented | Not documented |
| NNN lease depth | Purpose-built | Limited | Limited |
| Pricing | $250/building/month | $1.50/unit/mo ($298 min) | $5.00/unit/mo |
| Anti-integration | Yes — any CSV export | N/A | N/A |
Commercial CAM Reconciliation Depth
AppFolio includes CAM tracking and basic reconciliation at the Core tier. For straightforward portfolios — a small strip center or a few commercial suites alongside residential — this may be sufficient.
As portfolios grow in complexity — multiple tenant types, NNN leases with different exclusions, BOMA gross-up requirements, cap structures — the residential-first architecture creates friction. Industry analysis notes that “managing a commercial portfolio with residential-first software creates predictable problems: missed rent reviews, manual CAM reconciliations, and lease data scattered across PDFs.”
AppFolio strength: residential simplicity
AppFolio is genuinely excellent for residential portfolios. Intuitive, affordable, with great mobile support and tenant communication tools.
AppFolio limitation: commercial CAM complexity
Limited BOMA gross-up depth. No pro-rata denominator validation. Users report accounting errors, confusing payment workflows, and CAM setup gotchas — for example, expenses that don't appear during reconciliation because the GL account wasn't added to a GL group.
Gross-Up and BOMA Standards
BOMA 2024 gross-up requires bifurcating CAM expenses into fixed and variable components. Variable expenses are grossed up to reflect what costs would have been at full occupancy, with a multiplier capped at 1.0. This prevents landlords from over-recovering during low-occupancy periods.
AppFolio advertises CAM reconciliation and does support pro-rata allocation by square footage, but does not document BOMA gross-up methodology in public materials. The depth required for NNN lease gross-up — fixed/variable bifurcation, occupancy adjustment capped at 1.0 — is not available. CAMAudit implements BOMA 2024 gross-up with deterministic Python — no AI for financial calculations, fully audit-defensible.
Industry research shows 40% of CAM reconciliations contain material errors (Tango Analytics). For portfolios with BOMA gross-up obligations, using a tool without that capability creates direct exposure.
Pricing
CAMAudit
- • First audit free
- • $250/building/month subscription
- • Or 20% of verified recovery
- • No per-unit pricing model
AppFolio
- • Core: $1.50/unit/month ($298 minimum)
- • Plus: $3.20/unit/month
- • Max: $5.00/unit/month
- • CAM features at Core tier
Who Each Tool Is Best For
Choose CAMAudit if…
- Your portfolio is primarily commercial NNN leases
- You need BOMA 2024 gross-up and cap tracking
- You want to audit reconciliations from any ERP via CSV
- Accuracy and audit-defensibility are non-negotiable
Choose AppFolio if…
- You primarily manage residential with a few commercial units
- You value ease of use and mobile-first design
- Your commercial CAM needs are straightforward
- Budget is a primary constraint
Frequently Asked Questions
Does AppFolio support commercial CAM reconciliation?
Yes. AppFolio advertises CAM reconciliation and supports pro-rata allocation by square footage. However, BOMA gross-up depth is limited, setup has known gotchas (GL accounts must be added to GL groups or expenses will not appear in reconciliation), and user reviews consistently flag accounting errors and cumbersome workflows for commercial portfolios.
What is the difference between AppFolio and a dedicated CAM tool?
AppFolio is a full property management platform designed primarily for residential, with commercial features added over time. CAMAudit is purpose-built for commercial NNN lease CAM reconciliation with BOMA 2024 gross-up, pro-rata denominator validation, and cap tracking.
Can CAMAudit work with AppFolio?
Yes. Export billing or expense data from AppFolio's reporting module as CSV and upload it to CAMAudit. No API integration or AppFolio credentials required.
Already Using AppFolio? Add Commercial CAM Depth.
Export billing data from AppFolio as CSV and run CAM audits in CAMAudit. Get BOMA 2024 gross-up, cap tracking, and pro-rata validation without switching platforms.
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