CBRE CostLab vs PLINTH

CBRE CostLab is a web-based application for estimating and comparing facility operating costs across more than 400 locations and 75+ asset types worldwide. It provides equipment-level estimates for maintenance and repair, custodial work, energy, grounds management, and pest control. Its Cost Library includes labor, utility, and inflation rates, maintenance tasks, operating details, recapitalization assumptions, and national indexes. The Building Wizard uses seven questions to create a component-level estimate; Project Builder groups maintenance and repair work into projects and estimates material, labor, and equipment needs. For capital planning, CostLab estimates equipment failure probability and helps prioritize replacements by portfolio risk and budget. Users can customize building models and adjust rates and task assumptions. It also identifies deferred maintenance by equipment and provides deferred-cost reports and Facility Condition Index estimates. Mass Data Export sends annual and average asset costs, yearly task costs, deferred costs, and inventory to Excel. Access is through a browser on a laptop, tablet, or smartphone. Paid plans include a 7-day trial; there is no free plan.

PLINTH is property and lease management software for small landlords and real estate investors, available on iOS and the web. It organizes each property into a card with photos, documents and a full history, while tracking tenants, expenses, leases, rent schedules and payments. Landlords can monitor active, pending and expired leases, use renewal workflows and get color-coded reminders for expirations and deadlines. Cash-flow tools compare rent with expenses to show portfolio profitability. For maintenance, users describe an issue and the system drafts a vendor work-order email for review. Tenants can view lease documents, message the landlord and submit maintenance requests through a portal at no extra charge. PLINTH does not collect rent, process payments or hold deposits, so landlords continue using their existing payment method. Commercial lease features include renewal and termination options, notice periods and custom recurring costs. Plans start at $7/mo, with a 30-day trial; there is no free plan.