clearnow.com

What It Is

ClearNow is an online ACH rent payment service that has been operating since 2000, primarily serving landlords, property managers, and tenants. Its core workflow is to automatically debit rent from a tenant’s bank account and deposit it directly into the bank account designated by the landlord or property manager. The site highlights its BBB A+ rating and offers support by email and phone.

Core Capabilities

In terms of service scope, ClearNow is highly focused on “automated rent collection” rather than being a general-purpose payment gateway. For supported payment methods, the content only explicitly mentions ACH bank account debits; it does not show support for credit cards, debit cards, wallets, or cross-border payments. For settlement, rent is deposited directly 3 banking days after the debit date, making cash-flow timing relatively predictable. Additional features include income and expense tracking, Profit & Loss and tax record assistance, direct deposit distributions from property managers to owners, tenant screening, Experian RentBureau rent credit reporting, and electronic lease signing.

Pricing and Costs

ClearNow has no setup fee, and fees are charged only when a debit is attempted. Monthly debits can be scheduled for the 1st, 5th, 15th, or 25th: the first debit is $14.95/month, and each additional debit is $2/month. Semi-monthly and biweekly debits are both $4 per debit. Compared with credit card transaction costs of 2% to 3%, ACH is more cost-effective for high-value rent payments, but the content does not disclose potential fees for returned payments, failed debits, refunds, or similar cases.

Pros, Cons, and Best Fit

The advantages are its focused use case, transparent pricing, and high level of automation: tenants do not need to manually arrange payment each month, while landlords can reduce time spent chasing rent. The downsides are that payment options are limited, coverage areas are not clearly listed, and there is no visible API, developer documentation, or property management system integration capability. It is best suited for U.S.-based landlords, small to mid-sized property managers, and users who want to replace paper checks or credit card rent collection with ACH.

Access from China and Alternatives

Access from mainland China is not stated in the content, so its availability is unknown. Because ClearNow depends on ACH and the U.S. bank account system, it may not be suitable for Chinese landlords or cross-border rental scenarios. Comparable alternatives include RentRedi, Avail, Apartments.com Rent Payments, Buildium, and AppFolio. For purely domestic U.S. bank transfers, Zelle and similar options may also be worth considering.