Expert Guide Editorially reviewed

The Best Real Estate Investing Platforms in 2026

One starts at $10. One starts at $100. One REIT is $5,000 and paused to new money. Two want accredited investors and a five-figure check.

Independently researched. No pay-for-placement. 5 tools compared
TL;DR

Fundrise: $10 taxable, $1,000 IRA; 0.15% advisory plus 0.85% on the real estate funds (about 1% a year). Arrived: $100; AUM 0.15% of purchase price per quarter on single-family homes, plus 8% of gross rent to the property manager. RealtyMogul: Income REIT 1.00% asset management, Apartment Growth REIT 1.25%; $5,000 REIT minimum when open. The Income REIT page said new subscriptions were paused and the share repurchase program was suspended as of 21 April 2026. CrowdStreet: accredited only; FAQ says minimums start at $25,000, May 2026 Form CRS says some offerings start at $5,000; sponsor and placement fees vary by deal. AcreTrader: accredited only; live offerings showed $15,000 per farm and $150,000 on the Proterra fund; 0.75% annual administration fee on farm value. This is not financial advice. Confirm every number on the live offering page. Checked 1 September 2026.

These platforms sell private or non-traded real estate over a website. They are not a brokerage ticker you can sell before lunch, and they are not a house you own in your name. Fundrise and Arrived will take a non-accredited US investor at $10 or $100.

RealtyMogul's retail REITs start at $5,000 when they are actually open. CrowdStreet and AcreTrader are accredited products with a much larger check.

This page is a fee and access comparison, not a return forecast. None of these firms can promise a yield. Read the offering circular. This is not financial advice.

Top Picks

Based on features, real-world fit, and value for money.

Best Real Estate Investing Platforms in 2026: 5 tools compared, updated Sep 2026
ToolPricingBest for
FundriseFrom $10 taxable ($1,000 IRA); 0.15% a year advisory plus 0.85% on real estate fundsNon-accredited investors who want a pooled real estate plan from $10 and can wait to get money out
RealtyMogulFree to join; REIT from $5,000 ($1,000 later); 1.00% or 1.25% a yearPeople who specifically want RealtyMogul's commercial REIT or accredited marketplace and will read whether that product is open this week
ArrivedFrom $100; 0.15% of purchase price per quarter on single-family homesNon-accredited investors who want a named rental or vacation home from $100 and accept the extra fees
CrowdStreetFrom $25,000 (FAQ) or $5,000 (Form CRS); no account-opening feeAccredited investors who choose one private deal at a time and can leave the money for the full hold
AcreTraderFrom $15,000 per farm ($150,000 fund); 0.75% a year on farm value; no account feeAccredited investors who want US farmland in an LLC or the Proterra fund and can wait through a multi-year hold

Pricing read from each vendor's own published pricing page, checked Sep 2026. Every vendor here publishes a price.

Best for: Non-accredited investors who want a pooled real estate plan from $10 and can wait to get money out

PricingFrom $10 taxable ($1,000 IRA); 0.15% a year advisory plus 0.85% on real estate funds

+Published $10 taxable and $1,000 IRA minimums on the official help center
+Fee schedule is two percentages you can add, not a sponsor PDF per deal
+No accredited letter required for the core plans
About 1% a year on the real estate plans before extra fund-level fees in the circulars
Shares are not exchange-traded. Redemptions can be limited, delayed, or penalised on older eREIT/eFund shares
Visit Fundrise →

Best for: People who specifically want RealtyMogul's commercial REIT or accredited marketplace and will read whether that product is open this week

PricingFree to join; REIT from $5,000 ($1,000 later); 1.00% or 1.25% a year

+REIT fee tables are in SEC filings and fact sheets, not only a marketing tile
+Accredited investors can look at individual commercial deals, not only a pooled fund
+The company is still operating; the homepage and REIT pages load
Income REIT new subscriptions were paused on the official product page pending a circular refresh
Share repurchase was suspended 21 April 2026, so the REIT liquidity story is currently a hold
Visit RealtyMogul →

Best for: Non-accredited investors who want a named rental or vacation home from $100 and accept the extra fees

PricingFrom $100; 0.15% of purchase price per quarter on single-family homes

+$100 is a real published floor, including the SFR fund
+AUM schedule is broken out by product on the official help center
+You can see a specific house, unlike a Fundrise plan allocation
The 0.15% quarterly AUM line is not the all-in cost. Sourcing and 8% of rent sit next to it
Holds are multi-year. The secondary window is not a stock exchange and can charge 2.5% each side
Visit Arrived →

Best for: Accredited investors who choose one private deal at a time and can leave the money for the full hold

PricingFrom $25,000 (FAQ) or $5,000 (Form CRS); no account-opening fee

+No published investor wrap like Fundrise's 0.15% plus 0.85%
+You choose a specific offering instead of a model portfolio
+Form CRS (May 2026) is current and states the issuer-pays compensation model
Accredited only. Non-accredited investors are out
Minimums disagree between the FAQ ($25,000) and the CRS (from $5,000). The live offering wins
Visit CrowdStreet →

Best for: Accredited investors who want US farmland in an LLC or the Proterra fund and can wait through a multi-year hold

PricingFrom $15,000 per farm ($150,000 fund); 0.75% a year on farm value; no account fee

+0.75% administration fee is published on the official how-it-works page
+No account maintenance fee on the Form CRS
+You can see whether the open product is a single farm or the $150,000 fund
Accredited only, US residents at offering time
0.75% is on farm value, which can be a larger base than the equity you wired
Visit AcreTrader →

What it is

A real estate investing platform here is a site that sells shares in a private REIT, an interval fund, a single-property LLC, or a farmland entity. You put in cash. A manager buys or operates property. You may get distributions if the vehicle has cash.

You generally cannot sell on an exchange.

The five names still operating in the US as of 1 September 2026 split into two rooms. Fundrise, Arrived, and RealtyMogul's Regulation A REITs (when open) are built for retail.

CrowdStreet and AcreTrader are Regulation D marketplaces for accredited investors. Publicly traded REITs at a normal broker are a different product.

Why it matters

The invoice is not one number. Fundrise's help center adds 0.15% advisory to 0.85% fund management. Arrived's help center quotes a quarterly AUM slice, then an 8% property-management cut of rent, then a one-time sourcing fee inside the share price.

CrowdStreet's Form CRS says the broker is paid by the issuer. AcreTrader's how-it-works page charges 0.75% of farm value, not of your smaller equity cheque if the farm is leveraged.

Liquidity is the other bill. RealtyMogul's own Income REIT page said the board suspended the share repurchase program on 21 April 2026.

Fundrise can delay redemptions. Arrived's secondary market, when it runs, can take up to 2.5% on each side. Treat any of these as money you may not get back on a schedule you pick.

Key features to look for

Who can invest
Non-accredited retail (Fundrise, Arrived, RealtyMogul REITs when open) versus accredited-only (CrowdStreet, AcreTrader). SEC accredited usually means $200k income ($300k joint) or $1m net worth excluding a primary residence.
Minimum cheque
$10, $100, $5,000, $15,000, $25,000, $150,000. The lowest published number is often a different product from the one you wanted.
How the fee is taken
Advisory plus fund management, quarterly AUM plus property management plus sourcing, or sponsor/placement fees the issuer may pass through. Compare the stack, not the headline.
Liquidity
Quarterly or gated redemptions, a limited secondary window, or a 5 to 10 year hold until the sponsor sells. A repurchase program can be suspended. RealtyMogul's was.
What you own
A slice of a pooled fund, a fractional rental, a single commercial deal, or a farmland LLC. Same word 'real estate.' Different documents.

Pricing

These platforms charge a minimum investment plus a yearly or quarterly fee, not a software subscription. Fundrise, Arrived, RealtyMogul's REITs, and AcreTrader publish those fees. CrowdStreet and RealtyMogul's individual deals are quote-only: the sponsor sets the fee, and Investopedia cites a $25,000 minimum on those RealtyMogul properties.

The cheapest published entry is Fundrise at $10 for a taxable account ($1,000 for an IRA), then Arrived at $100. RealtyMogul is free to join, then $5,000 for a REIT when it is open (the Income REIT was paused), and Arrived's entry still adds a sourcing fee plus 8% of rent.

Accredited products cost more to start: CrowdStreet's FAQ starts at $25,000 (the Form CRS says some offerings start at $5,000), and AcreTrader showed $15,000 on a farm and $150,000 on the Proterra fund.

PlanPriceBest for
Fundrise taxable$10 minimumTaxable account, open to non-accredited investors
Fundrise IRA$1,000 minimumMinimum to open an IRA
Fundrise advisory fee0.15% a year ($1.50 per $1,000)Not charged on Innovation Fund, March 2026
Fundrise real estate funds0.85% a year ($8.50 per $1,000)Supplemental Income, Balanced Investing, or Long-Term Growth
Fundrise Innovation Fund1.85% a year ($18.50 per $1,000)Closed to new investors, NerdWallet 7 August 2026
Fundrise fund-level feesSee offering circularAcquisition, development, and servicing at fundrise.com/oc
RealtyMogul membershipFreeNo charge to join the platform
RealtyMogul Income REIT1.00% a yearOn total equity value, also in Form 1-SA
RealtyMogul Income REIT costsCapped at 3%Cap on organisational and offering costs
RealtyMogul Income REIT commissions0% selling commissionsIncome REIT charges no selling commission
RealtyMogul Income REIT servicing0.5% servicingOn debt and preferred equity
RealtyMogul Apartment Growth REIT1.25% a yearAnnual asset management fee
RealtyMogul Apartment Growth costsCapped at 3%Same cap on organisational and offering costs
RealtyMogul Apartment Growth servicing0.5% servicingServicing fee on preferred equity
RealtyMogul REIT initial$5,000 minimumFirst REIT investment when the offering is open
RealtyMogul REIT later$1,000 minimumEach investment after the first $5,000
RealtyMogul individual dealsCustom quoteSponsor sets fees on each accredited property
RealtyMogul (estimate, Investopedia)$25,000 minimumCited minimum on accredited individual properties
Arrived offerings$100 minimumNon-accredited under Regulation A, 24 July 2026
Arrived AUM range0.10% to 0.30% per quarter$1 to $3 per $1,000, Help Center 26 May 2026
Arrived single-family homes0.15% per quarterOf the home's purchase price
Arrived SFR fund0.25% per quarterOf net assets in the single-family fund
Arrived Real Estate Income fund0.30% per quarterOf net assets in the income fund
Arrived vacation rentals AUMAveraged 0.10% per quarterVariable AUM on the initial investment
Arrived single-family manager8% of gross rentProperty manager cut, Help Center 9 July 2026
Arrived vacation rental manager15% to 20% of rentPlus possible lease-up and rehab charges
Arrived Homes sourcing3.5% sourcingOne-time fee in the share price, series filing
Arrived Homes asset management0.60% a yearOn the series property purchase price
Arrived secondary marketUp to 2.5% buy and sellExecuting broker fee on each side
CrowdStreetCustom quoteDue diligence, placement, services, and technology
CrowdStreet pass-throughMay be passed throughIssuer charges can reduce the amount invested
CrowdStreet fund-level feeFund-level feeRegistered third-party funds may pay the broker
CrowdStreet FAQ minimum$25,000 to startFAQ minimum, and some deals are higher
CrowdStreet Form CRS offeringsFrom $5,000Typical start, and it varies, 18 May 2026
CrowdStreet accountNo account-opening feeNo minimum to open, Form CRS 18 May 2026
AcreTrader accountNo open or maintain feeAccredited US residents only
AcreTrader administration0.75% a year of farm valueTaken from farm income before distributions
AcreTrader individual farm$15,000 minimumFarm cards on the public page, 1 September 2026
AcreTrader Proterra fund$150,000 minimumProterra AcreTrader Farmland Fund LP
AcreTrader issuer placementBorne indirectlyInvestors may bear issuer placement fees
AcreTrader other costsIn the farm PPMClosing, legal, and disposition costs
Mistakes to avoid
×Treating Fundrise or Arrived like VNQ. Private and non-traded vehicles do not have a bid you can hit this afternoon.
×Comparing CrowdStreet's 'no investor wrap' to Fundrise's 1% without reading the sponsor fee page. Issuer-paid fees still come out of the deal.
×Buying Arrived on the 0.15% quarterly AUM sentence and skipping sourcing plus 8% of gross rent. That is the actual stack.
×Wiring $5,000 to RealtyMogul because an old review said the Income REIT was open. The official page said new subscriptions were paused and buybacks were suspended as of 21 April 2026.
Expert tips
Decide accreditation and lock-up first. If you are not accredited and cannot leave money for years, CrowdStreet and AcreTrader are the wrong shortlist.
Add the fees that sit under the wrap: Fundrise circular extras, Arrived property management, CrowdStreet placement, AcreTrader costs in the PPM.
If you need daily liquidity, use a brokerage and a publicly traded REIT or REIT ETF. That is a different product than this list.
Re-read the live offering before you send money. RealtyMogul's REIT pause is the example. Screenshots go stale.

The bottom line

For a small, non-accredited cheque, Fundrise at $10 and about 1% a year on the real estate plans is the simplest published stack. Arrived at $100 is the one that lets you point at a house, at a higher all-in cost once sourcing and the 8% rent cut are included.

RealtyMogul still exists.

Its Income REIT was not taking new investors on this check, and the repurchase program was off. Do not treat the $5,000 REIT as a live buy until the site says it is. CrowdStreet and AcreTrader are accredited, five-figure (or larger) products.

CrowdStreet's cost is the deal's fee page. AcreTrader's published ongoing number is 0.75% of farm value. This is not a recommendation to invest.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest real estate investing platform to start?
Fundrise publishes a $10 taxable minimum. Arrived publishes $100. RealtyMogul REITs publish $5,000 when open. CrowdStreet's FAQ starts at $25,000 (CRS says some offerings from $5,000). AcreTrader showed $15,000 on individual farms. Cheap to start is not cheap to hold. Checked 1 September 2026.
Do I need to be an accredited investor?
Not for Fundrise's core plans or Arrived's Regulation A offerings. RealtyMogul REITs are also built for non-accredited investors when the offering is live; individual deals are accredited. CrowdStreet and AcreTrader are accredited only.
How much does Fundrise charge?
Official help center: 0.15% advisory, 0.85% management on the real estate funds used in the standard plans (about 1% combined), 1.85% management on the Innovation Fund. Extra fund-level fees can appear in the offering circulars at fundrise.com/oc. Form CRS dated March 2026. Checked 1 September 2026.
Are these the same as buying a REIT in a brokerage account?
No. Public REITs trade on an exchange. These platforms sell private or non-traded interests with limited or gated exits. RealtyMogul's REIT repurchase program was suspended on 21 April 2026. That is the liquidity difference in one sentence.
What returns should I expect?
This page does not publish yields. Platforms show historical or target figures that are not promises. USDA farmland index charts are not your AcreTrader result. Read the circular and assume you can lose the principal.
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