Comparison

Settl vs TurboTenant

TurboTenant is a popular landlord platform with TransUnion-powered screening. But it still relies on documents, credit scores, and criminal records. Settl verifies what actually predicts rent payment: bank income, cash reserves, and payment history.

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The core difference

TurboTenant verifies who you were: credit history, criminal records, eviction filings. Settl verifies who you are right now: live bank income, current cash reserves, actual rent payments made. TurboTenant is built for landlords. Settl is built for renters who want to control their own verified profile.

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Feature	Settl	TurboTenant
Price One-time renter-paid fee. Share with as many landlords as you want.	$99 (one-time)	$45 per screening
Bank-verified income Income read directly from your bank account via Plaid, not a pay stub you submit. 84% of landlords regularly see fake pay stubs (NMHC 2024). Bank-direct cannot be faked.	Yes	No
Debt-to-Income (DTI) ratio Settl calculates monthly debt obligations as a percentage of gross income and displays it on the report, color-coded from Excellent to Elevated. Tenant-controlled opt-in only. No other portable screening tool offers this layer. Subsidy holders are automatically excluded per source-of-income law.	Yes	No
Document-based income TurboTenant accepts pay stubs and income documents. These are applicant-submitted and can be fabricated with AI tools in minutes. Settl bypasses documents entirely.	No	Yes
Verified cash reserves Shows how many months of rent you have saved. A tenant with 3–5 months of reserves can absorb a job change or emergency without missing rent. TurboTenant does not surface savings.	Yes	No
Rent payment history from bank 12 months of actual bank transactions showing payments made to landlords, proof you paid, confirmed from the source. More reliable than eviction records.	Yes	No
Biometric identity + liveness check Your government ID is matched to your face in real time. TurboTenant relies on SSN lookup with no biometric match, meaning synthetic identities can still slip through.	Yes	No
Credit report (TransUnion) Settl includes a VantageScore 4.0 soft pull via TransUnion. Zero score impact. The credit tier and range are shown on your report (not the raw numeric score). TurboTenant is TransUnion-powered: credit score based on debt repayment history.	VantageScore 4.0 (soft pull, no score impact)	Yes
Criminal background check Settl includes national + county criminal background checks via CIC. State-specific lookbacks enforced (3–10 years depending on state). Arrest records never shown. Fair Housing Act individualized assessment notice included. TurboTenant includes criminal records, exposing landlords to Fair Housing Act liability.	Yes	Yes
Eviction history check Settl includes 7-year eviction history via CIC. Dismissed and withdrawn filings are suppressed per FCRA. TurboTenant includes eviction records via TransUnion; dismissed filings may still appear.	Yes	Yes
Portable renter profile One report you own, shareable with unlimited landlords. TurboTenant is a landlord platform. Your screening is tied to a specific landlord account, not a profile you control.	Yes	Landlord-tied
Fake pay stub resistant Because Settl connects directly to your bank, there is no document to forge. TurboTenant cannot verify whether submitted pay stubs are real or fabricated.	Yes	No
SSN required Settl uses your SSN internally for the soft pull credit check only. Your SSN is encrypted and never shared with landlords or displayed on your report. Identity is verified biometrically via government ID + live selfie. TurboTenant's TransUnion credit pull requires your SSN.	No	Yes
FCRA compliance required Settl is a registered Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA) under FCRA §1681a(f). Compliance is built in — dispute rights, adverse action guidance, and required disclosures are all included in the Settl report. Landlords receive adverse action notice guidance directly in the report. TurboTenant is also an FCRA consumer report with landlord compliance obligations.	Yes	Yes
Verified rent ceiling You choose what income range to display , landlords see "Verified for rent up to $X/mo" rather than your exact income. Protects your financial privacy.	Yes	No
Household / co-applicant reports Settl combines multiple applicants into one Household Report with weighted combined income and a single shareable code. TurboTenant requires each applicant to screen separately.	Yes	No
Free to landlords Settl is completely free for landlords to receive and review reports. TurboTenant has a free landlord tier but charges per-screening fees passed to the tenant.	Yes	Free tier available

The Real Differences

🏦 Bank-direct vs TransUnion-powered screening

TurboTenant uses TransUnion SmartMove: credit bureau data that includes credit score, criminal history, and eviction records. 84% of landlords regularly see fake pay stubs (NMHC 2024). Settl eliminates that risk by connecting directly to your bank via Plaid. The income figure comes from your bank's own records. No document to forge.

💼 Landlord platform vs renter-owned profile

TurboTenant is primarily a property management platform. Your screening is ordered by a landlord through their account. You do not own or control the report. Settl is the opposite: you build your profile once, you own it, and you share a code with any landlord on any platform. No landlord subscription required.

💰 Cash reserves: the signal TurboTenant misses

TurboTenant shows credit score and income documents. It does not show savings. A tenant with 3–5 months of cash reserves can absorb a job loss, medical bill, or slow month without missing rent. That financial buffer is what keeps tenancies stable. It is invisible to TurboTenant's screening. Settl surfaces it directly.

⚖️ Fair Housing & FCRA legal exposure

TurboTenant runs criminal background checks and eviction history via TransUnion. Both carry Fair Housing Act liability in dozens of cities. Settl includes FCRA-compliant criminal background checks (national + county via CIC, state lookbacks enforced, no arrests shown) and 7-year eviction history. Fair Housing Act individualized assessment notices are built into the report. As a registered CRA under FCRA, Settl handles the compliance framework — the required disclosures and adverse action guidance are included in every report.

🧬 Biometric identity vs SSN lookup

TurboTenant's identity check relies on SSN combined with credit bureau data. There is no live biometric match. Settl pairs a government ID with a biometric liveness check: the person completing verification must match the document in real time. Synthetic identities and fraudsters using borrowed credentials cannot pass Settl.

🏠 Household reports for co-applicants

TurboTenant handles co-applicants as separate screenings that landlords compare manually. Settl's Household Report combines multiple applicants into one view: weighted combined income, total cash reserves, and a single shareable code starting with H-. One report. One share. One decision.

⚖️ Fair Housing guardrails built in

Settl runs criminal and eviction checks with Fair Housing guardrails built in: state-specific lookbacks (3–10 years), no arrests ever shown, and individualized assessment notices included. Financial behavior — income stability, savings, actual payment history — remains the strongest predictor of rent payment. Settl surfaces all of it.

📋 Payroll-verified directly from your employer

Settl connects directly to payroll providers like ADP, Gusto, Paychex, and thousands more, covering 170M+ U.S. workers. Employment and income are confirmed from two independent sources: your bank account and your employer's own payroll system. No pay stub required. No document to forge. Two data streams that must agree.

Pricing Side by Side

Settl

Settl Verified Passport: $99

Biometric identity (KYC), bank-verified income ceiling, employer payroll + tenure (Argyle), rent payment history, VantageScore 4.0 soft pull credit check (zero score impact), criminal + eviction background check. Share with unlimited landlords. Valid 30 days.

30-Day Renewal: $39

Already verified? Extend your acceptance window by 30 more days. Same code, no re-verification needed.

TurboTenant

Full Screening: $45

Credit report, criminal background, eviction history (TransUnion-powered). Tenant-paid. Per-landlord, not portable.

Income verification: add-on

Document-based, not bank-direct. Pay stubs and income documents submitted by the applicant.

TurboTenant pricing as of March 2026. Subject to change.

Which Is Right for You?

Choose Settl if…

Your income is bank-deposited and verifiable
You have savings and want that to count
You want to own your profile and share it freely
You don't want to share your SSN
You are applying with roommates (Household Report)
Your landlord is in a city with criminal background check bans
You want the most fraud-resistant profile possible

TurboTenant might work if…

Your landlord already uses TurboTenant as their property management platform
You have a strong credit score you want to lead with
You are comfortable sharing your SSN
You only need to apply to one property at a time

Ready to build a fraud-proof renter profile?

Bank-verified income. Cash reserves. Biometric identity. One code. Works with any landlord, no TurboTenant subscription required.

Get Settl Verified Passport

One report. Any landlord. Valid 30 days.

Apply to as many properties as you want. Update your settings before each new application. How it works →