Rent to Retirement | Blog

6 Fundrise Alternatives for Real Estate Investors

Written by Rent To Retirement | Mar 17, 2025 9:13:36 AM

Fundrise is an online crowdfunding platform that allows everyday people to passively invest in private real estate, venture capital opportunities, and other assets. With a minimum investment of just $10, you can invest in a portfolio of new construction homes, multifamily apartments, and industrial properties. Keep reading to learn more about the company, its biggest competitors, and the best Fundrise alternatives for investors!

Summary:

  • Best Fundrise alternative: Turnkey Rentals
  • Best overall turnkey provider: Rent to Retirement
  • Best Fundrise competitor: RealtyMogul

The 3 Best Fundrise Alternatives 

Don’t want to go down the crowdfunding route? Whether you’d rather own property outright or invest in a more liquid asset, there are a few alternatives to Fundrise that might be a better fit for you and your investing goals. Here are the three best Fundrise alternatives to consider!

1. Rent to Retirement: Turnkey Rentals 

Turnkey rentals are recently renovated properties or new build investments that are often managed for you and require less upkeep than regular rentals. Rent to Retirement, the nation’s leading turnkey provider, has offerings in some of the best states to buy rental property. Browse turnkey properties, make an offer, and close with a vetted property manager and tenants already lined up!

What to Know

If you like the idea of crowdfunding because it’s relatively hands-off, you’ll love turnkey, too. With property management handling things like finding tenants, collecting rents, and taking care of maintenance and repairs, you can own property, earn consistent monthly cash flow, and enjoy all the tax benefits of real estate investing without sinking a ton of time and energy into your investment.

  • Must Be Accredited? No!
  • Minimum Investment: 0%-5% Down
  • Average Annual Returns: 10%+ (Cash-on-Cash Return) 
  • Passivity Level: Semi-Passive 
  • Unique Benefits: Tax deductions, cash flow, appreciation, and full property ownership, but more passive than regular rentals

The Rent to Retirement Difference 

Rent to Retirement is the highest-reviewed turnkey rental provider, holding a perfect five-star rating across hundreds of online reviews. We have rental properties in high-cash-flow, high-appreciation markets and a lean team of industry experts who can guide you toward your first or next investment!

2. Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

REITs are companies that own and manage investment properties. As the investor, you buy shares of these companies and receive dividends, like stock investing. REITs are legally obligated to distribute at least 90% of their taxable income to investors.

What to Know

REITs are a great option for investors who don’t have a ton of starting capital. While these investments are completely passive, keep in mind that you don’t have any control over how properties are managed or when they are sold.

  • Must Be Accredited? No!
  • Minimum Investment: $5+
  • Average Annual Returns: 9.5% (Past 10 Years)
  • Passivity Level: Passive 
  • Unique Benefits: Fully passive, easy diversification 

3. Real Estate Syndications 

Real estate syndications are investor groups that pool their money together to purchase larger (or multiple) properties. Syndications usually have higher investment requirements than REITs and may involve capital calls—requests for additional funds to cover expenses and unforeseen costs.

What to Know

A syndication is usually managed by a syndicator or operator. Since you’ll be entrusting your investment to this person, it’s crucial that you do your due diligence and properly vet the operator up front!

  • Must Be Accredited? Yes (Often) 
  • Minimum Investment: $50,000
  • Average Annual Returns: 7%+ (Cash-on-Cash Return)
  • Passivity Level: Passive 
  • Unique Benefits: Fully passive, tax benefits, multiple types of returns (preferred return + profit on sale) 

Get the benefits of rental properties without the headaches!

3 Popular Fundrise Competitors 

While Fundrise is one of the biggest players in the real estate crowdfunding space, there are dozens of other options to consider. Here are a few of the top Fundrise competitors:

1. RealtyMogul

RealtyMogul is a real estate crowdfunding platform that has provided over $8 billion in investment opportunities since 2012. As of early 2025, the platform has over 290,000 members who have invested a collective $1.1 billion. RealtyMogul provides both private placements (investments) and REITs.

What to Know

RealtyMogul’s private placements are only offered to accredited investors, but their REITs are available to the general public. While REITs are typically illiquid, the company’s Share Repurchase Program provides some extra flexibility, allowing investors to part with their investments for a reduced price.

  • Must Be Accredited? No (for REITs)
  • Minimum Investment: $5,000
  • Average Annual Returns: 6% 
  • Pros: Passive investments, monthly distributions (on REITs)
  • Cons: Lower returns, no direct ownership, limited inventory outside of REIT offering 

2. Yieldstreet 

Yieldstreet is an alternative investment platform whose offerings include real estate, venture capital, short-term notes, private credit, and other investment opportunities. Since 2015, more than $6 billion has been invested through the platform, and YieldStreet has delivered over $3.3 billion in returns to its 500,000+ members.

What to Know

While YieldStreet offers a wide range of investments, most of them are highly illiquid. Their minimum investments are also higher than those of many other crowdfunding platforms.

  • Must Be Accredited? No (for REITs)
  • Minimum Investment: $10,000
  • Average Annual Returns: 9.6%
  • Pros: Passive investments, multiple investment types, monthly and quarterly payouts 
  • Cons: Lower returns than turnkey rentals, no direct ownership, may be more illiquid than other investments 

Looking for 10%+ cash-on-cash returns?

3. Streitwise

Streitwise is a real estate investing company specializing in REITs, with minimum investment requirements that are often lower than those of other REITs. As of early 2025, the company has distributed over $240 million in principal and interest to its investors.

What to Know

All Streitwise investments are available to the public, meaning you don’t need to be an accredited investor to participate. While many REITs are largely illiquid, Streitwise’s Redemption Plan allows you to submit a request to sell shares following a one-year lockout period.

  • Must Be Accredited? No
  • Minimum Investment: $1,000 
  • Average Annual Returns: 7.2% dividend (since 2020)
  • Pros: Passive investments, long track record, sizable dividend yield 
  • Cons: Lower returns than turnkey rentals, no direct ownership, fewer write-offs than rentals

The Best Alternative to Fundrise? Turnkey Rentals!

There’s one glaring drawback that crowdfunding, REITs, syndications, and other passive real estate investing strategies all have in common: you don’t actually own the properties you’re investing in.

If you want full ownership and control of a rental property that cash flows and appreciates, Rent to Retirement’s turnkey rentals are for you. These properties deliver higher cash-on-cash returns, better tax deductions, and consistent semi-passive income, thanks to turnkey property management!

Browse our turnkey rental properties now!

Fundrise Alternatives FAQs

What’s the Best Alternative to Fundrise?

Turnkey real estate is the best Fundrise alternative. Like crowdfunding, turnkey rentals allow you to earn passive (or semi-passive) income, since these properties often come with property management and tenants in place. You also get the full benefit of property ownership, control over your investment, and often much better returns!

Who are Fundrise’s Competitors?

RealtyMogul, Yieldstreet, and Streitwise are a few of the top Fundrise competitors. If you’re looking for an alternative to Fundrise that gives you higher returns, better tax benefits, and property ownership, Rent to Retirement’s turnkey rentals are hard to beat!

What is the Downside of Fundrise?

Fundrise has a few drawbacks. For one, your investment is relatively illiquid, and you don’t own any of the properties you’re investing in. What’s more, Fundrise charges several fees for using their platform, and unless you’re investing a large amount of money, returns may not be worthwhile.