Real Estate Investment Platforms & REITs Comparison
Overview: Digital Access to Real Estate Investments
Real estate has long been considered a cornerstone of wealth building, but traditional property investments often require substantial capital, specialized knowledge, and active management. Digital real estate investment platforms have transformed this landscape by democratizing access to property investments through fractional ownership, crowdfunding structures, and technology-enabled REITs with lower investment minimums and streamlined investor experiences.
This comprehensive comparison examines the leading real estate investment platforms, analyzing their investment offerings, fee structures, liquidity options, and specialized features. Whether you're an accredited investor seeking commercial property exposure, a retail investor looking for passive income through real estate, or an advisor helping clients diversify into property assets, this guide will help you identify the optimal platforms for your specific investment goals and requirements.
Key Insights
- Real estate platforms have evolved significantly, with increasing retail investor access to previously institutional-only property investments
- Liquidity mechanisms have improved through secondary markets, redemption programs, and REIT structures that balance real estate's illiquid nature with investor needs
- Specialized property sectors are increasingly available to digital investors, including data centers, medical facilities, and industrial properties
- Fee compression continues across the industry, with innovative models challenging traditional sponsor economics
Platform Reviews by Category
Digital REITs & Real Estate Funds
These platforms offer professionally managed real estate investment trusts and funds with low investment minimums, providing diversified property exposure through a structure similar to mutual funds.
Fundrise
Overview: Fundrise pioneered the eREIT model, offering diversified private real estate portfolios with low investment minimums, automated investment plans, and a technology-driven investor experience.
Key Features:
- Diversified eREITs and eFunds across residential, commercial, and development properties
- Low $10 investment minimum with automated investing options
- Portfolio strategies aligned with income, growth, or balanced objectives
- Quarterly redemption program with potential early redemption fees
- Supplemental income fund with increased liquidity
- Detailed property-level portfolio transparency
Best For: Beginning real estate investors seeking diversified exposure with minimal investment capital.
Limitations: Limited liquidity compared to public REITs and potential early redemption penalties.
Streitwise
Overview: Streitwise offers a focused commercial REIT with a concentrated portfolio approach, emphasizing income generation from institutional-quality office and mixed-use properties with transparent fee structures.
Key Features:
- Commercial property REIT focused on cash flow generation
- $5,000 minimum investment ($1,000 for retirement accounts)
- Targeted high dividend yield (8-9% historical)
- Lower fee structure than many competitors (3% upfront, 2% annual management)
- Quarterly redemption program after one-year lockup
- Simplified, focused investment approach
Best For: Income-focused investors seeking higher yields from commercial properties with moderate capital.
Limitations: More concentrated portfolio with less diversification than multi-fund platforms.
DiversyFund
Overview: DiversyFund offers a vertically integrated Growth REIT focused on multifamily properties, with a value-add strategy and no management fees through an internally managed structure.
Key Features:
- Single REIT focused on multifamily value-add properties
- $500 minimum investment with automated investing
- Vertically integrated model with no external management fees
- Full-cycle investment strategy (5-year target holding period)
- Limited liquidity until property sales
- Reinvested dividends during property improvement phase
Best For: Growth-oriented investors comfortable with longer time horizons and dividend reinvestment.
Limitations: Limited liquidity and narrower asset focus compared to diversified platforms.
Real Estate Crowdfunding Marketplaces
These platforms connect investors with individual property investments and private real estate deals, allowing direct selection of specific assets rather than pooled funds.
CrowdStreet
Overview: CrowdStreet operates a marketplace for commercial real estate investments, focusing on institutional-quality properties with direct deal access for accredited investors, alongside diversified funds and tailored portfolios.
Key Features:
- Marketplace of individual commercial property investments
- $25,000+ minimum investments (varies by deal)
- Diversified funds and professionally managed portfolios
- Comprehensive deal screening and sponsor vetting
- Detailed offering documents and due diligence materials
- Educational resources and investment webinars
Best For: Accredited investors seeking direct access to institutional commercial property deals with deal selection control.
Limitations: Accredited investors only with higher minimum investments and generally illiquid positions.
RealtyMogul
Overview: RealtyMogul combines a commercial property marketplace for accredited investors with two public non-traded REITs available to all investors, offering flexibility across investment approaches.
Key Features:
- Private placement marketplace for accredited investors
- Two public non-traded REITs (income and growth focused)
- $5,000 REIT minimum/$25,000+ for private placements
- Mix of equity and debt real estate investments
- Monthly dividend distributions for income REIT
- Quarterly redemption program for REIT shares
Best For: Investors seeking flexibility between fund investing and direct deal access across risk profiles.
Limitations: Higher investment minimums than some competitors and complex fee structures on private placements.
PeerStreet
Overview: PeerStreet specializes in real estate debt investments, offering a marketplace of short-term loans secured by property with automated investing and institutional-grade underwriting.
Key Features:
- Marketplace for real estate debt investments
- $1,000 minimum investment per loan
- Short duration investments (6-24 months typical)
- First-lien position with conservative LTV ratios
- Automated investing with custom criteria
- Monthly interest payments and no capital calls
Best For: Accredited investors seeking income through shorter-term real estate debt with lower capital requirements.
Limitations: Accredited investors only and potential for borrower defaults despite secured positions.
Fractional Property Ownership Platforms
These platforms enable direct ownership of specific properties through fractional shares, providing more targeted real estate exposure with property-specific returns.
Arrived Homes
Overview: Arrived Homes offers fractional ownership of individual single-family rental properties, allowing investors to select specific homes with low minimums and passive income potential.
Key Features:
- Property-specific investments in single-family rentals
- $100 minimum investment per property
- Quarterly dividend distributions from rental income
- Potential appreciation upon property sale (5-7 year horizons)
- Fully managed properties with professional property management
- SEC-qualified offerings available to non-accredited investors
Best For: Retail investors seeking property-specific investments with rental income and low capital requirements.
Limitations: Limited liquidity until property sale and market-specific risks without geographic diversification.
Roofstock One
Overview: Roofstock One provides institutional-grade SFR investments through a fractional ownership model, offering property-specific exposure with a more liquid structure than typical direct ownership.
Key Features:
- Fractional shares of single-family rental properties
- $5,000 minimum investment
- Monthly income distributions
- Enhanced liquidity through structured secondary market
- Tax benefits through direct property ownership structure
- Institutional-quality property management
Best For: Accredited investors seeking tax-advantaged direct property exposure with improved liquidity options.
Limitations: Accredited investors only and higher minimum investment than some alternatives.
LEX Markets
Overview: LEX Markets offers fractional ownership in individual commercial properties through a unique public securities model, creating tradable shares of specific commercial buildings with enhanced liquidity.
Key Features:
- Individual commercial property investments
- $250 minimum investment
- Publicly tradable securities for each property
- Potential liquidity through secondary trading
- Quarterly income distributions
- Institutional-quality commercial properties
Best For: Investors seeking commercial property exposure with enhanced trading liquidity and low investment minimums.
Limitations: Newer platform with limited trading history and potential liquidity challenges in early stage.
Specialized Real Estate Investment Platforms
These platforms focus on specific real estate niches, property types, or investment strategies, offering specialized exposure to particular segments of the market.
Equity Multiple
Overview: EquityMultiple specializes in institutional-quality commercial real estate investments with diverse structures including equity, preferred equity, and debt, focusing on middle-market opportunities.
Key Features:
- Curated commercial real estate investments
- $10,000 minimum investment
- Multiple investment structures (equity, preferred equity, debt)
- Detailed underwriting and due diligence process
- Institutional quality deal flow
- Short and long-term investment options
Best For: Accredited investors seeking diverse commercial real estate investment structures with strong due diligence.
Limitations: Accredited investors only and generally illiquid investments despite multiple structures.
Groundfloor
Overview: Groundfloor provides access to short-term residential real estate debt investments with low minimums, focusing on house flipping and renovation loans with SEC qualification for retail investors.
Key Features:
- Short-term residential real estate loans
- $10 minimum investment per loan
- 6-12 month typical loan durations
- Grade-based risk and return structure
- Available to non-accredited investors
- Auto-invest functionality for portfolio diversification
Best For: Retail investors seeking short-term real estate debt exposure with minimal capital requirements.
Limitations: Higher risk profile focused on fix-and-flip loans with borrower default potential.
FarmTogether
Overview: FarmTogether specializes in farmland investments, providing access to income-producing agricultural properties with both direct fractional ownership and fund options for portfolio diversification.
Key Features:
- Farmland investment opportunities
- $15,000+ minimum investment
- Income from both crop yields and land appreciation
- Sustainable farming practices emphasis
- Diversified fund and direct ownership options
- Professional farm management
Best For: Accredited investors seeking agricultural exposure and inflation hedging through farmland ownership.
Limitations: Accredited investors only with higher minimum investments and highly specialized asset focus.
Feature Comparison
| Platform | Minimum Investment | Investor Requirements | Property Types | Liquidity Options | Fee Structure | Distribution Frequency | Investment Structure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fundrise | $10 | All Investors | Multifamily, Commercial, Development | Quarterly Redemption | 1% annual fee | Quarterly | eREITs/eFunds |
| Streitwise | $5,000 | All Investors | Commercial Office, Mixed-Use | Quarterly after 1 year | 3% upfront, 2% annual | Quarterly | REIT |
| DiversyFund | $500 | All Investors | Multifamily Value-Add | Limited until property sales | No management fee* | Upon Property Sale | Growth REIT |
| CrowdStreet | $25,000+ | Accredited Only | Commercial, Multifamily, Industrial | Generally Illiquid | Deal-specific | Quarterly/Varies | Direct Deals/Funds |
| RealtyMogul | $5,000 (REIT) $25,000+ (Deals) |
All (REITs) Accredited (Deals) |
Commercial, Multifamily, Retail | Quarterly (REITs) Illiquid (Deals) |
1-1.25% (REITs) Deal-specific |
Monthly (Income REIT) Quarterly (Growth REIT) |
REITs/Direct Deals |
| PeerStreet | $1,000 | Accredited Only | Residential Debt | Held to Maturity | 0.25-1.0% servicing fee | Monthly | Debt Investments |
| Arrived Homes | $100 | All Investors | Single-Family Rentals | Held until Property Sale | 1% annual + fees | Quarterly | Direct Property Shares |
| Roofstock One | $5,000 | Accredited Only | Single-Family Rentals | Secondary Market | 0.5% annual + fees | Monthly | Tracking Shares |
| LEX Markets | $250 | All Investors | Commercial Properties | Tradable Securities | Transaction-based | Quarterly | Property Securities |
| Equity Multiple | $10,000 | Accredited Only | Commercial, Mixed-Use | Generally Illiquid | 0.5-1.5% annual + carry | Varies by Deal | Equity/Debt/Preferred |
| Groundfloor | $10 | All Investors | Residential Fix-and-Flip | Held to Maturity | No investor fees** | At Loan Maturity | Real Estate Notes |
| FarmTogether | $15,000+ | Accredited Only | Farmland | Secondary Market | 1-2% annual + fees | Semi-Annual/Annual | Direct Ownership/Fund |
* DiversyFund has no asset management fee but charges development and other operational fees.
** Groundfloor revenue comes from borrower fees rather than investor fees.
Specialized Recommendations
For Beginning Real Estate Investors
Recommended: Fundrise or Arrived Homes
Investors new to real estate benefit from accessible platforms with low minimum investments and simplified structures. Fundrise provides a diversified portfolio approach with just $10 to start, offering exposure across multiple property types and geographic regions with automatic reinvestment options. For investors interested in specific properties, Arrived Homes allows selection of individual single-family rentals with $100 minimums. Both platforms provide beginner-friendly education, transparent reporting, and passive income potential with fully managed properties.
For Income-Focused Investors
Recommended: Streitwise or RealtyMogul Income REIT
Investors prioritizing current income should consider platforms optimized for dividend yield. Streitwise focuses specifically on stable commercial properties with historically strong dividend yields (8-9%) and a transparent fee structure. RealtyMogul's Income REIT targets monthly distributions from cash-flowing commercial properties with a similar income focus. Both platforms offer regular distributions and non-accredited investor access, balancing income generation with moderate liquidity through quarterly redemption programs after initial holding periods.
For Accredited Investors Seeking Direct Deals
Recommended: CrowdStreet or EquityMultiple
Sophisticated accredited investors seeking institutional-quality direct deals benefit from platforms with robust due diligence and diverse investment structures. CrowdStreet's marketplace provides access to individual commercial property investments across asset classes with comprehensive deal documentation and sponsor vetting. EquityMultiple offers multiple investment structures (equity, preferred equity, debt) with varied risk-return profiles and thorough underwriting processes. Both platforms focus on middle-market commercial opportunities typically accessible only to institutional investors.
For Short-Term Real Estate Exposure
Recommended: PeerStreet or Groundfloor
Investors seeking shorter duration real estate investments should consider debt-focused platforms with defined maturity dates. PeerStreet specializes in short-term loans (6-24 months) secured by real estate with conservative loan-to-value ratios for accredited investors. Groundfloor offers similar short-term lending on residential fix-and-flip projects with exceptionally low $10 minimums and access for all investors. Both platforms provide natural liquidity through loan maturity rather than relying on redemption programs, with monthly interest payments throughout the investment term.
For Portfolio Diversification Beyond Traditional Real Estate
Recommended: FarmTogether or LEX Markets
Investors seeking unconventional real estate exposure should explore specialized platforms targeting unique property segments. FarmTogether provides access to income-producing farmland with both capital appreciation and yield components, serving as an inflation hedge with low correlation to traditional real estate. LEX Markets offers individual commercial building investments through a publicly tradable securities model with enhanced liquidity potential. These platforms provide portfolio diversification benefits beyond conventional residential and commercial property exposure.
Expert Perspectives
— Dr. Sarah Chen, Real Estate Finance Professor, University Investment Institute"The evolution of real estate investment platforms represents a fundamental shift in property ownership accessibility. What's most significant isn't just the lower capital requirements, but the increasing sophistication of investment structures that deliver institutional-quality real estate exposure to individual investors. The platforms making the most impact are those that successfully balance the intrinsically illiquid nature of property investments with investor needs for transparency, governance, and reasonable liquidity mechanisms."
— Michael Richardson, Former REIT Executive and Real Estate Technology Advisor"Successful digital real estate platforms are fundamentally changing the sponsor-investor relationship through improved alignment and transparency. Traditional commercial real estate has operated with significant information asymmetry and misaligned economics. The leading platforms are reimagining this dynamic by providing unprecedented deal transparency, more balanced fee structures, and technology-enabled reporting that gives investors visibility previously reserved for institutional players."
— Amanda Thompson, Chief Investment Strategist, Digital Asset Management Group"The next frontier for real estate investment platforms is creating genuinely liquid secondary markets for traditionally illiquid assets. While current redemption programs provide limited liquidity, we're witnessing innovation in market structures, tokenization, and trading mechanisms that will eventually create true price discovery and transaction efficiency for private real estate. This evolution will significantly enhance the asset class's accessibility while preserving its fundamental investment characteristics."
Methodology and Evaluation Criteria
Our comprehensive analysis of real estate investment platforms involved the following evaluation criteria:
Investment Quality and Due Diligence (30%)
- Property selection process and investment criteria
- Underwriting standards and risk assessment
- Sponsor vetting and track record evaluation
- Portfolio construction and diversification
- Historical performance and return consistency
Platform Accessibility and Structure (25%)
- Minimum investment requirements
- Investor qualification restrictions
- Investment vehicle structure and tax considerations
- Liquidity provisions and redemption options
- User experience and investment process
Fees and Economic Alignment (20%)
- Management and administrative fees
- Performance-based compensation
- Transaction and operational costs
- Fee transparency and disclosure
- Sponsor co-investment and alignment
Transparency and Reporting (15%)
- Investment documentation and disclosure quality
- Ongoing reporting frequency and detail
- Portfolio visibility and property-level information
- Performance metrics and standardization
- Communication during adverse events
Platform Stability and Operations (10%)
- Company financial stability and backing
- Track record and operational history
- Assets under management and growth
- Regulatory compliance and oversight
- Technology infrastructure and security
Our evaluation process included platform account testing, investment document analysis, interviews with current investors, review of historical performance data, and consultation with real estate finance experts. Ratings reflect the platform's performance across these criteria, weighted according to their importance for different investor types and investment objectives.
Industry Trends and Future Developments
Tokenization and Blockchain Integration
Real estate platforms are increasingly exploring blockchain technology for property tokenization, enabling fractional ownership with enhanced trading capabilities. This technology promises to improve liquidity through 24/7 trading, automated compliance, fractional transfers, and programmable distributions. Early implementations are appearing across platforms with varying approaches to regulatory compliance and market structure.
Enhanced Secondary Market Development
Platforms are developing more sophisticated secondary market mechanisms to address real estate's intrinsic illiquidity. These innovations include structured matching systems, auction processes, and partnership with alternative trading systems to facilitate investor-to-investor transactions. The evolution of these markets is gradually reducing liquidity premiums and creating more efficient price discovery for private real estate investments.
ESG and Impact-Focused Real Estate
Sustainable and impact-oriented real estate investments are gaining prominence across digital platforms, with dedicated offerings targeting environmental and social objectives alongside financial returns. These investments include energy-efficient buildings, affordable housing, community-focused development, and climate-resilient properties with specific impact metrics and reporting to attract values-aligned investors.
Hybrid Investment Structures
Innovative investment structures combining features of debt, equity, and structured products are emerging to optimize risk-return profiles for digital real estate investors. These hybrid instruments include preferred equity with conversion features, participation loans, mezzanine structures with equity kickers, and revenue-sharing models that provide downside protection with upside participation tailored to various investor preferences.
Institutional Adoption and Integration
Traditional financial institutions are increasingly partnering with or acquiring digital real estate platforms to offer alternative property investments to their clients. This integration is creating distribution channels through wealth management platforms, retirement account providers, and financial advisors who can now allocate client portfolios to digital real estate alongside traditional asset classes in a more seamless experience.