Both Keyhook and keel are built for NZ landlords. Keyhook combines AI-powered workflows with an NZ-based support team and uses custom pricing based on portfolio size. keel publishes its pricing — from $15/month for one property, graduated and capped at $99/month for 10 or more — and centres on an AI assistant called Skip that drafts replies, triages maintenance, and answers NZ tenancy-law questions, with you signing off before anything ships. Both products keep the landlord in the approval seat; the difference is how the drafting and support get done.
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Both are built for NZ landlords. Below: what each provider publishes on their public site, side by side.
Keyhook
Custom pricing
keel
$15/mo, capped $99
Comparison points reflect each provider’s public website (keyhook.com / onkeel.co.nz) as of May 2026. Keyhook lists “custom pricing” on keyhook.com/pricing rather than a published per-property rate. For an exact Keyhook quote, contact them directly. keel’s pricing is published in full on our pricing page.
keel publishes the full price ladder — $15/month for one property, graduated per-property, capped at $99/month for 10 or more. No quote process, no portfolio-size negotiation.
Skip drafts tenant replies, triages maintenance requests, chases overdue rent, and answers NZ tenancy-law questions on demand. You approve before anything is sent.
Every outbound action — tenant message, maintenance dispatch, document edit — goes through your approval. The default is “you decide,” not “we decide for you.”
Skip flags whether a request likely needs a tradie or is tenant-fixable, then you choose how to act. No coordination layer between you and the tradesperson.
AI drafts the reply the moment a tenant message lands, regardless of time of day. You review, tweak if needed, and send.
Tenants report maintenance with photos, view their tenancy agreement, see repair status, and message you through their own keel portal — at no extra cost.
We believe in honest comparisons. Keyhook is a real product with real strengths.
Keyhook’s site describes a 100% NZ-based support team across Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. If having a real person to call about an unusual situation matters to you, that’s a different operating model.
Keyhook publishes specific AI features for invoice processing, payment matching, and intelligent workflow automation around documents and inspections — useful if your bookkeeping is the bottleneck.
Keyhook ships native mobile apps. keel today is a responsive web experience — fine on a phone, but a native app might matter to you depending on workflow.
If your portfolio is large enough that bespoke pricing makes sense, Keyhook’s quote-based model can negotiate around what you actually use. keel’s ladder is fixed.
Both products keep you in the approval seat. The differences are in pricing transparency, the AI surface area, and whether you prefer phone-call support or chat-with-AI support. Both work. They suit different landlords.
keel is a strong alternative to Keyhook for NZ landlords who want transparent, published pricing and an AI-assistant-led workflow. keel starts at $15/month per property with graduated pricing capped at $99/month for 10+ properties — all GST-inclusive and listed publicly. Keyhook uses custom pricing based on portfolio size, so direct cost comparison depends on what you’re quoted.
keel uses graduated per-property pricing — $15/month for 1 property, $25 for 2, $35 for 3, capped at $99/month for 10 or more (all + GST). Keyhook’s pricing page lists 'custom pricing based on portfolio size and the features you need' rather than a published per-property rate, so a like-for-like cost comparison requires getting a Keyhook quote.
Both products use AI. Keyhook describes AI for invoice processing, payment matching, and workflow automation around documents and inspections. keel’s Skip is an AI assistant that drafts tenant replies, triages maintenance requests, chases overdue rent, and answers NZ tenancy law questions — built around an approval-led workflow where you sign off on what gets sent.
Both platforms keep the landlord in the approval seat — Keyhook’s site describes 'owner approval workflows powered by AI', and keel surfaces every outbound action to you for approval before it’s sent. The difference is whether you want AI doing the drafting (keel) or a mix of AI and human-led support (Keyhook’s NZ-based support team).
Yes. keel offers a 30-day free trial — sign up and run both side by side until you’re comfortable. Check Keyhook’s contract terms before cancelling, since their public pages reference 'flexible contract terms' but don’t publish a specific minimum term.
Yes — every default in keel is NZ-specific. Healthy Homes Standards monitoring, Tenancy Services bond rules, RTA-aligned tenancy agreements, GST-inclusive pricing, and IRD-friendly expense exports. Skip answers questions against NZ tenancy law, not generic property-management advice.