Updated November 2, 2026. Independent editorial; how we research.
HqO is best known as a tenant experience platform for office landlords, but it now calls itself the system of action for commercial real estate: a shared building record (Digital Grid), an operating layer (HqOS) and an AI operator called REX, with Portfolio, Experience, Operations, Commerce and Intelligence suites on top. It says it powers 1B+ square feet across 2,000 properties in 32 countries, serves office, mixed-use, industrial, life sciences and flex assets, and has owned the workplace research firm Leesman since 2022. Pricing is quote-based, in Pilot, Foundation, Integrated and Enterprise tiers scoped to your portfolio, and HqO says a suite is bought as a whole. That breadth is why people look elsewhere. Landlords who only want a branded tenant app, amenity booking or visitor access end up evaluating a portfolio operating system, pricing is not visible until a sales conversation, rollout depends on integrations with access, work order and accounting systems, and the value of any tenant-facing product still rests on tenant adoption.
Name the slice you actually need before you compare. If it is tenant engagement and community in office buildings, a dedicated tenant experience platform is the closest swap. If it is work orders, inspections and service requests, a building operations platform does that job more deeply. If it is mobile access and visitor management, an access control vendor covers it directly. And if your leasing team already runs on one vendor, its tenant experience add-on may be the simplest path.
| Tool | Starting price | Free trial | Best for | Deployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
HqO | Contact for pricing | No | Owners and Operators, Asset Managers | Cloud |
E Equiem | Contact for pricing | No | Asset Managers, Property Managers | Cloud, Mobile |
VTS | Contact for pricing | No | Landlords, Asset Managers | Cloud, Mobile |
Building Engines | Contact for pricing | No | Property Manager, Building Engineer | Cloud |
MRI Angus | Contact for pricing | No | Property Manager, Building Engineer | Cloud |
Facilio | Contact for pricing | No | Facility Managers, Maintenance Teams | Cloud |
Brivo | Contact for pricing | No | Property Manager, Facility Manager | Cloud |
Tenant experience platform uniting building ops, flex space, and community engagement for office landlords.
Why pick it over HqO: Equiem is the most direct alternative: Equiem One combines tenant engagement, property operations, flex space management, portfolio data and integrations, with tenant apps for iOS and Android. It reports 800+ buildings and 145M+ square feet across 25+ countries, from A-grade offices to business parks and mixed-use. Pricing is not published, and like any tenant app its value depends on tenant adoption.
Leading CRE platform for leasing, asset management, tenant experience, and market intelligence, with 13B+ SF managed globally.
Why pick it over HqO: VTS Activate, which combined VTS's earlier Rise and Lane products in 2023, offers branded tenant apps, mobile building access, visitor management, amenity booking, work orders and building communications. It is the natural pick for landlords already running leasing and asset management in VTS. Pricing is quote-based and enterprise-oriented, so it is a heavier buy for a single building.
Prism by Building Engines, a JLL product: work orders, tenant requests, visitor access, inspections and vendor management for CRE.
Why pick it over HqO: Prism by Building Engines, now a JLL product, is the operations-first alternative: work orders, preventive maintenance, inspections, vendor and risk management, visitor management and a tenant app for requests. JLL cites 6B square feet managed globally. Choose it when service delivery matters more than community programming; pricing is by demo, and some firms weigh the JLL ownership.
Building operations and tenant experience management for CRE.
Why pick it over HqO: MRI Angus covers tenant service requests through a branded portal, visitor security with badges and access card activation, shared resource booking, preventive maintenance and certificate of insurance tracking. It fits owners already using MRI Software for accounting or leasing. It is a practical operations tool rather than a community and engagement platform, and pricing is by demo.
AI-powered connected CMMS and building operations platform for commercial portfolios, from work orders to energy.
Why pick it over HqO: Facilio is an AI-driven CMMS and connected buildings platform with work orders, preventive maintenance, inspections, vendor management, visitor management and workplace booking, plus AI agents for service intake, dispatch and invoice processing. It says it manages one billion+ square feet. It has no dedicated tenant app on its site, so it replaces HqO's operations layer, not its tenant experience.
Cloud-based access control and security for commercial real estate.
Why pick it over HqO: Brivo is the pick when the HqO feature you rely on is access: cloud access control, mobile keys, visitor management and video for commercial and multifamily properties, with figures of 80K companies and 25M users on its site. It covers one slice of tenant experience very well. Expect hardware and installation costs on top of the software subscription, and no community or amenity features.
HqO does not publish prices. It sells in Pilot, Foundation, Integrated and Enterprise tiers, priced on asset mix, business model and organizational needs, and says a suite is bought as a whole. A demo is required for a quote.
No. HqO began with tenant experience but now positions itself as an operating system for commercial real estate, with Portfolio, Experience, Operations, Commerce and Intelligence suites and an AI operator called REX. Its tenant app is one part of that platform.
Equiem and VTS Activate are the closest matches for office and mixed-use landlords. Equiem adds flex space management, while VTS Activate fits landlords already using VTS for leasing and asset management.
Prism by Building Engines and MRI Angus are built around service requests, preventive maintenance, inspections and visitor management. Facilio adds AI agents for intake, dispatch and invoice processing across larger portfolios.