Best Real Estate Crowdfunding Platforms for Passive Income (2026)

Updated June 2026 | By the WalletGrower Investing Team

Platform Comparison Table

Data verified June 2026 from vendor disclosure pages and independent review sources. Returns are historical or targeted and are not guaranteed. Past performance does not predict future results.

1. Fundrise: Best Overall for Non-Accredited Investors

Best for: Everyday investors who want a hands-off, diversified real estate portfolio with the lowest possible barrier to entry.

Fundrise is the largest direct-to-consumer real estate investing platform in the U.S. As of early 2026, Fundrise manages approximately $3 billion in equity across multiple asset classes including real estate, private credit, and venture capital. That scale matters: it gives you diversified exposure across dozens of properties through a single low-cost fund.

Investors can start with as little as $10 in a Starter account, making Fundrise one of the most accessible real estate platforms for beginners. Fees run 1% per year on real estate funds (0.85% asset management + 0.15% advisory), 1.85% on the Innovation Fund, with an optional $99/year for Fundrise Pro and $75/year for IRAs.

Realistic expectations for balanced and income-focused allocations are 5%–8% annually over a full market cycle. However, Fundrise's recent history has been bumpy. Returns have been mixed in recent years, about +1.5% in 2022, -7.45% in 2023, with recovery since. The 2022–2023 commercial real estate downturn hit the portfolio hard, so investors need to be comfortable with cycle risk.

On liquidity, tread carefully. Investors can submit a redemption request quarterly, but approval is not guaranteed, and shares held under five years are charged a 1% early redemption fee. The Fundrise Equity REIT redemption plan was temporarily suspended October 1, 2025; other Fundrise funds (Flagship, Income, Innovation) continue to process quarterly redemptions.

Bottom line: The $10 minimum, 1% all-in fee, and access to a diversified real estate portfolio are genuinely impressive for retail investors. But Fundrise is not risk-free. Treat it as a long-term (5+ year) allocation, not a savings account substitute. Learn more about the best REIT investments for 2026 to compare your options.

2. Groundfloor: Best for Short-Term Real Estate Debt Income

Best for: Investors who want real estate income without a multi-year lock-up. Groundfloor is the only major platform offering short-term debt investments to non-accredited investors with no investor fees.

With Groundfloor, anyone can invest in short-term real estate loans that deliver steady returns without buying property or managing tenants. As of January 2026, Groundfloor has lent out over $2.2 billion across 5,800+ projects. Investors to date have received annualized average returns of 10% with a loss ratio of less than 1% since 2013. Those numbers are genuinely impressive for a platform open to everyone.

The entry point is as low as it gets. Groundfloor has one of the lowest minimums in the industry at just $10, and they charge no investor fees. That zero-fee structure is a material advantage. Groundfloor offers interest rates that can range from 7% to 12% annually depending on the loan grade, and you keep every basis point of that return.

The platform's Flywheel Portfolio provides automatic diversification. As of October 2024, the Flywheel Portfolio automatically diversifies investors across a collection of 200–400 loans to greatly mitigate risk and offer more stable, consistent returns. For Notes, notes are short-term investments with predictable returns and set repayment dates, with low minimums and fixed 1-month, 3-month, and 12-month terms. You choose the term that fits your strategy and receive consistent income with no market exposure.

Bottom line: Groundfloor pays strong returns (an annualized average of 10%) without the long-term commitment and requires just $10 to start. For investors who want real estate income but hate the idea of 5-year lock-ups, Groundfloor is genuinely difficult to beat.

3. Arrived: Best for Fractional Single-Family Residential Investing

Best for: Investors who want to own a slice of actual residential homes and earn quarterly rental income, starting with just $100.

Arrived (formerly Arrived Homes) is a Seattle-based fractional real estate platform founded in 2019 and launched to the public in 2021. It lets retail investors buy shares in individual single-family rentals, vacation properties, and pooled funds without needing to be accredited. As of early 2026, the platform has over 945,000 registered investors, $337 million in assets under management, a 93% occupancy rate across its portfolio, and has deployed capital across 533+ properties in 66+ active markets nationwide.

The dividend picture is nuanced. Q1 2026 dividend yields averaged about 3.6% on long-term rentals and 2.4% on short-term rentals, with the Private Credit Fund yielding closer to 8.1%. The platform targets a combined return of 4.7%–12.8% per year when you include potential appreciation, but current income alone is modest. Across 173 exited properties, total returns averaged 18.6% over the hold period (not annualized).

Fee structure is layered, so understand it before committing. Arrived charges a sourcing fee of roughly 3.5–5% of home cost, an annual AUM fee of about 0.15% of property value, and property management fees of roughly 8% of gross rents collected (passed to a third-party manager). Hold period matters too. The anticipated holding period for investments listed on the site is an estimated 5–7 years. In late 2025, Arrived launched a secondary market for individual property shares, adding some liquidity for the first time.

Bottom line: Arrived is the most accessible entry point into fractional residential real estate investing, but slow liquidity and a layered fee structure mean it rewards patient, long-term investors far more than those chasing quick returns. If current income is your priority, steer toward Fundrise or Groundfloor instead.

4. RealtyMogul: Best for REIT-Style Simplicity with a Track Record

Best for: Investors who want a more traditional REIT-like income product backed by a platform with over a decade of verified performance data, starting at $5,000.

RealtyMogul is a top real estate crowdfunding platform offering access to institutional-quality investments. Over $4 billion in deals have been posted to the platform to date. The platform serves both accredited and non-accredited investors, making it one of the more flexible options in this space.

Non-accredited investors get access to two non-traded REITs. The Income REIT has historically made annualized distributions of 6.00% of NAV (net asset value) after fees have been subtracted. The Apartment Growth REIT has made annualized distributions of 4.50% of NAV net of fees historically. The Income REIT has made distributions for 109 consecutive months, a strong consistency signal.

The completed private placement track record is even stronger. According to the company website, as of October 30, 2024, $229,290,450 has been invested in 234 deals that have gone full cycle, with an overall target IRR of 15.1% and a realized IRR of 18.1%. The minimum for REITs is $5,000; private placements typically require $25,000–$35,000 and are accredited-only.

On fees, the Income REIT charges a 1% asset management fee and the Apartment Growth REIT charges a 1.25% asset management fee. One practical limitation: RealtyMogul has no mobile app and is only available via web browser.

Bottom line: RealtyMogul is a credible, established platform with a real dividend history and transparent track record data. If you can meet the $5,000 minimum, it's one of the better REIT-style products for non-accredited investors. Compare it with your other options in our guide to best passive income investments for 2026.

5. EquityMultiple: Best Accredited Platform for Deal-Level Control

Best for: Accredited investors who want to handpick individual commercial real estate deals and access both short-term fixed-income products and longer-term equity upside.

EquityMultiple is a New York-based real estate crowdfunding platform founded in 2015. The platform specializes in institutional-grade commercial real estate deals across the full capital stack, from senior secured debt and preferred equity through common equity, and has distinguished itself by targeting professionally sponsored properties that were historically available only to institutional investors.

As of early 2026, EquityMultiple has facilitated over $1.5 billion in cumulative real estate investment volume, with over 50,000 accredited investors on the platform. The deal rejection rate is strict: EquityMultiple rejects 95% of deals, co-invests from the company itself, and provides access to the same commercial properties that institutional investors target.

The product lineup is versatile. The Keep Earning product gives accredited investors access to short-term (6–24 month) senior secured debt deals with target annualized returns in the 8–12% range, typically with monthly interest distributions. Alpine Notes offer even shorter terms. Alpine Notes are short-term, pooled investments with term options of 3, 6, or 9 months and interest rates around 6% to 7.4% APY.

The fee structure depends on deal type. EquityMultiple charges investors typically 0.5%–1% annually on equity investments plus a 10% performance fee over preferred returns, and 0.5%–1.5% on debt deals. Minimum investments start at $5,000 for Alpine Notes, with typical investment minimums ranging between $10,000 and $30,000 across equity deals.

Bottom line: If investing today, starting with Alpine Notes ($5,000 at up to 7.35% APY for 9 months, zero fees) lets you test the platform's communication and reliability with a low-risk, short-term product before committing to longer deals. EquityMultiple is a strong accredited-investor choice, particularly for those who want deal selection control.

6. Crowd Street: Best for Private Market Breadth (Accredited Investors)

Best for: Accredited investors who want access to a curated private markets platform with exposure beyond commercial real estate, including private equity and private credit.

Crowd Street (rebranded from "CrowdStreet" in Spring 2025) has a significant scale. Crowd Street has deployed $4.5 billion across 800 deals and reports a 19.7% realized IRR. However, Elie Schwartz stole $62.8 million from 800 investors on its platform in a high-profile 2022–2023 fraud case. That fraud scandal reshaped the platform significantly, and investors need to understand its history before committing capital.

Since then, the platform has restructured meaningfully. John Imbriglia became permanent CEO in July 2024 and repositioned the platform beyond commercial real estate, signing distribution agreements with Nuveen's Churchill Asset Management and StepStone Group in October 2025 for private credit and private equity fund access. In November 2025, Crowd Street relaunched its technology platform with IRA integration through Equity Trust.

An important structural note as of 2026: Crowd Street maintained its brand through restructuring and pivoted to institutional fund distribution — accredited only, with no direct CRE deals listed as of May 2026. This is a meaningful shift from the individual property deals the platform was originally known for. Most offerings require a minimum $25,000 investment.

Bottom line: Crowd Street's raw performance data is impressive, but the Nightingale fraud and the 2026 pivot away from direct CRE deals mean the product investors sign up for today is fundamentally different from what built that track record. Approach with eyes open, especially if direct property deals are what drew you here.

What Is Real Estate Crowdfunding?

Real estate crowdfunding is a method of pooling capital from many investors to collectively finance real estate projects, from residential rentals to commercial office towers. Instead of buying a property outright, you purchase a fractional share of the deal or a fund that holds multiple properties.

There are two core structures. Equity investments give you ownership in a property and returns through rental income (dividends) and appreciation when the property sells. Debt investments make you a lender, not an owner. You earn interest on a loan secured by real property, typically over a shorter time horizon with a more predictable return profile.

Access depends on your investor status. The SEC defines an accredited investor as someone with an annual income over $200,000 ($300,000 with a spouse) or a net worth exceeding $1 million excluding their primary residence. Under Regulation CF rules, non-accredited investors are limited to investing 10% of their annual income or net worth across crowdfunding platforms. This cap is set by the SEC and is designed to limit overconcentration in illiquid private investments.

How We Evaluated These Platforms

How to Choose the Right Real Estate Crowdfunding Platform

The best platform for you depends on three things: your accreditation status, how much capital you have, and how long you can lock money up. Use this step-by-step guide:

1. Determine your accreditation status. If you earn under $200,000 per year and have a net worth below $1 million (excluding your home), you are a non-accredited investor. Your options are Fundrise, Groundfloor, Arrived, and RealtyMogul's REIT products. These are excellent platforms, not consolation prizes.
2. Decide how long you can commit capital. If you need the money within 1–2 years, Groundfloor's short-term loans or EquityMultiple's Alpine Notes are your best bets. If you can commit 3–7 years, Fundrise, Arrived, and RealtyMogul open up. No platform offers full on-demand liquidity — that is the core trade-off of private real estate.
3. Set a realistic investment amount. Start with what you can afford to lock up. Fundrise and Groundfloor let you test the waters for $10–$100. RealtyMogul requires $5,000 for its REITs. EquityMultiple's Alpine Notes start at $5,000, with equity deals running $10,000–$30,000. Crowd Street starts at $25,000 per deal.
4. Identify your income vs. growth priority. If you want current quarterly income, Fundrise's Supplemental Income plan and RealtyMogul's Income REIT are built for that. If you want total return with more appreciation exposure, Arrived and EquityMultiple's equity deals skew that direction.
5. Diversify across 2–3 platforms. No single platform is risk-free. Combining a broad-based fund (Fundrise) with a short-term debt product (Groundfloor) and, if accredited, an institutional deal (EquityMultiple) gives you both income stability and return potential across different market cycles.

Looking for more ways to put your money to work? Check out our guide to best passive income ideas for 2026 and our how to invest $1,000 breakdown.