ButterflyMX

ButterflyMX is a property access and security platform combining video intercoms, access control, security cameras, and related systems. It serves multifamily, commercial, student housing, and gated community properties. Residents can see and speak with visitors, grant entry remotely, create temporary access PINs, and issue visitor passes. Property staff can manage permissions remotely and review entry events with dated and timed photos stored for 365 days. The platform supports mobile credentials, visitor management, access schedules, audit logs, and locks and gates. Listed integrations include Yardi, RealPage, Entrata, AppFolio, Google Workspace, Yale, Kwikset, SALTO KS, Apple Wallet, and Google Wallet. ButterflyMX offers an open API and SDK, and describes itself as SOC 2 compliant. Its QR Code Intercom uses encryption, geofencing, session limits, and audit logs; visitors can access it through a browser without an app. The company says residents and visitors use the service for free, while property owners pay for hardware and annual software. Hardware needs internet, power, and an electronic or magnetic lock, with installation by local installers.

ButterflyMX brings resident entry, visitor handling, and property access management into one platform. Property owners should account for required hardware, local installation, and annual software costs.

ButterflyMX is designed for property owners, managers, residents, staff, and visitors in multifamily, commercial, student housing, and gated community properties. Its access tools may suit properties needing remote permissions and visitor entry management.

ButterflyMX is a unified access and security platform for multifamily, commercial, student-housing, and gated-community properties. It is best for owners and managers who need resident entry, visitor handling, and staff permissions in one system. The main decision is whether its hardware, installation, and recurring per-unit software costs fit the property.

Overview

ButterflyMX brings video intercoms, access control, security cameras, and related property systems together. Residents, staff, and visitors get distinct access tools, while managers administer permissions and entry activity centrally. That breadth is useful for properties moving beyond a basic intercom, but it also means the building must have internet, power, and an electronic or magnetic lock, with installation performed by a local installer.

Key features

Resident and visitor entry

Residents can see and speak with visitors, unlock doors remotely, create temporary access PINs, and issue visitor passes. The free Apple and Android app makes mobile credentials practical, although registration requires the resident's email address to be provided to the property manager or owner. Visitors can use the QR Code Intercom in a web browser instead of downloading an app. That route uses 256-bit end-to-end encryption, geofencing, session limits, and audit logs, giving managers meaningful controls around browser-based entry.

Property administration

Staff can change permissions remotely and inspect entry events with date- and time-stamped photos retained for 365 days. Access schedules, audit logs, support for both locks and gates, and visitor management make the platform applicable to whole-property operations rather than only a lobby phone. The 365-day photo window provides a substantial operational record, but it is still a defined retention period rather than indefinite history.

Integrations, API, and security

Integrations include Yardi, RealPage, Entrata, AppFolio, Google Workspace, Yale, Kwikset, SALTO KS, Apple Wallet, and Google Wallet. An open API and SDK, with iOS and Android SDK documentation plus an API reference, give organizations a path to connect their own systems. ButterflyMX describes the service as SOC 2 compliant, supported by independent security audits and a public Trust Center.

Pricing

ButterflyMX is free for tenants, residents, and visitors; property owners pay for hardware and annual software. The paid entry point is from $20/mo, while the cost page says software and hosting are billed annually at $30–$42 per apartment unit per year, depending on integrations and features. Exact software pricing requires a property quote, so larger or more integrated deployments should budget through a sales process rather than a fixed public rate.

Hardware plans

• 8″ Video Intercom (surface): $$3,995 once, with a two-year warranty included (regular price $4,995).
• 8″ Video Intercom (recessed): $$4,495 once, with a two-year warranty included (regular price $5,495).
• 12″ Video Intercom (surface): $$5,995 once, with a two-year warranty included (regular price $6,995).
• 12″ Video Intercom (recessed): $$6,495 once, with a two-year warranty included (regular price $7,495).

All four hardware choices are one-time purchases, so owners must account separately for local installation and the annual per-apartment software fee. Mobile apps, updates, and live phone, email, or chat support are included in software pricing.

Platforms

ButterflyMX supports Android, iOS, web access, and an API. The free mobile app covers Apple and Android devices; the browser-based QR intercom lets visitors enter without installing an app. API and SDK support is relevant to properties that need custom integrations.

Who it's for

Multifamily, commercial, student-housing, and gated-community owners and managers are the clearest fit, especially where one platform must cover residents, visitors, staff, locks, and gates. Residents benefit from free mobile credentials and remote visitor access, while staff gain centralized permissions and event records. It is a weaker fit for a property that cannot provide the required power, internet, and compatible lock infrastructure or that wants to avoid hardware and annual per-unit charges.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Broad access coverage: Intercom, visitor passes, temporary PINs, schedules, mobile credentials, locks, and gates are handled in one platform.
• Useful event accountability: Date- and time-stamped photos remain available for 365 days.
• App-free visitor option: QR intercom access works in a browser and includes encryption, geofencing, session limits, and audit logs.
• Integration flexibility: Major property-management, credential, wallet, and developer API connections are supported.
• No resident software charge: Tenants, residents, and visitors use the service free of charge.

Cons

• Owner-paid infrastructure: Hardware is a substantial upfront purchase, with installation and annual per-unit software added separately.
• Building prerequisites: Internet, power, and an electronic or magnetic lock are required, and installation depends on local installers.
• Quote-based software cost: Integration and feature choices affect the annual $30–$42-per-unit range, limiting price certainty before a property quote.
• Resident onboarding dependency: Registration requires residents to supply their email address to management.

Alternatives

For a small installation needing a lifetime free tier, choose Raven CloudAccess, whose free plan covers up to two doors, five users, and seven days of event history. Napco MVP Access is worth considering when a flat monthly rate per door and unlimited users are more important than ButterflyMX's per-unit model. Choose Paxton10 when you want no software licence fees and a system sized for up to 100 sites, 1,000 doors, 1,000 cameras, and 50,000 users, with hardware priced separately. Gallagher Command Centre, Honeywell Enterprise Buildings Integrator, Nexkey, PointCentral Self-Guided Tours, and Schlage ENGAGE are other paid access options to compare.

See the broader Property Access Control Software list for more choices.

Verdict

Choose ButterflyMX when a property wants resident and visitor access, gate and lock control, event evidence, integrations, and developer access in one managed platform. Its strongest argument is the combination of free resident use and unusually broad property administration. Look elsewhere if upfront intercom hardware, local installation, or annual per-unit software costs do not suit the building's budget or infrastructure.