Google Sheets first (lasted two months before the backlog killed me), then Toggl - but a generic time tracker has no idea what the IRS considers a qualifying real estate activity, so I was still doing all the categorization thinking myself. Then I trialed REPSTracker and looked at REPS Shield. Both log hours, but they mostly stop at hours.
I chose NestWise over those alternatives for three reasons. One, its activity taxonomy already maps to the actual IRS categories, so every entry is specific enough to survive an audit - no more guessing whether something qualifies. Two, it tracks the 750-hour test and the more-than-half test separately, so I always know which one I'm behind on. Three, it understands that my short-term rental follows material participation rules, not the 750-hour path - a nuance the other REPS trackers glossed over. And none of the alternatives touch deal flow: NestWise also replaced my DealCheck subscription and my Notion pipeline, which made the decision easy.
I was originally shopping for two separate tools: DealCheck or the BiggerPockets calculators for deal analysis, and REPSTracker for logging my Real Estate Professional Status hours. I also looked at PropStream for lead sourcing, but the price was hard to justify at my portfolio size.
I chose NestWise because it collapsed all three subscriptions into one platform. The deal analysis covers what I actually need - ARV, rehab estimates, 70% rule, max allowable offer - and feeds straight into a pipeline that runs from lead to offer, instead of me copying numbers between a calculator and a spreadsheet. On the tax side, it's a purpose-built REPS tracker rather than a bolt-on: IRS-aligned activity categories, live compliance meters for both tests, and a CPA-ready export. The clincher was philosophical: the other tools digitize the busywork, but NestWise removes decisions - it tells me what qualifies, which lead fits my buy box, and what my ceiling offer is. Less thinking about the tooling, more actual investing.
REPStracker
REPSShield
repshield