Comparing the Titans of the CRM Industry in a head-to-head match-up with the Top 7 Best CRMs For Real Estate to determine which platform best fits your business needs.
Having the right CRM can impact the success of your real estate business. A great CRM does more than store contacts, it manages leads, automates communication, tracks deals, and can be the engine that drives your business forward. With so many options, knowing which one is worth your time and investment is tough. That’s why we’ve done the heavy lifting and compared the most popular CRMs in the industry - the titans of the industry. Let’s dive into the Clash of the CRM Titans 2024 and see which CRM REIGNS SUPREME!
Real Geeks: Lean, Fast, and a Lead Generation Powerhouse
Real Geeks has built its reputation as one of the most reliable platforms for online lead generation in the real estate industry. Its websites are designed with performance in mind, offering a fast user experience that prioritizes converting leads over flashy branding. The platform’s focus is clear—generate leads as efficiently as possible, and it does this exceptionally well. Agents who rely heavily on online marketing, particularly through Google Ads and Facebook Ads, consistently see strong results with Real Geeks’ optimized landing pages and lead capture tools.
However, while Real Geeks excels at lead generation, its CRM component leaves much to be desired. The CRM feels a bit dated and lacks many of the advanced features agents expect today. It’s functional but bare-bones, offering limited automation and workflow options. For instance, you can set up drip campaigns and action plans when a lead comes in, but the CRM doesn’t allow much flexibility beyond that. Agents who need more advanced lead nurturing and task management often find Real Geeks’ CRM too restrictive.
Because of this, many agents choose to pair Real Geeks with a more robust CRM like Follow Up Boss. While this does add to the price, this combination allows them to benefit from Real Geeks’ excellent lead generation tools while leveraging the more advanced automation, task management, and dialer features that Follow Up Boss provides. It’s an approach that works well, as it combines the strengths of both platforms for a comprehensive real estate tech stack.
Our Verdict: Real Geeks is the go-to platform for agents focused on lead generation, but its CRM features may not meet the needs of agents looking for more advanced functionality. Pairing it with another CRM like Follow Up Boss does add to the overall price tag but can offer the best of both worlds.
Grade: B (A if paired with Follow Up Boss)
Price - $299 - $1,200 per month
Follow Up Boss: The Gold Standard,
But Owned by Zillow
For agents and teams, Follow Up Boss is the go-to for real estate CRMs. The feature set is one of the most robust in the real estate industry, making it a powerful tool for managing your leads and client interactions. The best feature is the unlimited calling and texting – no matter how many texts or calls they send, the price stays the same. That way high-volume agents or teams can have confidence in knowing their communication tools are not affected by their level of text or call usage. Another strength is the advanced automation, which includes the ability to set up complex workflows so that no deal falls through the cracks. For example, if a client reads an automatic email, they’ll automatically be added to a list for other automated emails and follow-up tasks.
But Follow Up Boss does have some downsides. The biggest is that it doesn’t have a built-in website, so it doesn’t have lead-generation tools built into it. If your main goal is to use an all-in-one solution for a real estate website and CRM, you’ll have to integrate Follow Up Boss with another platform such as Real Geeks or Lofty to handle lead generation and CRM. The upfront cost of Follow Up Boss is reasonable, but the monthly cost of adding on an integration to another platform for lead generation could make it more expensive than you expected, making it less of an all-in-one solution than it seems. Without that lead-gen integration, you may struggle with generating and converting leads.
Additionally, Follow Up Boss is owned by Zillow, which is a deal-breaker for a few agents. (Zillow owns only a minority stake in Follow Up Boss, but data privacy issues might still be a concern.) There’s no evidence that Zillow is using the Follow Up Boss data pool for its own purposes, but the association is enough to keep some agents away.
Our Verdict: Follow Up Boss remains the gold standard for real estate CRMs, offering exceptional features for managing leads and transactions. However, the lack of built-in lead generation and the need to combine it with another platform for website functionality may be a limitation for some agents. Additionally, its ownership by Zillow might be a concern for those cautious about data privacy. Considering the Pros with the Cons FUB gets an overall
Grade: B (A if paired with Lofty or Real Geeks)
Price - $79 + $30 per user/+ $30 for dialer
Lofty (Formerly Chime): Modern, Powerful,
and Designed for Success
When it comes to CRM platforms that check all the right boxes, Lofty (formerly known as Chime) is hard to beat. It excels where many other CRMs falter, particularly in website design and lead generation. Lofty’s websites are modern, clean, and optimized to convert leads—especially through Google PPC campaigns, where it truly shines. Agents using Lofty consistently report strong results with lower lead costs and higher conversion rates, making it an invaluable tool for any real estate professional looking to grow their business.
But Lofty doesn’t stop at great website design. Its CRM features are equally robust, offering advanced automations and drip campaigns that can be tailored to your specific needs. A standout features are the Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) and the Seller Home Reports tools, which connect directly to your MLS and allows you to quickly generate reports for your clients. This seamless integration makes it easier to close deals and keeps clients informed without much manual effort.
If there’s one area where Lofty could improve, it’s in the pricing for calling and texting services, which can become costly for high-volume teams. However, this is a minor tradeoff considering the platform’s overall effectiveness in lead generation, automation, and CRM functionality.
Our Verdict: Lofty is the perfect blend of modern design, powerful CRM and easy to create Website features, making it a top choice for agents focused on generating and converting leads efficiently. Its suite of tools, from the advanced CMA system to seamless MLS integration, positions it as one of the best options on the market today.
Grade: A
Price - $299 - $1,200 per month
Sierra Interactive: The Feature-Rich Powerhouse
Sierra Interactive is the CRM for agents who want more than just the basics. It excels in almost every area, from automations to SEO-friendly website design. What sets Sierra apart is its focus on customization and ongoing updates, making it a go-to choice for those who want a CRM that adapts and grows with their business.
Sierra’s calling and texting features are top-notch, offering compliance-friendly options that maximize lead engagement. Drip campaigns and automations are fully customizable, allowing agents to create workflows based on specific lead behaviors or stages in the sales funnel. If SEO and organic traffic are important to you, Sierra’s robust website design is a great fit. However, it does take a while to set up—4-6 weeks—so patience is required.
Our Verdict: Sierra Interactive is a fantastic choice for agents who need a highly customizable and SEO-focused platform but be prepared to wait for the setup.
Grade: B+
Price - $499.95 - $799.95 per month
Agent Locator: Perfect for Toronto Agents
For real-estate agents working in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Agent Locator is basically an agent’s dream. Intimately integrated with the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) MLS, it is one of the most reliable CRMs at play within the Toronto market. The system has both branded and unbranded websites, with the unbranded options proving especially useful to agents for running Google Ads campaigns. It’s also an economy system, with basic setups starting at $199 per month.
But while it’s a good choice for agents in Toronto, its CRM features aren’t as robust as some of the others on this list. So, if you’re looking for a more robust CRM, this platform integrates with Follow Up Boss (additional cost).
Our Verdict: If you’re based in Toronto, this is a great, affordable option. But if you want more sophisticated CRM features, you have to integrate it with Follow Up Boss..
Our Verdict: If you're based in Toronto, Agent Locator is a fantastic, affordable choice. But for more advanced CRM features, you'll need to integrate it with Follow Up Boss.
Grade: B
Price - $199 per month
KV Core: Once Popular, Now Struggling to Keep Up
KV Core, a name that once held weight in the industry has seen better days. It’s still popular, but it’s turned into a bit of a "jack-of-all-trades and master of none.” platform. It can do everything, but nothing particularly well. It’ll deal with the basics – making some calls, sending some text messages, drip campaigns, automated stuff – but none of it’s all that special or easy. The biggest knock against KV Core is its website, which hasn’t seen a significant update in over five years. This is a huge red flag in 2024 when the digital presence of a real estate agent is everything.
Although the system works, it's become outdated, particularly for Google PPC (Pay Per Click) campaigns, where lead conversions have steadily dropped. The overall sentiment? If you're looking for cutting-edge technology to help you grow your business, KV Core probably isn’t the answer anymore.
Our Verdict: If you're just getting started and need a basic solution, KV Core might work for you. But in an industry where lead generation and automation can make or break your business, it's hard to recommend.
Grade: D
Price - Starting at $199 per month
Cync: Built-In Advertising, But With Limited Transparency
Cync offers something a bit different. The distinction that takes Cync into a different category to other CRMs is that it bundles in ad buys to your packages. In principle, that’s a great thing: after all, advertising is the lifeblood of your business and you want your CRM to support leads, not suppress it’s a mixed bag. Agents complain about not even knowing the source of leads that come through to them, which limits their ability to gauge quality, while Cync is also less than transparent about the ad campaigns it runs on your behalf and – most frustrating to agents who want to carve their own silos and target carefully – you don’t get to select your keywords or campaigns.
The CRM side is equally bare-bones; Cync’s automation and drip campaigns are functional but very basic, with a lot of the legwork left to the user, and many agents agree it feels overpriced at $1,000 a month.
Our Verdict: While Cync’s built-in advertising may seem like a convenient perk, its lack of transparency and limited customizability makes it hard to justify the price tag.
Grade: D
Price - $1,000 per month
YLOPO: Great for Marketing, But Not a CRM
YLOPO often gets mistaken for a CRM, but in reality, it’s a marketing platform that focuses on generating leads through advertising. It must be paired with a third-party CRM like Follow Up Boss to function properly. YLOPO excels at generating leads, but agents often find themselves frustrated by the lack of transparency in the advertising campaigns. You won’t know exactly where your leads are coming from, which can make it harder to optimize your marketing efforts.
Our Verdict: YLOPO is excellent for agents who need help generating leads but should be paired with a full CRM for maximum effectiveness.
Grade: D
Price - $100 per month (plus $1,500 onboarding)
BoomTown: Customizable, But Clunky and Overpriced
The BoomTown websites are customizable, but the platform itself feels clunky and outdated. Its high price – it starts at $1,000 a month – is another major downside. Most agents report that BoomTown doesn’t provide enough value for the cost. A basic CRM will help you manage your tasks and properties, and BoomTown will allow you to customize your websites, but it’s hard to recommend considering the high price and clunky interface.
Our Verdict: BoomTown feels overpriced for what you get. Unless you need heavy customization, there are better options available.
Grade: D
Price - $1,000 per month
Final Thoughts for the Top 7 Best CRMs For Real Estate:
Top 7 Best CRMs For Real Estate. Choosing the right CRM comes down to your specific needs and goals. If you’re looking for a modern, sleek solution, with all the bells and whistles Lofty is hard to beat. For agents who need a feature-rich platform, Sierra Interactive delivers in every area. And if lead generation is your top priority, Real Geeks could be your secret weapon. If you have your website and lead generation already handled, Follow Up Boss should be your only choice. In any case, the best CRM for you is the one that supports your growth, streamlines your workflow, and helps you close more deals. So tell us what you think - Which Real Estate CRM Reigns Supreme?
Battle of the CRM Titans
Which Real Estate CRM Reigns Supreme?
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