What Software Do Real Estate Agents Actually Use?

Most agents run four categories of software: a CRM for lead follow-up, a transaction management platform for e-signatures and compliance, one or two paid lead sources, and increasingly, an AI tool for content and communication. According to NAR's 2025 REALTORS® Technology Survey, 24% of agents now spend more than $500 a month on technology out of pocket, another 20% spend $251–$500, and 34% spend $50–$250 — this despite 67% of agents agreeing their brokerage already provides the tools they need. The gap between what a brokerage hands an agent and what that agent ends up buying anyway is the real story here.

The core stack: what agents actually pay for

Strip away the marketing language and the real estate tech stack breaks down into four jobs that need doing:

A CRM to catch and follow up on leads. This is the system that stores contacts, tracks deals, and — critically — automates the follow-up that converts a lead into a closing. Follow Up Boss is the most widely adopted standalone option, priced at $58–$69 per user per month on its entry Grow plan, scaling to $499/month flat for a 10-user Pro team. Budget alternatives like LionDesk (around $25/month) and Wise Agent (around $32/month) cover the basics — contact management, drip campaigns, task reminders — at a lower price point, typically with fewer integrations.

A transaction management platform for e-signatures and compliance. NAR's 2025 survey found e-signature is the single most-adopted technology among agents, at 79% usage — higher than social media, drone photography, or AI. Dotloop runs about $32–$35/month for an individual agent and adds deal templates, broker review, and real-time client collaboration on top of signing. SkySlope leans compliance-first, with AI-driven audit tools that flag missing signatures or disclosure gaps before a broker reviewer sees the file — a better fit for brokerages managing volume than for a single agent.

One or two paid lead sources. This is where the spending gets uneven. Zillow Premier Agent works on a "share of voice" model — you buy a monthly budget in a ZIP code and split the leads it generates with up to three other agents, typically on a 6-month minimum contract. Reported costs vary enormously by market: small markets can run $300–$1,000/month, while competitive metro or luxury ZIPs can run $2,500–$10,000+/month for the same lead volume a smaller market gets for a few hundred dollars. That wide range is a big part of why agents in expensive markets increasingly look for lead sources built into their brokerage relationship rather than bought a la carte.

An AI tool, increasingly. NAR's survey put AI adoption at 68% of agents, with ChatGPT the most commonly used tool, followed by Gemini and Copilot. The honest number worth sitting with: only 17% of agents say AI has had a significant positive impact on their business so far, while 46% report no noticeable difference yet. AI is showing up in the stack, but for most agents it's not replacing the CRM or the transaction platform — it's sitting on top of them, drafting listing copy and follow-up emails.

What a solo agent's stack costs, roughly

Add it up and a solo agent building this stack piece by piece, from scratch, in a mid-size market, is realistically looking at $150–$400/month before a single paid lead source, and considerably more once lead generation is in the mix. That tracks with what NAR's numbers show: the majority of the technology spend agents report isn't the CRM or the e-signature tool, it's lead acquisition.

Explore the Grey Square structure if you're evaluating whether that spend should be coming out of your own pocket or built into your brokerage split — that's the actual decision most agents are making when they compare tech stacks between brokerages.

Why the brokerage matters here, not just the tool list

The NAR finding that 67% of agents say their brokerage already provides the tools they need is worth sitting with, because it means roughly a third don't — and are paying for CRM, transaction management, or lead gen twice: once through brokerage fees, once out of pocket for the tool that actually works. It's the same math worth running on what agents actually pay their brokerage in the first place — a lower split with no included tools can cost more in practice than a higher-looking split that bundles the CRM and transaction platform in.

Grey Square's Team Agent GS path is built around not making an agent choose. It includes Follow Up Boss as the CRM, the RealScout buyer portal for lead nurture and buyer engagement, Sweet Assist for transaction management, and direct team coaching — all inside the 85/15 split and $12,000 annual cap that applies across all four Grey Square paths, with zero franchise fees and zero desk fees on top. That's not a claim about income or lead volume; it's a description of which line items are already inside the split versus which ones an agent would otherwise be sourcing and paying for independently.

Where lead generation actually comes from

It's worth noting that Inman's 2026 lead-gen coverage keeps circling back to the same theme: prospecting from an agent's own database — past clients, sphere, expired listings — remains one of the highest-converting sources available, and it's the one channel that costs a CRM subscription rather than a per-lead fee. Tools like Lofty are explicitly building AI features around mining existing CRM contacts for seller leads rather than buying new ones, which lines up with the "human touch" prospecting approach several industry voices pointed to for 2026: pick up the phone, work the sphere, and let paid lead sources supplement rather than replace that work.

A practical way to evaluate your own stack

Before adding another subscription, it's worth checking three things: whether your brokerage already provides a tool that does the same job (many agents are quietly paying for a CRM their brokerage's system already covers), whether the tool integrates with what you already use (a CRM that doesn't talk to your transaction management platform means double data entry on every deal), and whether the monthly cost scales with your production or stays flat regardless of how many transactions you close.

Send the Grey Square prospectus to your inbox for the full breakdown of what's included on each of the four paths, tool by tool.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do real estate agents typically spend on software each month?

Per NAR's 2025 Technology Survey, 34% of agents spend $50–$250/month, 20% spend $251–$500/month, and 24% spend more than $500/month — and that's before factoring in paid lead generation, which can add anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars monthly depending on market competitiveness.

What's the difference between a CRM and a transaction management platform?

A CRM (like Follow Up Boss, LionDesk, or Wise Agent) manages contacts, leads, and follow-up communication before a deal exists. A transaction management platform (like Dotloop or SkySlope) manages the paperwork, e-signatures, and compliance checks once a deal is under contract. Most agents need both, and they're built by different companies for different jobs.

Is Zillow Premier Agent worth the cost?

It depends heavily on market. Reported costs range from a few hundred dollars a month in smaller markets to $10,000+/month in competitive metro or luxury ZIP codes, and leads are typically shared with up to three other agents. Whether it pencils out depends on an individual agent's conversion rate and average commission per closing — there's no universal answer.

Does a brokerage providing a CRM actually save an agent money?

It can, if the tool is one the agent would otherwise pay for out of pocket. NAR's survey found 67% of agents already feel their brokerage provides the tools they need, which means roughly a third are likely paying twice — once through brokerage fees or splits, and again for a third-party tool.

What tools does Grey Square include for agents?

The Team Agent GS path includes Follow Up Boss (CRM), the RealScout buyer portal, Sweet Assist for transaction management, lead nurture, and team coaching, all within the standard 85/15 split and $12,000 annual cap. Specifics vary by path — the full breakdown is available here.

Paul Blair is the founder and broker of Grey Square, a virtual real estate brokerage operating across Dallas, Los Angeles, and Houston. TX TREC #9011505 · CA DRE #01792671.