Follow Up Boss★ 4.5/5
Lofty★ 4.3/5Follow Up Boss vs Lofty: Which CRM is right for you?
A 2026 head-to-head on pricing, features, and which team each is built for.
The short answer
Follow Up Boss is real estate crm built for real estate agents, teams, and brokerages that need fast, automated lead follow-up, starting from ~$58/user/mo. Lofty is real estate crm for real estate teams and brokerages wanting one AI-driven platform for CRM, IDX website, and lead gen, starting from ~$449/mo. Choose Follow Up Boss for real estate crm needs; choose Lofty if real estate crm is a better match for your team.
Follow Up Boss vs Lofty: at a glance
| Detail | Follow Up Boss | Lofty |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Real estate CRM | Real estate CRM |
| Starting price | from ~$58/user/mo | from ~$449/mo |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Best for | Real estate agents, teams, and brokerages that need fast, automated lead follow-up. | Real estate teams and brokerages wanting one AI-driven platform for CRM, IDX website, and lead gen. |
| Our rating | ★ 4.5 / 5 | ★ 4.3 / 5 |
| Standout feature | Dynamic Smart Lists and Action Plans that automate real estate lead follow-up in real time. | An agentic AI layer that autonomously responds to leads, qualifies them, and books appointments. |
| Founded | 2011 | 2016 |
| Headquarters | Seattle, USA | Phoenix, USA |
Prices are indicative 2026 list prices; always confirm with the vendor directly.
What is Follow Up Boss?
Follow Up Boss is a real estate-specific CRM acquired by Zillow Group in 2023 for up to $500 million. It centers on speed-to-lead: incoming leads from 250+ integrated sources are automatically routed to agents, and dynamic Smart Lists plus Action Plan automation keep teams following up by email, text, and call without manual tracking.
Best for: Real estate agents, teams, and brokerages that need fast, automated lead follow-up.
What is Lofty?
Lofty is an all-in-one real estate platform, formerly known as Chime, that bundles a CRM, IDX website, and paid lead generation with a built-in "Agentic AI Operating System." Its AI layer autonomously responds to new leads, qualifies them, and runs SmartPlans follow-up sequences across email, text, and calls, aiming to replace the stack of point tools many real estate teams piece together.
Best for: Real estate teams and brokerages wanting one AI-driven platform for CRM, IDX website, and lead gen.
Key features compared
| Follow Up Boss | Lofty |
|---|---|
| Dynamic Smart Lists that auto-update based on lead activity | Agentic AI Operating System that auto-responds to and nurtures leads 24/7 |
| Action Plan automation for email, text, and task follow-up sequences | Built-in IDX website with 33+ integrated lead sources |
| Built-in calling and texting on Pro and Platform plans | SmartPlans automation for multi-channel follow-up sequences |
| Deep integrations with 250+ real estate lead sources and tools | AI-powered lead scoring and behavioral tracking |
| Lead routing and pond distribution for teams and brokerages | Bundled paid lead generation and ad management |
Pros and cons: Follow Up Boss
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✔ Best-in-class speed-to-lead automation for real estate teams | ✘ No permanent free plan, and calling add-ons raise the cost |
| ✔ Clean, easy-to-adopt interface with a highly rated mobile app | ✘ No built-in website builder or transaction management |
| ✔ Massive integration library covering nearly every real estate lead source | ✘ Native text automation is more limited than dedicated sales engagement tools |
Pros and cons: Lofty
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✔ One of the most developed AI layers in real estate CRM, beyond basic drip campaigns | ✘ Expensive relative to standalone real estate CRMs like Follow Up Boss |
| ✔ Bundles CRM, IDX website, and lead generation into a single platform | ✘ Customer support is inconsistently rated across reviews |
| ✔ Automation meaningfully cuts manual follow-up time for busy agents | ✘ SmartPlans setup is time-consuming and not very intuitive |
Which should you choose?
Choose Follow Up Boss if you are real estate agents, teams, and brokerages that need fast, automated lead follow-up.
Choose Lofty if you are real estate teams and brokerages wanting one AI-driven platform for CRM, IDX website, and lead gen.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Follow Up Boss and Lofty?
Follow Up Boss is real estate crm best for real estate agents, teams, and brokerages that need fast, automated lead follow-up. Its standout is dynamic Smart Lists and Action Plans that automate real estate lead follow-up in real time.. Lofty is real estate crm best for real estate teams and brokerages wanting one AI-driven platform for CRM, IDX website, and lead gen. Its standout is an agentic AI layer that autonomously responds to leads, qualifies them, and books appointments..
Is Follow Up Boss better than Lofty?
Neither is universally better — it depends on your use case. Follow Up Boss is the stronger choice for real estate agents, teams, and brokerages that need fast, automated lead follow-up. Lofty is a better fit for real estate teams and brokerages wanting one AI-driven platform for CRM, IDX website, and lead gen.
Which is cheaper, Follow Up Boss or Lofty?
Follow Up Boss starts from ~$58/user/mo. Lofty starts from ~$449/mo.
Does Follow Up Boss or Lofty have a free plan?
Follow Up Boss does not offer a permanent free plan. Lofty does not offer a permanent free plan.