Search for the best real-estate lead generation and you'll find ten listicles written by the companies themselves. This page is our version — with one honest difference: we're on it, our numbers are real, and every competitor figure links to its published source so you can check our math.
Selah Creative
Agent Image
website design
Zillow Premier Agent
you buy ads by ZIP
Zillow Flex
referral program
Ylopo
ad-platform suite
| Selah Creative | Agent ImageAgentFirewebsite design | Zillow Premier Agentyou buy ads by ZIP | Zillow Flexreferral program | Ylopoad-platform suite | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bespoke website in your brand | ✓ Included | ✓ Published $1,500–$100,000+ setup△ Semi-custom on their theme framework. Published one-time design fee of $800, $2,750, or $6,500 | ✗ None | ✗ None | △ Included, on their template stack |
| SEO + AI-search visibility | ✓ Included | △ Sold separately△ SEO structure in the build; done-for-you SEO work is a paid add-on | ✗ It's advertising, not SEO | ✗ None | ✗ Paid ads instead |
| Exclusive, vetted leads | ✓ Included, never shared | ✗ No leads at all✗ No lead supply included — the site captures traffic you bring; PPC and CRM are separate add-ons | △ Connections in ZIPs you pay for — other agents advertise in the same ZIP | △ Referrals routed on their terms; invite-only | △ Only what your own ad budget produces |
| Private lead portal / CRM | ✓ Included | ✗ None△ Built-in lead manager — no response clock, no reassignment | △ Their app, their rules | △ Their app, their rules | △ Separate CRM subscription expected |
| Ongoing cost | $100/mo + one-time $150 setup | Design fees up front; ~$99+/mo hosting (published)Published $165–$215/mo + the one-time design fee. Their FAQ notes IDX fees exclude MLS pass-through fees | Reported $300–$1,000+/mo ad spend — varies by ZIP | $0 monthly | Reported ~$295+/mo platform + your ad budget |
| Do you pay before your first lead? | $150 setup + $100/mo — no ad spend, and our real fee waits for a closing | Yes — full design fees, and leads are never includedYes — by their published rates the entry path is $2,780 in year one ($800 setup + $165/mo) before a lead exists | Yes — ad spend starts before any lead, and continues close or not | No upfront cost — the fee waits at closing | Yes — platform fee + ad budget from day one, close or not |
| When a lead closes | 20–25% referral at closing — only on Selah leads, only when they close | n/a — no leads✓ Nothing — subscription only, so you keep the whole commission | Nothing more — you already paid via ads | Reported 15–40% of the gross commission — typically 30–35% on buyer leads, and up to 40% on seller connections | Nothing more — you already paid monthly + ads |
Competitor figures are published or industry-reported ranges as of July 2026, and the links go straight to their own sites — agentimage.com/pricing, agentfire.com/pricing, Zillow Premier Agent (advertising cost varies by ZIP and market), Zillow Flex and ylopo.com/pricing. Every market differs — bring your numbers to the call and we'll compare honestly.
Want the arithmetic rather than the table? See what you'd actually pay under each model — including the point where a flat subscription costs you less than we do.
Buy advertising
Zillow Premier Agent · Ylopo
You fund ad spend every month — reported $300–$1,000+/mo by ZIP on Premier Agent, or a reported ~$295+/mo platform fee plus your own ad budget on Ylopo — and the leads are whatever that budget produces. Connections aren't exclusive on Premier Agent: other agents advertise in the same ZIP. You pay before any lead arrives, and the spend continues close or not.
Fits agents with a real, recurring ad budget who want to control volume with spend.
Pay at closing
Zillow Flex
Nothing monthly — the fee waits at closing, where industry reports put it at 15–40% of the gross commission (typically 30–35% on buyer leads, up to 40% on seller connections). It's invite-only, referrals are routed on their terms, and there's no website, SEO, or brand of your own included.
Fits agents who can't fund upfront spend and accept the largest share at close — if invited.
Buy a website
Agent Image · AgentFire
Website shops, not lead sources. Agent Image publishes setup fees of $1,500–$100,000+ with ~$99+/mo hosting; AgentFire publishes $165–$215/mo plus a one-time $800–$6,500 design fee. Neither includes a supply of leads with the subscription — traffic and CRM are separate add-ons or integrations you arrange — though neither takes a share of your commission either.
Fits agents who already have their own lead flow and would rather never share a closing.
All-in-one, aligned
Selah Creative
Everything in one place — bespoke website in your brand, Google + AI-search visibility, done-for-you marketing, exclusive vetted seller leads (never shared), and a private portal — for $100/mo plus a one-time $150 setup. Our real payday is a 20–25% referral fee settled at closing, only on Selah leads, only when they close, with a 24-month window per lead.
Fits agents who want the whole system with a small monthly and a fee that waits for a closing.
There's no single best — there are three models. Advertising platforms (Zillow Premier Agent, Ylopo) give you volume you control with your budget, but you pay whether or not anything closes. Referral programs (Zillow Flex) charge nothing monthly but take a reported 15–40% of the gross commission at closing, and they're invite-only. Selah Creative is the all-in-one version: $100/month plus a one-time $150 setup for the website, visibility, marketing, exclusive vetted leads, and portal — with a 20–25% referral fee owed only when a Selah lead closes. The right choice depends on what you can afford to pay before a lead ever closes.
Zillow Premier Agent is advertising, not a lead service: you buy connections in the ZIP codes you pay for, and other agents can advertise in the same ZIP. Reported costs run $300–$1,000+ per month depending on the market, and the spend continues whether or not a lead closes.
Zillow Flex charges nothing monthly — its fee waits at closing. Industry-reported referral fees run 15–40% of the gross commission, typically 30–35% on buyer leads and up to 40% on seller connections. The program is invite-only, and referrals are routed on Zillow's terms.
Selah combines what the others sell separately: a bespoke website in your own brand, Google and AI-search visibility, done-for-you marketing, exclusive vetted seller leads that are never shared, and a private portal — for $100/month plus a one-time $150 setup. Selah's real compensation is a 20–25% referral fee settled at closing, only on Selah leads, only when they close, with a 24-month window per lead. If a lead never closes, the referral fee never exists.
The Local Visibility Scan shows how you currently appear on Google and in AI search across your towns — free, human-made, in about two business days. Then decide if the rest of the platform is worth a call.