Real estate CRM comparison: which tool is right for new agents?
Compare approaches before products. A full CRM suits teams and busy pipelines, a basic CRM suits agents who mostly need a contact list, and a follow-up layer like Keystone suits agents whose problem is staying in touch. Keystone isn't a CRM, and some agents use both.
The most useful real estate CRM comparison doesn't start with a feature grid. It starts with one question: what's actually going wrong in your business? Features and plans change often, so we won't put competitor numbers here. The approaches matter more, and they stay stable.
Three approaches
| Approach | What it's for | You'll spend time on | Typical user |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full CRM | Lead routing, pipelines, tasks, team inboxes, often transactions | Setup, stages, rules, team training | Teams and agents with steady lead flow |
| Basic or free CRM | Storing contacts, notes and reminders | Writing your own follow-up and remembering to use it | Agents who mainly need a contact list |
| Follow-up layer (Keystone) | Staying in touch with each person on a schedule | Working a daily Today list | New and part-time residential agents |
Which problem do you have?
- "I have leads but I forget to follow up." That's a follow-up problem. A follow-up layer fixes it directly.
- "I have a team and need to route and track leads." That's a CRM problem. Look at full CRMs.
- "I need somewhere to keep contacts and notes." A basic CRM or even a spreadsheet works, and you can import that spreadsheet into Keystone later.
- "I'm managing active transactions." You want a CRM or transaction manager. Keystone isn't one.
What Keystone is
Keystone runs follow-up across email, text, call prompts, printed letters and handwritten cards. Every sequence comes written. Your Today list shows who's due, with each message drafted and the person's details filled in. Replies pause the sequence and move to the top of your list.
It's not a full CRM, a transaction manager, an IDX site builder, a dialer or a lead source. If you need those, pair Keystone with a tool that does.
Using both
Plenty of agents find a CRM handles the pipeline while follow-up still slips. That's a reasonable setup: the CRM stays your system of record, and Keystone is the layer that makes sure the next message goes out.
Head-to-head pages
For a direct look at how Keystone differs from a specific tool, see the individual comparisons:
- Keystone vs Follow Up Boss
- Keystone vs LionDesk
- Keystone vs Realvolve
- Keystone vs Top Producer
- Keystone vs Wise Agent
You can also start from the compare hub.
Try it
The Free plan covers 100 contacts. See the pricing section for the rest.
Related questions
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