Gaining visibility on leads, tracking agent performance and activity, centralizing operational and financial tasks, and equipping agents with market intelligence so that they can provide their clients the best possible level of service. Nope, we’re not talking about the daily responsibilities of an account executive or sales representative. These are all daily tasks of real estate agents.
Real estate agents must deftly juggle the sales funnel lifecycle, maintain and sustain their branding efforts, keep track of listings, and field back-and-forth communications between various clients, property managers, and leasing agents.
On top of that, they cannot afford to burn out.
Comprehensive real estate management software does exist — helping agents coordinate everything from tracking agent sales performance and client information to streamlining contract and document management to simplifying transactions and other accounting tasks. But such a platform isn’t wholly necessary for automating workflows and relieving agents from unnecessary busywork. Any real estate tool or software that reduces time-consuming labor and manages the intricacies of the real estate industry can be helpful for real estate agents.
When your real estate business is small or just beginning, you may not always have the budget for an expensive real estate CRM, transactions management software, commissions tracking tool or brokerage management software. And while investing in a solution can actually save your business money by automating tasks and freeing up resources, you may not always have the time, ability or financial resources to prove that. In the meantime, free solutions are an effective way to figure out what aspects of your business would truly benefit from the benefits of software.
Real estate management software differs slightly from property management software, in terms of focus. While they both deal with the ins and outs of real estate properties, the former is designed for real estate companies and agents, while the latter is designed for landlords and property owners.
G2 has already rounded up the 7 best free property management software for your consideration. Now it’s time to take a look at the free solutions that will benefit real estate agents, brokers, investors and non-property manager professionals.
The following products are a roundup of tools that are not exclusive to the Real Estate Activities Management category on G2. They’re not exclusive to this particular category because the scope of a real estate agent does not begin and end in an office. Effective and beneficial tools for real estate agents, REALTORs, and brokers can be found outside of the real estate software categories. CRMs, video production platforms, multiple listing services, and industry-specific mobile applications can all be leveraged to optimize and streamline the myriad responsibilities of a real estate professional.
The list we’ve outlined here includes any real estate solution with an available free offering. It should be noted that this does not include products that are only free on a temporary basis, such as limited trial versions for new users. They may only support one user or one project, but they’re truly free offerings. Scaling, however, will often require full investments.
G2’s Real Estate category features over 2,000 products. The products featured on this list have well over 1,600 validated user reviews on G2 as of May 22, 2019, and only represent a small portion of the 22 Real Estate category classifications listed on G2. Products are ranked by number of reviews.
Product name: Freshsales
G2 star rating: 4.7 out of 5.0 stars
Total reviews: 482
Freshworks supplies real estate agencies with a specialized CRM that helps agents focus on posting listings, nurturing prospects and closing deals. Freshsales automates and simplifies back-office operations. Freshsales can be used by both commercial and residential real estate companies, and by agents, brokers or developers.
Screenshot courtesy of Freshworks
Free option
- Sprout is Freshsales’ “free forever” startup plan
- Designed for businesses that are just getting started
- Unlimited users
- Unlimited contacts
- Unlimited support
Paid option
- Blossom: $12/user/month, designed for small teams
- Garden: $25/user/month, designed for growing teams
- Estate: $49/user/month, designed for large teams
- Forest: $79/user/month, designed for enterprises
Features
- Lead tracking, scoring, and intelligence
- 360-degree view of clients and sales activity
- Visualizes and reports on sales pipeline
- Integrate with third-party apps to expand functionality
What users like
“Clean and fast, very good mail and phone integration, reasonable filter and sorting options, and highly customizable lead scoring that also includes customer activity patterns on the website and with the agents.”
— Freshsales review by an executive sponsor in internet
What users dislike
“We dislike that this software lacks many functions and features that can improve the processes for our clients. Its interface should be improved a little more.”
— Freshsales review by Carlos O.
Recommendations to others considering the product
“I recommend looking at the Estate level during the trial. It has a lot of great time-saving features that can save hours in a week.”
— Freshsales review by Edwin G. S.
2. Insightly CRM
Product name: Insightly CRM
G2 star rating: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Number of reviews: 456
Insightly’s CRM can be used to organize real estate businesses and streamline processes. This CRM automates workflows, provides comprehensive lead nurturing functionality, triggers necessary projects after deals close, and integrates with third-party tools to encourage normal operations. Real estate companies can leverage Insightly to organize tasks and stay on budget.
Screenshot courtesy of Insightly
Free option
- Free for two users
- No-frills plan
Paid option
- Plus: $29/user/month, provides remote access and collaboration features
- Professional: $49/user/month, adds lead management and intelligence functionality
- Enterprise: $99/user/month, supports complete business management needs
Features
- Lead distribution
- Workflow automation
- Automated email delivery tracking
- Project management
- Data visualizations and business intelligence dashboards
- Android and iOS mobile applications
- Open API
What users like
“In real estate the main problem is keeping track of potential business over long periods of time. Home sellers or buyers may remain in incubation for long stretches before they turn into money. Software does a very nice job at helping juggle the mass data while keeping a clean, user-friendly interface.”
— Insightly CRM review by an administrator in real estate
What users dislike
“It would be nice if there were a way to create a ‘Customers’ list that is separate from Contacts. This can be approximated using tags, but I would rather have them on their own list. Leads do not have the linking features that other records (contacts, organizations, opportunities, and projects) do. I’d like to be able to link a lead to the contact that referred them, for example.”
— Insightly CRM review by Bruce H.
Recommendations to others considering the product
“It is so simple to use. But remember, the data must be continually updated. When you first install a CRM program, you drive the processes. Once the program is up and running, it drives the way you interact with your customers and clients. It helps deliver a service by reminding you of your meeting your commitments to your clients.”
— Insightly CRM review by Gary E.S.
3. Podio
Product name: Podio
G2 star rating: 4.1 out of 5.0 stars
Number of reviews: 257
Real estate investors, brokers, and agents use Podio’s CRM workflow building capabilities to optimize lead nurturing and transaction management, ultimately streamlining business activities. With Podio, real estate professionals can better nurture prospects, close deals and avoid missing out on opportunities. Podio is an extremely mobile-friendly solution, fitting the on-the-go needs of most real estate investors and agents.
Screenshot courtesy of Citrix Podio
Free option
- Free for up to five users
- Task management
- Provides apps and workspaces that enable productivity
Paid option
- Basic: $9/user/month, adds user management and an unlimited number of external user access to the free plan
- Plus: $14/user/month, adds automated workflows to the Basic plan
- Premium: $24/user/month for a full suite of features
Features
- Online workplace for collaboration
- Project tracking and task management
- Integration with file storage and sharing software
- Appointment scheduler
- Lead contact recording and management
What users like
“I absolutely love the various features available in Podio. The ability to customize modules to suit your business needs is exactly what we want. Our prior CRM was dull and did not allow us to add features that we needed. Podio is a one-stop shop for the back end of our real estate company. I wouldn’t change it at all.”
— Podio review by a user in real estate
What users dislike
“Since Podio is SO customizable, it requires a lot of manual labor. Only one teammate is trained to edit workflows and items, which has become burdensome and time-consuming. When a workflow breaks, it stalls activities until it is fixed.”
— Podio review by Tori W.
Recommendations to others considering the product
“Make sure you understand the relationship between employees & externals in the system and learn how to migrate them back and forth if that’s what you need. That was pretty important for us.”
— Podio review by Tip I.
4. Bitrix24
Product Name: Bitrix24
G2 Star Rating: 3.9 out of 5.0 stars
Number of Reviews: 193
Bitrix24 provides free solutions that enable and optimize internal communications, client relationships, project management and overall business management. Bitrix24 offers a real estate-tailored CRM that can be used for agent performance tracking and comprehensive agency management. Bitrix24’s lead management functionality ensures that prospecting efforts aren’t wasted. The product’s email marketing functionality centralizes messaging and correspondence. Its integrated telephony functionality tracks and records phone calls and its reporting functionality identifies the best- and worst-performing agents.
Screenshot courtesy of Bitrix24
Free option
- Free for up to 12 real estate agents
- Integrated telephony
- 5 GB of online storage
- Unlimited client records and custom fields
- Open API, CMS and open-source code
Paid option
- $99/month for unlimited agent license
- Contact Bitrix24 to purchase a self-hosted edition
Features
- Email marketing
- Lead generation and nurturing
- Incoming and outbound call tracking
- Agent performance reports
- Document workflow automation
- Android and iOS mobile app
What users like
“Real Estate marketing solutions; it’s a good way to store all your contacts.”
— Bitrix24 review by an administrator in security and investigations
What users dislike
“The interface still looks like something from the early 2000s, which make using the tool less enjoyable. I wish there were a configurable dashboard so each user could show what’s most important to them when they log in. More linkage with other software and automated workflows would be really handy too.”
— Bitrix24 review by Jillyn D.
Recommendations to others considering the product
“If you are searching for the best CRM solution, I would suggest you have a look at Bitrix24. It is known to be one of the best platforms you can use.”
— Bitrix24 review by Ruth U.
5. Renderforest Video
Product name: Renderforest Videos
G2 star rating: 4.7 out of 5.0 stars
Number of reviews: 155
Renderforest Videos provides online branding and video-making tools for marketing and advertising. Renderforest Videos can be leveraged by any business in any industry, including real estate. Renderforest Videos provides templates for effortless creation and marketing of real estate listing videos. With Renderforest Videos, you can create engaging corporate real estate listings and promote on social media.
Screenshot courtesy of Renderforest Video
Free option
- Unlimited number of 360p videos
- Supports up to three minutes of content
- 500 MB storage
- Limited number of music tracks
- Watermarks
- Provides PNG logos
Paid option
- Amateur: $14/month, increases the offerings of Free, and is good for individuals who need to occasionally create a few videos
- Pro: $29/month, increases the offerings of Amateur, and is good for YouTubers and other businesses who regularly create videos
- Popular: $39/month, increases the offerings of Pro, and is good for resellers and businesses who create a high volume of videos
- Agency: $49/month, increases the offerings of Popular, and is good for companies that generate a high volume of videos
Features
- Templates for video, animation, presentations and promos
- Supports the creation of mobile app videos
- Provides access to music tracks
- Unlimited web exports
- Provides access to royalty-free stock footage
- Publishes to YouTube or Facebook
- Supports the import of media from social media channels
What users like
“There’s a template for everything, so for someone who knows nothing about animation, it’s awesome! They’ll also suggest a soundtrack that suits the video that’s super cool. And from what I can tell for the time being, their support responded ultra fast.”
— Renderforest Video review by Anthony K.
What users dislike
“Not enough choices for my specific industry, real estate.”
— Renderforest Video review by Brad H.
Recommendations to others considering the product
“Urge anyone responsible for purchasing software for your company to pick this product up. Able to set myself apart from the competition. Customers find the videos entertaining and informative.”
— Renderforest Video review by Bonnie S.
6. CamScanner
Product name: CamScanner
G2 star rating: 4.6 out of 5.0 stars
Number of reviews: 93
CamScanner is a mobile photo document scan and capture tool that can be used on both Android and iOS devices. It is excellent for any industry and facilitates the easy storing and sharing of sensitive documents even on the go. CamScanner adds a polished look to scanned PDFs as well as providing OCR functionality to convert any images or characters to easy-to-read text.
Screenshot courtesy of CamScanner
Free option
- Free to download
- Provides auto OCR
- 200MB cloud storage space
- Document synchronization across devices and file storage and sharing solutions
- Custom watermarks
Paid option
- Premium: $4.99/user/month, adds premium features to the free version
- Business: $6.99/user/month, enables collaboration and group management functionality to the Premium version
Features
- Mobile scanner
- Supports faxing, cloud syncing and sharing via social networks
- Auto enhances and crops quality of scanned images
- OCR feature
- Supports handwritten annotation and editing
- Generates customizable watermarks
What users like
“I dabble in real estate (licensed Realtor) and I have to scan documents all the time when I’m out of the office. I just place them on a table or the ground, take a pic with CamScanner, and voila … add them right to Dropbox.”
— CamScanner review by Ben B.
What users dislike
“Limited options for exporting. No way to set location in storage.”
— CamScanner review by Carson P.
Recommendations to others considering the product
“If you are looking to save time and a convenient alternative to backup your documents for free, Camscanner will meet all your needs.”
— CamScanner review by Tapan J.
7. Zillow Premier Agent
Product name: Zillow Premier Agent
G2 star rating: 2.9 out of 5.0 stars
Number of reviews: 26
Zillow Premier Agent is a free real estate CRM, lead generation solution and branding tool. It allows individual real estate agents to create a Zillow.com profile to advertise on Zillow.com. Zillow Premier Agent provides email templates, automated follow-ups and an easy-to-use client management database. The agent profile allows real estate agents to create an “About Me” section and showcase their service areas, sales history and active listings. Additionally, their clients can review the agent’s level of service right on the profile.
Screenshot courtesy of Zillow.com
Free option
- Free agent account to build a unified brand across Zillow Group sites
- Free CRM to manage leads on your Zillow agent profile
Paid option
- Users can upgrade to a paid version of Zillow Premier Agent if they want to highlight their agent profile on Zillow listings for exclusivity. The cost of upgrade depends on zip code.
Features
- Agent profile creation
- Lead contact database
- Lead intelligence, management and basic reporting
- Email templates and autoresponders
Integration with Gmail, dotloop, and 35-plus lead generation tools
Features:
- 2D CAD design
- Metric and imperial units
- Powerful drawing tools and editing functionality
- Architectural design symbols
- Dimension tools
What users like
“I like that I get notified when I receive a new lead. I also really like the concierge service, as I am not always able to call the lead right away.”
— Zillow Premier Agent review by Jenna S.
What users dislike
“95% of these ‘leads’ aren’t legitimate leads. Most of the time, these people have an agent and lie by saying they aren’t working with an agent, so you waste your time with them. They just want you to answer questions and aren’t serious about buying. You pay hundreds and maybe even thousands a month just to have someone waste your time and money.”
— Zillow Premier Agent review by Casey T.
Recommendations to others considering the product
“It really improves the performance of your listing. Listing performance is a numbers game and this gets more people to see it.”
— Zillow Premier Agent review by a verified user
8. Reiance
Product name: Reiance
G2 star rating: 5.0 out of 5.0 stars
Number of reviews: 1
Reiance is a real estate deal management system that organizes information and data flow between agents. Reiance provides a platform to unify all types of property information, making it easy for team members to collaborate on deals, avoid gaps in contact management, and increase market intelligence. Reiance is designed specifically for real estate investors, agents and brokers.
Screenshot courtesy of Reiance
Free option
- Free real estate CRM and contact management for small teams, up to three users
Paid option
- Basic: $25/user/month for basic real estate tracking and contact management, up to six users
- Pro: $50/user/month for complete deal management and sophisticated tools, designed for growing real estate businesses
- Unlimited: $200/user/month for unlimited features, designed for real estate enterprises
Features
- Property information database
- Contact management
- Centralized deal collaboration
- Task management
- Change logs
What users like
“Overall, Reiance feels like you have a customized, user-oriented application, rather than a dull, corporate work tool. It almost feels like a social networking app customized for work tasks. It’s designed for ease of use and simplicity, and makes entering and calling up data customizable and convenient.”
— Reiance review by a user in financial services
What users dislike
“There are still one or two bugs here or there, but they are being weeded out, and don’t have a strong impact on the user experience. They are more quirks than impediments to productivity.”
— Reiance review by a user in financial services
Recommendations to others considering the product
“Try it, and you’ll see how convenient and instinctive it becomes. You start using it right away without even thinking about it, and it streamlines a lot of your daily work tasks.”
— Reiance review by a user in financial services
9. RealOffice360 CRM
Product name: RealOffice360 CRM
G2 star rating: N/A
RealOffice360 is an easy-to-use real estate CRM that’s designed specifically for real estate agents. The product is hosted on Amazon AWS. With RealOffice360, both real estate agents and brokers can better manage client relationships, keep track of leads and prospects, keep a close eye on deals, and even launch customizable IDX websites. RealOffice360 helps real estate agents be more productive and avoid having to use ugly, clunky solutions.
Screenshot courtesy of RealOffice360
Free option
- Unlimited clients
- Online lead capture
- Five opportunity cards
- 24 hours of limited customer support
- 100 MB file storage
Paid option
- $19/month for premium
- Includes all features from free plan
- Unlimited opportunity cards
- Priority customer support
- 50 GB file storage
- Integration with Mailchimp
- Mailing address labels
Features
- Client database
- Contact manager
- Sales pipeline visualization
- Property information database
- Task reminders and notifications
- Mobile-friendly
What users say
Be the first user to write a RealOffice360 CRM review!
10. Nekst
Product name: Nekst
G2 star rating: N/A
Nekst is a powerful real estate transaction management solution that also provides business coordination functionalities. With Nekst, your real estate agency can set reminders for tasks, create emails, automate follow-ups, and send agents daily to-do lists. Nekst enables real estate professionals to remain organized and productive.
Screenshot courtesy of Nekst App
Free option
- “Agent Lite”
- Supports up to five properties
- Generates one custom plan
- Unlimited contacts
- Provides four pre-loaded plans
- 24/7 customer support
Paid option
- Agent Pro: $15/month, supports an unlimited number of properties and custom plans
- Team Pro: $39/month, adds to Agent Pro by supporting an unlimited number of team members
- Assistant/TC: $7/property, designed for task and project coordinators
Features
- Email automation
- Task management
- Automated follow-up emails
- Process plan sharing
- Calendar sync with tasks
What users say
Be the first user to write a Nekst review!
11. Open Real Estate CMS
Product name: Open Real Estate CMS
G2 star rating: N/A
Open Real Estate CMS offers real estate businesses a free script for creating a comprehensive web platform and client-facing website. With Open Real Estate CMS, your business can connect agencies and agents with real estate owners and buyers. Additional paid modules do exist, expanding the functionalities of the platform with add-ons and supplemental integrations.
Screenshot courtesy of Open Real Estate
Free option
- Supports one web domain
- Lifetime license
- Provides access to the web CMS script
Paid option
- BASIC: $217, one-time fee. Supports one web domain, provides two months of free support, offers SEO optimization, and provides a variety of language and currency settings
- PRO: $359, one-time fee. Offers BASIC features as well as a complete set of modules and add-ons, and RTL language support
- ULTIMATE: $674, one-time fee. Offers PRO features as well as an unlimited number of web domains
Features
- Simple property listings
- SEO optimization
- Modular architecture
- Supports several languages and currencies
What users say
Be the first user to write an Open Real Estate CMS review!
12. RPR App
Product name: RPR App
G2 star rating: N/A
RPR App is a market intelligence application that provides real estate agents with the data they need to navigate the market and provide clients with the best listings and service. RPR is offered exclusively to Realtors as a member benefit. The app gathers all available property data, contextualizes it with MLS and public records and mortgage data, and generates customizable reports that are ready to be presented to clients.
Screenshot courtesy of REALTOR Property Resource
Free option
- Available to Realtors at no additional cost
- Desktop app
- Mobile iOS and Android app
Paid option
Features
- Reports are customizable and branded
- Dynamic data sets
- Supports both residential and commercial real estate markets
What users say
Be the first user to write a RPR App review!
*Please note: Reviews have been edited for spelling, grammar and clarity.
Next steps for selecting the best free real estate software for agents
Find out what your real estate business needs to be made more efficient or what skills are going unused. Then consider whether you want to ease it into the deep end with one of the above free solutions. Take a look at the myriad real estate solutions featured on G2 to determine whether there are other solutions, free or not, that may better fit your business’ needs.