Follow Up Boss vs Lofty (2026): Pricing, Features and Which Fits Your Team

Follow Up Boss vs Lofty: the real difference (open CRM vs all‑in‑one platform)

Follow Up Boss vs Lofty is really a choice between an open CRM you plug your tools into and an all-in-one platform that brings its own website and lead gen.

Follow Up Boss (FUB) is the hub you plug your own appliances into. Lofty is the furnished apartment where the website, CRM, automation, and a lot of the “lead flow” pieces come pre-selected.

There’s also a practical difference that matters the second you try to budget. Follow Up Boss publishes pricing publicly, while Lofty is quote-based, so your “real price” depends on package, seats, and any upgrades you bundle.

This guide covers pricing, what’s included vs extra, and how lead flow changes depending on whether you’re team-led, agent-led, or brokerage-led. It also includes a decision checklist you can take into demos.

Most people searching “follow up boss or lofty” want three things: what each costs, what you actually get for that money, and which one fits the way your leads come in today.

Pricing and packaging can change, even mid-year. I’ll cite the verification date later, and it’s still smart to confirm on the official pricing pages before you commit.

Quick answer: Follow Up Boss vs Lofty in 2026

Follow Up Boss (quick pick)

Pick Follow Up Boss if you want an open CRM with fast lead response, a clean inbox workflow, and lots of integrations so you can keep your existing website and lead sources. Pricing is published, there’s a 14-day free trial, and there are no contracts.

Pick it if:

• You already have lead sources (portals, PPC, referrals) and want to connect them
• You want a simple, team-friendly CRM that integrates with everything
• You like transparent pricing: Grow from $58 per user/month billed annually ($69 billed monthly), and Pro $416/month billed annually for 10 users

Lofty (quick pick)

Pick Lofty if you want fewer vendors: an all-in-one suite where the IDX website + CRM + Smart Plans automation are included in every package, and you can also add Lofty’s built-in lead gen options if that’s part of your plan. Pricing is quote-based with four packages: Lofty Agent, Team, Broker, Enterprise.

Pick it if:

• You want your website/IDX, CRM, and automation under one roof
• You’d rather bundle features (and onboarding) in one agreement than stitch tools together
• You’re fine getting a quote to understand the real monthly cost for your seat count and add-ons

Prices verified on Follow Up Boss’s and Lofty’s official pricing pages on October 12, 2026.

Some links here may earn ToolPickGuide a commission. It never changes our verdict. Why we disclose: the FTC’s endorsement guidance.

Follow Up Boss vs Lofty at a glance

A few things this table doesn’t show:

• Quote pricing can bundle add-ons that would be separate line items elsewhere.
• FUB costs tend to scale “cleanly” per user, but calling/texting choices can change totals fast.
• Your lead sources matter more than feature checklists. A portal-heavy team has different needs than a sphere-heavy team.
• Website control is an operational issue, not just a marketing issue. Ownership, edits, SEO access, and landing page speed all matter.
• The best demo is a live lead-flow run: capture a lead, route it, trigger automation, and measure time-to-first-touch.

Follow Up Boss vs Lofty pricing in 2026

Pricing in this category gets confusing because vendors mix different billing models. Some charge per user, others bundle seats, and then you’ve got dialers, texting, websites/IDX, onboarding, and lead gen layered on top.

The goal here is simple: compare what you can verify publicly (Follow Up Boss) versus what you can only know after a quote call (Lofty). If you walk away with one mindset, it’s this: total cost equals software plus phone/text, plus website/IDX, plus lead sources, plus onboarding and training time.

A CRM that looks cheaper on paper can cost more once you add the tools you actually need. A bundle that looks expensive can be reasonable if it replaces three other vendors you’re paying today.

Follow Up Boss pricing in 2026: Grow, Pro and Platform

Follow Up Boss publishes pricing and add-ons on its pricing page. All plans are no contracts, you can cancel anytime, and the free trial is 14 days.

Here are the anchor prices (plus tax, where applicable):

Grow

• $69 per user/month billed monthly
• $58 per user/month billed annually — Follow Up Boss notes annual billing includes 2 months free
• Calling add-on: $39 per user/month billed monthly or $33 per user/month billed annually

Pro

• $499/month billed monthly, includes up to 10 users
• $416/month billed annually, includes up to 10 users
• Additional users: $49/month as listed on the pricing page
• Includes unlimited calling and texting

Platform

• $1,000/month billed monthly, up to 30 users
• $833/month billed annually, up to 30 users
• Includes unlimited calling and texting

Pro only beats per-user pricing if you actually use most of those 10 seats. With calling, Pro costs less than Grow + Calling from 5 users: 5 × $91 = $455 a month on Grow + Calling billed annually, versus $416 for Pro.

What to research or confirm before buying

• Whether you need the Calling add-on on Grow — you probably do if you want your team living in one inbox for calls and texts
• Texting details when calling is enabled, including compliance, usage policies, and any packaging
• How extra phone numbers are handled if you use multiple brands, ISAs, or location-based routing
• Premium onboarding or migration assistance options
• AI feature scope and whether any AI workflows require calling data — the pricing page notes AI features are included, and the calling add-on can affect what data is available on Grow

What to ask sales or support before you buy

• What are the seat rules for Grow, and how does billing behave if seats change mid-cycle?
• What exactly is included with calling and texting on your plan?
• If you’re moving from another system, what migration help is included versus optional?
• Are there limits or fair-use rules tied to unlimited calling and texting on Pro and Platform?
• How quickly can they help you connect your lead sources and validate routing?

Source: Follow Up Boss pricing page (checked October 12, 2026)

Lofty pricing: why you have to ask for a quote

Lofty lists packages, inclusions, and add-ons publicly, but subscription pricing is “Request Pricing.” That means you can’t do a perfect apples-to-apples comparison without a quote.

Source: Lofty price packages (checked October 12, 2026)

Lofty’s four packages are:

• Lofty Agent
• Lofty Team
• Lofty Broker
• Lofty Enterprise

What Lofty states is included in every package:

• IDX website (fully customizable)
• CRM with Smart Plans automation
• Basic dialer (Power Dialer is an add-on)
• Advanced lead routing
• Mass texting (extra text packages are add-ons)
• AI features (Cowork AI assistant and more)
• Support by phone 7 days a week (8am–8pm ET)

Lofty also notes package-dependent items:

• Only Team and higher include one-on-one onboarding and training sessions
• Only Enterprise adds SSO, white label branding options, customizable organizational structure

Lofty’s quote approach makes sense if you view Lofty as a bundle. The “platform” is the base, but your real cost depends on seats, lead routing needs, dialer upgrades, onboarding level, and whether you’re also buying lead gen programs.

Neither tool replaces contracts-to-close paperwork. If you also need that, compare dedicated real estate transaction management software as well.

A simple framework to compare quotes apples-to-apples:

• Number of users (today, and in 12 months)
• Number of websites and who they’re for (agent sites, team site, brokerage site)
• IDX coverage and who maintains the site (your team vs Lofty)
• Dialer and texting: what’s included vs what’s an add-on
• Onboarding: included sessions, timeline, and who owns implementation
• Contract length and any implementation or migration fees
• Lead gen programs (if any): what’s management vs ad spend, and what’s optional

Lofty lists lead gen terms publicly, including that digital-advertising lead gen has a standard ad management fee of 20%. That’s not your total lead gen cost, but it’s an important line item to understand.

What to ask on the quote call:

• Base platform fee and whether pricing changes by package (Agent vs Team vs Broker vs Enterprise)
• Any per-user fees and what seat count is included in the base
• Website/IDX: what’s included, what costs extra, and what happens if you already have a site
• Dialer cost details and the Power Dialer add-on
• Mass texting and what triggers extra text packages
• Lead routing specifics: round robin, first-to-claim, lender routing, reassignment rules
• Permissions/roles by package (especially if you have ISAs, admins, agents, lenders)
• Data migration scope and timeline
• Support expectations and any SLA language (especially if you’re a brokerage)

Features compared: what you get for the money

If you strip away the marketing language, both tools are trying to solve the same three problems:

1. respond to leads quickly, 2) follow up consistently, and 3) create accountability so deals don’t leak.

The trap is thinking the winner is the one with the longer feature list. In practice, the winner is the one that matches your lead flow and your team’s habits, because adoption beats capability every time.

With that framing, here’s where the differences show up in day-to-day operations.

Lead capture and routing

Follow Up Boss angle: FUB is designed to connect to lots of sources and normalize everything into one place. If your leads come from portals, PPC forms, sign calls, website forms, and random spreadsheets your lender swears are “hot,” the open approach is the point.

FUB also leans into customization: connect your lead sources, then use custom lead distribution and workflow rules. That’s why teams that already have a marketing stack tend to like it.

Lofty angle: Lofty can integrate too, but its biggest draw is that the platform can include your website/IDX and lead gen options. You’re not just connecting lead sources, you’re often choosing to generate and route leads inside the same system.

Here are three common “stacks,” and how the choice usually plays out.

Stack 1: Zillow/Realtor.com heavy

• FUB tends to win when you already buy portal leads and you mainly need speed-to-lead, routing, and a tight inbox for calls/texts.
• Lofty can still work, but the built-in website is less central if portals are your main engine, so you’re paying for a bundle you may not fully use.

Stack 2: PPC + ISA team

• Lofty can be attractive if your PPC funnels, landing pages, and routing are designed to live inside one platform, especially when you want automation tied directly to the website behavior.
• FUB is strong if you’re running PPC through your own landing page tools and you want your ISA workflows to live in a flexible CRM with integrations.

Stack 3: Sphere/referrals + open houses

• FUB fits when your “lead gen” is people and events, and you need a clean system to track conversations, tasks, and accountability.
• Lofty fits when you also want the platform to power listing alerts, homeowner capture, and consistent nurture tied to the website.

For more insights on effective lead generation and routing, consider exploring best practices in this area.

Decision cue: if you already have lead sources and tools you like, an open CRM tends to win. If you want one vendor to supply more pieces of the machine, the all-in-one approach tends to win.

See the full list in the Follow Up Boss integrations directory.

Websites, IDX and lead generation

This is one of the most decisive differences.

Follow Up Boss: you typically connect your own website/IDX. That could be WordPress, a custom site, or a website platform you already use. The upside is freedom and control. The downside is you have more vendors, more logins, and more chances for “the form broke and nobody noticed.”

Lofty: Lofty includes an IDX website in every package. If you want speed-to-launch and fewer moving parts, that’s a real operational benefit. It’s also a single throat to choke when you need support.

Practical implications to think through before you choose:

• Who owns the site (and what happens if you leave)?
• Who makes edits and how fast can changes ship?
• SEO control: access to metadata, redirects, blog strategy, and site performance
• Landing pages: how quickly can you build and test funnels?
• Tracking: are attribution and source tags consistent from website to CRM?
• Handoff: does “site activity” translate into tasks and follow-up automatically, or does someone still need to babysit it?

Decision cue: if you don’t have a strong website vendor (or you’re tired of managing one), Lofty’s “website included” can be a relief. If you already have a site you like and a marketing process built around it, FUB’s flexibility is usually the safer move.

Follow-up automation: Action Plans vs Smart Plans

Automation matters when you’re busy, not when you’re setting up the CRM. The goal is simple: no lead falls through cracks, and the right tasks show up for the right person at the right time.

What matters in real life

• speed-to-lead for inbound inquiries
• multi-touch sequences (calls, texts, emails, tasks)
• reassignment rules if nobody responds
• stop conditions when a lead replies or books
• clean handoffs when a lead changes status or stage

Follow Up Boss: FUB uses Action Plans (automated follow-up) tied to the CRM workflow. Teams like it because it’s straightforward: lead comes in, assign it, apply an action plan, and the CRM becomes the accountability layer.

In an open-CRM world, “automation” is often intentionally lean. You keep it simple, and if you need extra horsepower, you add best-of-breed tools around it.

Lofty: Lofty includes Smart Plans automation in every package. The big advantage is that Smart Plans can feel more “platform-wide” because Lofty is also where your website and routing can live, not just your contact records.

Here are three sequences that most teams should have, regardless of tool.

Sequence 1: New internet lead (the first minutes)

• Immediate assignment and notification
• A call task now, plus follow-up tasks if no contact
• Text + email cadence that stops when you get a real response
• A clear rule for what happens if the agent doesn’t respond

Sequence 2: Open house follow-up

• Fast first touch while they’re still in “today mode”
• A short sequence over the following days
• A longer nurture plan if they’re not ready
• A status change that tells the team “this lead is real” vs “this was a looky-loo”

Sequence 3: Past client nurture

• Light touchpoints that don’t feel like spam
• Home anniversary, check-ins, and review prompts
• A reactivation plan if they click or reply

Decision cue: If you want deeper automation tied closely to Lofty’s website and routing, Lofty may feel smoother. If you want lean automation and the flexibility to bolt on other tools, FUB usually fits better. However, for those exploring options in the realm of real estate client management software, it’s worth considering the best client management software for real estate, which could provide additional insights and alternatives.

Calling and texting: what’s included and what’s an add-on

Calling and texting are where “CRM pricing” turns into “actual spend.”

Here are the required comparison points, stated plainly:

• Follow Up Boss: calling is a paid add-on on Grow; calling/texting are unlimited on Pro and Platform
• Lofty: a basic dialer is included in every package; Power Dialer is an add-on

“Unlimited” typically comes with fair-use expectations and carrier compliance realities. It doesn’t mean you can spam people all day without consequences, so confirm the terms that apply to your plan and your use case.

When power dialers matter:

• ISA teams running prospecting blocks
• teams doing high outbound volume on cold and warm lists
• operations where “dials per hour” is a tracked KPI

When a basic dialer is enough:

• sphere and referral businesses
• smaller teams that mainly respond to inbound leads
• agents who call but aren’t running heavy outbound campaigns

Decision cue: if outbound calling volume is central to your model, compare add-ons carefully and ask for the total monthly cost per seat, not just the base platform.

Team accountability: round robin, first-to-claim and visibility

This is where CRMs either save your business or quietly cost you money.

What teams usually need:

• speed rules (who must respond, by when)
• ownership logic (round robin vs first-to-claim vs priority routing)
• reassignment rules when a lead isn’t touched
• stage-based routing (ISA qualifies, agent closes)
• lender/partner routing when you co-market or share leads

Open CRM approach (FUB style): you typically handle routing through CRM rules plus integrations. That works well when your lead sources are varied and you want one consistent system to control assignment and follow-up.

All-in-one approach (Lofty style): routing can be tightly tied to Lofty’s website, lead forms, and lead gen programs. That’s useful when you want fewer moving parts and you’re comfortable standardizing around one vendor’s way of doing things.

What to validate in a demo, no matter which platform you’re leaning toward:

1. create a lead
2. route it to the right person
3. confirm the automation triggers correctly
4. confirm the agent can respond by call/text/email quickly
5. confirm reporting shows time-to-first-touch and activity history

Accountability features to look for:

• response time reporting by agent
• activity tracking you can trust
• reminders that don’t get ignored
• pipeline hygiene visibility (stages and next actions aren’t optional)

AI features

AI can help, but only if it’s plugged into your real communication history. A summary that doesn’t understand your last five conversations is just a nicer-looking blank page.

Follow Up Boss AI (as listed on its pricing page)

• Smart summaries
• Smart messages
• Suggested tasks
• Predictive lead prioritization
• Included at no extra charge

One nuance worth noting: many AI-driven insights are more valuable when calls and texts happen inside the system. On Grow, calling is a paid add-on, so confirm what AI features rely on calling data versus what works regardless.

Lofty AI (as listed on its packages page)

• Lofty Cowork
• AI task prioritization
• Custom AI agents
• Scheduled AI tasks
• AI agent library
• AI lead scoring

Lofty also lists add-on AI agents with no published price: Sales Agent, Social Agent, and Homeowner Agent.

Bottom line: FUB adds AI to the CRM you already run. Lofty builds AI across the whole platform, including the website and automation side.

What Follow Up Boss costs in year one (team scenarios)

These scenarios keep the math honest by using only published Follow Up Boss numbers. For Lofty, the right move is to treat these as a quote checklist, not a price comparison.

Scenario A: Solo agent (1 user)

Reality check: confirm the seat rules for Grow with Follow Up Boss before you sign, since a solo agent pays per user.

Follow Up Boss (Grow)

• Annual billing: $58 per user/month
• Monthly billing: $69 per user/month
• Calling add-on (if you want calling/texting inside FUB on Grow): $33 per user/month billed annually or $39 per user/month billed monthly

Lofty (Agent) — Request a quote that clearly states:

• What “Agent” includes for website/IDX and CRM
• Whether there are any user limits or add-ons you’ll need for calling/texting
• Whether onboarding is included at the Agent level (Lofty notes one-on-one onboarding is Team+)

When this scenario points to Lofty: you want an IDX site included, you don’t want to manage vendors, and you’re fine with quote pricing.

Scenario B: Small team (5 users)

Follow Up Boss (Grow)

• Annual billing software: 5 × $58 per user/month
• Monthly billing software: 5 × $69 per user/month
• Calling add-on (if needed): add 5 × $33 (annual) or 5 × $39 (monthly)

Follow Up Boss (Pro) Pro includes up to 10 users, so a 5-person team might still choose Pro if they want the bundle benefits like unlimited calling/texting. The anchor price is published:

• $416/month billed annually (up to 10 users)
• $499/month billed monthly (up to 10 users)

At 5 users, Pro can look like “unused capacity,” but it may still be operationally cleaner if your calling/texting volume matters.

Lofty (Team) Your quote questions should focus on:

• total seat count included and any per-seat fees
• website/IDX scope (team site only vs agent sites too)
• Power Dialer add-on cost if you prospect
• onboarding sessions included (Lofty indicates one-on-one onboarding is Team+)

Scenario C: Team of 10

Follow Up Boss (Pro, published anchor)

• $416/month billed annually for up to 10 users
• Or $499/month billed monthly for up to 10 users
• Includes unlimited calling and texting

This is the cleanest published benchmark because it’s explicitly packaged for a 10-person team.

Follow Up Boss (Grow) Grow at 10 users is simple to calculate, but don’t forget calling if you need it:

• Software: 10 × $58 annual or 10 × $69 monthly
• Calling add-on (if needed): 10 × $33 annual or 10 × $39 monthly

Lofty (Team or Broker) Quote checklist for teams at 10:

• seat count pricing and what’s included
• advanced routing and roles/permissions for ISA vs agent vs admin
• websites included (team site, agent sites, or brokerage structure)
• onboarding and implementation timeline
• any contract term requirements

Bring this to the demo call (either vendor)

• Seat count now and in 12 months
• Lead sources (portals, PPC, open houses, referrals) and which ones must be connected first
• Do you need an IDX website included, or are you keeping your current one?
• Calling volume: inbound-only vs heavy outbound
• Automation complexity: simple “new lead” plans vs multi-stage ISA workflows
• Reporting needs: response time, source ROI, pipeline hygiene

Who should pick Follow Up Boss, who should pick Lofty

Here are four common setups that cover most teams I see choosing between these two.

Setup 1: You already have a website and you like your lead sources

You’re buying leads from portals, running PPC through your own funnels, or you have a site that already performs. You don’t want to rebuild everything just to switch CRMs.

Recommendation: Pick Follow Up Boss.

Double-check pricing for: Grow vs Pro based on whether you want calling/texting inside FUB and how many seats you’ll have.

Setup 2: You want one vendor to own your website, CRM, and automation

You’re tired of the “it’s the other vendor’s fault” support loop. You want one place for IDX, forms, routing, and follow-up logic.

Recommendation: Pick Lofty.

Double-check pricing for: seat counts, websites included, Power Dialer add-on, and what onboarding you get at your package level.

Setup 3: You run an ISA-heavy team and you care about speed and accountability

You live and die by response time, dials, and activity standards. Your CRM is more like a call center control panel than a contact list.

Recommendation: Start with Follow Up Boss if you want an open workflow that integrates widely, or Lofty if you want routing and automation tightly connected to the website and Lofty lead gen programs.

Double-check pricing for: calling/texting details, dialer upgrades, and reporting that proves time-to-first-touch and activity per agent.

Setup 4: You’re a small brokerage that needs structure, roles, and consistency

You’re managing agents, compliance-ish processes, and you need permissions that match how your org actually works.

Recommendation: Lean Lofty if you want the all-in-one standardization and higher-tier org options, or Follow Up Boss Platform if you want a scalable open hub and you already have your web stack handled.

Double-check pricing for: roles/permissions, SSO needs (Lofty Enterprise), migration support, and implementation timelines.

Don’t mess this up: 5 tips before you switch

Switching systems isn’t just a subscription change. The real cost is implementation time, data cleanup, team adoption, and the leads you miss while everyone relearns the basics.

1) Don’t migrate a mess and expect a clean CRM

Export and clean your data before it touches the new system:

• contacts/leads
• tags and categories
• notes and conversation history
• tasks and reminders
• custom fields you actually use

If you carry over junk, you’ll train your team to ignore the CRM again.

2) Map stages first, then rebuild automation

Stages are your operating system. If your stages are unclear, your reports won’t mean anything and your automation won’t fire correctly.

Do this in order:

1. define stages and what “done” means in each stage
2. rebuild automations (Action Plans or Smart Plans) tied to those stages
3. confirm stop conditions, reassignment rules, and ownership changes

3) Connect lead sources early and test routing like a skeptic

The biggest failure mode in CRM switches is thinking the integration is “fine” because it connected once.

Before you go live:

• connect every lead source you use
• send test leads from each source
• confirm source attribution
• confirm routing rules
• confirm automation triggers
• confirm an agent can respond by call/text/email immediately

If anything breaks, fix it before the team touches production leads.

4) Assign an internal owner or adoption will drift

CRMs don’t fail because the software is bad. They fail because nobody owns the weekly rhythm.

Pick one person (team lead, ops manager, admin) to own:

• user setup and permissions
• routing rules and changes
• automation edits
• weekly reporting
• training new agents and refreshing standards

Then run a simple cadence: weekly pipeline review, response-time review, and “no next task” cleanup.

5) Ask both vendors for an implementation plan, not just a demo

A demo shows what’s possible. An implementation plan shows what will actually happen.

What to request from both vendors:

• a written implementation timeline
• migration assistance scope (what they do vs what you do)
• training plan (live sessions, recordings, office hours)
• best-practice templates for teams like yours (ISA teams, portal-heavy, sphere-heavy)
• support process and expected response times during launch week

Sources (official pages used for verification)

• Follow Up Boss pricing: https://www.followupboss.com/pricing
• Follow Up Boss integrations: https://www.followupboss.com/integrations
• Lofty packages and add-ons: https://lofty.com/price-packages

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

What is the main difference between Follow Up Boss and Lofty?

Follow Up Boss is an open CRM that allows you to plug in your own tools and lead sources, while Lofty is an all-in-one platform that includes its own IDX website, CRM, automation, and built-in lead generation options.

How does pricing differ between Follow Up Boss and Lofty?

Follow Up Boss offers published pricing with clear packages like Grow starting at $58 per user/month billed annually, whereas Lofty’s pricing is quote-based and depends on package, seat count, and any add-ons or upgrades you bundle.

Which platform is better for teams that already have existing lead sources?

Follow Up Boss is ideal if you already have lead sources like portals, PPC, or referrals and want a flexible CRM that integrates with these existing tools.

Does Lofty include website and IDX in its packages?

Yes, every Lofty package includes an IDX website along with CRM and Smart Plans automation, providing an all-in-one solution under one roof.

What kind of support can users expect from both platforms?

Both Follow Up Boss and Lofty offer phone support seven days a week from 8am to 8pm ET. Additionally, Lofty provides one-on-one onboarding and training sessions starting from their Team package.

How important is lead source type when choosing between Follow Up Boss and Lofty?

Your lead sources greatly influence which platform fits best; portal-heavy teams might prefer the bundling of features in Lofty, while sphere-heavy or teams with diverse lead sources may benefit more from Follow Up Boss’s open integration ecosystem.