$449 vs $69: What Lofty and Follow Up Boss Cost a 3-Agent Team
Lofty starts at $449/month. Follow Up Boss starts at $69/user/month. Those numbers are on every comparison blog already. They're also misleading. One bundles an IDX website, landing pages, and ad management into the base price. The other is a CRM, period, that assumes you'll bolt on everything else.
For a 3-agent team spending $1,000/month on ads, the real gap isn't $449 vs $207. It's closer to $709 vs $407 once you add what each platform leaves out. Here's how the actual bills break down, feature by feature, with the line items neither vendor puts on the pricing page.
TL;DR: Lofty's $449/month sticker hides a 20% ad management fee and $60/month AI add-on. Follow Up Boss's $69/user looks cheap until you add IDX and lead gen tools. For a 3-agent team on $1,000/month in ads, Lofty runs ~$709/month and FUB runs ~$407/month before ad spend. The right pick depends on whether you want one bill or one integration hub.
The Sticker Price Is the Wrong Number
Every CRM comparison starts with the monthly price tag, and for Lofty and Follow Up Boss, that comparison is almost useless because the two platforms sell fundamentally different things at different scopes. Lofty bundles CRM, IDX, ads, and landing pages into one bill. FUB sells a CRM and assumes you'll bolt on everything else from separate vendors. The monthly number only means something after you've added what each leaves out.
Lofty (formerly Chime) is an all-in-one platform. The $449/month core tier includes a CRM, an IDX website, 33+ lead source integrations, landing pages, and advertising management tools. It's designed so an agent or team can run their entire digital operation from one dashboard. The tradeoff: you pay for everything whether you use it or not, and several features carry extra charges that aren't in the $449 base.
Follow Up Boss is a CRM and nothing more. It tracks leads, routes them to agents, triggers follow-up sequences, and connects to over 200 lead providers via native integrations and an open API. At $69/user/month (or $58/user billed annually), it assumes you already have a website, already have lead sources, and just need a system to manage what comes in. That modularity means a lower base price but separate bills for everything else.
Comparing "$449 vs $69" is like comparing a truck payment to a sedan payment without mentioning the truck comes with a toolbox, rack, and commercial insurance bundled in. (Pricing data sourced from Luxury Presence's Lofty pricing analysis and SelectHub's CRM comparison, both current as of 2026.)
Robin Take: Neither platform publishes a clean apples-to-apples price because they aren't apples-to-apples products. If you want a fair comparison, build the total monthly bill for your specific team size and ad budget. The table in the next section does that for a 3-agent team.
What Each Dollar Buys: Feature-by-Feature Breakdown
Here's what's included in each platform's base price and what costs extra. Every price below is sourced from third-party estimates and vendor-published documentation as of September 2026. Lofty does not publish fixed pricing publicly, so figures marked with ~ are based on multiple third-party reports.
| Feature | Lofty (~$449/mo Core) | Follow Up Boss ($69/user/mo) |
|---|---|---|
| CRM + Lead Management | Included | Included |
| IDX Website | Included | Not included. Add iHomefinder ($60-100/mo) or similar. |
| Landing Pages | Included | Not included. Third-party builder needed. |
| Ad Management | Included, but 20% fee on ad spend (or $150/mo flat for budgets under $750) | Not included. Run ads directly or hire a marketer. |
| AI Follow-Up Agent | $60/month add-on (200 leads), +$30/month per additional 100 leads | Not included. Pair with Ylopo AI or Structurely ($0-199/mo). |
| Lead Source Integrations | 33+ native sources, Zapier for others | 200+ native integrations plus open API |
| Lead Routing | Round-robin, performance-based | Round-robin, first-claim, performance-based, zip-code |
| Setup Fee | $299-$1,499 (varies by configuration) | $0 |
| Per-User Pricing | Flat monthly fee (unlimited seats on Enterprise) | Per user. 3 agents = 3x the base price. |
Key difference: Lofty's $449 includes IDX, landing pages, and ad management. FUB's $69/user is CRM-only. You can't compare the sticker prices without adding what FUB requires you to buy elsewhere.
The integration gap is the biggest practical difference. Follow Up Boss connects natively to Zillow, Realtor.com, Google Ads, Facebook, BoomTown, and over 200 other sources out of the box. When a lead hits any of those, it's in FUB within seconds. Lofty supports 33+ sources natively and relies on Zapier for the rest. If your lead sources are mainstream, both work. If you run niche providers or custom funnels, FUB's open API gives you more room.
The Real Monthly Bill for a 3-Agent Team
Sticker prices don't pay rent. Here's what each platform actually costs a 3-agent team that spends $1,000/month on Facebook and Google ads. This is the scenario most small teams face: a team lead plus two buyer's agents, running paid lead gen and splitting the pipeline.
| Line Item | Lofty | Follow Up Boss |
|---|---|---|
| Base CRM | $449 | $207 (3 x $69) |
| IDX Website | $0 (included) | $80 (iHomefinder or similar) |
| AI Follow-Up (200 leads) | $60 | $0 (not available natively) |
| Ad Management Fee (20% of $1,000) | $200 | $0 (run ads yourself) |
| Landing Page Builder | $0 (included) | $50-120 (Leadpages, Unbounce, etc.) |
| Platform Total (before ads) | $709 | $337-$407 |
| Ad Spend | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Total Monthly Out-of-Pocket | $1,709 | $1,337-$1,407 |
3-agent team total: Lofty runs $1,709/month all-in vs FUB at $1,337-$1,407/month. The $302-$372 monthly gap narrows or vanishes if you'd otherwise hire someone to manage your ads.
Lofty costs $302-$372 more per month in this scenario. Over a year, that's $3,624-$4,464. But the comparison isn't done. Lofty's ad management is hands-off: the platform runs and optimizes your Facebook and Google campaigns inside the dashboard. With Follow Up Boss, someone on your team (or a contractor at $500-1,500/month) manages those campaigns. If you're already running ads yourself, FUB saves money. If you need someone to run them, Lofty's 20% fee might be cheaper than a freelance marketer.
The Costs That Don't Make the Pricing Page
Both platforms have costs that only show up after you've signed. Here's what to ask about before committing.
Lofty's hidden line items: Setup fees range from $299 to $1,499 depending on customization. That's a one-time hit, but for a team bootstrapping on commission income, it's a real cash-flow event. The AI Sales Agent sounds like a feature. It's an add-on at $60/month for 200 leads, and $30/month for each additional 100 leads. If your team generates 500 leads/month from ads, that's $150/month for AI follow-up alone. The 20% ad management fee also scales: at $2,000/month in ads, it's $400 in fees. At $5,000, it's $1,000.
Follow Up Boss's hidden line items: Zero setup fee, but you're building a stack. An IDX website runs $60-100/month. A landing page builder adds $50-120. If you want AI follow-up (which FUB doesn't offer natively), you'll pair it with something like Structurely or Ylopo AI Voice at $99-199/month. These integrations work well, but each one is another vendor, another login, and another invoice to reconcile.
The pattern: Lofty charges more upfront and bundles everything into one relationship. FUB charges less per piece but spreads your vendor count across 3-5 tools. Neither approach is wrong. But the team that picks Lofty thinking it's "all-inclusive" and the team that picks FUB thinking it's "cheap" are both in for a surprise when month two's bill arrives. For a broader look at how both platforms stack up against kvCORE, CINC, and Sierra Interactive, see our full CRM comparison guide.
Where Each Platform Wins and Loses
Lofty wins when your team doesn't have a technical member to manage ad platforms, build landing pages, or wire integrations. The all-in-one model means one support team, one training path, and one dashboard. For a team lead who wants to hand an agent a login and say "everything's in here," Lofty reduces the operational load. It also wins when you're scaling ad spend: the IDX website, landing pages, and ad management are already built in, so ramping from $1,000 to $5,000 in ads doesn't require new tools.
Follow Up Boss wins when your team already has lead sources, an IDX site, and someone comfortable running ads. FUB's 200+ native integrations mean it plays nicely with almost any tool you already own. It also wins on flexibility: if you switch from Zillow leads to Google PPC next quarter, FUB doesn't care. It routes leads from any source the same way. For teams that test new channels frequently, that adaptability matters more than bundled convenience.
Both lose when a solo agent tries to justify either one. Lofty's $449/month is a stretch for an agent closing 9 deals at $6,578 gross per deal (NAR 2026 Member Profile). Follow Up Boss at $69/month is more digestible, but a solo agent without lead sources is paying for a CRM with nothing to manage. Neither platform fixes the lead flow problem for an agent who doesn't have one yet. If lead sources are your bottleneck, our seller lead platform comparison covers where deals actually come from.
The Annual Cost Reality Check
For a 3-agent team on $1,000/month ad spend, here's the annual picture with setup costs amortized.
| Cost Category | Lofty (Year 1) | FUB (Year 1) |
|---|---|---|
| Platform + Add-Ons (12 months) | $8,508 | $4,044-$4,884 |
| Setup Fee | $299-$1,499 | $0 |
| Ad Spend | $12,000 | $12,000 |
| Year 1 Total | $20,807-$22,007 | $16,044-$16,884 |
The breakeven question: Lofty's $3,900-$5,900 annual premium over FUB equals roughly one additional closed deal at the NAR median ($6,578 gross). If Lofty's AI and ad management help your team close one deal FUB wouldn't have, it pays for itself.
The gap is $3,923-$5,963 in year one. To justify that gap, Lofty's bundled features need to either save you that much in contractor costs or generate enough additional conversions from better ad optimization and AI follow-up to close the difference. That's roughly one additional closed deal at the NAR median commission ($6,578 gross per deal). If Lofty's AI and ad management help your team close one deal that FUB's manual approach would have missed, it pays for itself.
FAQ
How much does Lofty CRM cost per month?
Lofty's base plan starts at approximately $449/month. This includes the CRM, IDX website, and landing pages. Add-ons include the AI Sales Agent at $60/month (200 leads) and a 20% fee on managed ad spend. Setup fees range from $299 to $1,499. Lofty does not publish fixed pricing publicly, so these are third-party estimates current as of September 2026.
How much does Follow Up Boss cost per month?
Follow Up Boss charges $69 per user per month (or $58/user billed annually). A 3-agent team pays $207/month on the monthly plan. There's no setup fee. FUB is a CRM only, so you'll need separate tools for IDX, landing pages, and ad management, which typically add $130-220/month for a small team.
Is Lofty or Follow Up Boss better for a solo agent?
For most solo agents, Follow Up Boss is the more practical choice. At $69/month vs Lofty's $449/month, the cost difference is hard to justify when you're closing the NAR median of 9 deals at $6,578 gross per deal. Lofty makes more sense for teams that need the bundled IDX site and ad management and want everything in one platform.
Does Lofty charge for AI features?
Yes. Lofty's AI Sales Agent is a paid add-on starting at $60/month for 200 leads. Each additional 100-lead increment costs $30/month. This is separate from the base CRM subscription.
Can Follow Up Boss integrate with my existing lead sources?
Follow Up Boss connects natively to over 200 real estate lead providers including Zillow, Realtor.com, Google, and Facebook. It also offers an open API for custom integrations. This is one of its strongest advantages over platforms with fewer native connections.
Which One Should Your Team Pick?
If your team has a working ad funnel, an IDX website, and someone who manages campaigns, Follow Up Boss saves $3,900-5,900/year and gives you more integration flexibility. If your team needs a done-for-you ad platform, doesn't want to manage multiple vendors, and values one-dashboard simplicity, Lofty's premium is buying you operational convenience that has a real dollar value.
The worst move is picking based on sticker price alone. Run the total-cost math for your team size, your ad budget, and the tools you'd need to bolt on. (If kvCORE is also on your shortlist, we did the same breakdown for BoldTrail/kvCORE pricing.) The cheapest CRM is the one that helps you close one more deal per quarter. If you're evaluating CRMs for your team, start a free RobinFlow evaluation to see how your current stack compares.