LionDesk vs Follow Up Boss: Which CRM Is Right for Real Estate Agents?

Choosing the right Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is one of the most critical decisions a real estate agent or team can make. Your CRM is the central hub for your entire business, managing leads, tracking deals, and automating follow-up. In the crowded market of real estate CRMs, the liondesk vs follow up boss debate is a common one. Both are powerful platforms, but they serve different needs and cater to different types of agents and teams.

LionDesk positions itself as an all-in-one solution, combining CRM functionalities with a suite of marketing tools at an accessible price point. In contrast, Follow Up Boss focuses on being the absolute best-in-class lead management and conversion platform, designed for serious agents and teams who want to optimize their sales pipeline through powerful integrations and automation. This guide provides a detailed comparison to help you decide which platform will best support your business goals.

Quick Summary

• Best for Affordability & All-in-One Features: LionDesk is the more budget-friendly option, offering a wide range of built-in tools like a power dialer, video texting, and landing page creation, making it ideal for individual agents or small teams starting out.
• Best for Teams & Lead Conversion: Follow Up Boss excels at lead routing, team management, and deep integration with over 200 other real estate tools. It's built for growing teams and top producers who need a powerful, specialized system to manage a high volume of leads.
• Core Philosophy Difference: Think of LionDesk as a versatile multi-tool that handles many jobs reasonably well. Follow Up Boss is more like a high-performance engine, designed to do one thing—convert leads into clients—with exceptional power and efficiency.
• Ease of Use: LionDesk generally has a simpler interface that is easier for new agents to learn. Follow Up Boss is more feature-rich, which can present a steeper learning curve but offers greater long-term scalability.

LionDesk vs Follow Up Boss: At a Glance

Before we dive deep, here’s a high-level look at how these two real estate CRMs stack up against each other.

Feature	LionDesk	Follow Up Boss
Primary Focus	All-in-one CRM & Marketing	Advanced Lead Management & Conversion
Ideal User	Individual Agents, Small Teams	Growing Teams, Top Producers, Brokerages
Pricing Model	More Affordable, Tiered Plans	Higher Price Point, Per-User Pricing
Power Dialer	Built-in	Built-in (on higher plans)
Text & Video Messaging	Built-in	Built-in Texting, No Native Video Text
Integrations	Good, but more limited	Excellent, 200+ native integrations
Team Features	Basic lead routing	Advanced lead routing & accountability
Ease of Use	Generally simpler	More complex, but powerful

What is LionDesk? An Introduction

LionDesk is a real estate CRM designed to be a comprehensive command center for an agent's business. Its core value proposition is providing a wide array of tools under one roof, reducing the need for multiple subscriptions to different software. It combines contact management, transaction management, and marketing automation into a single, affordable platform.

The platform's philosophy is accessibility and breadth of function. It aims to give agents everything they need to manage contacts, nurture leads, and close deals without a complicated or expensive tech stack. This includes features that are often expensive add-ons in other systems, such as a power dialer and the ability to send mass texts and video messages directly from the CRM.

Because of its focus on providing many features at a low cost, LionDesk is particularly popular among new agents, agents on a tight budget, and those who prefer a single system to manage their daily tasks rather than integrating several specialized tools.

What is Follow Up Boss? An Introduction

Follow Up Boss is a premium real estate CRM that is laser-focused on lead management and sales conversion. It doesn't try to be an all-in-one solution for marketing or transaction management. Instead, it aims to be the central nervous system of a real estate business, integrating deeply with the best tools on the market for lead generation, marketing, and more.

Its philosophy is depth over breadth. Follow Up Boss is built around speed-to-lead and rigorous follow-up systems. Features like advanced lead routing, sophisticated Smart Lists, and detailed team accountability reporting are designed to help teams and top agents convert more leads into appointments and, ultimately, closed deals. The platform acts as an aggregator, pulling in leads from Zillow, Realtor.com, Facebook, and hundreds of other sources into one unified inbox for immediate action.

This specialization makes Follow Up Boss the preferred choice for high-producing teams and brokerages that already have a set of marketing tools they love. They use Follow Up Boss to ensure that no lead ever falls through the cracks and that every agent on the team is performing at their peak.

Key Features of LionDesk

LionDesk's feature set is designed to provide maximum value and functionality in a single package. It's built to help you manage relationships and market your services without leaving the platform.

Contact Management and CRM

At its core, LionDesk offers solid contact management. You can import contacts, segment them into lists, and track all communications, including calls, texts, and emails. The system allows you to tag contacts, track their status in your pipeline, and set reminders for follow-up tasks. This forms the foundation upon which its other features are built.

Integrated Communications Suite

One of LionDesk's standout offerings is its communication toolkit. It includes a built-in power dialer that allows you to call through a list of contacts rapidly. The platform is also known for its bulk texting and video texting capabilities. Sending a personalized video via text can significantly increase engagement and is a feature not commonly found built into other CRMs at this price point.

Marketing Automation and Drip Campaigns

LionDesk allows you to create automated email and text message drip campaigns to nurture leads over time. You can set up campaigns for new leads, past clients, or specific segments of your database. These campaigns run automatically, ensuring consistent communication and helping you stay top-of-mind with your sphere of influence without manual effort.

Transaction Management

While not as advanced as dedicated platforms like Dotloop or SkySlope, LionDesk includes basic transaction management tools. You can create transaction plans, track key dates and deadlines, and manage documents associated with a deal. For agents who don't need a highly complex transaction system, this built-in functionality is a convenient bonus.

Key Features of Follow Up Boss

Follow Up Boss focuses on a narrower set of features but executes them with incredible depth and precision. Everything is geared towards lead response and conversion.

Centralized Lead Inbox

Follow Up Boss automatically pulls in leads from virtually any source—Zillow, your website, Facebook Ads, and over 200 others—into a single, unified inbox. This ensures that every new lead is captured in one place, ready for immediate follow-up. The system's speed in processing new leads is a major selling point, as speed-to-lead is a critical factor in conversion.

Advanced Lead Routing and Distribution

For teams, this is arguably Follow Up Boss's most powerful feature. You can create sophisticated rules to distribute leads to agents instantly. Leads can be routed based on price point, zip code, lead source, or in a round-robin fashion. It also includes a "First to Claim" option where a new lead is broadcast to a group of agents, and the first one to respond gets it, promoting fast response times.

Action Plans and Smart Lists

Action Plans are automated follow-up sequences that can include emails, texts, and tasks for the agent. They are more dynamic than simple drip campaigns. Smart Lists are a core part of the Follow Up Boss workflow; they are saved filters that automatically update in real time. An agent can have a Smart List for "New Leads Today" or "People to Call This Week," ensuring they always know exactly who to contact next.

Robust Team Management and Reporting

Follow Up Boss provides team leaders and brokers with deep insights into team performance. Dashboards show agent activity, call volume, response times, and conversion rates. This data-driven approach allows leaders to coach their agents effectively and hold them accountable for their follow-up activities.

Pro Tip: When evaluating CRMs, don't just look at the list of features. Consider the core workflow. Follow Up Boss is built around a daily workflow of clearing your inbox and working through your Smart Lists, which is a highly effective system for disciplined agents.

Pricing Comparison: LionDesk vs Follow Up Boss

Pricing is a significant factor in the liondesk vs followup boss decision, as the two platforms are positioned very differently in the market. Note: Pricing for software changes frequently. Always visit the official websites for the most current information.

LionDesk Pricing Structure

LionDesk is known for its affordability and straightforward pricing tiers. It typically offers several plans that build upon each other, making it accessible for agents at any stage of their career.

• Starter/Basic Plans: These plans are usually priced very competitively, often under $50 per month per user. They include the core CRM functionalities, email campaigns, and a limited number of texts. This is an excellent entry point for new agents.
• Pro/Advanced Plans: For a higher monthly fee, these plans unlock more advanced features, such as the power dialer, more text messages, video texting, and more complex automation. Even at its highest tier, LionDesk is generally more affordable than Follow Up Boss's team plans.

LionDesk's value is in the number of features you get for the price. It's an attractive option for those who want an all-in-one system without a hefty monthly bill.

Follow Up Boss Pricing Structure

Follow Up Boss operates on a premium pricing model, reflecting its specialized focus and powerful feature set. Pricing is per user, which can add up for larger teams.

• Grow Plan: This is the entry-level plan, often geared towards individual agents or small teams. It includes the core lead management system, Action Plans, and the mobile app. It's typically priced higher than LionDesk's entry-level plan.
• Pro Plan: This is the most popular plan for teams. It adds advanced lead routing, more robust reporting, and the team inbox features. The price is significantly higher per user than the Grow plan.
• Platform Plan: Aimed at large teams and brokerages, this plan offers the highest level of customization, API access, and dedicated support.

While more expensive, Follow Up Boss justifies its cost through its potential to increase a team's conversion rate. Teams that invest in Follow Up Boss are betting that its superior lead management system will generate a return far exceeding the monthly subscription cost.

User Interface and Experience (UI/UX)

The day-to-day usability of a CRM can make or break its effectiveness. A clunky interface leads to poor adoption, while an intuitive one encourages daily use.

LionDesk's User Experience

LionDesk's interface is generally considered straightforward and relatively easy to navigate. The dashboard provides a quick overview of tasks, new leads, and communications. Because it tries to do so much, some users find that certain features can feel less polished than a dedicated tool, but the overall experience is designed for simplicity.

New users can typically get up and running with the basic contact management and email campaign features fairly quickly. The learning curve is gentler, which is a major plus for agents who are not particularly tech-savvy or who don't have time for extensive training.

Follow Up Boss's User Experience

Follow Up Boss boasts a clean, modern, and highly functional interface designed for speed. The layout is centered around the inbox and Smart Lists, guiding agents to their most important tasks immediately upon logging in. The contact records are rich with information, showing a complete timeline of every touchpoint, website visit, and note.

While the interface is clean, mastering all its capabilities—like building complex Action Plans or lead routing rules—can take time. However, the platform is designed to be powerful out of the box. The mobile app is also a highlight, offering full functionality on the go, which is essential for busy real estate agents.

Integrations and Compatibility

No CRM exists in a vacuum. Its ability to connect with other tools in your tech stack is crucial for creating a seamless workflow.

For many agents, the quality of integrations is the deciding factor in a liondesk comparison. Follow Up Boss is the undisputed leader in this category. It's built on an open API and offers native integrations with over 200 real estate platforms, including all major lead sources (Zillow, Realtor.com, etc.), transaction management systems (Dotloop, SkySlope), and marketing tools. Its Zapier integration further extends its reach to thousands of other apps.

LionDesk also offers a good number of integrations, including Zapier. It can connect to major lead sources and other essential tools. However, its library of native integrations is not as extensive as Follow Up Boss's. If your business relies on a wide variety of specialized tools, Follow Up Boss's superior integration capabilities will be a significant advantage.

Performance and Reliability

Both LionDesk and Follow Up Boss are established cloud-based platforms with a strong track record of reliability. They provide the uptime and performance expected of a modern SaaS product. However, users sometimes report differences in speed, particularly when dealing with large databases.

Follow Up Boss is often praised for its speed and responsiveness. The platform is engineered to handle high volumes of leads and data without lag, which is critical when responding to new inquiries. LionDesk is also generally reliable, but as an all-in-one platform, some of its modules may not feel as snappy as the hyper-specialized components of Follow Up Boss.

Customer Support and Resources

When you're running your business on a platform, access to quality support is non-negotiable.

Follow Up Boss is well-regarded for its customer support, which is available seven days a week via phone and email. Their support team is based in the US and is known for being knowledgeable and responsive. They also offer extensive documentation, webinars, and training resources.

LionDesk also provides customer support through various channels, including live chat and email. They have a comprehensive help center with articles and video tutorials to guide users. While their support is generally considered good, the 7-day phone support offered by Follow Up Boss is a premium feature that many users value highly.

Use Cases and Target Audience: Who Is It For?

Understanding the ideal user for each platform is the key to making the right choice.

Who Should Choose LionDesk?

• New Real Estate Agents: If you're just starting, LionDesk provides all the essential tools you need at a price that won't break the bank.
• Individual Agents on a Budget: For solo agents who need a powerful CRM with marketing tools included, LionDesk offers incredible value.
• Agents Who Prefer Simplicity: If you want one system to log into for most of your daily tasks and prefer a simpler interface, LionDesk is a great fit.

Who Should Choose Follow Up Boss?

• Growing Real Estate Teams: Follow Up Boss is built from the ground up for teams. Its lead routing, agent accountability, and collaboration features are second to none.
• Top-Producing Agents: High-volume agents who manage hundreds of leads from various sources will benefit from FUB's powerful organization and follow-up systems.
• Tech-Savvy Agents and Teams: If you use a variety of best-in-class tools for marketing, lead generation, and transactions, Follow Up Boss will serve as the perfect hub to tie them all together.

Pros and Cons of LionDesk

Pros

• Affordability: One of the most cost-effective yet feature-rich CRMs on the market.
• All-in-One Platform: Includes a power dialer, texting, video messaging, and email marketing in one package.
• Ease of Use: A gentler learning curve makes it accessible for agents of all tech levels.
• Video Texting: A unique and powerful feature for building personal connections with leads.

Cons

• Limited Integrations: While it has key integrations, its ecosystem is not as vast as Follow Up Boss's.
• Less Advanced Team Features: The team management and lead routing tools are not as sophisticated.
• Jack of All Trades, Master of None: Some users feel that while it does many things, some individual features lack the depth of specialized tools.

Pros and Cons of Follow Up Boss

Pros

• Superior Lead Management: Unmatched capabilities for capturing, routing, and tracking leads.
• Excellent Integrations: Seamlessly connects with over 200 other real estate technology platforms.
• Powerful Team Functionality: The best choice for managing and growing a real estate team.
• Clean and Fast Interface: Designed for efficiency and a smooth user experience.

Cons

• Higher Cost: It is a premium product with a price tag to match, especially for teams.
• Focused Feature Set: It is not an all-in-one solution. You will need other tools for marketing and transaction management.
• Steeper Learning Curve: Unlocking its full potential requires an investment in learning the system.

User Reviews and Testimonials

A follow up boss review often highlights its impact on team productivity and conversion rates. Team leaders praise the accountability features, and agents love how Smart Lists organize their day. A common sentiment is that while it's expensive, the return on investment from closing more deals makes it worthwhile.

Conversely, a liondesk comparison or review frequently emphasizes its value. Agents appreciate getting so many tools for a low monthly price. One Reddit user in the r/realtors community noted that after years with LionDesk, the main reason for considering a switch was the need for more robust team features as their business grew, highlighting the different stages each CRM serves.

Pro Tip: When reading reviews, pay attention to the reviewer's business size and structure. A solo agent's needs are very different from a 20-person team's, and their reviews will reflect that.

FAQ: LionDesk vs Follow Up Boss

Here are answers to some common questions people ask when comparing these two platforms.

Is Follow Up Boss owned by Zillow?

Yes, as of late 2023, Follow Up Boss was acquired by Zillow Group. However, the company continues to operate as an independent brand, and its platform remains open, integrating with all lead sources, including Zillow's competitors.

Is Follow Up Boss a lead generator?

No, Follow Up Boss is not a lead generator. It is a lead management and conversion system. Its function is to capture the leads you generate from other sources (like your website, Zillow, Facebook Ads, etc.) and provide you with the tools to nurture and convert them into clients.

How much is Follow Up Boss for one person?

Follow Up Boss offers a plan called "Grow," which is designed for individual agents or very small teams. While the price can change, it is their entry-level offering. You should visit their official pricing page for the most current cost.

Does Follow Up Boss give you a phone number?

Yes, Follow Up Boss provides users with a company phone number that can be used for calls and texts. On higher-tier plans, they also offer "Smart Numbers," which are additional phone numbers you can use to track the ROI from different marketing channels.

Conclusion: Which is Right for You?

In the liondesk vs follow up boss matchup, there is no single winner—only the right choice for your specific business needs. The decision comes down to your priorities, budget, and business model.

If you are an individual agent, part of a small team, or just starting your real estate career, LionDesk is an incredibly compelling option. It provides a vast toolkit of CRM and marketing features at a price that is hard to beat. Its all-in-one nature simplifies your tech stack and allows you to manage your entire business from one place.

If you are a growing team, a top producer, or a brokerage focused on maximizing lead conversion, Follow Up Boss is the clear choice. It is a premium, specialized tool designed to execute one job—turning leads into transactions—with unparalleled excellence. Its investment cost is higher, but for teams operating at scale, its powerful automation, routing, and reporting features can deliver a massive return.

Evaluate where your business is today and where you want it to be in the next few years. Your answer will point you to the CRM that will help you get there.