Lofty (formerly Chime) has earned a real following in real estate tech circles over the past few years. If you've been researching CRM platforms, you've probably seen it mentioned alongside Follow Up Boss, Sierra Interactive, and kvCORE. But what does it actually do well, where does it fall short, and what does it cost?
This review covers the core features, pricing, and how Lofty stacks up for individual agents and teams heading into 2026.
What Is Lofty CRM?
Lofty is a real estate-specific CRM that combines lead management, IDX website functionality, marketing automation, and AI-powered tools in one platform. The idea is to help agents capture leads, nurture them over time, and manage their pipeline without bouncing between five different tools.
The platform rebranded from Chime to Lofty in 2023 and has continued building out its AI capabilities since then — automated follow-up, predictive lead scoring, and smart action plans that adapt based on how contacts behave on your site.
Core Features
Lead Management and Pipeline
Lofty's pipeline view is visual and stage-based. You can move leads through custom stages, assign follow-up tasks, and quickly see who needs attention. The AI assistant flags leads that have gone cold or recently picked up activity on your IDX site.
Smart plans — Lofty's version of automated action plans — let you build sequences of texts, emails, and tasks that trigger based on lead source, behavior, or pipeline stage. This is one of the stronger automation features in the platform and one of the main reasons teams gravitate toward it.
IDX Website
Every Lofty subscription includes an IDX-enabled website. Listings pull directly from your MLS, and the site tracks visitor behavior, feeding that data back into the CRM. If a lead keeps searching three-bedroom homes in a specific zip code, that shows up in their contact record.
The sites are functional and mobile-responsive. They're not as visually flexible as a fully custom-built site, but for most agents, they get the job done.
AI Tools
Lofty has leaned heavily into AI. The assistant can draft follow-up messages, suggest optimal outreach timing, and score leads based on engagement signals. There's also an AI-powered dialer and automated text responses for inbound leads.
These features are genuinely useful, though the quality of AI-drafted messages varies. Most agents treat them as a starting point and edit from there rather than sending as-is.
Team and Collaboration Features
This is where Lofty really earns its reputation. Lead routing rules, agent performance dashboards, shared pipelines, round-robin or custom assignment logic, conversion tracking across the team — it's all there. Solo agents can use Lofty effectively, but the platform is clearly built with teams in mind.
Lofty CRM Pricing in 2026
Lofty doesn't publish a clean pricing table, which frustrates a lot of agents during the evaluation process. Plans are tiered by team size and features, and the actual numbers typically come out during a demo or sales call.
Based on widely reported figures, individual agent plans generally run $300 to $400 per month. Team plans scale up from there, often reaching $1,000 or more depending on headcount and add-ons.
For solo agents, that monthly cost is a real factor. The platform is robust, but you need enough transaction volume to make the math work.
How Lofty Compares to Other Real Estate CRMs
Lofty vs. Follow Up Boss
Follow Up Boss is simpler and more flexible. It integrates with nearly every lead source and works well for agents who want clean, fast contact management without a lot of built-in automation. Lofty does more out of the box but takes longer to learn. If you want something running in a day, Follow Up Boss wins on ease. If you want deeper automation and an IDX site in one package, Lofty is the more complete system.
Lofty vs. kvCORE
kvCORE is the platform most commonly associated with large brokerages and teams. Feature-for-feature, the two are closely matched — IDX sites, smart plans, lead scoring, AI tools. The key practical difference is that kvCORE is often provided through a brokerage at no direct cost to the agent, while Lofty is typically a direct subscription you pay yourself.
Lofty vs. Sierra Interactive
Sierra Interactive is known for strong SEO performance on its IDX sites and solid organic lead generation. It's a good fit for teams that invest heavily in search traffic. Lofty's IDX sites are capable but don't carry the same SEO reputation. Sierra also tends to run more expensive.
Who Gets the Most Value from Lofty?
Lofty makes the most sense for teams of 3 or more agents who need lead routing, shared pipelines, and performance reporting; high-volume agents who benefit from automation and AI follow-up running in the background; and agents who want an all-in-one system and don't want to manage separate CRM, IDX, and marketing tools.
It's a harder sell for new or part-time agents where the monthly cost outpaces the volume, agents who prefer simplicity and find the feature depth more overwhelming than useful, and agents whose brokerage already provides a comparable platform.
Getting Lofty Without Paying for It Separately
Here's something worth knowing: some brokerages include Lofty as part of their platform fee rather than leaving agents to subscribe on their own.
simpliHOM is one example. The $99 monthly platform fee includes Lofty CRM with an IDX site, Dotloop Premium, ShowingTime+, AI marketing tools, AI virtual staging, automated testimonials, and free transaction coordination on every deal. Agents aren't paying Lofty's standard monthly rate on top of their brokerage costs.
For agents who want Lofty's full feature set without the standalone subscription price, that bundled access changes the math considerably. Pair that with an 85/15 commission split from day one and annual caps starting as low as $5,000, and the overall cost structure looks very different from paying for a brokerage and a CRM separately.
If you're weighing brokerage options alongside your CRM decision, the Commission Split Showdown 2026 breakdown is worth a read to see how the numbers compare across models.
What Agents Actually Say About Lofty
The consistent praise is around automation depth and IDX integration. Agents who use smart plans regularly say it helps them stay in front of leads they'd otherwise let slip. The AI follow-up isn't perfect, but it keeps conversations moving.
The consistent criticism is the learning curve and the cost. Lofty isn't something you configure in an afternoon. Getting real value out of it requires upfront time investment, and some agents end up paying for features they never actually use.
Support gets mixed reviews. Some agents report fast, helpful responses. Others describe slow resolution on technical issues.
Is Lofty Worth It in 2026?
For the right agent or team, yes. If you're doing volume, managing a team, and want automation running in the background while you focus on relationships and closings, Lofty delivers.
For solo agents earlier in their career, the cost-to-value ratio is harder to justify — unless your brokerage is covering the platform fee.
The smarter move for many agents is finding a brokerage that includes Lofty as part of the package rather than paying for it as a standalone subscription. You get the full feature set without it cutting into your commission income.
If you want to see how that works in practice, simpliHOM bundles Lofty CRM into its $99 monthly platform fee alongside a full suite of tools. Agents who cap on the simpliPRENEUR or simpliSHARE plans also earn pre-IPO equity in the form of RSUs and Convertible Bonus Certificates. You can read more about what happens after you cap to get the full picture.
FAQs
What is Lofty CRM used for in real estate? Lofty is an all-in-one CRM platform for real estate agents and teams. It combines lead management, IDX website functionality, marketing automation, AI follow-up tools, and pipeline tracking in a single system.
How much does Lofty CRM cost in 2026? Lofty doesn't publish standard pricing publicly. Individual agent plans typically start around $300 to $400 per month, with team plans scaling higher based on size and features. Some brokerages include Lofty as part of a bundled platform fee, which can significantly reduce or eliminate the direct cost to the agent.
Is Lofty better than Follow Up Boss? It depends on what you need. Lofty includes more built-in features — IDX site, deeper automation, AI tools. Follow Up Boss is simpler, more flexible with integrations, and easier to get up and running quickly. Teams that want an all-in-one system tend to prefer Lofty; agents who want clean, fast contact management often prefer Follow Up Boss.
Can solo agents use Lofty CRM effectively? Yes, but the platform is built with teams in mind. Solo agents can benefit from the automation and IDX tools, but they need enough volume to justify the monthly cost. Agents whose brokerage provides Lofty as part of a platform fee face a much lower barrier.
Does Lofty CRM include an IDX website? Yes. Every Lofty subscription includes an IDX-enabled website that pulls listings from your MLS and tracks visitor behavior, feeding that data back into the CRM.
What is the difference between Lofty and kvCORE? Both are full-featured real estate CRM platforms with IDX sites, smart plans, and AI tools. The main practical difference is that kvCORE is often provided through a brokerage at no direct cost to the agent, while Lofty is typically a direct subscription. Feature-for-feature, they're closely matched for team use.
How does simpliHOM include Lofty CRM in its platform? simpliHOM bundles Lofty CRM with an IDX site into its $99 monthly platform fee, alongside Dotloop Premium, ShowingTime+, AI marketing tools, AI virtual staging, automated testimonials, and free transaction coordination. Agents pay one flat fee rather than subscribing to Lofty separately.
Lofty is a genuinely capable platform. The real question isn't whether it works — it's whether you're paying the right price for it. If your brokerage already covers it, you're in a strong position. If you're evaluating brokerages and CRMs at the same time, look for arrangements where those two costs are combined rather than stacked.