20 transactions · $180,000 GCI · $9,000 average commission
| Rank | Brokerage | Take-home |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | simpliHŌM (simpliPRENEUR) | $167,332 |
| 2 | Keller Williams | ~$152,400–$154,800 |
The gap: roughly $13,000–$15,000 per year. Same agent. Same production. Different brokerage.
You're closing deals, doing the work, and handing a significant chunk of every commission to a market center that resets your cap every year regardless of what you contributed. That math only works in one direction — and it's not yours.
This article runs the exact numbers on a KW vs. simpliHŌM comparison for an agent closing 15 to 25 transactions in 2026. No vague claims. Just the math, the structure, and what it costs you to stay where you are.
How Keller Williams Actually Structures Its Splits and Fees
KW is the largest traditional franchise brokerage in the country. Its model has three layers of cost that agents routinely underestimate when they focus on the split alone.
The Split
Most KW market centers run a 64/36 split. You keep 64 cents of every commission dollar until you hit your cap. Some market centers run 70/30, but 64/36 is the more common structure for agents who haven't negotiated otherwise.
The Cap
KW's annual cap varies by market center — roughly $22,000 to $35,000 depending on location. A mid-market center in a competitive metro typically lands between $22,000 and $28,000. Hit that number and you keep 100% of commissions for the rest of your anniversary year. Minus the royalty fee.
The Royalty Fee
This is the one agents forget. KW charges a 6% franchise royalty on every commission, capped at approximately $3,000 per year. It applies before and after your market-center cap. So even after you "cap," you're still paying up to $3,000 to KW corporate until you clear that royalty ceiling separately.
Monthly Technology and Desk Fees
Market centers charge technology and desk fees independently. The range starts around $50 to $80 per month, and some centers charge considerably more depending on services and office access. This comparison uses $65/month as a reasonable mid-range estimate.
How simpliHŌM Structures Its Splits and Fees
simpliHŌM runs an 85/15 split from transaction one. You keep 85 cents of every commission dollar until you hit your annual cap. After that, you keep 100% for the rest of your anniversary year.
The simpliPRENEUR plan caps at $7,500. The simpliSHARE plan caps at $15,000. For agents comparing against KW, simpliPRENEUR is the direct equivalent for mid-producing agents under roughly $75,000 GCI.
Three fees apply across all plans:
- Platform fee: $99/month (covers Lofty CRM with IDX site, Dotloop Premium, ShowingTime+, AI Virtual Staging, AI Headshots, AI Marketing tools, Automated Testimonials, and the HOMhq platform hub — plus free transaction coordination on every deal)
- Per-transaction broker fee: 0.1% of contract price, with a $199 minimum and $399 maximum
- Annual cap: $7,500 on simpliPRENEUR
An optional 2-year commitment waives the $99 monthly fee entirely and lowers the simpliPRENEUR cap to $7,000. For agents who are certain about the switch, that changes the math further.
The Real Math: 20 Transactions, $180,000 GCI
Agent profile: Licensed 4 years. Closes 20 transactions per year. Average gross commission per transaction: $9,000. Total GCI: $180,000.
simpliHŌM (simpliPRENEUR Plan)
The 85/15 split applies until the agent pays $7,500 to simpliHŌM.
At $9,000 per transaction, 15% = $1,350 per deal. The cap is hit partway through transaction 6 ($1,350 × 6 = $8,100). More precisely: after 5 full transactions, the agent has paid $6,750 toward the cap. On transaction 6, the remaining $750 clears the cap and the split disappears.
Transactions 1–6 (split phase): $7,500 paid to brokerage as the cap.
Transactions 7–20 (post-cap): 100% of gross commission retained, minus the per-transaction broker fee only.
Per-transaction broker fee: 0.1% of contract price. At $9,000 GCI, 0.1% = $9.00 — well below the $199 minimum. The fee is $199 per transaction across all 20 deals.
Total per-transaction fees: $199 × 20 = $3,980
Platform fee: $99 × 12 = $1,188
Total brokerage cost: $7,500 + $3,980 + $1,188 = $12,668
Agent keeps: $180,000 − $12,668 = $167,332
Note: The per-transaction broker fee applies on all 20 transactions, including post-cap deals. "100% commission post-cap" means no split — the small per-transaction fee still applies.
Keller Williams
Using a $22,000 market-center cap (conservative, lower end of the range) and a 64/36 split.
At $9,000 per transaction, 36% = $3,240 per deal going to the brokerage.
The agent hits the $22,000 cap partway through transaction 7 ($3,240 × 7 = $22,680). More precisely: after 6 full transactions, the agent has paid $19,440. On transaction 7, the remaining $2,560 clears the cap and the split ends.
Transactions 1–7 (split phase): $22,000 paid to market center as the cap.
Transactions 8–20 (post-cap): 100% of gross commission retained — but the royalty fee still applies.
Royalty fee: 6% of gross commission, capped at $3,000/year. At $9,000 per transaction, 6% = $540. The royalty ceiling of $3,000 is hit partway through transaction 6 ($540 × 6 = $3,240). The agent pays ~$3,000 in royalties across the year.
Technology/desk fee: $65/month × 12 = $780
Total brokerage cost: $22,000 (cap) + $3,000 (royalty) + $780 (tech/desk fees) = $25,780
Agent keeps: $180,000 − $25,780 = $154,220
Market-center caps vary. At a $28,000 cap, total brokerage cost rises to $31,780 and take-home drops to $148,220. These figures use $22,000 as a conservative baseline. Verify your specific market center's cap and fee structure directly with KW.
The Inflection Point: When the Cap Hits
On the simpliPRENEUR plan, the split disappears after approximately 6 transactions. From transaction 7 through 20, you keep 100% of gross commission minus only the $199 per-transaction fee.
The moment the cap hits $7,500, the split disappears entirely.
At KW, hitting the market-center cap doesn't end your obligations. The 6% royalty keeps running until you've paid $3,000 to KW corporate — a second ceiling you have to clear before you're truly in the post-cap phase.
That's the structural core of the gap. It's not just that KW's cap is higher. The royalty fee is a parallel cap running alongside the market-center cap, and most agents don't think about it that way until they sit down and do the math.
Month-by-Month: Where the Gap Opens
Here's how the same agent's running cap tally looks at each brokerage through the first half of the year, assuming roughly 1.5 to 2 transactions per month.
simpliHŌM (simpliPRENEUR)
| Month | Transactions | Cumulative Cap Paid | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2 | $2,700 | Pre-cap |
| February | 2 | $5,400 | Pre-cap |
| March | 1 | $6,750 | Pre-cap |
| April | 1 | $7,500 | Cap hit |
| May–December | 14 remaining | $7,500 | 100% post-cap |
Running cap tally at end of April: $7,500. Split disappears.
Keller Williams ($22,000 cap, 64/36 split)
| Month | Transactions | Cumulative Cap Paid | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2 | $6,480 | Pre-cap |
| February | 2 | $12,960 | Pre-cap |
| March | 2 | $19,440 | Pre-cap |
| April | 1 | $22,000 | Cap hit |
| May–December | 13 remaining | + royalty continues | Royalty still running |
Running cap tally at end of April: $22,000. Royalty fee still applies until $3,000 ceiling.
Both agents stop paying the market-center split in April. The difference: the simpliHŌM agent is done. The KW agent keeps paying the 6% royalty for another month or more. On a $22,000 cap market center, that structural cost difference is locked in by mid-year.
What's Included in the Fee
The cap numbers above only tell part of the story. What each brokerage includes in its fee structure changes the real value of what you're paying.
simpliHŌM ($99/month platform fee)
The $99 monthly fee covers:
- Lofty CRM with IDX site
- Dotloop Premium
- ShowingTime+
- AI Virtual Staging
- AI Headshots
- AI Marketing tools
- Automated Testimonials
- HOMhq platform hub
- Free transaction coordination on every deal (saves an estimated 15+ hours and $300–$500 per transaction)
Transaction coordination alone is worth $300 to $500 per deal. On 20 transactions, that's $6,000 to $10,000 in included services — not upsold separately.
Keller Williams (technology and desk fees)
KW's technology fee covers Command (its CRM platform) and access to KW-branded tools. Transaction coordination is typically handled separately — by the agent, a team coordinator, or a third-party service at additional cost. Desk fees vary by market center and may include office access.
The structural difference is straightforward: at simpliHŌM, transaction coordination is included on every plan. At KW, it's a cost you absorb or pay for out of pocket.
The Equity Layer: What KW Doesn't Offer
KW has a profit share program. Agents who recruit productive agents into their market center receive a share of market-center profit. The amounts vary and depend on market-center performance — not a fixed structure.
simpliHŌM's simpliPRENEUR plan works differently: 250 pre-IPO equity units when you cap each year. These are RSUs priced at the lowest available valuation — not shares in an already-public company.
simpliSHARE agents receive 1,000 RSUs plus a $15,000 Convertible Bonus Certificate each year they cap.
REAL and eXp offer shares in already-public companies. KW's profit share is tied to market-center performance, not a direct equity stake. No other major cloud brokerage competitor offers pre-IPO equity units as an agent incentive.
Revenue share and equity income are not guaranteed. Results depend on individual production, recruiting activity, and company performance. Always evaluate equity and income-share programs based on your own circumstances.
The 2-Year Commitment Option
If you're confident about the switch, the optional 2-year commitment changes the math further.
The 2-year commitment:
- Waives the $99/month platform fee entirely
- Lowers the simpliPRENEUR cap from $7,500 to $7,000
- Lowers the simpliSHARE cap from $15,000 to $14,000
On the same 20-transaction scenario:
Total brokerage cost (2-year commitment, simpliPRENEUR): $7,000 (cap) + $3,980 (per-transaction fees) = $10,980
Agent keeps: $180,000 − $10,980 = $169,020
That's a $1,688 improvement over the month-to-month plan and a $14,800 improvement over the conservative KW estimate. Against a $28,000 KW cap market center, the gap reaches $18,040.
The Structural Problem With KW's Model
KW's model isn't expensive because of any single fee. It's the combination: a high cap, a parallel royalty fee, and market-center-level variability that makes it genuinely difficult to know what you're paying until you're already there.
The 64/36 split means 36 cents of every dollar leaves before you've paid a cent toward the cap. At $9,000 per transaction, that's $3,240 per deal going out the door. By the time you cap, you've contributed $22,000 or more to the market center — and the royalty is still running.
That's not a minor footnote. It's a structural design that keeps costs high for mid-producing agents who close enough to cap but not early enough in the year to benefit from a long post-cap runway.
Who This Comparison Is For
This comparison is most relevant if you're:
- Closing 10 to 30 transactions per year at KW right now
- Paying $20,000 or more annually in combined splits, royalties, and fees
- Hitting your cap in Q2 or Q3 and watching the reset approach again in a few months
- Looking for a brokerage with a lower cap, a cleaner fee structure, and tools that are actually included
To see what your specific production looks like on simpliHŌM's structure, the compensation page breaks down the plans side by side. The Wealth Calculator lets you run your own numbers.
For a deeper look at what post-cap income actually looks like across a full year, What Happens After You Cap walks through the mechanics in detail.
Most agents complete onboarding and are fully operational within 48 to 72 hours, including license transfer, MLS setup, and pending-deal migration.
FAQs
What is Keller Williams' commission split in 2026? Most KW market centers run a 64/36 split — the agent keeps 64% of gross commission until hitting the annual cap. Some market centers offer 70/30. The structure varies by location and negotiation, so verify your specific market center's terms directly.
What is Keller Williams' annual cap in 2026? KW's annual cap varies by market center and typically ranges from $22,000 to $35,000. That's the amount you pay to your market center before the split disappears for the rest of your anniversary year. A separate 6% royalty fee, capped at approximately $3,000 per year, applies on top of the market-center cap.
How does simpliHŌM's cap compare to Keller Williams? simpliHŌM's simpliPRENEUR plan caps at $7,500 month-to-month, or $7,000 with a 2-year commitment. KW's market-center caps start at approximately $22,000 and can reach $35,000 depending on location. That's a difference of $14,500 to $27,500 in annual cap alone — before accounting for the royalty fee.
Does simpliHŌM charge any fees after you cap? Yes. The per-transaction broker fee of 0.1% of contract price (minimum $199, maximum $399) applies on every transaction, including post-cap deals. "100% commission post-cap" means no split percentage — the per-transaction fee still applies. The $99 monthly platform fee also continues unless you're on the 2-year commitment.
What does the $99 monthly fee at simpliHŌM include? The $99 platform fee covers Lofty CRM with IDX site, Dotloop Premium, ShowingTime+, AI Virtual Staging, AI Headshots, AI Marketing tools, Automated Testimonials, the HOMhq platform hub, and free transaction coordination on every deal. Transaction coordination alone saves an estimated 15 or more hours and $300 to $500 per transaction.
Can I switch from KW to simpliHŌM mid-year with pending transactions? Yes. simpliHŌM's onboarding process handles license transfer, MLS setup, and pending-deal migration. Most agents are fully operational within 48 to 72 hours.
Does simpliHŌM offer equity like KW's profit share? simpliHŌM's simpliPRENEUR plan includes 250 pre-IPO equity units when you cap each year. simpliSHARE agents receive 1,000 RSUs plus a $15,000 Convertible Bonus Certificate each year they cap. KW offers a profit-share program tied to market-center performance. Revenue share and equity income are not guaranteed and depend on individual production, recruiting activity, and company performance.
The math is straightforward. A KW agent closing 20 transactions at $9,000 average commission pays roughly $25,780 to their brokerage in a year. The same agent on simpliHŌM's simpliPRENEUR plan pays $12,668. On the 2-year commitment, that drops to $10,980.
That's not a rounding error. It's a structural difference that compounds every year you stay at a brokerage with a $22,000-plus cap.
Run your own numbers at the Wealth Calculator, or start the switch today.