LionDesk and Top Producer provide real estate agencies tools for generating, organizing, and communicating with buyer or seller leads. However, with a starting price of $21, LionDesk is the lower-cost solution. That said, Top Producer offers a more complete solution for brokerages that want to manage their entire real estate business, not just outreach, in a single tool.
Generally speaking, a real estate customer relationship management (CRM) software should offer tools for handling property transaction management, monitoring property listings, and generating prospective buyer and seller leads. Here is when to use LionDesk or Top Producer specific business cases based on our evaluation:
- LionDesk: For small real estate businesses looking for a low-cost CRM offering marketing communication tools
- Top Producer: For agencies that want a comprehensive agency management solution
It is worth noting that while LionDesk is the more affordable of the two, neither option has a free plan available. If you or your brokerage is on a tight budget, you should also consider real estate CRM products that can be used at no cost. To learn more about these alternatives, check out our article on the best free real estate CRM software.
LionDesk vs Top Producer at a Glance
 |  | |
Pricing (annual billing) | From $21 to $83 per month | From $60 to $105 per user, per month |
Ease of Use | Low technical skill needed to set up and operate but challenging interface to navigate | Low technical skill needed to set up and operate but interface is tough to navigate, especially for new users |
Expert Score | 3 out of 5 stars | 4.13 out of 5 stars |
Customer Support | Available during standard business hours via phone, live chat, and email | Available during standard business hours via phone, live chat, and email |
Mobile Application | ✔ | ✔ |
Integrations | Robust set of generic and industry-specific integration options | Robust set of generic and industry-specific integration options |
Lead Generation Capabilities | Facebook ads and real estate listing websites | Real estate listing websites |
Website Creation Tools | ✔ | Built-in IDX website designer |
Bulk Email Campaigns | N/A | ✔ |
How We Evaluated LionDesk vs Top Producer
To directly compare LionDesk and Top Producer, we looked at essential factors agencies value when evaluating an industry-specific CRM for real estate. These two software products were evaluated according to their pricing, general CRM features, ease of use, customer support, our expert score, and features offered that are specific for a real estate agency operation.
30% of Overall Score
Total costs and having a variety of pricing options are typically the most important criteria for any small business decision. Therefore, it was the most heavily weighted when comparing LionDesk and Top Producer. These criteria looked at free account availability, pricing scalability, and monthly billing options.
25% of Overall Score
We looked at overall features necessary for CRM software, including sales pipeline customization, integration capabilities, and the availability of a mobile application, as well as functionality specific to real estate agencies such as transaction management tools, integration with real estate listing sites, and contract management features.
20% of Overall Score
The functions of any application are only as beneficial as they are usable. Therefore, ease of use of each CRM software holds the next-highest weight of criteria. Ease of use was analyzed in terms of the expertise needed to integrate it with other applications, the skill required to operate built-in tools, and the overall intuitiveness of navigating the interface.
15% of Overall Score
Help and support provided by LionDesk and Top Producer were evaluated in terms of customer service hours and the availability of customer support through phone, live chat, and email channels.
10% of Overall Score
In addition to our own experiences with the providers, we looked at reputable review sites in order to evaluate how users feel about the standout features, overall value for money spent, popularity, and ease of use.
Best Price Value: LionDesk
| | |
Free Option Available | N/A | N/A |
Starting Price (annual billing) | $21 per month | $60 per user, per month |
Highest Tiered Pricing (annual billing) | $83 per month | $105 per user, per month |
Billing Options | Annual and monthly | Annual and monthly |
Free Trial | 30 days | N/A |
LionDesk offers real estate businesses a better overall price value—regardless of the fact the two use different pricing models. Starting at just $21 per month, LionDesk allows users access to mass email and texting campaigns, transaction management tools, and lead generation through Facebook ads.
Top Producer starts at $60 per user, per month, which includes their CRM platform for tracking leads, monitoring sales performance, and getting insights on property listings. For the website design tool and comprehensive lead management system, users need to upgrade to the Professional or Advanced subscription plan.
Winner: LionDesk wins the pricing value round for offering more budget-friendly prices and the option for a 30-day free trial.
Best for Marketing Communication: LionDesk
| | |
Automated Drip Campaign Channels | Text, email and phone calls | Text and email |
Video Marketing Capabilities | ✔ | N/A |
Lead Integration Sources | Facebook ads and third-party real estate listing sites | Third-party real estate listing sites like Zillow and Trulia |
LionDesk and Top Producer can each integrate with the multiple listing services (MLS) platform and third-party listing sites for tracking listings and generating leads. Each can also work with an internet data display (IDX) website for posting market listings: LionDesk through integrations and Top Producer through a built-in website design tool.
However, when it comes to communicating information to potential buyer or seller leads, LionDesk will be the better choice. Not only do they offer the additional phone call drip campaign channel and the ability to generate leads through Facebook ads, but they also have built-in video creation and deployment tools for sending personalized and educational video content via text and email.
LionDesk video recording page (Source: YouTube)
Best Transaction Management Features: Tie
| | |
Import of MLS Property Listings | ✔ | ✔ |
Automated Task Management | ✔ | ✔ |
Commission Tracking | ✔ | ✔ |
Workflow Customization | ✔ | ✔ |
Transaction management involves monitoring and completing all tasks associated with finalizing a deal—in this case, the deal being a real estate transaction. Both LionDesk and Top Producer offer users the ability to manage transactions within the platform, and both do so on the lowest-tiered pricing plan.
Top Producer transaction management page (Source: Top Producer)
Winner: No winner—both CRMs offer transaction management capabilities on their lowest-priced plan.
Best Mobile Application: Top Producer
| | |
Operating Systems | iOS and Android | iOS, Android, and Blackberry |
Additional Syncing Required? | Syncing required for contact lists | None |
Mobile Capabilities | Contact management, communication features, and task management | Everything from the web application except access to content templates (letters, flyers, and so on) |
Because much of a real estate agent’s work happens in the field, a comparison of each CRM’s mobile application is crucial to a full evaluation. Top Producer is a clear winner in this regard. Their mobile application features are a full extension of their web application, with the exception of the ability to access templates for marketing content. There also is no need for additional data syncing from the web application, so users have access to everything they need when they log in.
The LionDesk mobile application, on the other hand, is restricted to contact management functionality, communications through text, email, or phone, and task management. It also requires the synchronization of your contact list from the web application.
Top Producer mobile app contacts page (Source: GetApp)
LionDesk mobile home screen (Source: LionDesk)
Winner: Top Producer wins this section because of its comprehensive mobile features, multiple operating systems, and no requirements for additional data syncing.
Best for Usability: Top Producer
| | |
Ease of Setting Up Account | Low technical skill needed to set up an account | Low technical skill needed to set up an account |
Skill Needed to Operate Features | Low technical skill needed to operate the features | Low technical skill needed to operate the features |
Intuitiveness of Navigating the Interface | Interface is difficult to navigate | Interface is difficult to navigate for new users |
Regarding ease of use, both CRMs are easy to set up and do not require any special technical skills for using their built-in tools. The main negative reviews for both CRMs have to do with navigating the interface. Users who found it difficult cited outdated design as the main reason.
While both interfaces could use improvement, the overall consensus is that Top Producer is difficult to navigate at first, but becomes more intuitive once users adapt to it. LionDesk, on the other hand, remains challenging to navigate, even for experienced users, due to clunky layouts and lack of instructional buttons within the platform.
LionDesk dashboard design (Source: YouTube)
Top Producer contact list page (Source: YouTube)
Winner: Top Producer due to ease of setting up and operating the platform, and ease of use once users adapt to navigating the interface.
Best Customer Service: Top Producer
| | |
Customer Service Hours | Standard business hours | Standard business hours |
Live Chat Support | ✔ | ✔ |
Phone Support | ✔ | ✔ |
Email Support | ✔ | ✔ |
One-on-One Training | Included in Elite plan | Included in Starter plan |
When comparing the customer help and support provided by LionDesk and Top Producer, both CRMs appear to be identical regarding when customer service is available and on which channels. However, a slight difference is apparent when looking at the one-on-one training provided.
LionDesk requires users to subscribe to the Elite plan at $83 per month to have access to one-on-one training. Top Producer includes their one-on-one training in their Starter plan at just $40.50 per user, per month as a part of their customer success program, in which they also host weekly “Ask Us Anything” live sessions on their Facebook page.
Winner: Top Producer because of its multichannel availability and one-on-one training sessions that are available on their lowest-priced plan.
Best Alternatives to LionDesk & Top Producer
Even though LionDesk and Top Producer are both considered excellent CRM solutions for real estate agencies, they may not be the best option available for your business. If you prefer to look into other product attributes like a specific app integration or automation capabilities, you can explore other platforms.
Here are some of the best alternatives to LionDesk and Top Producer:
- Follow Up Boss: For agencies looking for software with advanced automation tools
- Propertybase: For real estate businesses looking for tools with built-in e-signature and document management features
- Copper: For small real estate businesses that use Google Workspace products
Want to check out more real estate-specific CRMs? Check out our review of the best CRMs for real estate agencies.
Bottom Line
Even with the narrow focus that LionDesk and Top Producer have in offering solutions specifically for real estate businesses, each CRM can still be better suited for particular situations. LionDesk stands out in its cost-effectiveness for marketing campaign tools and lead generation capabilities, while Top Producer’s array of built-in real estate features offer a fully centralized system for managing a real estate firm.
