Best IDX website for real estate agents: five sites with IDX priced

Best IDX website for real estate agents: the short list

The best IDX (Internet Data Exchange) website for a real estate agent is AgentFire when the site should be built for you, Placester when you build it, and IDX Broker Elite, $149 a month, when you want a hosted site billed month to month. AgentFire includes IDX in its base fee; Placester, Real Geeks and iHomefinder bill for it by feed or MLS (multiple listing service).

IDX shows MLS listings on your own site.

The Try AgentFire button below opens the page where you book a 30-minute AgentFire demo.

IDX included or charged per feed

On AgentFire, built-in IDX comes with every site. Its pricing footnote keeps MLS pass-through fees out of the IDX fee, and its IDX FAQ says extra charges apply when boards are combined.

Placester charges $25 a month for each active MLS contract on top of its plan, and Real Geeks $10 per board a month.

Take an agent whose MLS covers two boards and whose site contract ends next month. If each board needs its own feed, Placester's Agent Essential lists only a single MLS integration, so the next plan is Agent Plus at $79 a month. AgentFire prints no amount for combining boards, which costs extra.

MLS pass-through fees by board

An MLS pass-through fee is a charge some MLSs make to vendors for data access, passed on to you. AgentFire's Terms put such fees on the client, and its board pages print $7.00 a month for California Regional Multiple Listing Service, $10.00 for Canopy MLS and $33.19 for Northwest MLS. A board page that prints no fee does not say the board charges nothing.

Placester and IDX Broker both say MLS charges are separate from their own fees. For the two-board agent, look up both boards by name, because each can carry its own fee.

Coverage: check your MLS before you pay

AgentFire's pricing page says to confirm that your MLS is covered before moving forward, and its coverage page lists boards by name under state headings. Placester's IDX FAQ likewise asks you to confirm your MLS with its team.

Approval takes time, and each vendor gives its own figure: Placester's help center says up to 10 business days; Showcase IDX says usually 1 to 5. AgentFire's pages give no approval time. With a site contract ending next month, start the request first.

NAR's IDX policy, in its 2023 handbook edition, leaves it to each local MLS whether licensees affiliated with a participating broker may use IDX, subject to the broker's consent and control. This is not legal advice, and your own MLS's rules control what a site must show. Do I need IDX on my website covers the earlier question.

Who should pick each IDX site

• AgentFire for a designed site with IDX in the base fee; its FAQ says IDX customization is limited for compliance and technical reasons. See AgentFire IDX.
• Placester for a self-built site at $59 a month with a 14-day free trial; best website builder for real estate agents covers the builders.
• IDX Broker Elite for a hosted IDX site billed month to month, $149 a month plus a setup fee given on request.

For moving, AgentFire hosts only on its own servers, and its design, technology and functionality cannot move to another provider, though your content, photos and videos stay yours. Coming in, its help desk says 301 redirects must be in place before the old site is canceled.

Before paying, you can book an AgentFire demo, start Placester's 14-day free trial or take IDX Broker's free 3-minute product tour.