Updated October 25, 2026. Independent editorial; how we research.
Who this is for
An independent or newly licensed commercial agent, or a producer at a small shop that does not supply software, working office, retail, industrial or investment sales from a single seat.
Jobs the stack must cover
Contacts and pipeline
Every owner, tenant and deal in one place, with follow-ups tied to properties.
Listing marketing
Flyers, offering memorandums and email blasts that look professional.
Listing exposure
Getting listings in front of buyers and tenant reps where they already search.
Comps
Lease and sale comps to price a listing or a broker opinion of value.
Ownership research
Who owns a building and how to reach them before you prospect.
The stack at a glance
| Tier | Job | Tool | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start with | Contacts and pipeline | 
ClientLook (LightBox) Annual plan | $89/mo |
| Start with | Listing marketing | 
CREBuilder Starter (free) | Free |
| Start with | Listing exposure | 
Crexi Free listings | Free |
| Start with | Comps | 
Compstak Exchange (free for contributors) | Free |
| Add when | Ownership research | 
PropertyShark Pro, billed annually | $50/mo |
| Add when | Listing marketing |
CREBuilder Pro, billed annually | $69/mo |
| Add when | Land and development prospecting | 
Plotzy Starter | $180/mo |
| Skip until | Comps and market data | 
CoStar | Pricing on request |
| Skip until | Ownership research | 
Reonomy | Pricing on request |
| Lean total (Start with) | $89/mo | ||
| Fuller total (Start with + Add when) | $388/mo | ||
Start with
The essentials for day one. These make up the lean total.
ClientLook (LightBox) Annual plan
Built for commercial brokers: contacts link to properties, listings and deals, and it publishes its price, which few CRE CRMs do. Month to month is $129 if you are not ready to commit.
Alternatives: Wise Agent (residential-first, but $42/mo billed annually for up to 5 people); RealNex (CRE CRM priced per user; prices load only in the pricing tool)
CREBuilder Starter (free)
The free plan covers 3 documents with basic templates and online viewing, enough to learn whether its flyers and OMs fit how you sell before you pay.
Alternatives: Buildout (the common choice at larger shops, from $125 per user per month); SharpLaunch (property websites, plans from $399/mo on annual billing)
Crexi Free listings
Posting a listing costs nothing and many buyers and tenant reps search here. Add LoopNet's free basic listing for reach; pay for premium placement only on listings that need it.
Alternatives: LoopNet (free basic listings, paid tiers by quote); Brevitas (freemium listing network)
Compstak Exchange (free for contributors)
Brokers and appraisers who contribute their own lease comps earn access to other people's for free. If you will not trade comps, rely on your own deal history and county records until volume justifies a paid source.
Alternatives: Comp Crunch (subscription comps tool); CoStar (the deepest comps database, quote only)
Add when
Worth buying once the trigger applies. These, minus anything they replace, make up the fuller total.
PropertyShark Pro, billed annually
Add when you start calling owners outside the buildings you already know.
Recorded owners, property reports and mailing-list exports. Coverage is strongest in New York City and other large metros, so check your county first. Elite ($79.95/mo) and Platinum ($169.95/mo) add more, including real owners behind LLCs in New York City.
Alternatives: Reonomy (owner and debt data built for prospecting at volume, pricing on request)
CREBuilder Pro, billed annually
Add when you need more than 3 marketing documents or want tracked deal rooms. Upgrades the Starter (free) plan above.
Full document creation, email marketing and deal rooms on one seat. Monthly billing is $89.
Alternatives: Buildout (from $125 per user per month)
Plotzy Starter
Add when you take land, development or redevelopment assignments and need parcels that match a buyer's zoning, size and use requirements.
Search parcels nationwide by zoning, lot size and use, see the recorded owner, look up owner contacts, and save sites to folders with notes and CSV export, so a buyer's criteria become a call list in an afternoon. Caveats: it is in beta at pre-launch pricing, owner contacts are metered (25 a month on Starter, 100 on Production at $300/mo), and it has no comps or debt data.
Alternatives: Regrid (nationwide parcel data app and API; plan prices load only after sign-in); PropertyShark (recorded owners and property reports, strongest in large metros)
Skip until
Tools newcomers are often sold too early, and what has to be true before they pay off. Not included in either total.
CoStar
The deepest comps and listings database in the industry, but it is sold by quote, by market and seat, and costs far more than everything above combined. Wait until clients expect CoStar-grade comps in every proposal.
Reonomy
Strong owner, debt and contact data, but it no longer publishes prices and is built for teams prospecting at volume. PropertyShark or county records cover a solo broker's first year.
Monthly cost
Assumptions: 1 seat; Annual billing where it is offered and cheaper; US prices before tax.
Totals are rebuilt from each line's published price whenever the site is published, and exclude tax, payment processing, onboarding fees and hardware. How we built these stacks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cheapest workable software setup for a solo commercial broker?
About $89 a month at published prices: a commercial CRM (ClientLook at $89/mo billed annually) plus free tools for marketing documents (CREbuilder Starter), listing exposure (Crexi and LoopNet free listings) and comps (CompStak Exchange, if you contribute comps). A residential-first CRM such as Wise Agent, at $42/mo billed annually, brings it lower if you do not need properties tied to contacts.
Does a solo broker need CoStar?
Not to start. CoStar is the most complete comps and listings source, but it is sold by quote by market and seat. Most solo brokers start with free listing marketplaces, comps they trade or collect themselves, and an owner research tool such as PropertyShark, and add CoStar when clients or deal size demand it.
What does the fuller solo broker stack add?
Owner research (PropertyShark Pro, $50/mo billed annually) once you prospect beyond buildings you know, and CREbuilder Pro ($69/mo billed annually) once you outgrow 3 marketing documents, plus Plotzy Starter ($180/mo) if you take land or development assignments. That brings the stack to $388 a month.