MLS Genie™ vs Sierra Interactive
Sierra Interactive is a long-running hosted IDX website and CRM built around lead capture, routing and follow-up. MLS Genie™ puts IDX, CRM, a client portal, CMA, social, reviews and team tools in one place, on a WordPress site you own. Here is where each one leads.
A hosted lead-handling platform on 12-month contracts vs the most work done in one place on a WordPress site you own. If ownership and one connected system matter most, MLS Genie™ is built for that; if automatic routing and a dialer matter most, Sierra Interactive leads.
In short: MLS Genie™ and Sierra Interactive are separate, unaffiliated products. Sierra Interactive (founded 2007, owned by Alpine Software Group since 2022) is a hosted platform with a strong lead-handling core — forced registration, round-robin routing, action plans, a dialer and a native app — on 12-month contracts, with published plans from $299.95/mo billed annually; reviewers report customers lose the website when they cancel. MLS Genie™ is a WordPress plugin on a site you own, measured by a different yardstick: where an agent or team gets the most work done in one place. It adds a client portal for every lead, CMAs, social and review management, market reports and team tools, with no long-term contract — and leaves out forced registration, the dialer and two-way texting on purpose. Sierra Interactive leads on automatic routing, action plan building, a native app, managed ads and integrations.
MLS Genie™ leads Sierra Interactive leads Comparable Coming soon
| What matters | MLS Genie™The platform you own | Sierra InteractiveHosted IDX site + CRM |
|---|---|---|
| What you own | ||
| Where it runs | Leads A plugin on the WordPress site you own — your domain, your hosting, your theme |
Hosted and managed on Sierra Interactive’s platform |
| Your website | Leads Use the WordPress site you already have — or have one built for you (optional, quoted to scope) |
A Sierra-built website on their platform; Luxury design is +$150/mo below the Growth plan |
| Listing data | Leads IDX listings stored natively in your own WordPress, as pages on your domain |
Listings shown on their hosted website |
| SEO equity | Leads Listing, city and area pages, content and rankings live on your domain and stay yours |
Built on their hosted platform |
| If you cancel | Leads You keep your site, content, SEO, and every lead and contact record — live MLS listings stop, as IDX rules require |
Reviewers report customers lose the website when they cancel |
| MLS, search & SEO | ||
| MLS import Comparable |
GenieScout Engine — 15-minute IDX-grade sync and geo-validation, with more than one MLS feed supported | MLS-connected IDX on their platform |
| Extra MLS feeds | $49/mo per additional MLS board, plus any board fees at cost | Leads $25/mo per additional feed |
| Property search Comparable |
Half-map search, draw search (polygon or radius), voice search, and address suggestions as visitors type | Map search and IntelliSearch keyword search |
| Saved searches & alerts Comparable |
Saved searches, favorites, and client listing alerts — map-drawn or place-based, plus hand-picked homes in one email | Saved searches and listing alerts |
| Registration | No forced registration (by design — see why): listings stay open; saved searches, alerts and the client portal earn the sign-up | Forced registration to keep browsing, with social and phone login |
| Sign-in options | Email or Google sign-in; no Facebook or Apple login | Leads Social and phone login |
| Listing & area SEO | Leads Per-listing, city and area meta, JSON-LD, llms.txt, and IndexNow submission on import — on your own domain |
Listing pages on their hosted website |
| Sold homes & history | Leads A /sold/ archive, agent sales pages, county public-record sale history, and price history on every listing |
Not advertised |
| Boundary map overlays | Leads GenieLayers™ — neighborhood, school and custom boundary overlays |
Not advertised |
| CRM, leads & follow-up | ||
| CRM & pipeline Comparable |
GenieCRM™ — leads, kanban pipeline with deals, tasks, notes, contacts, and lead import (CSV, CINC) | Lead CRM with lead ponds and search activity tracking |
| Lead routing | Hand assignment, an unclaimed-lead pool agents claim from and release to, and response nudges; automatic round-robin routing is not available yet | Leads Round-robin routing by price, location, property type and day |
| Behavior tracking & scoring Comparable |
Site and search activity on every lead, lead scoring with Hot, Warm, Cool and Cold tiers, and source and UTM attribution | Search activity tracking |
| Action plans | 7 built-in automations, each with its own switch, plus drip sequences that start on a pipeline stage or form; user-built if/then action plans are not available yet | Leads Action plans with email, text, ringless voicemail, call tasks and if-then triggers |
| Email marketing | Leads Email campaigns — block composer, lists, scheduling, open and click reports, and a recipient preference center — plus drip sequences |
Drip email |
| Dialer | Excluded by designBy choice. Agents told us they don’t want dialers, and auto-dialers tend to get numbers flagged “Spam Likely.” Agents call from their own phone with tap-to-call on every lead. | Dialer with auto-dial and ringless voicemail — a $100/mo add-on on Starter, included on Essential and Growth |
| Agent ↔ client conversation | Private portal chat (by design — see why): agent and client talk privately between GenieCRM™ and GeniePortal™, with a push or email nudge when a message is waiting | Texting through action plans; Lead Engage AI texting is a $199/mo add-on (Essential and up, 12-month commitment) |
| AI tools | Leads Ask Genie assistant in the CRM, Genie Chat AI website chat with lead capture, AI lead triage that sets junk and sales pitches aside, AI photo descriptions, AI listing copy, and a Fair Housing wording check |
Lead Engage AI texting add-on |
| Calendar | Leads Two-way Google Calendar sync for tasks and appointments |
Not advertised |
| Seller tools & marketing | ||
| CMA | Leads GenieCMA™ — shareable CMAs built from your MLS data |
No native CMA found; seller valuations through Homebot and Fello integrations |
| Home value page Comparable |
A home-value seller lead page on your own site, monthly home value tracking for owners in their client portal, and property research inside the CRM | Seller valuations through Homebot and Fello integrations |
| Social media | Leads Social Manager — post scheduling and publishing under your brand |
No social management found |
| Reviews | Leads Reputation Manager — Google & Facebook reviews with native replies and AI-drafted responses |
No review management found |
| Market reports | Leads Market reports and market data pages for your areas |
Not advertised |
| Text + QR Codes | Leads A code per listing for sign riders; a text gets one automatic reply with the listing details and a client portal link |
Not advertised |
| Paid advertising | No ads management in the software; Google and Meta campaigns are available as a separately quoted managed service | Leads Managed Google PPC (10% fee, $500 minimum spend) and Facebook ads ($75–$200/mo management) |
| Client experience & team | ||
| Client portal | Leads GeniePortal™ — every lead gets a private portal automatically: dashboard, saved searches, favorites, alerts and chat with their agent, with one-click sign-in links |
No client portal found |
| Mobile app | Genie PWA™ — an installable, branded web app with push alerts; no native iOS or Android app | Leads Native iOS and Android app |
| Team tools | Leads Team Chat, Team Directory, built-in roles and a commission calculator (Team tier) |
Not advertised |
| Transactions | Leads Deals on the pipeline with escrow steps to closing, encrypted documents and built-in electronic signatures shared with the client, and the commission calculator on Team |
No transaction tools found |
| Accessibility & consent | Leads GenieADA™ accessibility tools and a marketing consent log on every lead |
Not advertised |
| Integrations | ||
| Integrations | Webhooks in and out, Form Bridge (Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms, WPForms, Forminator, Elementor forms), GA4 and Search Console; no Zapier app, and no Follow Up Boss or KW Command sync | Leads About 100 integrations, including an open API, Zapier, Follow Up Boss, KW Command (via API Nation), Homebot and Fello |
| Pricing & terms | ||
| Published plans | Starter $195/mo (website, no CRM) · Agent $495/mo · Agent Pro $795/mo · Team $1,695/mo | Leads Starter $299.95/mo annual ($359.95 monthly), 1 user · Essential $399.95/mo annual ($474.95 monthly), 3 users · Growth $599.95/mo annual ($724.95 monthly), 5 users |
| Extra users | Team includes 15 agents; $99/mo per additional agent | $75/mo each on Starter; $60/mo for users 4–10, then $25/mo, on Essential; $20, $10 or $5/mo by volume on Growth |
| Contract | Leads Monthly subscription with no long-term contract — cancel any time |
12-month contract on every plan |
| Setup fee | Leads None required; optional one-time $495 onboarding |
$500 setup fee on monthly billing |
| Add-ons | On Agent: Genie Chat $69, Property Intelligence $99, Reputation Manager $69, Social Manager $49, GenieLayers $149 — all five included in Agent Pro and Team | Dialer $100/mo (Starter), Agent Site Manager $50/mo, Luxury design +$150/mo (below Growth), Lead Engage AI texting $199/mo, extra MLS feeds $25/mo each |
The engine is rented either way — you decide what you keep.
With a hosted platform you rent the finished site. With MLS Genie™ the same platform runs on a WordPress site you own — so the website, the SEO equity, and every lead and contact record stay yours. Rent the engine, keep the car.
Ownership: who holds the website and the leads
Sierra Interactive builds and hosts your website on its own platform, and every plan is a 12-month contract. Reviewers report that customers lose the site when they cancel. MLS Genie™ runs as a plugin on a WordPress site you own: listings are stored natively in your WordPress, and the domain, pages, SEO and every lead and contact record stay in your own database. Leave, and you keep all of it — only the live MLS listings stop, as IDX rules require for any platform.
Most work done in one place — on a website you own.Our yardstick
Search, registration & SEO
Both offer map search, saved searches and listing alerts; Sierra Interactive adds IntelliSearch keyword search, and MLS Genie™ adds draw search, voice search and suggestions as visitors type. The two part ways on registration. Sierra Interactive asks visitors to register to keep browsing, with social and phone login. MLS Genie™ keeps every listing open, because buyers can see the same homes free on Zillow, Redfin and Realtor.com — and earns the sign-up with saved searches, alerts and a client portal. Every listing, city and area page carries its own meta and structured data on your domain, with new pages submitted to search engines on import, plus a sold archive and agent sales pages.
Leads, routing & follow-up
Credit where due: this is Sierra Interactive’s core. Leads route round-robin by price, location, property type and day; lead ponds share the rest; and action plans combine email, text, ringless voicemail, call tasks and if-then triggers. MLS Genie™ is not there yet on two points — automatic round-robin routing and user-built if/then action plans are not available. It answers with hand assignment and an unclaimed-lead pool, response nudges, lead scoring, seven built-in automations, drip sequences, full email campaigns, and AI triage that sets junk and sales-pitch leads aside.
Dialer and texting — by design
Sierra Interactive includes a dialer with auto-dial and ringless voicemail on Essential and Growth ($100/mo on Starter), and sells Lead Engage AI texting for $199/mo. MLS Genie™ leaves out the dialer on purpose — agents told us they don’t want one, and auto-dialers tend to get numbers flagged “Spam Likely” — so agents call from their own phone with tap-to-call. Agent-to-client conversation runs through private chat between GenieCRM™ and every lead’s portal, with a push or email nudge when a message is waiting, instead of texting threads. Why we built it this way.
Sierra Interactive includes a dialer with auto-dial and ringless voicemail on Essential and Growth ($100/mo on Starter), and sells Lead Engage AI texting for $199/mo.
What one place covers
Measured by how much work gets done in one system, MLS Genie™ covers more of the business: GeniePortal™ for every lead, GenieCMA™, Social Manager, Reputation Manager, market reports, Text + QR Codes, Team Chat, Team Directory and a commission calculator. We found no client portal, native CMA, social or review management, or transaction tools in Sierra Interactive’s published materials; seller valuations come through Homebot and Fello. Sierra Interactive leads on reach beyond its own walls — a native iOS and Android app, managed Google and Facebook ads, and about 100 integrations including Zapier, Follow Up Boss and KW Command.
Measured by how much work gets done in one system, MLS Genie™ covers more of the business: GeniePortal™ for every lead, GenieCMA™, Social Manager, Reputation Manager, market reports, Text + QR Codes, Team Chat, Team Directory and a commission calculator.
Price & terms
Sierra Interactive publishes its plans: Starter $299.95/mo billed annually ($359.95 monthly) for one user, Essential $399.95/mo ($474.95) for three, and Growth $599.95/mo ($724.95) for five, with per-user fees beyond that, a $500 setup fee on monthly billing and a 12-month contract on every plan. MLS Genie™ is Starter $195/mo (website, no CRM), Agent $495/mo, Agent Pro $795/mo and Team $1,695/mo with 15 agents included, month to month. For a single agent, Sierra Interactive’s entry price is lower; for a larger team, compare the totals with the add-ons you would actually need.
Where Sierra Interactive is strong
- Automatic round-robin lead routing by price, location, property type and day, plus lead ponds.
- A flexible action plan builder — email, text, ringless voicemail, call tasks and if-then triggers.
- A native iOS and Android app, and a dialer included on Essential and Growth.
- Managed Google PPC and Facebook ad services, and about 100 integrations including an open API, Zapier, Follow Up Boss and KW Command.
- A long track record — founded in 2007, with roots back to 2003, and owned by Alpine Software Group since 2022.
Where the hosted model costs you
- Hosted — the website runs on their platform, and reviewers report customers lose the site when they cancel.
- A 12-month contract on every plan, and a $500 setup fee on monthly billing.
- Add-ons stack up: the dialer on Starter, Lead Engage AI texting, Luxury design, Agent Site Manager and extra MLS feeds are each extra.
- No client portal, native CMA, social media or review management found in their published materials.
Why we built it this way
Three things we left out on purpose — and what you get instead.
No forced sign-up
Buyers can see the same listings free on Zillow, Redfin and Realtor.com, so a login wall sends them there. Your listings stay open, and saved searches, alerts and the client portal earn the sign-up instead.
No dialer
Agents told us they don’t want dialers, and auto-dialers tend to get numbers flagged “Spam Likely.” You call from your own phone, with tap-to-call on every lead.
Private portal chat, not texting threads
Agent and client talk in private chat between GenieCRM™ and the client’s portal — kept with you, without the consent and recording risks of texting. Clients get a push or email nudge when a message is waiting.
See it on a site you own.
Book a live walkthrough, or explore pricing. Full-service design and management available.
MLS Genie™ vs Sierra Interactive — common questions
Is MLS Genie the same as Sierra Interactive?
No. MLS Genie™ and Sierra Interactive are separate, unaffiliated products from different companies. Sierra Interactive is a hosted IDX website and CRM owned by Alpine Software Group; MLS Genie™ is a WordPress plugin by RoxxiStudios that runs on a website you own.
What is the core difference between MLS Genie and Sierra Interactive?
Where the work happens and who owns it. Sierra Interactive runs your website and CRM on its own platform, on 12-month contracts, and reviewers report customers lose the site when they cancel. MLS Genie™ runs on a WordPress site you own, with IDX, CRM, client portal, CMA, social, reviews and team tools in one place — so the website, SEO and every record stay yours.
Does MLS Genie have a dialer like Sierra Interactive?
No, by choice. Agents told us they don’t want dialers, and auto-dialers tend to get numbers flagged “Spam Likely.” Every lead in GenieCRM™ has tap-to-call from your own phone, with response nudges and Hot-lead tasks telling you who to call next. If a built-in dialer is essential to how you work, Sierra Interactive includes one on Essential and Growth.
Does MLS Genie force visitors to register like Sierra Interactive?
No. Sierra Interactive asks visitors to register to keep browsing. MLS Genie™ keeps every listing open, because buyers can see the same homes free on Zillow, Redfin and Realtor.com, and earns the sign-up with saved searches, alerts and a client portal instead.
Can MLS Genie route leads automatically like Sierra Interactive?
Not yet. Sierra Interactive routes leads round-robin by price, location, property type and day. MLS Genie™ offers hand assignment, an unclaimed-lead pool agents claim from, and response nudges; automatic round-robin routing is not available today. For teams that depend on automatic routing, Sierra Interactive is ahead on this point.
Is MLS Genie cheaper than Sierra Interactive?
It depends on the team. For one agent, Sierra Interactive’s Starter plan ($299.95/mo billed annually) costs less than MLS Genie™ Agent ($495/mo). MLS Genie™ Team is $1,695/mo with 15 agents included and no long-term contract, while every Sierra Interactive plan is a 12-month contract with add-ons such as the dialer on Starter, AI texting, Luxury design and extra MLS feeds. Compare the total for your own team size and the add-ons you would need.
Does Sierra Interactive include a client portal, CMA or review management?
We found no client portal, native CMA, social media or review management in Sierra Interactive’s published materials; seller valuations come through the Homebot and Fello integrations. MLS Genie™ includes GeniePortal™ for every lead, GenieCMA™, and — on Agent Pro and Team — Social Manager and Reputation Manager.
What happens to my website and data if I cancel?
With MLS Genie™ you keep your WordPress site, hosting, content, SEO and every lead and contact record; only the live MLS listings stop, as IDX rules require for any platform. Reviewers report that Sierra Interactive customers lose the website when they cancel; export your data before your contract ends.
Which one should I choose?
If automatic lead routing, a do-it-yourself action plan builder, a dialer, a native app, managed ads or a large integration catalog matter most, Sierra Interactive is a capable, long-established choice. If you want the most work done in one place — IDX, CRM, client portal, CMA, social, reviews and team tools — on a WordPress site you own, with no long-term contract, MLS Genie™ is built for that.
Methodology & sourcing
How we compare: our yardstick is where an agent or team gets the most work done in one place, on a WordPress site the client owns. MLS Genie™ details are our own current product facts and published plan prices. Sierra Interactive details are drawn from that company’s published pricing and product pages and from third-party reviews as of October 2026; prices shown are their published rates. “Not advertised” means a capability is not listed in their public materials, not that it is necessarily unavailable, and “not found” means we looked for it and did not find it. Rows marked by design are things MLS Genie™ leaves out on purpose — see why we built it this way. This page is published by MLS Genie™, a competing product; we describe our own platform plainly and do not use star ratings or aggregate review scores. Always verify current features and pricing directly with each vendor before deciding.
Comparison based on publicly available information as of October 2026. Details for Sierra Interactive reflect that company’s published pricing and product pages and third-party reviews, and may change. “Not advertised” means a capability is not listed in their public materials, not that it is necessarily unavailable. Please verify current features and pricing directly with each vendor before deciding. Sierra Interactive and other product names are trademarks of their respective owners; MLS Genie™ is a separate product and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or related to them.
