PREP vs Lofty (formerly Chime): A Real Estate CRM Alternative
A transparent, month-to-month real estate CRM with native transaction management built in from the free tier. An honest, side-by-side look at both tools.
No credit card required.
Two tools built for different ends of the deal
Lofty (the platform formerly known as Chime) is an all-in-one lead-generation and marketing platform: paid leads, IDX websites, a power dialer, and AI nurture, with a transaction module on top. It is sold through a demo and a quote, and it is built to run a team or a brokerage at volume.
PREP comes at it from the other direction. It publishes flat, month-to-month pricing, charges no setup fee, and includes native transaction management and checklist automation starting on a free tier. It is built for the solo agent and the small team who want to manage the deal itself without a sales call or an annual contract.
Feature comparison
| Feature | PREP | Lofty (formerly Chime) |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | Published, flat: Free / $49 / $149 + $25/seat / $299 + $20/seat | Quote-based, not published (book a demo to get a price) |
| Billing term | Month to month | Annual terms reported by third parties (as of June 2026) |
| Setup / onboarding fee | None on any plan | Onboarding / setup fees reported by third parties (as of June 2026) |
| Free tier | Yes, free forever, up to 5 active deals, no credit card | No |
| Starting point for a solo agent | Start free, then $49/month when you grow past 5 active deals | Full lead-gen and IDX platform sold through a demo and quote |
| Native transaction management (offers, agreements, contingencies) | Yes, first-class records | Yes, transaction module with stage-based workflows |
| Stage-triggered transaction checklists | Yes, organized per deal type, included from the free tier, no setup | Yes, checklists auto-create tasks on stage change once applied to a transaction |
| Lead generation (paid leads, PPC, retargeting) | No, bring your own leads | Yes, built-in lead-gen engine with 33+ lead sources |
| IDX website / consumer search site | No | Yes, IDX websites included |
| Power dialer / SMS | No | Yes, power dialer and texting |
| Pipeline / Kanban view | Yes | Yes |
| Agent-owned vs platform-led | Agent-owned, you sign up and control it directly | Sales-led, often configured for teams and brokerages |
Lofty does not publish pricing. Items marked “reported by third parties” are drawn from public reviews as of June 2026; verify current details directly with Lofty.
How the workflows differ
What both platforms do
Both PREP and Lofty can automate transaction work. Lofty offers transaction checklists that auto-create tasks as you move a transaction through its stages, once you apply a checklist to that transaction. PREP does the same on stage change. So this is not a question of whether the capability exists, it exists in both.
Where the workflows differ
The difference is how you get there and what it costs to start. Lofty is a full lead-gen and IDX platform reached through a demo and a quote, with onboarding or setup fees and annual terms reported by reviewers as of June 2026. The transaction module sits inside that larger, sales-led package. To turn it on, you buy the platform.
How PREP approaches it
In PREP you create a checklist from a ready-made Quick Template, and from then on the tasks generate automatically as the deal changes stage. Checklists are organized by deal type, buyer purchase, seller listing, and dual representation, so the right one applies to each deal without rebuilding it. It is included starting on the free tier, with published pricing, month-to-month billing, and no setup fee. You can see the price and start the same day.
What you actually pay
Lofty (formerly Chime)
- Pricing is not published on Lofty's website. You book a demo and receive a quote.
- Third-party reviews as of June 2026 report onboarding or setup fees in addition to the monthly subscription.
- Third-party reviews as of June 2026 report annual terms, with some plans billed upfront.
- Add-ons such as AI tools and ad management are reported as separate line items on top of the base.
- No free tier.
Lofty does not publish pricing. Figures above are third-party reports as of June 2026 and may not reflect your quote. Verify current details directly with Lofty.
PREP
- Free / Starter: $0, up to 5 active deals, no credit card, no team workspace.
- Agent: $49/month.
- Team: $149/month, includes one seat (the workspace owner). Additional seats $25/seat/month, up to 10 users. Annual billing saves approximately 17%.
- Office: $299/month, includes one seat. Additional seats $20/seat/month, up to 25 users. Annual billing saves approximately 17%.
- Enterprise: Custom.
You can see the price
PREP publishes every plan: Free, $49 Agent, $149 Team plus $25/seat, $299 Office plus $20/seat. Lofty asks you to book a demo to learn what you will pay.
No setup fee, no annual lock-in
PREP charges no setup or onboarding fee and bills month to month. Reviewers report Lofty onboarding fees and annual terms as of June 2026, so the all-in first-year cost is meaningfully different.
Where Lofty wins
We believe in honest comparisons. If your primary need is a lead-generation engine and an IDX website, Lofty is built for exactly that, and PREP is not a lead-gen product. Here is where Lofty genuinely outperforms PREP today.
Lead generation
Lofty's lead generation is a first-class product, not a bolt-on. Built-in PPC, Google and Facebook ads, retargeting, and 33+ lead sources feed straight into the CRM. PREP does not generate leads, you bring your own. If buying leads at volume is your priority, Lofty is built for exactly that.
IDX websites
Lofty includes IDX consumer search websites that capture leads and track buyer behavior. PREP has no IDX website product. For agents who want a branded search site wired into the CRM, this is a real Lofty advantage.
AI nurture and dialer
Lofty has years of investment in AI lead nurture, smart campaigns, and a power dialer for high-velocity outbound. PREP does not offer a dialer or AI nurture. Teams running heavy outbound or large lead pipelines will find more depth in Lofty here.
Scale and maturity
Lofty is an established platform with a large install base, broad customization, and team and brokerage administration. PREP is newer and focused on the solo agent and small team. For a brokerage standardizing many agents, Lofty's maturity is a genuine edge.
Who should use PREP
You want to see the price before you commit, and start on a flat, month-to-month plan without a demo, a quote, or an annual contract.
You are a solo agent or new agent who wants to start free with up to 5 active deals, then move to $49/month as you grow, with no setup fee.
You want native transaction management and per-deal-type checklist automation included in the same tool you use for contacts, from the free tier up.
You lead a small team (2 to 10 people) and want a shared workspace with published per-seat pricing instead of a sales-led platform quote.
You do not need a built-in lead-gen engine or an IDX website, you already source your own leads and want to manage the deals you win.
No credit card required.
Common questions
- Is Chime the same as Lofty?
- Yes. Chime Technologies rebranded to Lofty, Inc. in November 2023. It is the same company and the same product under a new name. Many agents still call it Chime, so you will see both names used interchangeably.
- How is PREP's pricing different from Lofty's?
- PREP publishes its pricing openly: a free tier at $0, Agent at $49/month, Team at $149/month plus $25/seat, and Office at $299/month plus $20/seat, billed month to month. Lofty does not publish package pricing on its website; you book a demo to get a quote, and third-party reviews report onboarding or setup fees and annual terms. The practical difference is that you can see PREP's price and start today, while a Lofty price requires a sales conversation.
- Is there a free Lofty alternative for solo agents?
- PREP has a free-forever tier with no credit card required, covering up to 5 active deals, with native transaction management and checklist automation included. That makes it an accessible alternative for a solo agent or a new agent who wants to try a transaction-focused CRM before paying, where Lofty is positioned as a full lead-gen and IDX platform sold through a demo and quote.
- Does Lofty (formerly Chime) charge a setup fee?
- Lofty does not publish its pricing, and third-party reviews as of June 2026 report one-time onboarding or setup fees in addition to the monthly subscription. PREP charges no setup or onboarding fee on any plan, including the free tier. Confirm any current Lofty figure directly with Lofty, since it is not published on their site.
- Can PREP replace Lofty for transaction management?
- Both platforms can automate transaction tasks as a deal moves through its stages. PREP's checklists are organized by deal type (buyer purchase, seller listing, dual representation) so the right checklist applies to each deal, and they are included starting on the free tier with no setup fee. Lofty also offers transaction checklists that auto-create tasks on stage change once a checklist is applied to a transaction, alongside its lead-gen, IDX, and dialer tools. If your main need is generating leads and an IDX website at volume, Lofty is built for that and PREP is not a lead-gen product.