AWL vs SmartFinancial: leads, pricing and terms compared
AWL fits agents who want shared web leads across many lines, including disability, long-term care and small business, with no deposit and billing twice a month for delivered leads. SmartFinancial fits agents who want to bid for shared or exclusive leads and calls and manage their own territory, caps and call hours from a prepaid balance. Both sell live transfers and neither requires a long-term contract.
Side by side
| AWL | SmartFinancial | |
|---|---|---|
| Lines Differs | Life, health, senior health, Medicare, annuity, disability, long-term care, auto, home, renters, commercial and business benefits | Auto, home, renters, health, Medicare, life and commercial |
| Lead types | Real-time leads and live transfers | Real-time leads and live transfers |
| Shared or exclusive Differs | Shared: real-time leads (all lines) Exclusive: live transfers (all lines) | Shared: real-time leads (all lines) Exclusive: real-time leads (auto, home and health) and live transfers (auto, home and health) |
| Price Differs | Base price per lead by line and package, with an optional Max Bid. Geographic filters are free, other filters cost extra | By bid. Typically $8 to $30 per web lead and $18 to $70 per call |
| To start Differs | No deposit. Delivered leads are billed on the 1st and 16th, or sooner when a new agent reaches the $50 credit limit | Deposit set by SmartFinancial |
| Contract | No long-term contract | No long-term contract |
| Returns | Up to 10 days, as account credit | Up to 10 days, as account credit |
| Coverage | Nationwide | All 50 states |
| Sample leads published Differs | Life, health, senior health, annuity, disability, long-term care, auto, home, renters and commercial | Auto, home, renters, health, life and commercial |
| Named integrations Differs | None named | 3: ClientCircle, Blitz and AgencyMVP |
| Founded Differs | 2005 | 2012 |
| Headquarters Differs | Austin, Texas | Newport Beach, California |
Which one fits you
Choose AWL if
- You sell lines beyond personal lines and health, such as annuity, disability or small business
- You want to start without a deposit
- You want free geographic targeting
Choose SmartFinancial if
- You want exclusive web leads in auto, home or health
- You want to set your own bid and adjust it as you go
- You want typical price ranges to plan a first budget
Products and getting started
AWL
- Create an account on InsuranceLeads.com or InsuranceQuotes. There's no deposit or setup fee.
- Choose your lines and packages, then target by state, county, ZIP code and radius or area code, and add any filters.
- Set daily, weekly or monthly volume, a budget limit or hourly and daily call limits.
- Leads arrive by email, text, your online account or your CRM or rater.
- Your card is charged on the 1st and 16th, or sooner if you reach your credit limit, for leads already delivered.
SmartFinancial
- Sign up on the agent site and fund the account with a deposit. SmartFinancial picks the amount and you can't get it back.
- Build a profile for each product. Pick states or area codes, add filters and set calls or leads per day, call hours, how many calls can ring at once and the number transfers go to. There are also account-wide maximums for leads and calls.
- SmartFinancial suggests a bid for each product, and you raise it if you want more volume in a competitive area.
- Leads land in the SmartFinancial dashboard and can also go out by email or text, or to your CRM, rater or dialer.
- Once your balance falls to $50, your card is charged the rebill amount you chose in the portal.
- Your account manager handles 40 to 50 clients and goes over your account with you every two weeks.
- A pause lasts at most 14 days, and then the account turns itself back on.
Price and cost to start
SmartFinancial gives a rough budget, with web leads typically $8 to $30 and calls $18 to $70, and suggests a bid you can raise, where AWL quotes privately and uses Max Bid as your ceiling. The bigger gap is cash on day one. SmartFinancial wants a nonrefundable deposit it sets and charges 2.95% on card payments, while AWL starts new agents on a $50 credit limit with nothing paid in advance.
Full pricing: AWL and SmartFinancial.
Shared or exclusive
SmartFinancial will sell you an auto, home or health web lead no other agent gets, and its shared ones top out at three agents with one per carrier. AWL has no exclusive web option, and its carrier-exclusive leads typically land with 2 to 4 agents. Both companies route each live transfer to one agent, and both also sell clicks.
Every offer: AWL and SmartFinancial.
Lead returns
The window is the same 10 days, and both answer with account credit instead of cash. SmartFinancial asks more of you, since you have to stop calling the shopper and wipe the lead from your CRM or the request is denied, and leads bought with rewards or promo credit can't be returned. AWL's is a plain online request.
Full return terms: AWL and SmartFinancial.
Contract and cancellation
There's no term with either company, but leaving SmartFinancial takes written notice and up to 15 business days, and any balance stays as spending credit instead of coming back to you. A SmartFinancial pause lasts 14 days at most before the account switches itself back on and starts billing. AWL closes the account when asked, and since it takes no deposit you aren't leaving prepaid money behind.
Full contract terms: AWL and SmartFinancial.
Delivery and integrations
In SmartFinancial's terms, delivery is done once a lead reaches your dashboard, so catching a broken CRM or email hookup is on you, and custom API connections are available. AWL treats delivery as the data being sent or loaded for you and can push leads into a quoting engine. Only SmartFinancial lists dialers among its options.
Delivery details: AWL and SmartFinancial.
Lead quality checks
Most traffic at both comes from the companies' own sites, with partners making up the rest. SmartFinancial works with Jornaya, xVerify and RealValidation on consent and contact checks and makes affiliates keep a consent record for each lead for 5 years. AWL names no outside vendors and checks contact details and ZIP codes itself, and both screen callers before a live transfer connects.
Lead sources and consent: AWL and SmartFinancial.
Alternatives to AWL and SmartFinancial
- QuoteWizard sells real-time web leads in auto, home, renters, health, Medicare and life, shared or exclusive. Its WizardCalls live transfers cover home and auto.
- EverQuote sells real-time auto and home data leads and live transfers, and has no minimum spend.
- Hometown Quotes sells real-time leads for auto, home, life, health and renters, shared or exclusive, and live transfers for auto, home and life.
- MediaAlpha sells auto, home and life leads, shared by default with some sold as exclusive, that agents buy by bid or at a fixed price.
Frequently asked questions
Do AWL or SmartFinancial require a deposit?
AWL has no deposit and bills delivered leads to your card twice a month. SmartFinancial runs on a prepaid balance with a deposit it sets for your account.
Which one sells exclusive leads?
SmartFinancial sells exclusive web leads in auto, home and health. AWL web leads are shared, and its live transfers go to one agent.
Do AWL or SmartFinancial require a contract?
No. Neither requires a long-term contract.
How we researched this. We based this comparison on each company's published pricing where available, terms and product pages, reviewed in October 2026, together with our team's experience working with insurance agents and agency owners since 2008.