EverQuote vs SmartFinancial: leads, pricing and terms compared
EverQuote and SmartFinancial both sell shared leads capped at three agents and one per carrier, plus exclusive leads and live transfers. EverQuote focuses on auto and home, sets prices live and refunds your unused balance when you cancel, except an initial deposit that was matched with a credit. SmartFinancial adds health, Medicare, life and commercial, prices by bid and starts with a non-refundable deposit.
Side by side
| EverQuote | SmartFinancial | |
|---|---|---|
| Lines Differs | Auto and home | 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: real-time leads (auto) and 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 | Not published. Cost shifts with the product, the shopper's risk and any carrier subsidy | By bid. Typically $8 to $30 per web lead and $18 to $70 per call |
| To start Differs | Prepaid balance, no minimum | Deposit set by SmartFinancial |
| Contract | None. Cancel any time | No long-term contract |
| Unused balance at exit Differs | Refunded | Not refunded |
| Returns Differs | Up to 20% of a month's leads, within 30 days | Up to 10 days, as account credit |
| Coverage | Nationwide | All 50 states |
| Sample leads published Differs | None | Auto, home, renters, health, life and commercial |
| Named integrations Differs | None named | 3: ClientCircle, Blitz and AgencyMVP |
| Founded Differs | 2008 | 2012 |
| Headquarters Differs | Cambridge, Massachusetts | Newport Beach, California |
Which one fits you
Choose EverQuote if
- You mainly write auto and home
- You want your unused balance back when you cancel, apart from an initial deposit that got a match credit
- You want optional follow-up calling or managed paid search
Choose SmartFinancial if
- You sell health, Medicare, life or commercial as well as auto and home
- You want to manage your own bids, caps and call hours
- You want an account manager who reviews your setup regularly
Products and getting started
EverQuote
- Sign up for EverQuote Pro. Captive agents can buy for one carrier and independent agents for one agency.
- Choose your lead types, ZIP codes, days and hours and a daily cap.
- Fund a prepaid balance by card. For data leads your card is charged the amount you chose once the balance falls to $25. For live transfers the threshold is $100.
- Leads arrive in EverQuote Pro and by email, or post into your lead system. Calls ring the number you choose.
- Try to reach each lead within three hours, which the terms ask of every agent.
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 and EverQuote both keep their rate cards private, but they reach a price in different ways. SmartFinancial suggests a bid you can raise for more volume, and its web leads typically run $8 to $30, while EverQuote's prices shift with product, risk and carrier subsidy. SmartFinancial also adds a 2.95% fee to card payments, deposits included, while EverQuote charges no setup fee and sets no minimum spend.
Full pricing: EverQuote and SmartFinancial.
Shared or exclusive
On shared leads the two work the same way, never selling to more than three agents or to two agents from one carrier. The gap is in exclusives, which SmartFinancial sells in auto, home and health while EverQuote offers them only in auto, at extra cost. SmartFinancial also sells clicks to a page you choose, something EverQuote doesn't list.
Every offer: EverQuote and SmartFinancial.
Lead returns
EverQuote's 30-day return window is three times SmartFinancial's 10 days, and EverQuote credits returns automatically up to 20% of a month's leads. SmartFinancial wants a detailed reason for each request, makes you delete the lead from your CRM and refuses common complaints like an underwriting rejection or a shopper who never called back. Both pay returns as account credit only.
Full return terms: EverQuote and SmartFinancial.
Contract and cancellation
Leaving is where these two split most. EverQuote lets you cancel any time and refunds what's left, other than a first deposit that came with matching credit, while SmartFinancial needs written notice, takes up to 15 business days and keeps your balance for future purchases. A SmartFinancial pause also ends after 14 days, when billing restarts on its own.
Full contract terms: EverQuote and SmartFinancial.
Delivery and integrations
EverQuote leads land in EverQuote Pro within seconds, and SmartFinancial counts a lead as delivered the moment it hits your dashboard, so a later email, text or CRM failure is your problem. SmartFinancial offers custom API hookups, while EverQuote says Pro connects to many lead systems and raters without naming them. Both send leads on to your CRM, though SmartFinancial needs access to it.
Delivery details: EverQuote and SmartFinancial.
Lead quality checks
SmartFinancial gets most of its traffic from SmartFinancial.com, screens callers on live transfers and makes affiliates keep consent records for five years. EverQuote relies on its own sites and partner shopping sites, sells nothing recycled and retains form data as TCPA proof. SmartFinancial names xVerify and RealValidation for contact checks, while EverQuote names no outside validation firm.
Lead sources and consent: EverQuote and SmartFinancial.
Alternatives to EverQuote 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.
- 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 EverQuote and SmartFinancial share leads with the same number of agents?
Yes. Both sell shared leads to no more than three agents and only one agent per carrier.
What happens to my balance if I leave?
EverQuote refunds your unused balance when you cancel. The exception is an initial deposit that was matched with a credit. SmartFinancial doesn't refund an unused balance.
Which one publishes prices?
Neither publishes a full price list. EverQuote sets prices in real time, and SmartFinancial prices by bid.
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.