InsuranceAgencyTools

Zywave Marketing Automation and AgencyBuzz review: pricing, automations and AMS connections for agents

By the IAT editorial team | Updated October 4, 2026

Zywave sells two email products for agencies. AgencyBuzz is a packaged plan with ready newsletters, drips and AMS contact imports. Marketing Automation is a quoted tool built around Zywave's content library.

Both suit agencies that want insurance content written for them. Expect a yearly contract with no refunds.

Best for
Agencies that want insurance newsletters and articles written for them
Price
AgencyBuzz is $199.95 a month plus a $1,000 setup fee. Marketing Automation is quoted
Priced by
A flat monthly fee for AgencyBuzz, with five users and 25,000 emails a month
Free plan or trial
Neither. AgencyBuzz has a public order form, and Marketing Automation starts with a demo
Agency system sync
AgencyBuzz pulls contacts from AMS360, HawkSoft, QQCatalyst and InsurancePro
Renewal emails
A listed AgencyBuzz campaign, but Zywave hasn't published where the date comes from. Ask whether it reads policy dates from your AMS
Insurance content
Yes, a large library of articles and ready newsletters
Texting
AgencyBuzz add-on at extra cost

Our take

Zywave's strength is content, with hundreds of insurance articles and a year of newsletters you only need to review. AgencyBuzz pairs that with drips started by new contacts, website quotes and saved TurboRater quotes.

The AMS links are thinner than they look. They import contacts and quotes but don't write anything back, and HawkSoft works only in its desktop version.

Read the terms before signing. Orders can't be refunded, and AgencyBuzz needs 90 days' notice to avoid renewing for another year.

Pros

  • Hundreds of insurance articles plus ready newsletters
  • Drips start from website and TurboRater quotes
  • Contacts import from AMS360, HawkSoft, QQCatalyst and InsurancePro
  • A published AgencyBuzz price
  • Content covers employee benefits as well

Cons

  • A $1,000 setup fee on AgencyBuzz
  • No refunds and a yearly term
  • 90 days' notice needed to stop AgencyBuzz renewing
  • No write-back to your AMS
  • Texting and printed mail cost extra

Plans and pricing

Zywave sells two separate products. AgencyBuzz is a packaged plan with a published price. Marketing Automation is sold by quote to agencies and brokerages.

ProductPriceWhat you get
AgencyBuzz Complete MarketingThe packaged planWhere most agencies start$199.95 a monthFive users, unlimited stored contacts, 25,000 emails a month and 12 months of ready newsletters
AgencyBuzz setupPaid once$1,000Import of up to 50,000 contacts, four line-of-business campaigns, a custom template, birthday and holiday mailings and training
Custom newsletterOptional$125 eachA newsletter written for your agency
Marketing AutomationAgencies and brokeragesQuote onlyScheduled campaigns using the Zywave content library and AI prospecting tools

AgencyBuzz prices as of October 2026, from Zywave's public order form. Extra email volume, printed mail and texting cost more.

Good to know before you buy

  • AgencyBuzz runs on a one-year term that renews each year.
  • Orders can't be canceled or refunded mid-term. You can stop AgencyBuzz renewing with 90 days' notice.
  • After the first year, Zywave can raise the fee once a year with 60 days' notice.

AMS and CRM connections

AgencyBuzz connections run one way, into AgencyBuzz. They bring in contact and quote details. Nothing is written back to your AMS.

Connects toProductWhat comes inNotes
AMS360AgencyBuzzContacts and quotesOne way
HawkSoftAgencyBuzzContacts and quotesThe desktop version only, not HawkSoft online
QQCatalystAgencyBuzzContacts and quotesOne way
InsuranceProAgencyBuzzContacts and quotesOne way
TurboRaterAgencyBuzzContacts from saved quotesCan start a line-of-business drip
Insurance Website BuilderAgencyBuzzWebsite quote form contactsCan start a drip
BrokerageBuilderMarketing AutomationBenefits policy dataBuilds policy-based lists

Other systems can push contacts and quotes into AgencyBuzz through its web API.

Contacts and policy data

AgencyBuzz contacts
Unlimited stored contacts, grouped by line, relationship, agency contact or office
Marketing Automation lists
Filters on policy type, carrier and renewal date, for contacts, accounts and lists
Birthdays and anniversaries
AgencyBuzz runs events a chosen number of days before each date

Automations

AgencyBuzz campaigns
Newsletters, renewal and payment reminders, quote follow-ups, referral requests and birthday, holiday and anniversary greetings
AgencyBuzz triggers
A new contact, a line of business, a website quote, a saved TurboRater quote, a birthday or an anniversary
AgencyBuzz channels
Email and voicemail, with printed mail and texts at extra cost
Marketing Automation
Campaigns with set send times for each message, for outreach, onboarding, renewals and education
AI prospecting
Marketing Automation agents find and score prospects from Zywave's miEdge business database

Content and templates

Screenshot of Zywave Marketing Automation's product page at turborater.zywave.com
Zywave Marketing Automation's product page at turborater.zywave.com, as it looked on October 8, 2026.

Insurance content

  • AgencyBuzz: more than 250 insurance articles, with about 20 added each month
  • AgencyBuzz: 12 months of ready newsletters you can edit
  • Marketing Automation: more than two dozen newsletter series, some in Spanish
  • Commercial, personal and employee benefits topics

Compliance review

Zywave says subject matter experts write and vet its content. Your agency still checks it against carrier and state rules.

Branding
Your logo and colors on Zywave content
Editing
Edit any newsletter and add your own message before it sends
Formats
Articles, guides, checklists, infographics, quizzes and videos

Sending and deliverability

Sends as
A chosen AgencyBuzz user or each client's main agency contact
Domain setup
AgencyBuzz supports SPF and DKIM, records that show inboxes the email comes from your agency. Your agency makes the DNS changes
One-to-one email
Opens in your own mail program, such as Outlook
Bounces
Handled automatically in AgencyBuzz

Texting

Available on
AgencyBuzz, as an option at extra cost
Price
Quote only

Reporting

What it tracks

  • Opens and clicks in both products
  • Producer outreach on Marketing Automation
  • Engagement tied to renewals and pipeline on Marketing Automation

Mail privacy features can hide real opens. Treat open counts as a rough signal.

Getting started

  1. Order or book a demo

    AgencyBuzz has a public order form. Marketing Automation starts with a sales demo.

  2. Import your contacts

    AgencyBuzz specialists load up to 50,000 contacts.

  3. Set up campaigns

    Setup covers four line-of-business campaigns and birthday and holiday mailings.

  4. Train your team

    A training session is part of setup.

Support runs by phone Monday to Thursday 7:30 AM to 6 PM and Friday until 5 PM Central.

Contract and your data

AgencyBuzz term
One year without a signed schedule, renewing yearly
AgencyBuzz non-renewal
Written notice 90 days before the term ends
Marketing Automation term
Set on your signed schedule. Renews for the same length unless either side gives 60 days' notice
Leaving early
No canceling for convenience on Marketing Automation. Missed payments can make the rest of the term due
Refunds
None. Orders can't be canceled or returned
Price increases
Once a year at most. Marketing Automation renewals have no cap
Your list
AgencyBuzz has an import and export wizard while you're a customer
After you cancel
Access ends at once. Zywave returns or destroys your data within 90 days

From Zywave's and ITC's agreements, checked October 2026. Late payments accrue 1.5% a month.

Zywave Marketing Automation and AgencyBuzz alternatives

See every option in email marketing software for insurance agents.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Zywave AgencyBuzz cost?

$199.95 a month plus a $1,000 setup fee, with unlimited contacts and 25,000 emails a month. That flat price covers a list of 1,000 or 10,000 alike.

Which AMS does AgencyBuzz connect to?

AMS360, HawkSoft desktop, QQCatalyst and InsurancePro. Contacts and quotes flow in, and nothing goes back.

What is the difference between AgencyBuzz and Marketing Automation?

AgencyBuzz is a packaged plan with a published price and ready newsletters. Marketing Automation is quoted and adds AI prospecting and revenue dashboards.

Can I cancel Zywave anytime?

No. AgencyBuzz runs a year at a time, and orders can't be refunded.

How we researched this review. We based this review on the pricing, terms and product pages published by Zywave Marketing Automation and AgencyBuzz, reviewed in October 2026, together with our team's experience working with insurance agents and agency owners since 2008.

Corrections

Vendors change their pricing all the time and they don't email us when they do. So if you see a price on here that's gone up, a plan Zywave Marketing Automation and AgencyBuzz quit selling or a contract term that reads different now, let us know and send the link to the page where Zywave Marketing Automation and AgencyBuzz has it. Somebody here pulls up that page and checks it before we change anything on ours.

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