A Real Geeks alternative that doesn’t need ad spend to work
Real Geeks is a fair deal at what it does: an easy-to-run IDX website with PPC lead generation and a straightforward CRM, at one of the more accessible entry prices in the category. But the model runs on paid ads — the platform fee is the start, not the total. My Roost CRM works the asset you already own: your database. Follow-up, marketing, and social are produced for you at a flat published price, and no ad budget is required for it to earn its keep.
Full app, sample data, no sign-up. Plans $99–$399/agent/mo, 30-day money-back guarantee.
Ad-led leads vs database-led growth
Real Geeks
IDX website + PPC lead generation + CRM. Genuinely easy to run day-to-day — one of its best traits — with responsive support. The growth model assumes an ongoing ad budget on top of the platform fee (plus MLS feeds and any add-ons).
My Roost CRM
AI CRM + marketing on your book of business. Daily who-to-call, drafts in your voice, Social Suite and campaigns in-app (plan-dependent). Managed ads exist as an optional add-on — never a requirement for the core product to work.
| My Roost CRM | Real Geeks | |
|---|---|---|
| Growth model | Database-led: your sphere, scored and worked daily — no ad spend required. | IDX website + PPC lead generation — the model assumes an ongoing ad budget. |
| Total cost of running it | The plan price is the price: $99 / $229 / $399 per agent per month, published. | Platform fee plus MLS feeds, add-ons, and the Facebook/Google ad spend the lead-gen depends on — budget the whole stack, not the sticker. |
| Marketing & social | Social Suite, email campaigns, listing content, print, and SEO/reputation tools built in (plan-dependent). | Drip email, texting, and listing pushes; social content generally lives outside the platform. |
| AI personalization | The Brain learns your market, scripts, and voice once — every draft sounds like you. | AI texting follows up with new leads; less emphasis on producing marketing in your voice. |
| Lead quality | Your leads are people who already know you — sphere, past clients, referrals, plus your own lead sources via webhook. | PPC leads vary; quality complaints are a recurring theme in public reviews of paid portal/PPC leads generally. |
| Websites & IDX | Capture pages, booking, and home-value funnels included; a fully custom site with live MLS/IDX search is an optional add-on (from $999 build + $149/mo) — never required. | The IDX website is the core product — central to the bundle you're buying. |
| Ease of start | Guided onboarding measured in hours; live demo with no sign-up. | Genuinely easy to run day-to-day — one of its best traits — with responsive support. |
Comparison reflects our understanding of publicly available information as of July 2026 — always verify current features and pricing on the other product’s own site. Roost features marked Premier or Ultimate are plan-specific; see pricing. Other product names are trademarks of their respective owners; My Roost CRM is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by them.
Where Roost stops
Published before you buy. Roost has no ad-buying engine — paid ads are an optional service on ad accounts you own, not a lead machine inside the subscription. A custom IDX website is an add-on, not the centerpiece. And there's no power dialer yet for working cold internet leads at volume. If a website plus PPC feeding you new leads is the whole growth plan, that's a different kind of product than the one Roost is, and it's worth weighing before you switch.
Real Geeks is built for…
- IDX website plus PPC lead gen at a lower entry price than enterprise suites.
- Businesses funding an ongoing ad budget to work cold internet leads.
- Buyers who want a straightforward platform with solid support.
- Growth driven by new website leads rather than sphere marketing.
- Agents content to assemble social and content in other tools.
Choose My Roost CRM if…
- Growth comes from people who already know you — sphere, past clients, referrals.
- You'd rather invest in marketing to your database than in ad spend.
- You want AI producing that marketing in your voice.
- You want one published price without platform-plus-ads-plus-extras math.
- You're tired of leads that were expensive to buy and cheap to ignore.
What your week feels like
Real Geeks (ad-led)
Fund ads → leads hit the site/CRM → drip/text follow-up → work new internet leads → social/design often elsewhere.
In Roost
Open Who to call today → relationship-ranked list with drafts → call/text from Roost → a month of social in the Social Suite → the Brain learns overnight.
Click through the real UI: try the live demo — sample data, no sign-up.
Moving from Real Geeks without losing your book
Keeping the Real Geeks site temporarily? Forward its form leads into Roost while you transition marketing to your sphere.
- 1
Export & import
Export contacts from Real Geeks; guided onboarding imports from 15+ CRMs and Google Contacts.
- 2
Reconnect sources
Portals and ad forms flow in via your personal lead webhook (Zapier-compatible).
- 3
Teach the Brain (~10 minutes)
Market, niche, scripts, voice — once.
- 4
Work the same day
Your who-to-call list is live on day one.
Done-for-you onboarding is an optional add-on — see pricing.
What Roost costs (no “call us for a quote”)
| Plan | Price | Best if you need |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $99/mo | AI CRM, pipeline, email, booking |
| Premier (most agents) | $229/mo | + AI receptionist (200 min), Social Suite, video, SEO & reputation |
| Ultimate | $399/mo | + 500 receptionist minutes, Seller Radar, Vision AI |
- Setup & onboarding fees are published by plan ($79/$199/$599) and waived for the first 100 paying agents.
- Annual: pay for 10 months, get 12. Cancel anytime; 30-day money-back on the first plan payment.
Real Geeks' current pricing is on their site — check there. When you budget, count the whole stack honestly: platform, MLS/IDX costs, add-ons, and the ad spend the model depends on, plus your time working lower-intent internet leads.
Does Roost generate leads like Real Geeks?
Differently. Real Geeks manufactures new leads with ads + IDX; Roost maximizes the database you already paid to build — home-valuation funnels, capture pages, and lead webhooks for the sources you choose, with managed ads as an optional add-on. If the job is 'manufacture cold leads every month,' a lead-gen suite fits better. If the job is 'stop letting my database die,' that's Roost.
Common questions
Can I move my Real Geeks database into Roost?
Yes — export your contacts to CSV and they import as part of guided onboarding, alongside imports from 15+ CRMs and Google Contacts. Lead sources reconnect through your personal lead webhook.
Does Roost generate leads like Real Geeks?
Differently. Real Geeks generates new leads with ads; Roost maximizes the database you already have (plus a home-valuation funnel and lead webhooks for the sources you use). Managed ads exist as an optional add-on — never a requirement.
What does Roost cost compared to Real Geeks?
Roost's pricing is published flat per agent: $99 Basic, $229 Premier, $399 Ultimate per month, cancel anytime, 30-day money-back guarantee. Real Geeks' current pricing is on their site — check there; we don't quote other vendors' prices.
Which Roost plan should a Real Geeks switcher start on?
Most agents start on Premier ($229/mo) — it carries the 24/7 AI receptionist (200 minutes a month) plus the Social Suite and SEO/reputation tools that replace the pieces usually assembled around a lead-gen site. Ultimate raises the receptionist to 500 minutes and adds Vision AI and Seller Radar.
See it for yourself — in the actual app
The live demo is the full product with sample data. Click around everything above, no sign-up.