When you’re running a small mortgage brokerage, every hour counts. Your loan officers likely spend significant time on administrative tasks instead of closing deals—pulling documents, updating spreadsheets, chasing compliance deadlines, and manually logging client interactions.
Meanwhile, you’re watching deals slip through the cracks because follow-ups fall through the cracks. It’s no wonder that 44% of mortgage brokers report frustration with deal delays, and employee burnout is at an all-time high.
Here’s what we know: the right CRM can make a significant difference. But not the bloated, $150-per-user enterprise systems designed for 500-person teams. You need something built for your reality—affordable, quick to deploy, and focused on the tasks that actually move deals forward. The good news? There are genuinely excellent options available that won’t break your budget or require a lengthy implementation project.
We’ve spent weeks researching, testing, and comparing CRM platforms specifically designed for mortgage brokers and loan officers at small to midsized operations. In this guide, you’ll find detailed reviews of eight of the best mortgage CRM solutions, a side-by-side comparison table, and practical advice on choosing the right fit for your team.
Whether you’re looking to eliminate admin work, speed up deal velocity, or finally get your team to stop asking “where did that email go?”, you’ll find the answers here.
We evaluated 8 CRM platforms across affordability, deployment speed, integrations, mortgage-specific features, and support quality—prioritizing solutions built for teams of 2–10 people, rather than 500-person enterprises.
Our methodology is designed to reflect the reality of small mortgage brokerage operations—not the enterprise needs of massive loan operations. Here’s exactly how we evaluated each platform:
We assessed each CRM across five key dimensions that matter most to mortgage brokers with 2–10 person teams:
We used a 5-point scale with decimal precision (e.g., 4.4, 3.7) to reflect the nuanced strengths and weaknesses of each platform. A rating of 4.0 or higher indicates a strong fit for SMB mortgage brokers. A rating of 3.5 to 3.9 indicates solid functionality with some trade-offs. A rating below 3.5 indicates platforms with significant limitations for this use case.
Our assessment is based on industry research, customer review platforms (G2 and Capterra), direct vendor interviews, and hands-on testing of the platform. We verified all pricing as of December 2024 and confirmed feature claims with current product documentation.
Most “best CRM” articles for mortgage brokers compare enterprise platforms designed for 100 or more loan officers. That’s not helpful if you’re running a 5-person shop. Our focus is on solutions that deliver real ROI for small teams without requiring IT expertise, six-month implementations, or annual investments exceeding $100,000.
The difference between a great mortgage CRM and a generic sales CRM comes down to a few critical features—features that acknowledge how your team actually works. Let’s break down what matters:
Your purchase pipeline operates differently from a refinance pipeline. A purchase deal involves appraisals, inspections, and a fixed closing date. A refinance can close faster, but hinges on rate locks and appraisal coordination. A good mortgage CRM allows you to set up separate pipelines with custom fields (such as rate lock date, appraisal status, and title company) so you’re not forcing square pegs into round holes. This visibility alone helps loan officers prioritize the deals that need attention today versus deals that need attention next week.
Here’s the magic: automation that saves your team 1–2 hours per day. Think about it. How many times does a loan officer manually send the same “we received your docs” email or “just checking in” message? A mortgage CRM with email automation handles those touchpoints—and borrowers appreciate the consistency.
Set up drip campaigns for your purchase track (sent on day 1, day 7, day 14 of the loan process) and your refi track, and watch your response rates improve while your team’s manual work plummets. The best systems enable you to trigger emails based on deal stage, status changes, or time elapsed—so follow-ups occur automatically.
LOS (Loan Origination System) integration capabilities are non-negotiable. Your loan officers already spend hours in an LOS such as:
If your CRM isn’t talking to that system, you’re asking them to log information twice. Native integrations (where the CRM connects directly to your LOS) are ideal, but Zapier-based integrations work great too. The key is that loan data—borrower information, timeline, and status—syncs automatically, so your CRM stays current without manual entry.
Loan officers meet borrowers in lots of different places:
They close deals over the phone while driving to the next appointment. A CRM without a mobile app is a CRM your team won’t use consistently. Look for an app that lets loan officers check their pipeline, log calls, add notes, and update deal status—all from their phone—without requiring them to return to the office.
TRID (Closing Disclosure) deadlines don’t move. Neither do appraisal orders, or title company check-ins. A mortgage CRM with built-in task lists, deadline reminders, and audit logs keeps your team compliant without adding stress. The best systems allow you to create compliance checklists (one for purchase and one for refinance) that auto-populate when a deal enters the pipeline. You also want audit logs so you can prove to regulators that you documented everything correctly.
Most mortgage brokers have a database of past clients and referral sources. A CRM with email marketing capabilities lets you build “borrower-for-life” relationships—seasonal tips, market updates, anniversary emails thanking clients for referrals. These campaigns take 30 minutes to set up and run on autopilot for months. The result? More repeat business and more referrals, which is how mortgage brokerages grow sustainably.
Not all leads are created equal. A mortgage CRM should enable you to score leads (using custom criteria, such as loan amount, credit profile, and timeline) so that your team can focus on high-probability deals first. Pair that with a task management system—where the CRM tells you “call John about his rate lock” instead of you remembering to follow up—and you’ve eliminated one of the biggest sources of lost deals.
| CRM Name | Price (User/Month) | Setup Time | Native LOS Integration | Mobile App | Sähköpostimarkkinointi | Support Level |
| Nutshell | $13–$89 | 3–7 days | Zapier | Kyllä | Kyllä | Live onboarding and email support |
| Jungo | $96–$149 | 2–4 weeks | Encompass, Calyx, Byte | Kyllä | Kyllä | Dedicated onboarding and phone |
| BNTouch | $165+ | 1–2 weeks | Rajoitettu | Kyllä | Kyllä | Live chat and email support |
| Shape Software | Not listed | 2–3 weeks | Zapier | Kyllä | Kyllä | Email and phone support |
| Insellerate | Custom pricing only | 1–2 weeks | Rajoitettu | Yes (strong) | Kyllä | Live support and community |
| Usherpa | Not listed | 2–3 weeks | Rajoitettu | Kyllä | Kyllä | Dedicated CSM (higher tiers only) |
| Total Expert | $69+ | 3–8 weeks | Rajoitettu | Kyllä | Extensive | Premium support and training |
| Zeitro | Free–Custom | 1–2 weeks | Zapier | Kyllä | Basic | Email support and documentation |
Official website: https://nutshell.com
Nutshell is built for teams that need powerful CRM functionality without the price tag or complexity. It’s the rare platform that combines affordability with genuine ease of use—no implementation consultants required, no three-month onboarding process. For mortgage brokers operating on a lean budget, this is the standout choice.
What makes Nutshell particularly compelling for mortgage brokers is its “next-action” methodology. Instead of drowning you in dashboards and features, Nutshell focuses your team on the 1–2 critical tasks that move deals forward. That philosophy translates perfectly to mortgage origination: your loan officers see their pipeline, they see what needs to happen next (call the appraiser, order the title, send docs to the borrower), and they move forward. No busywork, no feature bloat.
All plans include free guided onboarding, live support during your first 30 days, and access to the mobile app. Monthly billing, no long-term contracts.
Official website: https://ijungo.com
Jungo is built by people who understand mortgage origination inside and out. It shows. The platform comes with pre-built pipelines for purchase and refi, custom fields tailored to mortgage workflows, and integrations that connect directly to Encompass, Calyx Point, and other major LOS platforms. If you want minimal setup and maximum mortgage-specific functionality, Jungo delivers.
The downside is price. Jungo’s competitive advantage comes from deep mortgage expertise, and you pay for it. But if your team is larger or you’re willing to invest in a more specialized platform, Jungo’s native LOS integrations and mortgage-centric features justify the cost.
Pricing varies by team size.
Official website: https://bntouch.com/
BNTouch is the “Goldilocks” CRM option for mortgage lenders—not as cheap as Nutshell, not as specialized as Jungo, but genuinely good at what it does. It excels at lead management and email marketing, which means if your challenge is nurturing a large database of past clients and referral sources, BNTouch delivers strong functionality.
The platform features a clean and intuitive interface that your team will quickly pick up. You won’t have a six-month learning curve. It also offers solid mobile functionality and reasonable pricing, making it a practical choice for mid-sized brokerages (5–20 loan officers).
Official website: https://setshape.com/
If regulatory compliance is your top concern—and it should be—Shape Software is worth serious consideration. The platform is built with compliance in mind, which means that audit logs, task checklists, and deadline tracking are built in, not bolted on. For brokerages that have experienced compliance headaches or operate in highly regulated states, this peace of mind is valuable.
Shape Software is more traditional in its approach than Nutshell (less cutting-edge UI, more “business software”), but it’s solid and reliable. Your team won’t love using it, but they’ll trust that nothing falls through the cracks.
Official website: https://insellerate.com
Insellerate is built around a simple insight: loan officers work in the field. Their app is the strongest of any platform we reviewed—truly functional, intuitive, and designed for someone who spends 60% of their day outside the office.
If your team is mobile-heavy (meeting borrowers at home, visiting jobsites, closing deals over the phone while commuting), Insellerate delivers an experience that rivals dedicated mobile apps. The web interface is serviceable but not particularly exciting—the real strength is the iPhone and Android apps.
Insellerate offers custom pricing tailored to your mortgage brokerage needs.
Official website: https://usherpa.com
Usherpa takes a different approach: instead of generic CRM features, it focuses on relationship-building and borrower experience. The platform includes a borrower portal where clients can upload documents, check their loan status, and communicate with your team—which reduces the need for back-and-forth emails and phone calls. It also emphasizes referral tracking and personalization, which appeals to brokerages that grow through relationships rather than lead generation.
The tradeoff is that Usherpa is less pipeline-focused than competitors. If your team lives in their pipeline (checking deal stage 50 times a day), Usherpa might feel indirect. But if your focus is borrower satisfaction and relationship nurturing, it’s worth considering.
Usherpa requires prospects to contact them for pricing information.
Official website: https://totalexpert.com
Total Expert is the heavyweight of the bunch—an integrated platform combining CRM, marketing automation, content library, and borrower communication tools. If you want a single system to handle everything (pipeline management, email marketing, social media, content distribution, and landing pages), Total Expert is comprehensive.
The downside? Complexity and cost. Total Expert is built for larger teams with dedicated marketing and operations staff. If you’re a 4-person brokerage, you’ll be paying for features you don’t use. But for mid-to-large brokerages (15+ loan officers with marketing support), Total Expert’s integrated approach justifies the investment.
Total Expert doesn’t list any pricing on its website. However, its Capterra profile suggests the company charges a flat rate of $69 per user per month.
Official website: https://zeitro.com
Zeitro is the minimalist option. It doesn’t do everything—it excels in a few areas. Pipeline management, basic task tracking, mobile app, and essential email templates. If you’re evaluating your first CRM and you want to avoid unnecessary complexity, Zeitro is refreshingly straightforward.
The tradeoff is limited customization and fewer integrations. But for a 2–3 person brokerage testing whether a CRM improves their process, Zeitro is an excellent low-risk, low-cost starting point.
You’ve chosen a platform. Now comes the critical part: actually using it. Here’s how to plan your first 30 days to ensure you see real ROI from day one.
Start by setting up your core pipelines. Create separate pipelines for purchase and refinance loans (or add custom status fields if your CRM uses a single pipeline).
Define your pipeline stages:
Add custom fields relevant to mortgage lending: rate lock date, appraisal status, title company, underwriting notes, and program type. Then complete the setup with these essential tasks:
This is where the real productivity gains happen. Create automated email sequences for your purchase pipeline, including the following stages:
Create a separate sequence for your refi pipeline (which closes faster and follows a different timeline). Set up task reminders: when a deal reaches “underwriting,” automatically create a task “order appraisal.” When “appraisal received,” create a task “send to borrower for review.” These automations run in the background and keep your team on track without manual follow-ups.
By week 4, you have enough data to establish benchmarks. Measure: average close time (days from lead to closed loan), pipeline velocity (how many deals move to the next stage each week), admin hours saved per loan officer (compare week 4 to the week before CRM implementation), and lead response time (how quickly your team initiates contact after a lead comes in). These metrics become your ROI baseline.
Most mortgage brokerages see measurable productivity gains within 30 days:
The platforms we reviewed (particularly Nutshell, BNTouch, and Insellerate) deliver these gains within weeks, not months. The key is treating Week 1–4 as a structured onboarding process, not a “set it and forget it” implementation.
One major US mortgage lender implemented comprehensive automation, resulting in 2.5 times productivity improvement for loan officers. This enabled them to process 30% more volume with 50% fewer team members. The result: $2M in annual cost savings.
Your loan origination system (LOS) is the source of truth for borrower info, loan details, and timeline. If your CRM isn’t integrated with your LOS, your team is entering data twice—once in the LOS and once in the CRM. That’s not productivity—that’s waste.
Here’s how to set up integrations that actually work:
Once you’ve chosen your integration method, decide on sync frequency. Do you want real-time sync so that the moment something changes in your LOS, it updates the CRM? Or would you prefer scheduled syncs (every hour, every 4 hours, daily)? Although real-time is ideal, it can create system load. Hourly or 4-hour syncs are more practical for most brokerages.
Set up data validation checks. Which fields should sync? Borrower name, SSN, loan amount, property address, timeline, program type, and status should definitely sync. Marketing notes and internal observations probably shouldn’t be shared. Define your sync rules upfront to avoid confusion.
TRID requires you to maintain documentation trails. Ensure that your CRM integration logs all data changes, including the user who made the change, the date and time of the change, and the reason for the change. This audit trail provides evidence of compliance if regulators request it. Also, ensure that your LOS-CRM connection uses encryption (HTTPS, API keys, or OAuth) to prevent sensitive borrower information from being exposed during transit.
Fair lending regulations require that your CRM not store or use protected characteristics (race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, disability) to score leads or segment borrowers. If you’re using AI-based lead scoring, audit it to ensure it’s not creating disparate impact. Most CRMs (including Nutshell) allow you to exclude sensitive fields from scoring rules—use those controls.
Before you go live, test:
Most CRM vendors will assist you in testing before going live. Take advantage of that.
After reviewing hundreds of mortgage broker CRM implementations, we’ve seen patterns in what goes wrong. Here’s how to avoid the biggest pitfalls:
Salesforce is powerful. HubSpot is comprehensive. But for a 5-person brokerage, these platforms are like buying a semi-truck to deliver groceries. You’ll spend $500–1,000/month on software your team doesn’t use, implement it over 6 months, and then realize you need a consultant to maintain it. The platforms we reviewed in this guide are built for teams of your size. Use them.
If your loan officers work in the field (and most do), a CRM without a strong mobile app is a deal-breaker. They won’t use it consistently. Weeks later, the CRM will be outdated because nobody is updating it from the office. Insellerate and Nutshell have excellent mobile apps. Verify that the platform you choose supports your team’s workflow.
You need your CRM and LOS to talk to each other. If the platform you’re considering doesn’t integrate with Encompass or Calyx Point, and there’s no Zapier option available, you’re essentially buying a system that creates more work (requiring manual data entry). Before signing a contract, confirm that your integration path works.
Even “easy” CRM implementations require 20–30 hours of team training and practice. Your team needs to learn the new system, update their daily habits, and trust the data in the CRM. Budget time for this. The platforms with guided onboarding (Nutshell, Jungo) make this easier, but don’t assume your team will just “figure it out.”
While a platform with 50 features you don’t use costs more and confuses your team, a platform with 15 features you actually need costs less and gets adopted faster. Nutshell and Zeitro are great examples—they do less, but what they do, they do well. Don’t pay for feature bloat.
Real talk: automation is where a mortgage CRM earns its keep. Here are the concrete, high-impact use cases we recommend implementing:
Set up an automated sequence triggered when a loan enters your pipeline:
Each email provides borrower education and manages expectations. They stop calling with questions because your emails already answered them. Automated response time: zero effort from your team.
When a deal enters your pipeline, auto-create a checklist of compliance tasks:
As your team completes each task, they check it off. The system reminds them if a task isn’t completed by the deadline. TRID compliance becomes a checkbox exercise, not a scramble.
Instead of your team fielding “Where are we in the process?” calls, borrowers log into the portal and see their loan status in real-time. They upload documents, check the timeline, and message your team. The result? 30–40% fewer support calls and faster document turnaround.
The moment a loan closes, trigger an automated campaign:
These emails generate repeat business and referrals. They run on autopilot. Your team doesn’t send them manually.
Set up scoring rules based on your ideal borrower profile:
Leads with 60+ points show at the top of your pipeline. Your team calls them first. High-probability deals get attention first. Win rate improves.
It depends on the platform. Jungo offers native Encompass and Calyx Point integrations—direct connections, no middleman. Nutshell, Shape Software, BNTouch, Insellerate, and Zeitro use Zapier, which bridges your CRM to Encompass and most other LOS platforms. Usherpa and Total Expert have more limited LOS integration options.
The key: before you sign up, confirm your specific LOS (Encompass, Calyx Point, Byte, LendingPad, etc.) is supported. Test the integration during your trial period to ensure data syncs at the frequency you need. Most vendors will help you set up a test integration before you go live.
Nutshell and Zeitro: 3–7 days. You can be live and operational within a week.
BNTouch, Insellerate, and Shape Software: 1–3 weeks. Setup is straightforward—your main work is customizing pipeline stages and fields to match your process.
Jungo, Usherpa, and Total Expert: 2–8 weeks. These are more specialized platforms with deeper customization options, so implementation takes longer. You’re working with a dedicated implementation team.
The “quick deployment” platforms (Nutshell, Zeitro) are ideal if you want to avoid a lengthy implementation project. The “comprehensive” platforms take longer but offer more customization.
Yes. All platforms reviewed include task management and deadline reminders. The better ones (Shape Software, Jungo, Total Expert) come with pre-built TRID checklists that auto-populate when a loan enters the pipeline. Other platforms let you create custom checklists.
For the best compliance experience, choose a platform that includes audit logs (which record who did what and when) and task templates tailored to TRID requirements. Shape Software and Jungo excel here.
Sending email drip campaigns is the best way to nurture past clients for referrals.
Set up automated sequences triggered by the loan close date:
These emails run on autopilot and generate 15–30% of repeat business for most brokerages. Platforms with strong email marketing (BNTouch, Total Expert, Nutshell) make this easy. You set up the sequence once, and it runs for years.
Also consider building a referral incentive program. Track which clients and partners refer business, the number of referrals they’ve sent, and the number of referrals that have been lost.
Automated emails thanking them for referrals and highlighting their referral count (and any bonuses earned) reinforce the relationship.
Track the following metrics to measure CRM ROI:
Then, use your findings to calculate ROI with the following formula:
(Revenue increase + admin hours saved) minus CRM cost.
For most small brokerages, a $20–50/user/month CRM pays for itself within the first month through admin time savings alone.
It depends on which platform you’re looking at. Nutshell offers a 14-day free trial, no credit card required. You get full access to all features, including guided onboarding and live support.
While Zeitro does not offer a free trial, it does have a free subscription tier for users looking to test it out.
Most other mortgage CRM platforms (Jungo, BNTouch, Insellerate, Usherpa, Total Expert) prioritize free live demos over trials. You may be able to request a 14–30 day free trial by contacting each platform’s sales team.
Our recommendation: always request a demo with your prospective vendor during your trial. Have them walk your team through setup, show you the mobile app, and demonstrate LOS integration. A 30-minute demo saves weeks of confusion post-purchase.
Here’s what we know: the right CRM changes how your team works. Your loan officers spend less time typing and more time selling. Deals close faster. Employees stick around (because they’re not burning out on admin work). Repeat business and referrals increase. Revenue per loan officer goes up.
But choosing the right platform matters. An overly complex enterprise system wastes money and frustrates your team. An underpowered system doesn’t deliver the automation and integration you need. The sweet spot for small mortgage brokerages is a platform that’s affordable, quick to deploy, and genuinely designed for your industry.
That’s why Nutshell stands out. For $13/user/month on the Foundation Plan, you get a CRM that deploys in days, automates workflows that save your team 1–2 hours daily, and focuses your team on the actions that move deals forward. No implementation fees. No long-term contracts. No surprises.
If your team is larger or you need mortgage-specific templates and native LOS integrations, Jungo delivers that expertise (at a higher price point). If email marketing and lead nurturing are your priorities, BNTouch excels. If compliance tracking keeps you up at night, Shape Software has you covered.
However, if you’re a 2- to 10-person operation that wants to go live quickly and closely watch your margin, Nutshell is the clear winner.
Ready to get started? Start your 14-day free Nutshell trial. No credit card required. Your first 30 days include guided onboarding and live support—so you’ll have real people helping your team succeed. Within a month, you’ll be wondering how you ever ran your brokerage without it.
Your loan officers have better things to do than type. Your borrowers deserve better communication. Your referral sources should feel valued. A CRM makes all of that possible—if you choose the right one.
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