Zillow and Portal Lead Cost Statistics: 2026 Report
Last updated . All data pieces · Methodology
Agents usually look up Zillow Premier Agent cost when a sales call quotes a ZIP package, a Preferred success fee lands after closing, or a brokerage asks how portal spend compares with Homes.com or Realtor.com. The figure depends on which product is in play: prepaid share-of-voice advertising, pay-when-you-close success fees, or a listing membership that is not sold as a lead auction. One cost-per-lead number hides those models. Each portal has to be read in its own unit.
We compiled Zillow Group’s FY2025 Form 10-K and 2026 Form 10-Qs, CoStar Group’s FY2025 Form 10-K, News Corporation’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2026, and the public pricing or product pages for Zillow Premier Agent, Zillow Preferred, Homes.com membership and Realtor.com Connections Plus, all read on October 27, 2026. Where a page shows a dollar figure or fee percentage, we record it as stated; where the page asks for a sales call or demo, we mark the price “Not published (quote on request)” and do not estimate per-ZIP rates. Company-reported figures are hedged as such. For how agents report using CRM tools that often sit next to portal leads, see our real estate CRM market share article.
Zillow Premier Agent Cost as Published, October 2026
The table answers the keyword with what Zillow itself publishes: average cost per connection by metro class, the absence of a public per-ZIP rate card for market-based packages, and the Preferred success-fee range. Averages are Zillow’s own FAQ wording; the page does not state a methodology or as-of date for those averages.
| Cost measure | Figure as published | Unit and scope | Pricing path |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average cost per connection, major metro areas | $223 | USD per connection; “major metro areas” as labeled by Zillow | Stated on Premier Agent FAQ |
| Average cost per connection, non-major metros | $139 | USD per connection; “non-major metros” as labeled by Zillow | Stated on Premier Agent FAQ |
| Market-based (share-of-voice) package by ZIP | Not published (quote on request) | Monthly prepaid spend by ZIP; connections proportional to share of voice | Business advisor / tailored package |
| Zillow Preferred success fee, seller-originated connections | 40% | Percent of the agent’s expected side commission (GCI) for all markets | Posted on Preferred pricing page |
| Zillow Preferred success fee, buyer-originated connections | 15%–40% (varies) | Percent of GCI; varies by property ZIP, sale price and connection delivery date | ZIP lookup / full pricing sheet on Preferred pricing page; FAQ states the 15%–40% range |
Source: Zillow Premier Agent FAQ (“How much does Zillow advertising cost? / How much does Zillow Premier Agent cost?”); Zillow Preferred Pricing; Zillow Preferred FAQ (all accessed Oct. 27, 2026). Figures as published by Zillow, not independently verified. Market-based pricing and Zillow Preferred (formerly Flex) are described in Zillow Group Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025.
The two average connection costs are repeated below for the chart that follows.
- Major metro areas223
- Non-major metros139
Source: Zillow agent advertising FAQ (accessed Oct. 27, 2026; URL in Sources). Company-published averages; methodology and as-of date not stated on the FAQ. Chart plots both rows. Values as shown in the table below the chart.
| Metro class as labeled by Zillow | Average cost per connection (USD) |
|---|---|
| Major metro areas | 223 |
| Non-major metros | 139 |
Source: Zillow Premier Agent FAQ (accessed Oct. 27, 2026). Company-published averages; methodology and as-of date not stated on the FAQ. Chart plots both rows.
Zillow Preferred Success Fees, October 2026
Zillow Preferred is the invite-only, pay-when-you-close program that replaced Flex in the fourth quarter of 2025. There is no upfront advertising spend for connections under that model; the required costs Zillow names are a Follow Up Boss subscription and success fees when a connection closes. Related agent software context is on our real estate CRM software page.
| Term | As published |
|---|---|
| Upfront cost to join | None stated; Follow Up Boss subscription required |
| When the fee is owed | When a residential purchase or sale closes with a Preferred connection (generally within two years) |
| Seller-originated connection success fee | 40% of expected side commission for all markets |
| Buyer-originated connection success fee | Varies by ZIP and sale price; FAQ range 15%–40% of agent’s commission |
| Fee basis | Percentage of Gross Commission Income (GCI) for the agent’s side |
| Change notice | Zillow may change the posted success fee with 15 days’ notice; changes apply to connections received after the notice period |
Source: Zillow Preferred Pricing; Zillow Preferred FAQ; Zillow Group Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 (Preferred introduced as the next chapter for Flex in Q4 2025). Company-published terms, not independently verified. Per-ZIP buyer fee schedule is available via ZIP search on the pricing page; this table does not reproduce every ZIP rate.
Portal Lead Pricing Models Compared, October 2026
Zillow, Homes.com and Realtor.com sell agent visibility under different units. The table matches each portal’s public description of how agents pay. No portal’s row is a recommendation.
| Portal | Public pricing model | Published dollar or fee figure | Per-ZIP / package list price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zillow Premier Agent (market-based) | Prepaid share of voice by ZIP; connections in proportion to spend share | Average cost per connection $223 major metros / $139 non-major metros | Not published (quote on request) |
| Zillow Preferred | Pay-when-you-close performance advertising / success fee on GCI | Seller-originated 40%; buyer-originated 15%–40% per FAQ | ZIP fee sheet posted; no flat national dollar price |
| Homes.com | Subscription membership promoting listings and agent profile; listing Boost as a separate one-time option | CoStar CEO stated average annual subscription cost of $3,400 for studied members (Q1 2026 earnings remarks); new-member fees raised effective May 1, 2026 without a disclosed new list price | Not published on membership page (demo / join flow) |
| Realtor.com Connections Plus | Subscription lead generation by market; contact sales | None on the product page | Not published (quote on request) |
Source: Zillow Premier Agent; Zillow Preferred Pricing; Homes.com Membership (product description); Inman, April 29, 2026 reporting CoStar CEO remarks on average annual subscription cost and the May 1, 2026 new-member increase; CoStar Group Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 (Homes.com subscription memberships); Realtor.com Connections Plus; News Corporation Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2026 (Move lead-generation and listing advertisement products). Company-reported or trade-reported figures as cited; not independently verified. Third-party ZIP price estimates for Connections Plus were not used.
Homes.com’s 10-K describes subscription memberships that promote the agent’s listings and profile. The membership marketing page states that buyer inquiries on a member’s listing are connected to that listing agent. CoStar’s filings do not publish a national membership list price. Side-by-side portal notes live under portal advertising and lead generation software.
Portal Segment Revenue from Filings, 2025–2026
Filings disclose segment or product-family revenue, not agent-level cost. Periods and scopes differ, so the rows are not interchangeable share figures.
- Zillow Residential (year ended Dec. 31, 2025)1704
- CoStar Residential Real Estate (year ended Dec. 31, 2025)1460
- Move (News Corp Digital Real Estate; fiscal year ended June 30, 2026)610
Source: Zillow Group Form 10-K year ended Dec. 31, 2025; CoStar Group Form 10-K year ended Dec. 31, 2025; News Corporation Form 10-K fiscal year ended June 30, 2026. Periods and segment definitions differ. Chart plots all three rows. Values as shown in the table below the chart.
Source: Zillow Group Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 (Residential revenue $1,704 million); CoStar Group Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 (Residential Real Estate $1,460 million); News Corporation Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2026 (Move revenues $610 million). Filings as reported. Move’s fiscal year ends June 30; Zillow and CoStar figures are calendar 2025. Chart plots all three rows.
Zillow Residential was $1,594 million in 2024 and $1,452 million in 2023. CoStar Residential Real Estate was $1,221 million in 2024 and $1,012 million in 2023. Move was $552 million in News Corp’s fiscal 2025. None of those series is a cost-per-lead series.
Cost per Lead: What Is Public
No independent public dataset we found publishes a single national cost per lead for U.S. residential portal advertising with a documented sample of agent invoices. The only portal-published connection averages in this piece are Zillow’s $223 / $139 FAQ figures above. We did not divide segment revenue by an agent count to invent a cost per lead: Zillow’s FY2025 10-K does not disclose a Premier Agent partner count that would support that calculation, and CoStar’s membership counts are not paired with a public list price in the filings.
What the Cost Data Shows
Published portal lead costs for 2026 mix Zillow’s connection averages and Preferred success-fee percentages, a company-stated Homes.com average subscription cost without a public rate card, and quote-only packages at Realtor.com Connections Plus. Read each figure with its unit and source before comparing portals.
Sources
- Zillow. Premier Agent. Accessed October 27, 2026. https://www.zillow.com/premier-agent/
- Zillow. Preferred Pricing. Accessed October 27, 2026. https://www.zillow.com/preferred/pricing/
- Zillow. Preferred FAQ. Accessed October 27, 2026. https://www.zillow.com/preferred/faq/
- Zillow Group, Inc. Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025. Filed February 11, 2026. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1617640/000161764026000015/z-20251231.htm
- Zillow Group, Inc. Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2026. Filed August 5, 2026. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1617640/000161764026000052/z-20260630.htm
- CoStar Group, Inc. Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025. Filed February 26, 2026. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1057352/000105735226000020/csgp-20251231.htm
- Homes.com. Membership product page. Accessed October 27, 2026. https://www.homes.com/product/membership/
- Inman. “Homes.com fees for new members will rise starting Friday: CoStar CEO.” April 29, 2026. https://www.inman.com/2026/04/29/homes-com-fees-for-new-members-will-rise-starting-friday-costar-ceo/
- News Corporation. Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2026. Filed August 7, 2026. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1564708/000156470826000175/nws-20260630.htm
- Realtor.com. Connections Plus. Accessed October 27, 2026. https://www.realtor.com/marketing/real-estate-lead-generation/connections-plus/
Figures are shown as published by the sources named under each table. How we source and correct: editorial and corrections policy. Spotted an error? Contact us.
Release dates for these sources: Data release calendar.