Shared vs exclusive insurance leads: what you are paying for

A shared lead is one the vendor sells to several agents. An exclusive lead is one the vendor sells to you alone. Neither word says anything about the shopper, who may have asked other companies for quotes. You are paying for less competition from that one vendor, so compare the two by cost per sale, not price per lead.

Key facts

• EverQuote sends a shared lead to at most three agents, one per carrier, and 1.7 on average (EverQuote).
• QuoteWizard sells a lead "to a maximum of four agents," and "under two agents on average" (QuoteWizard).
• SmartFinancial calls its live transfers "100% exclusive," and publishes no cap for its data leads (SmartFinancial).
• Auto shoppers collect 3.5 quotes on average, the most in J.D. Power's study (J.D. Power, 2026).

What does "shared" mean at each vendor?

It means the same inquiry is sold to more than one agent, up to a cap the vendor sets. The caps and averages come from each vendor's own pages:

EverQuote's same-carrier rule is in its Pro FAQ. SmartFinancial's is in its buying tips, which say agents who enter their carrier "will not be sharing leads with agents with the same carrier." QuoteWizard's agent pages don't say.

SmartFinancial's 2026 buying guide says shared leads in general go to "between two and four" agents. That is a description of the market, not its own cap.

What does "exclusive" mean at each vendor?

It means the vendor sells that lead to one agent. Each vendor applies the word to different products:

• EverQuote sells exclusive data leads, but "your account must also elect to receive 'shared' leads," according to its FAQ.
• QuoteWizard calls its WizardCalls live transfers "an exclusive lead product," and offers "exclusive access" to life and final expense leads.
• SmartFinancial sells live transfers as "100% exclusive." Its home page sets these against "shared and resold" leads from aggregators.

What does an exclusive lead not cover?

It doesn't stop the vendor or the shopper from contacting others.

Exclusive is not the same as untouched: EverQuote's terms say "regardless of whether a Lead is shared or exclusive, EverQuote retains the right to remarket or otherwise contact all Leads" (Pro terms).

The data stays the vendor's too. EverQuote's terms give agents a "nonexclusive" license to lead data. SmartFinancial's terms say it keeps "sole ownership of all Calls/Leads" and license each one to you for 90 days (terms).

The shopper also shops. Auto shoppers collect 3.5 quotes, and 48% of new auto policies are bought online, per J.D. Power. SmartFinancial's own guide says exclusivity "does not necessarily mean the consumer is exploring only one option" (SmartFinancial).

Why does speed matter more on a shared lead?

On a shared lead, other agents get the same name at the same moment. The shopper usually talks to whoever calls first. An exclusive lead gives you a little more time, but the other quote sites don't wait.

If your office can't call within minutes, buy fewer leads. Our guide to speed to lead shows how a small office can reply faster.

How do you compare shared and exclusive leads?

Divide what you spent by the policies you sold, for each type. None of the three vendors publishes prices, so you need your own figures:

Then work out the most you can pay per lead. It is your value per sale times your close rate on that lead type.

Take one vehicle at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) average combined premium of $1,438 for 2023 (NAIC). Kept three years at the 78% retention LexisNexis reports (LexisNexis), it brings in $3,435 of premium. That is about $412 at a 12% commission.

No reliable source gives close rates for bought leads, so the table runs over a range:

An exclusive lead that costs three times as much has to close about three times as often to match. Use your own commission and close rates, and run the EverQuote test or the QuoteWizard test for a month.

Which should a small agency buy?

Start with the type your staff can call fastest. SmartFinancial's guide suggests shared leads suit teams that can work high volume, and exclusive leads suit agents managing their own pipeline. Our SmartFinancial review covers that vendor's credits and deposits.

Both types bring a shopper who asked a vendor, not your agency. Your own ads bring inquiries that came to you first, and our buying leads vs Google Ads guide compares the two. Our Google Ads management is 10% of total monthly ad spend.

Bring your shared and exclusive cost per sale to a Google Ads strategy call, and we will set them against what your own campaigns would need to beat.