Stadora vs. Compass — your software shouldn't depend on your brokerage.
Compass built one of the most ambitious tech platforms in real estate. There's only one catch: you can't use it unless you join Compass. Stadora is independent software that travels with you — at Compass, at eXp, at KW, at an indie brokerage, or on your own.
TL;DR
Join Compass if you want a national brand, a brokerage-tied tech stack you don't have to assemble, and you're willing to trade commission points for it.
Use Stadora if you want your software (and your data) to stay yours regardless of which brokerage you're at. AI-native, mobile-first, $24.99/mo. Works alongside Compass tools or instead of them.
The real comparison isn't software — it's lock-in
Compass is a publicly-traded brokerage that built an in-house tech platform: Agent Home, CRM, Collections, Marketing Center, Compass AI. The platform is genuinely good. But it's a perk of brokerage membership — to access it, you pay Compass with a share of every commission you earn. The day you leave, your relationship with that tech changes.
Stadora is independent software. You buy it for $24.99/mo (or use the free tier), and it works wherever you work. Designed by the lead designer of Serhant's SMPLE platform — the team that raised $45M led by Camber Creek — Stadora is built around what a solo or indie agent needs, not what a brokerage's tech roadmap dictates.
Where Stadora wins for independent agents
| Capability | Stadora | Compass |
|---|---|---|
| Works at any brokerage (or none) | Yes — fully portable. | No — Compass agents only. |
| Cost structure | Flat $24.99/mo or free tier. | Commission split — scales with your success. |
| Your data when you switch firms | Yours. Export anytime, no questions. | Policies vary; some data and assets don't travel. |
| AI prioritization with rationale | Yes — Stack screen tells you the three things to do today, and why. | Compass AI surfaces follow-up opportunities. |
| Daily audio briefing | Yes — Today's Briefing. | No equivalent. |
| Sign up in 60 seconds | Yes — download and start. | No — brokerage onboarding process. |
Where Compass wins
| Capability | Compass | Stadora |
|---|---|---|
| National luxury brand | Recognized, premium. | Software company — bring your own brand. |
| Brokerage support, referrals, marketing budget | Yes — that's the value of a brokerage. | Not applicable — we're software. |
| Visual buyer collaboration (Collections) | Yes — a distinctive feature. | Not built. Different problem. |
| End-to-end brokerage tech bundle | Yes — integrated. | Solo workspace; bring your own brokerage tools. |
Compass is a great brokerage with great tech. The honest framing: Compass is a brokerage decision, not a software decision. If joining Compass makes sense for your career, great. If not — you shouldn't be locked out of modern software because of it.
The case for keeping your software independent
- Your client list is the most valuable asset you build. If switching brokerages costs you access to it, you don't own your business — your brokerage does.
- Brokerage tech roadmaps serve the brokerage. Stadora's roadmap serves the agent. Different incentives produce different software.
- You'll switch brokerages more than once. Most agents do, eventually. Software that's tied to where you work today becomes a switching cost tomorrow.
- Independent software is portable by default. Stadora's data is yours, exportable, deletable. That's the floor, not a feature.
- You can use both. Many Compass agents run Stadora alongside Compass tools — Compass for the brokerage workflow, Stadora as the personal AI workspace that travels with them.
Honest answers
Can I use Stadora as a Compass agent?
Yes — and many do. Stadora is independent software. Use it alongside Compass's tools, or as your primary workspace. Your Stadora data stays with you regardless of where you're licensed.
What about Compass Collections?
Collections is a Pinterest-style visual collaboration tool for buyers — distinctive, but solving a different problem than Stadora. Most solo agents don't need a shared mood-board with their clients; they need to remember to make the call and send the show sheet. Stadora's bet is on the work, not the artifact.
If I leave Compass, what happens to my data?
That depends on Compass's policies and what type of data we're talking about. Some travels with you; some doesn't. The simpler answer with Stadora: it's yours, end of story.
Is Compass AI better than Stadora's AI?
They're built for different jobs. Compass AI is an on-demand voice assistant inside a brokerage platform — ask it to draft an email, it does. Stadora's AI is proactive: it reads your full pipeline and tells you the three things to do today, with rationale, without you asking. Different design philosophy. The right answer is the one that matches how you actually work.
Software that travels with you
At any brokerage, on any deal. Free tier permanent.
Last updated May 12, 2026. Compass data portability policies change — verify current policy before assuming. Stadora is not affiliated with Compass, Inc.