What insurance leads cost in 2026

Written by Adria Gaston, a licensed Florida insurance agent of fifteen years and founder of CoverageLink. Last updated 24 September 2026.

What each type costs

Type	Typical price	Who else gets it	Best for
Aged	Under $5	Already sold several times	Producers with spare time and a follow-up system
Shared	$8–$45	Usually 3 to 8 agents	Volume dialling, fast callers
Exclusive	$35–$150	You alone	Agents who work leads properly rather than in bulk
Live transfer	$25–$75	You, on the phone now	Agencies with someone always available to take a call

Ranges reflect commonly advertised vendor pricing across home, auto, flood and life in 2026. Individual quotes vary by state and line.

Why the same consumer costs $20 or $75

It is the same person either way. What changes is how many times they are sold.

A shared lead at $20 sold to four agents earns the vendor $80 from one consumer. An exclusive lead at $75 earns the vendor $75 from that same consumer. Exclusive is not a more expensive lead; it is the same lead sold once instead of four times.

That is also why contact rates on shared leads have fallen. By the time the fourth agent dials, the consumer has already said the same thing three times and stopped picking up.

“The thing that bothered me most as an agent was never the price of a lead. It was not knowing how many other people had the same one. You would call someone twenty minutes after they submitted and they would say they had already spoken to four agents.”

— Adria Gaston, licensed Florida insurance agent since 2011

The number that actually matters

Cost per lead tells you almost nothing on its own. Cost per written policy tells you everything.

Ten shared leads at $20 with one policy written is $200 per policy. Four exclusive leads at $75 with one policy written is $300. But three exclusive leads at $75 with one policy written is $225, and the difference between those two outcomes is simply whether being the only caller lifts your close rate — which it usually does.

Work it out with your own numbers rather than anyone's marketing: the cost per policy calculator takes about a minute, and the life version adds renewals for agents writing life.

What to ask before you buy

• How many agents get each lead? If they will not say, assume the higher end.
• Is that cap in the contract? A promise on a call is not a cap.
• Where was the lead generated? Their own site, or bought in from somewhere else.
• What consent record comes with it? You want the wording, the timestamp and an independent certificate.
• What is the return policy? Wrong number, wrong state, wrong line — how quickly do you get the credit back.
• Are leads resold later as aged? Many are, which is why a lead you paid for can come back around.

The consent record, and why it is yours not theirs

Under the TCPA, the agency that makes the call carries the liability, not the vendor that sold the lead. So the consent record is not paperwork — it is your protection. Ask for the exact wording the consumer agreed to, the time they agreed to it, their IP address, and an independent TrustedForm or Jornaya certificate. A vendor who cannot produce those is selling you their risk as well as their lead.

Common questions

How much do insurance leads cost in 2026?

Shared internet leads generally run $8 to $45 depending on the line, exclusive leads $35 to $150, live transfers $25 to $75, and aged leads under $5. Home and life sit at the top of each range, auto and renters near the bottom. The wide spread reflects how many agents receive the same record, not how good the person is.

What is the difference between shared and exclusive insurance leads?

A shared lead is sold to several agents at once, usually three to eight, so the consumer is called repeatedly within minutes. An exclusive lead is sold to one agent only. Exclusive costs two to four times more per lead but converts at a higher rate because nobody else is calling, so the two can end up costing much the same per written policy.

How many agents get the same shared lead?

Most vendors sell a shared lead to three to eight agents, and many will not tell you the number. Ask before you buy, and ask whether it is written into your agreement. If a vendor will not say, assume the higher end.

What is a good contact rate on internet insurance leads?

Around 25 to 40 percent on shared leads if you call within minutes, and higher on exclusive. Industry contact rates have fallen over the past several years, largely because the same consumer is sold to more agents on more platforms than before.

How fast should you call an internet insurance lead?

Within a minute or two. On a shared lead, the order agents dial in determines most of the outcome, because the first caller speaks to someone who has not yet been sold to three times.

What should you ask a lead vendor before buying?

How many agents receive each lead, whether that cap is contractual, where the lead was generated, what consent record comes with it, whether a TrustedForm or Jornaya certificate is included, what the return policy is, and whether leads are ever resold later as aged.

Are aged insurance leads worth buying?

They can be, at under $5 each, if you have the time to work volume and a system for follow-up. They have already been sold several times and worked, so expect low contact rates. They suit a producer with spare capacity rather than an agency trying to grow quickly.

What does TCPA consent mean on an insurance lead?

It means the consumer agreed, in recorded wording, to be contacted by phone or text about insurance. The agency that makes the call carries the liability, not the vendor, so the consent record is the agency's protection. Ask to see the exact wording, the timestamp and an independent certificate.

How do you work out what a lead is really costing you?

Divide what you spend on leads by the policies you write from them. Ten leads at $20 with one policy written is $200 per policy. That number, not the price per lead, is what tells you whether a source is working.

Which insurance lead providers are best for independent agents?

There is no single answer, because the right vendor depends on your lines, your state and how fast you call. What separates the good from the bad is not price but disclosure: whether they tell you how many agents get each lead, hand over the consent record, and take leads back when the details are wrong.