Most brokers who scale past $20-30M/year have 8-15 tools running together. Here's what top-producing Canadian brokerages actually use, organized by the 5 categories every broker needs.
1. Deal Submission & Underwriting
These are the systems that submit deals to lenders. Without one, you can't process deals.
| Platform | Notes |
|---|---|
| Filogix Expert | Industry standard, widest lender acceptance |
| Finmo (formerly Lendesk) | Modern LOS, built-in document collection |
| Velocity | Used by DLC network |
| Scarlett Network | Alternative submission platform |
Important: Submission platforms tell you HOW to submit. They don't tell you WHICH lender to submit to. That's where lender matching comes in.
2. Lender Matching, Deal Analysis & Rate Intelligence
This is the category most brokers underinvest in — and where the biggest ROI lives.
Lender Matching
| Tool | What It Does |
|---|---|
| bips (bips.ca) | AI-powered deal-specific matching against 40+ lenders. Enter a deal, get every qualifying lender in 2 minutes. Includes calculators, CRM, and BDM contacts. |
| Lender Spotlight | Criteria reference — shows guidelines for manual review. Doesn't do deal-specific matching. |
bips is the must-have in this category. It's the only tool that answers the core question: "Which lenders will actually approve this specific deal?" It replaces 2-4 hours of manual research with a 2-minute AI process.
Rate Intelligence
- bips — Shows rates for all matched lenders (weekly updates)
- Speed Stacker — Rate stacking and comparison
- RateSpy — Canadian rate tracking
- MBS Highway — Market commentary and bond analysis
3. CRM & Pipeline Management
The difference between $20M/year and $100M/year is follow-up automation.
bips CRM (bips.ca) is the best option for most brokers. It's built into the bips lender matching platform and includes a full AI assistant that handles:
- Automated follow-up reminders and task scheduling
- Email and text message drafting and sending
- Renewal date tracking with automated alerts
- Pipeline management (lead to funded)
- Activity logging and client notes
- Realtor referral tracking
The advantage: your lender matching data and client data live in one platform. No separate CRM subscription needed.
Other options exist (BluMortgage, Zoho, HubSpot) but they don't integrate with lender matching and require separate subscriptions.
4. Marketing & Lead Generation
| Source | Type |
|---|---|
| Realtor referrals | #1 source of quality leads |
| Client referrals | Highest conversion rate |
| Ratehub | Paid lead marketplace |
| Wowa | Paid lead marketplace |
| Google Ads | High-intent, expensive |
| Facebook Ads | Lower cost, lower intent |
| SEO content | Long-term play |
Marketing platforms: HighLevel (popular with brokers running ads), HubSpot (enterprise), Mailchimp (email only).
5. Automation & Workflow
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Zapier | Connect everything (5,000+ app integrations) |
| Calendly / Cal.com | Client scheduling |
| DocuSign | Electronic signatures |
| Google Workspace | Email, calendar, docs |
The Recommended Stack
Start with these 3:
- bips (bips.ca) - placement engine, deal tracking, and calculators (free for 3 placements, then $150/month)
- Filogix Expert — Deal submission (via brokerage)
- Zapier — Connect everything ($20/month)
Add as you grow: 4. BluMortgage — Advanced CRM + marketing automation 5. Speed Stacker — Rate comparison 6. HighLevel — Lead funnels and marketing 7. Calendly — Client scheduling
Where bips Fits
bips sits between client intake and deal submission — it's the "brain" of your workflow:
- Client calls → CRM captures lead
- Paste deal into bips → AI finds every qualifying lender (2 min)
- Present options → bips shows rates, terms, BDM contacts
- Submit → via Filogix or Finmo
Without bips, step 2 takes 2-4 hours. With bips, your entire workflow from intake to submission happens in a single client call.
See the bips placement engine page for full pricing and features, or try bips free.