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 and BDM contacts; the bips CRM is $29/month. |
| Lender Spotlight | Criteria reference that 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. The bips CRM is $29/month after a 14-day free trial, a fraction of standalone mortgage CRMs.
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.