Articles · Is it a fit
Real Broker vs eXp Realty: the published terms side by side
Split, cap, fees, stock and revenue share for both cloud brokerages, taken from each company's own pages, with the cost at 20 sales worked out and the gaps named.
Disclosure. I'm an agent at Real. If you join and name me as your sponsor, I get paid. Weigh what follows with that in mind.
Real and eXp are the two cloud brokerages most agents end up comparing, and most of the comparisons online are written by someone at one of them. This one too: I’m at Real, and I’m paid if you join under me.
So I’m going to do the one thing that doesn’t depend on my opinion. Put each company’s published terms next to each other, taken from their own pages, do the arithmetic at one volume, and name the places where a figure isn’t published rather than fill it in.
The headline terms
| Real | eXp | |
|---|---|---|
| Split before cap | 85/15 | 80/20 |
| Annual cap (individual) | $12,000 | $16,000 |
| Gross commission to reach the cap | $80,000 | $80,000 |
| Start-up fee | $249 | $149 |
| Monthly fee | None | $85 “cloud brokerage fee” |
| Annual fee | $900, as $300 off each of the first 3 closings | None published |
| Broker review fee, per transaction | $50 (CBR fee) | $25 |
| Risk management fee, per transaction | None (included in CBR) | $40, capped at $500 a year |
| Post-cap transaction fee | $285 per sale, $125 per lease; $100 after Elite | Not stated on the two pages cited |
| Team member caps | $6,000 and $4,000 | Not stated on the two pages cited |
One oddity to flag on eXp’s side: its “Join” page lists the risk management fee at $40 with a $500 annual cap, and its “Income” page lists it at $60. I’ve used the Join page figure. Ask eXp which one is current.
Both companies reach the cap at the same gross commission, $80,000, because 15% of $80,000 and 20% of $80,000 are their respective caps. The difference before the cap is the rate on the way there: Real takes $1,200 of an $8,000 commission, eXp takes $1,600.
Split paid as your commission grows, until each cap
Both caps land at $80,000 of gross commission. The rate on the way there differs.
- Real (85/15, $12K cap)
- eXp (80/20, $16K cap)
Gross commission in the anniversary year
Show the numbers
| Gross commission | Paid at Real | Paid at eXp |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $7,500 | $10,000 |
| $100,000 | $12,000 | $16,000 |
| $150,000 | $12,000 | $16,000 |
| $200,000 | $12,000 | $16,000 |
The cost at 20 sales
Twenty sales at an $8,000 average commission, $160,000 gross. Sign-up fees left out of both (add $249 or $149 to your first year).
| Real | eXp | |
|---|---|---|
| Split paid, capped | $12,000 | $16,000 |
| Monthly fees | $0 | $1,020 |
| Annual brokerage fee | $900 | $0 |
| Broker review / CBR | $1,000 | $500 |
| Risk management | $0 | $500 (capped) |
| Post-cap transaction fees | $2,850 (10 × $285) | eXp’s fee not published on the cited pages |
| Total on published terms | $16,750 | $18,020 + eXp’s post-cap fees |
On the items both companies publish, Real is $1,270 less at this volume, before eXp’s post-cap transaction fee is added to eXp’s side. eXp charges one; the two pages I’m citing don’t state the amount, and I’m not going to quote a number I can’t point to. Whatever it is, it widens the gap at this volume rather than closing it.
Paid to the brokerage at 20 sales, on published terms
$8,000 average commission, $160,000 gross. Sign-up fees excluded.
- Real
- eXp
- Fee not published
Show the numbers
| Real | eXp | |
|---|---|---|
| Split, capped | $12,000 | $16,000 |
| Monthly fees | $0 | $1,020 |
| Annual brokerage fee | $900 | $0 |
| Broker review / CBR | $1,000 | $500 |
| Risk management | $0 | $500 |
| Post-cap fees | $2,850 | not published |
| Total | $16,750 | $18,020 + post-cap fees |
At lower volumes the picture is less tidy. An agent at six sales pays Real $900 in brokerage fee regardless, while eXp’s $85 a month is $1,020 whether you close or not. Run your own volume through the calculator rather than trusting either company’s example.
Stock
| Real | eXp | |
|---|---|---|
| Award for capping | Yes, a fixed share count (currently unstated on Real’s main stock page) | Yes, via “sustainable equity,” amount not stated on the page |
| Award for sponsoring an agent who closes | Yes, a fixed share count | Yes, amount not stated on the page |
| Top-producer award | Elite: $12,000 in stock plus a $100 post-cap fee | ICON: up to $16,000 in stock |
| Second top-producer award | Elite Cultural: up to $8,000 for teaching or hosting | Not stated |
| Stock purchase plan | 5% of commission (10% post-cap), with a 10% / 15% bonus | Not stated on the cited page |
| Vesting | 1 year (purchase plan), 3 years (awards) | “Typically” a three-year schedule |
eXp publishes something Real doesn’t: average stock earned per agent by production tier, from $0 for an agent in its entering tier to $11,702 for its elite tier in 2025. Real publishes the award terms but no average. If you want to compare what agents actually received, eXp has given you a number and Real hasn’t.
Revenue share
Both programs pay sponsors out of the company’s side of the split, not the sponsored agent’s commission. The published mechanics differ.
Real pays a percentage of the sponsored agent’s gross commission across five tiers, 5% down to 1%, capped per agent per year at $4,000 for Tier 1. Real says it invests “up to 60% of its Revenue” into the program and adjusts payments at month end. You have to pay $450 in splits every rolling six months to receive it, and it ends if you leave.
eXp says it redistributes 50% of the company’s 20% split to sponsoring agents. Its Income page doesn’t list tier percentages, so I can’t put them in a table. It does publish one figure I’d want every agent to see: “the median revenue share for a typical agent is $0.”
That’s eXp being honest, and it’s a fair thing to assume about Real too until Real publishes its own median. Most agents at either brokerage don’t earn meaningful revenue share. The people who do are the people who sponsor a lot of producing agents. If that isn’t you, weigh both programs at zero and decide on everything else.
What the tables can’t tell you
Culture and support aren’t on a fee schedule. eXp has been doing this longer and is bigger. Real is younger, growing faster, and has just absorbed RE/MAX, which will change it in ways nobody can promise yet. Talk to agents at both who do your kind of business in your market.
Your team’s terms sit on top of both. If you’re joining a team at either brokerage, the team leader’s split and fees matter more than the differences above.
Published terms change. Real raised two fees in September 2026 and cut its Elite award. eXp’s two pages disagree with each other on one fee. Check both companies’ pages on the day you decide, and get what matters to you in writing.
Questions people ask me
Which is cheaper? On published terms at twenty sales, Real by at least $1,270. At very low volumes it’s closer, and depends on whether you’d rather pay a monthly fee or an annual one.
Which pays more revenue share? Neither company publishes what a typical agent earns, except eXp, which says the median is $0. Decide on the brokerage, not the program.
Which has better technology? I use Real’s every day and wrote about it. I don’t use eXp’s, so I’m not going to rate it.
Can I take revenue share with me if I switch? No, at either brokerage. Both end it when you leave.
Sources
- Real help center, "8 Ways to Earn Income at Real (US Agents)", updated 31 August 2026
- Real help center, "Elite Agent Program", updated 4 November 2026
- Real help center, "How is revenue share calculated?", updated 31 August 2026
- eXp Realty, "Join eXp" page, US agent fees, read 7 November 2026
- eXp Realty, "Income" page, commission, stock and revenue share terms, read 7 November 2026
Figures checked 7 November 2026. Real changes its fees and programs, so check the current pages before you rely on any of this. Nothing here describes or promises what anyone earns.