Brokerage comparison

Real Brokerage vs. RE/MAX

RE/MAX's own recruitment page says costs vary by brokerage and experience, and typically take one of two shapes: a commission split, or a monthly desk fee with a smaller split. That choice — variable cost versus fixed cost — is the real comparison, and it depends on your production volume.

Last reviewed August 11, 2026. Third-party brokerage names and marks are the property of their respective owners. They are used here only for identification and comparison. No endorsement, sponsorship or affiliation is implied or claimed.

Read this comparison as

01 — The quick read

What actually differs

RE/MAX states costs vary by brokerage and experience.
The typical structures are either a commission split or a monthly desk fee plus a smaller split.
A fixed desk fee is an obligation in slow months; a split is not.

Overhead view of an open planner, pens, a laptop and a cup of coffee on a desk.

Read this part slowly

Most people compare one number and move on. The comparison that matters is what the whole structure leaves you holding at the end of a year — and what it leaves you holding when you stop producing.

02 — Side by side

The whole operating model, row by row

Where a term is set locally by an office, franchise or individual agreement, this table says so instead of inventing a national figure.

Operating-model comparison: Real Brokerage and RE/MAX
Category	Real Brokerage	RE/MAX
Operating structure	A single national cloud-based brokerage across the United States and Canada. Team and private-label structures are described in Real's official filings.	A franchise network of independently owned and operated brokerages, each setting its own local terms.
Commission / economic structure	Agents typically receive 85% of gross commission income; Real retains 15% until the agent reaches the annual cap (2025 Annual Report, p. 53).	RE/MAX states costs vary by brokerage and experience, and typically include either a commission split or a monthly desk fee plus a smaller split.
Cap structure	An annual cap applies. Real's 2024 investor presentation published a $12,000 individual-agent cap — confirm the current schedule. After the cap, the agent retains 100% net of a fixed per-transaction fee.	Varies by office/agreement
Recurring fixed costs	Confirm the current published fee schedule directly with Real. RGC does not restate amounts that can change.	A monthly desk fee is one of the two typical structures RE/MAX describes; the amount is set locally.
Transaction costs	A fixed per-transaction fee applies after the cap (2025 Annual Report, p. 53). Confirm current amounts in official materials.	Varies by office/agreement
Brand control	Agents and teams generally operate under their own brand and marketing identity, within brokerage compliance requirements.	Operating within franchise brand standards; agent branding generally accompanies the franchise identity.
Technology and workflow	One national cloud platform; no physical office requirement. Confirm current tools in official materials.	Franchise-provided tools plus whatever the local brokerage adds. Confirm what is included locally.
Coaching and support model	Support comes through the platform plus the team, sponsor and network an agent chooses — not a franchised local office.	Delivered through the local independently owned brokerage; quality and depth vary by office.
Ownership / equity opportunity	Real's official filings describe agent equity programs. Review current official terms and eligibility before assuming anything.	Franchise ownership is a separate business decision. Agent-level equity participation is agreement-specific.
Recurring-income mechanism	Real's official materials describe an agent revenue-share program tied to attraction. Terms and eligibility are governed by current official documents.	Varies by office/agreement
Multi-market expansion	One brokerage affiliation across the states and provinces where Real is licensed, so expansion generally does not require changing brokerages.	Expanding generally means engaging additional independently owned franchises with separate agreements.
Enterprise / exit optionality	Official filings describe team and private-label structures used by larger organizations; evaluate them against your own governance and continuity plan.	Franchise ownership can carry transferable value; agent-level optionality depends on the local agreement.

Operating structure

Real Brokerage: A single national cloud-based brokerage across the United States and Canada. Team and private-label structures are described in Real's official filings.
RE/MAX: A franchise network of independently owned and operated brokerages, each setting its own local terms.

Commission / economic structure

Real Brokerage: Agents typically receive 85% of gross commission income; Real retains 15% until the agent reaches the annual cap (2025 Annual Report, p. 53).
RE/MAX: RE/MAX states costs vary by brokerage and experience, and typically include either a commission split or a monthly desk fee plus a smaller split.

Cap structure

Real Brokerage: An annual cap applies. Real's 2024 investor presentation published a $12,000 individual-agent cap — confirm the current schedule. After the cap, the agent retains 100% net of a fixed per-transaction fee.
RE/MAX: Varies by office/agreement

Recurring fixed costs

Real Brokerage: Confirm the current published fee schedule directly with Real. RGC does not restate amounts that can change.
RE/MAX: A monthly desk fee is one of the two typical structures RE/MAX describes; the amount is set locally.

Transaction costs

Real Brokerage: A fixed per-transaction fee applies after the cap (2025 Annual Report, p. 53). Confirm current amounts in official materials.
RE/MAX: Varies by office/agreement

Brand control

Real Brokerage: Agents and teams generally operate under their own brand and marketing identity, within brokerage compliance requirements.
RE/MAX: Operating within franchise brand standards; agent branding generally accompanies the franchise identity.

Technology and workflow

Real Brokerage: One national cloud platform; no physical office requirement. Confirm current tools in official materials.
RE/MAX: Franchise-provided tools plus whatever the local brokerage adds. Confirm what is included locally.

Coaching and support model

Real Brokerage: Support comes through the platform plus the team, sponsor and network an agent chooses — not a franchised local office.
RE/MAX: Delivered through the local independently owned brokerage; quality and depth vary by office.

Ownership / equity opportunity

Real Brokerage: Real's official filings describe agent equity programs. Review current official terms and eligibility before assuming anything.
RE/MAX: Franchise ownership is a separate business decision. Agent-level equity participation is agreement-specific.

Recurring-income mechanism

Real Brokerage: Real's official materials describe an agent revenue-share program tied to attraction. Terms and eligibility are governed by current official documents.
RE/MAX: Varies by office/agreement

Multi-market expansion

Real Brokerage: One brokerage affiliation across the states and provinces where Real is licensed, so expansion generally does not require changing brokerages.
RE/MAX: Expanding generally means engaging additional independently owned franchises with separate agreements.

Enterprise / exit optionality

Real Brokerage: Official filings describe team and private-label structures used by larger organizations; evaluate them against your own governance and continuity plan.
RE/MAX: Franchise ownership can carry transferable value; agent-level optionality depends on the local agreement.

02 — Honest fit

Where each model genuinely fits

Neither answer is universal. These are the conditions under which each side is the better structure.

RE/MAX may be the better fit when

You have consistently high volume and a desk-fee structure genuinely favors your numbers.
The brand has durable recognition with your client base.
Your local broker-owner provides support you would otherwise have to source yourself.
You prefer a physical office and in-person culture.

Real may be the better fit when

You want to avoid fixed monthly obligations that persist through slow quarters.
You want a nationally consistent structure rather than office-by-office negotiation.
Your own brand is already the reason clients call you.
You want documented ownership and leveraged-income mechanisms to evaluate.

03 — Diligence

Questions to verify before you move

Take this list to both sides. Anything that cannot be answered in writing is a risk you are carrying personally.

Your actual local agreement — the signed document, not a recruiting summary.
Your current cap, royalty, franchise, desk, technology and administrative fees.
How active listings transfer, and whether seller consent is required.
What happens to pending transactions and escrow already in progress.
Whether your database, CRM records and marketing assets can be exported.
Brand and name transition: signage, domains, social handles and marketing inventory.
Team agreements, splits and any obligations you owe to or hold over teammates.
Ownership, equity or profit-share vesting you would forfeit or trigger by leaving.
Any recurring-income consequences of terminating your current affiliation.

Illustrative model

Model the economics with your actual agreement

Nothing here is a projection or a promise. Enter your real numbers; every assumption stays editable, and any prefilled value shows where it came from.

RE/MAX states costs vary by brokerage and experience. Enter your agreement. RE/MAX, LLC (reviewed August 11, 2026).

Real operating scenario

Real publishes these as annual company caps in dollars — not as percentages. Choose the scenario that matches your situation.

Individual agent — $12,000 annual company capYou are not on a Real team. The company split is paid to Real until the $12,000 annual company cap is reached.Published in Real's 2024 investor presentation. Confirm the current schedule and your own anniversary year before relying on it.ProTeam member — $6,000 annual company capA ProTeam member's company cap is $6,000 per year in the US. The team split you pay your team leader is separate from this company cap.Eligibility and current terms must be confirmed with Real. Team types and their terms change; verify before you plan around them.Qualifying ProTeam member — $4,000 annual company capA reduced $4,000 annual company cap that is not generally available. It applies only to qualifying ProTeams.Currently available only to teams with at least 12 agents and $100M in annual production, subject to Real approval and current terms. Do not assume you qualify.

What is the difference between a company cap, a team split and a team cap?

Real (company) cap: The company split you pay to Real. Once you have paid the annual company cap in your anniversary year, the company split stops for the rest of that year.
Team split: The amount a team member pays their team leader under the Team Addendum. It is an agreement with the team, not with Real, and it is paid in addition to the company split.
Team cap: An optional amount paid to the team leader after which the team split may stop. Not every team has one — many team splits continue with no cap.

Sources (reviewed August 11, 2026): What are the different team types at Real (US)? · What is ProTeams? · What is the difference between the Team Cap and the Agent Cap? · How do Team Splits work?

Your current model — RE/MAX

Annual gross commission income ($)

Annual sides

Your split (%)

Annual cap ($, optional)

Fixed monthly fees ($)

Per-transaction fees ($)

Other annual brokerage costs ($)

Illustrative Real inputs

Agent split (%)

85/15 — Real 2025 Annual Report, p. 53 (reviewed August 11, 2026).

Annual company cap ($)

Set by the operating scenario above (Individual agent — $12,000 annual company cap). Dollar company caps — never percentages. Confirm the current schedule with Real.

Fixed monthly fees ($) — required

Per-transaction fees ($) — required

Other annual brokerage costs ($) — required

Fee fields are intentionally blank: RGC does not prefill amounts without a current verified source. Enter the figures on the official schedule you are given. A blank field is treated as unknown, never as zero — if a cost genuinely does not apply, type 0.

Comparison incomplete — no difference is calculated yet. Still needed: Real fixed monthly fees, Real per-transaction fees, Real other annual brokerage costs. Enter 0 if a cost does not apply.

Output is an illustrative annual difference based on the assumptions you entered — never a guarantee of savings, earnings or results.

Sources and assumptions

Every figure traces to a primary source

Last reviewed August 11, 2026. Open any source to see the publisher, what it supports and the review date.

About us — join RE/MAX

Publisher: RE/MAX, LLC

Supports: Costs vary by brokerage and experience and typically include either a commission split or a monthly desk fee plus a smaller split.

Last reviewed: August 11, 2026

https://join.remax.com/about-us/

The Real Brokerage 2025 Annual Report (page 53)

Publisher: The Real Brokerage, Inc.

Supports: Agents typically receive 85% of gross commission income and Real retains 15% until the agent reaches the annual cap; after the cap the agent retains 100% net of a fixed per-transaction fee.

Last reviewed: August 11, 2026

https://s205.q4cdn.com/544743641/files/doc_financials/2025/ar/2025-Annual-Report.pdf

What are the different team types at Real? (US)

Publisher: The Real Brokerage (official support centre)

Supports: Official description of Real's US team types, their requirements, and the company-cap treatment attached to each. Eligibility and qualification are determined by Real and can change.

Last reviewed: 2026-08-19

https://support.therealbrokerage.com/hc/en-us/articles/16596961320983-What-are-the-different-team-types-at-Real-US

What is Private Label?

Publisher: The Real Brokerage (official support centre)

Supports: Official description of Real's Private Label arrangement, under which a firm may retain its own brand identity while operating on Real's platform. Availability, requirements and approval are determined by Real.

Last reviewed: 2026-08-19

https://support.therealbrokerage.com/hc/en-us/articles/20475720101143-What-is-Private-Label

04 — Common questions

Asked and answered

What does RE/MAX cost an agent?

RE/MAX states costs vary by brokerage and experience, typically as either a commission split or a monthly desk fee plus a smaller split.

Is a desk fee better than a split?

Neither is universally better. A desk fee is a fixed obligation regardless of production; a split scales with what you close.

05 — Next

Decide with your own numbers

RGC does not decide for you. If a conversation would help, choose the path that matches how you build.

BUILD ENTERPRISE EXPLORE THE TEAM PATH

This comparison relies on public information and user-entered assumptions, both of which can change. Verify every term against your actual agreement and current official materials before making a decision.

Nothing here is a projection, promise or guarantee of earnings, savings, production or results. Calculator output is illustrative only.

Educational information only. Nothing on this page is legal, tax, accounting or financial advice.

Third-party brokerage names and marks are the property of their respective owners. They are used here only for identification and comparison. No endorsement, sponsorship or affiliation is implied or claimed.

Real Growth Collective is independently led and is not an official program of The Real Brokerage, Inc. Real program terms and eligibility are governed by current official materials.