HarborIQ vs Applied Epic
Applied Epic is the most credible name in agency software.
If you’re 1-9 people, you’re being sold an enterprise sales motion built for someone else.
At a glance
Four points paint the picture.
Time to live demo
HarborIQ
Today
Applied Epic: ≈ 1 month
Multiple discovery calls before any demo is scheduled, even for a 9-person agency.
Per-user fee
HarborIQ
$0 flat
Applied Epic: $355/mo
The per-user rate Applied charges independent agencies in 2026.
Runs on
HarborIQ
Any browser
Applied Epic: Windows + Parallels on Mac
Mac, Windows, phone. Anything with a modern browser. Applied still needs a $100/yr virtualization layer on Mac.
Pricing variables
HarborIQ
Published · 1 possible overage
Applied Epic: Custom per line of business
Every line of business probed in discovery is a pricing input.
Same agency. Two timelines.
From first outreach to live on the system.
What the gap actually costs you
Day 1 vs Day 28
to a live demo. Applied stretches discovery across multiple calls before you see the product.
½ day vs 6 weeks
to onboard. Ours is a guided CSV import. Theirs is training, configuration, and parallel runs.
$0 vs $355
per user, per month. The compounding cost stays compounding for as long as you stay.
Same 9-person agency in both lanes.
One waits a month to see the product.
The other picks the day they go live.
Already on Applied?
Here’s what staying costs you every year.
Applied charges $355 per user, per month. Run your headcount. We did the math.
| Headcount | Applied Epic / year | HarborIQ / year | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 people | $21,300 | $4,788 (Agency) | $17,112 |
| 10 people | $42,600 | $7,188 (Agency) | $35,412 |
| 15 people | $63,900 | $7,188 (Agency) | $56,712 |
Source: $355/user/month reported by Applied customers and by agencies pitched by Applied in 2026. Your contracted rate may differ. The per-user trend line does not.
When each is the right call
Applied Epic is right when…
- •You’re 50+ people doing complex commercial across multiple states.
- •You need IVANS-deep carrier integrations today, not summer 2026.
- •Your team includes dedicated IT to manage customization and configuration.
HarborIQ is right when…
- You’re 1-15 people and won’t be sold an enterprise process built for someone else.
- You want a published price you can decide on in thirty seconds.
- You want to be live this week, not staring down a six-week implementation.
About accounting
Three-way reconciliation ships by end of summer.
Insurance-grade trust accounting including three-way reconciliation, GL, and commission tracking, ships summer 2026. Until then, HarborIQ runs alongside your existing accounting workflow.
No commingling. No compliance risk. No shortcuts. You don’t have to choose between modernizing your agency and keeping every carrier contract you hold today.
We’re in the field with agency accounting teams (principals, CSRs, and ops managers) to make sure what ships matches the workflows that protect every carrier contract you hold.
Talk to the founder
Applied schedules your demo for week four.
You book HarborIQ when you’re ready.
We’ll show you what one operating system looks like in practice, in under thirty minutes. You can even bring your data.
Book a demoSee the full feature-by-feature comparison
| HarborIQ | Applied Epic | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | 1-15 person independent agencies | Mid-to-large agencies and brokerages (50+ employees) |
| Pricing | Never per person. Markets $199 flat at any size; Agency $199 / $399 / $599 by agency size. Published. | Contract-based, negotiated per agency. Per-user fees standard. |
| Complexity | 20 features done well. Clean, modern interface. | Hundreds of features. Steep learning curve. Extensive customization. |
| Onboarding | Days. CSV import, guided wizard. | Weeks to months. Enterprise implementation process. |
| Pipeline CRM | Built-in prospect tracking with stages and follow-ups. | Focused on existing client and policy management. |
| AI capabilities | In the core today: cited carrier answers, overnight bulletin summaries, daily priorities. | Investing in 'agentic AI'. Their sales team struggles to demo a single concrete use case. |
| Carrier integrations | Carrier intelligence layer (Ask, News, vault). IVANS on roadmap, stated plainly. | Deep IVANS integration (industry leader). |
| Data portability | Your data is always exportable. No lock-in. | Data migration out is notoriously difficult per user reports. |
| Support | Direct product team access. The people who build it answer the tickets. | Tiered support. Small agencies have less leverage. |
Why agencies are making the switch
Enterprise complexity, agency-sized. Applied Epic was built for 50-person brokerages. A 5-person agency uses a fraction of it and pays full price.
Per-user pricing scales against you. $355 per user, per month. Every hire is a raise for someone else.
The Mac problem is an architectural tell. A 2026 platform shouldn’t need a 2010 workaround. HarborIQ runs in the browser. Mac, Windows, phone.
The part with no comparison row
Nobody sells what Markets is. Including Applied Epic.
Everything above compares things both products do. Here is the gap with no row: a carrier intelligence layer. Cited appetite answers on every quote, with the source and its date. Carrier news read for you overnight. Every portal login in one vault. A knowledge base your agency owns, that gets smarter every time your team asks a question.
No AMS has it. No overlay has it. No rater has it.
And you do not have to switch to get it. Markets is $199 a month at any size, runs alongside Applied Epic, and is live the same day. Keep your AMS. Fix the carrier problem today. Move the book when you are ready, or never.
14-day free trial. Nothing to migrate. Cancel anytime.
Start today. Move the book when you're ready.
Markets is $199/mo at any size, live the same day. Agency runs the whole operation at $199 solo, $399 for 2 to 5, and $599 for 6 to 15. Published, month to month, never per person.
Annual prepay: a month free, and the book import free. One month's fee for the import on monthly. See pricing.