Best for
Best for established independent agencies and brokers that write property and casualty and benefits business across several lines.
- Small and mid-sized
- Enterprise
Insurance Agency Software Comparison
Applied Epic vs. NowCerts
At a glance
At a glance
Best for
Best for small independent P&C agencies that want a published monthly price and self-serve certificates for their insureds.
- Freelancers
- Small and mid-sized
Cataleo does not name a winner. Both statements come from the vendors themselves.
Full Comparison
| Criterion | Applied Epic | NowCerts |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Not stated Prices are not published. | From $99 / month Essentials plan with 1 user included; Professional includes 2 users and Business 5. Additional user licences cost extra. |
| Free trial | Not stated | 30-day free trial |
| Users | Used by 81% of Business Insurance's 100 largest US brokers, according to the vendor | 1, 2 or 5 users included depending on plan; the Enterprise plan is listed for 50+ users |
| API | APIs that let other tools read and write client and policy data | Developer REST API and Zapier; the number of API integrations depends on the plan |
| Hosting | Used in the browser from any office | Cloud-based, used in a browser |
| Clients and policies | Issue, endorse, renew and cancel policies from one account, with AI policy checking that links differences to their source page | Client and policy records with endorsements that log every change, document storage, notes and reminders per policy, all ACORD forms in PDF or HTML filled from the record, and a claims module for tracking and submitting claims |
| Lines of business and markets | Property and casualty and benefits, commercial and personal lines in the same system, with separate pages for benefits plan management and benefits quoting | Property and casualty: certificates and a loss runs module for commercial accounts, personal lines quoting through rater integrations; broker and wholesaler functionality and online MGA integration are listed in the plans |
| Comparative rating and quoting | Personal lines rating for auto, home and umbrella across the agency's markets, and commercial risks sent to market by comparative rating; a bound quote becomes the policy in force | Integrations with outside comparative raters, named as TurboRater and Applied, for personal lines quotes from one application; a quote form for the agency website feeds prospects into NowCerts |
| Carrier downloads and connectivity | Download and data exchange with more than 700 carrier markets through Ivans | Automated policy updates from carrier databases through IVANS, which the vendor says covers downloads from over 250 carriers, and Ebix TEAM-UP; eServicing access to carrier portals is listed in the plans |
| Sales pipeline and renewals | Risk profiles for accounts and prospects built from public sources, with coverage gaps and cross-sell opportunities shown before the renewal date, and marketing campaigns built from the book | Sales pipeline management with prospect tracking and CRM automation campaigns, a renewal center with reminders before renewal, and automated pending-cancellation messages to customers |
| Commissions and agency accounting | Agency bill and direct bill in one system, a general ledger mapped across operating and trust accounts, and earned, paid and outstanding commission by producer and by carrier | Tracking of agency and agent commissions, agency fees and carrier fees, commission reconciliation, billing and accounting with invoices, receipts and refunds, and a QuickBooks integration |
| Client portal and certificates | Service Portal (formerly Applied CSR24) and a branded iOS and Android app in which clients pull documents, pay online and request certificates; certificates are populated from the account | Insured portal where clients view policy details, issue their own certificates, request policy changes, pay and sign documents; the vendor states portal accounts and certificates sent through the system carry no extra charge |
| Compliance records and audit trail | Premium receipts kept separate from operating funds, audit-ready bank reconciliation, GL detail and trust ledger reports, and postings blocked once a month or year is closed | Every policy change is recorded as an endorsement, and notes and reminders are kept per agency, customer or agent |
| Reports and exports | Role-based Pulse dashboards on current Epic data, charts emailed on a schedule and views exported to PDF, CSV or PNG, alongside Applied Epic Reports | Over 40 prepared reports with filters, custom and scheduled reports, a customizable user dashboard and data export to Excel |
| Integrations and API | APIs to read and write client and policy data, with developer portals for Epic and Ivans; Employee Navigator is named for benefits enrollment | Developer REST API, Zapier, Twilio for texting, QuickBooks, Outlook and Google email and calendar, OneDrive and SharePoint, telephony and lead generator integrations |
| AI features | stated Yes | No |
| Deployment | Browser-based | Cloud (SaaS) |
| Support | Not stated | Email helpdesk, Phone |
| Onboarding | Guided onboarding | more entries Documentation and knowledge base, Guided onboarding |
| Company size | Small and mid-sized, Enterprise | Freelancers, Small and mid-sized |
| Integrations | Ivans, Employee Navigator | more entries IVANS, Ebix TEAM-UP, TurboRater, Applied, QuickBooks, Zapier, Twilio, Microsoft Outlook, Google G Suite, Microsoft OneDrive, Microsoft SharePoint |
Add a tool
Adds a column to the table, from the tools in this category.
Row where the values differ The small markers point at the lower number, the longer list or the stated feature. They describe the data, they are not a verdict.
The short version
Key Differences
- Deployment Applied Epic Browser-based NowCerts Cloud (SaaS)
- Company size Applied Epic Small and mid-sized, Enterprise NowCerts Freelancers, Small and mid-sized
- Hosting Applied Epic Used in the browser from any office NowCerts Cloud-based, used in a browser
- AI features Applied Epic Yes NowCerts No
- Users Applied Epic Used by 81% of Business Insurance's 100 largest US brokers, according to the vendor NowCerts 1, 2 or 5 users included depending on plan; the Enterprise plan is listed for 50+ users
Every line is one datapoint from the table above, picked automatically. Nothing here is written text.
The trade-offs
Strengths and Limitations
Applied Epic
Strengths
- Commercial, personal and benefits lines in one system
- Carrier download and data exchange with more than 700 markets through Ivans
- Trust balances kept apart from operating funds, with closed periods locked against new postings
- Client Service Portal and a branded iOS and Android app for self-service
Limitations
- Prices are not published
- The product pages do not state the hosting model
NowCerts
Strengths
- Published monthly plans from $99, with a 30-day free trial
- Insured portal where clients issue their own certificates, request changes and pay
- Carrier downloads through IVANS, which the vendor puts at over 250 carriers
- Tracks agency and agent commissions, fees and carrier fees, with reconciliation
Limitations
- The vendor site describes quoting only through integrations with outside raters
- Enterprise plan price not published
- The pricing table and the FAQ on the vendor site give different prices for an additional user
Plans
Pricing
Applied Epic
- Applied Epic Not stated Prices are not published.
NowCerts
- Essentials $99 Per month, 1 user included.
- Professional $169 Per month, 2 users included.
- Business $349 Per month, 5 users included.
- Enterprise Not stated For 50+ users; price on request.
What users say
Review Scores · opens after launch
Applied Epic
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
No reviews yet. Nothing has been published here yet, and no score is shown. How a review is checked before it appears is described below.
NowCerts
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
No reviews yet. Nothing has been published here yet, and no score is shown. How a review is checked before it appears is described below.
How we check reviews
Before sending, the author has to confirm three things: that they have used the product themselves, that they work neither for the vendor nor for a competitor, and that nobody is paying them for the review. We also ask whether the vendor invited them to write it. That answer is required, either answer is accepted, and it stays with the review.
Every review is read by a person before it appears. An email address is required and is confirmed: we send a link to it, and a review does not reach us until the author opens that link, so a review has a sender who was reachable at least once rather than being anonymous. Where what somebody writes needs backing, we ask them for evidence that they used the product, and a review that does not get it is not published. We publish positive and negative reviews alike, we pay nothing and offer nothing for a review, and we accept none that was bought or incentivised.
What we cannot do is verify a purchase. There is no shop here and no account, so whether the author really used the tool rests on their own declaration, on whatever we ask them for, and on the plausibility of what they write. We say so rather than implying a check that does not exist.
A vendor cannot buy a review, and cannot have one removed or changed because they dislike it. We remove or edit a review only if it breaks our rules or the law, for example a false statement of fact. Paid placement has no effect on which reviews appear or on any score.
Where this comes from
Where this comes from
Applied Epic https://www1.appliedsystems.com/en-us/platform/applied-epic/ · checked against the official source on 2026-11-06
NowCerts https://www.nowcerts.com/ · checked against the official source on 2026-11-05
This table lists factual criteria taken from information the vendors publish themselves. For how we put it together, see the methodology.