Comparison

dotloop vs RefBid

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

dotloop

This platform optimizes real estate transactions and productivity. It allows users to create collaborative workspaces, manage documents, e-sign, and track progress from any device. Millions of agents and clients use it for end-to-end transaction management.

Highlights
  • Create collaborative workspaces (loops)
  • Share and manage documents
  • Electronic signatures (e-sign)
  • Task management and progress tracking
  • Real-time notifications
  • Form creation
Features
Read full description

Dotloop is the leading online transaction and productivity optimization platform in real estate. With dotloop for mobile, access your transactions on any device, anytime, anywhere. * Inman News Innovator of the Year. * Featured in TechCrunch, Bloomberg, WSJ, and the cover of Entrepreneur Magazine. Millions of agents, brokers, and clients use dotloop for form creation, e-sign, transaction management, productivity tools, workflow automation, and analytics - all within a single end-to-end solution. TRANSACTIONS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Be there when opportunity knocks: create loops (collaborative workspaces) in seconds and keep transactions going by sharing documents from your device, whether from apps – like Dropbox – or office-provided templates or email. STAY IN THE LOOP Loops have all you need to collaborate in real-time, manage tasks, and track progress. Receive instant notifications when signing is required, documents have been signed or shared, or any changes are made to your deal. CLOSE FASTER Use your device to easily add and assign signatures, initials, and other fields on-the-spot, or to sign documents with clients in person. --- NOT YET A DOTLOOP SUBSCRIBER? Dotloop for mobile is free to use for a limited number of loops. For full features, use the app to subscribe to dotloop Premium for $29.99 monthly or $299.99 annual billing. DOTLOOP PREMIUM If you upgrade your account to a monthly or annual, your subscription will be charged to your credit card through your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Membership will automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of your current period and identify the cost of the renewal. You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renew at any time from your iTunes account settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. --- Questions, suggestions, comments, or bugs? Email us at: support@dotloop.com We’re looking forward to hearing from you! Terms of Service: https://www.dotloop.com/terms-conditions/ Privacy Policy: https://www.dotloop.com/privacy-policy/

About

RefBid

This platform facilitates real estate agent referrals through a unique auction system. Verified agents compete for leads, with the best fit chosen based on profile and history, not just bid amount. It streamlines the referral process with legally binding in-app agreements.

Highlights
  • Realtor verification via state commissions and Stripe
  • Auction-based agent bidding for leads
  • In-app, legally binding referral agreements
  • Agent market rankings and verified transaction history
  • Nationwide coverage across all 50 states
  • Real-time notification system
Features
Read full description

RefBid is the first - patent-pending - full auction marketplace built exclusively for Realtor-to-Realtor referrals. You post the lead. Verified agents compete for it. The winner isn't chosen by bid amount - they're chosen by fit at your discretion. The agent with the best profile, the strongest market history, and the most compelling case for your client. A legally binding referral agreement is signed inside the app, instantly, by both sides, the moment you reach an agreement. Every step that used to happen informally, chaotically, and on the faith of a stranger's recommendation now has structure, accountability, and enforcement. Instead of cold-calling 2-3 agents and hoping one clicks, or worse going off the name most listed on Facebook, you have a field of verified professionals coming to you - resume in hand, ready to compete. Review the top candidates, then do something no Facebook group ever let you do: bring your client into the decision. Show them the 3 or 4 best fits. Let them weigh in. Clients who help choose their agent are far less likely to walk - because they're committed to someone they helped select, not someone assigned to them. And when you explain it to your client upfront, it lands completely differently. "I'm going to find you a top agent in that market through a verified professional network where agents compete for your business" is a different conversation than "I'll ask around on Facebook." One builds trust. One erodes it. Receiving Agents - Bid on leads that match your market Browse referral listings in the markets you serve. Each listing gives you enough detail to know whether the opportunity is worth pursuing before you ever place a bid. If you're awarded the referral, you pay a $185 acceptance fee and receive a signed referral agreement - not a DM, not a handshake. A real contract, executed inside the app, the moment the deal is made, as well as all contact information for the realtor and their broker. Every agent on RefBid is verified through their state Real Estate Commission and/or ARELLO, as well as ID & facial verification through Stripe upon registration, before they can post or bid. License confirmed. Brokerage confirmed. Identity confirmed. No anonymous profiles. No guessing whether someone is actually active and in good standing. Just verified professionals, competing on merit. Key Features Real Estate Commission / ARELLO License Verification - Stripe identity verification - every agent confirmed before they can participate Auction-Based Bidding - best agent wins, not first to comment, not always the highest bid In-App Referral Agreements - signed, stored, enforceable Market Rankings - see which markets the agent considers their primary turf, ranked 1-10 Track Record - past 10 closed transactions verified and displayed on every profile All 50 States - post or bid anywhere in the country Email, SMS + Push Notifications - know the moment a bid comes in or your referral is awarded No Subscriptions - ever. Post free. Bid free. Pay only when you get business. The Fee Structure - Simple. Transparent. Fair. Posting a listing - Free (once a bid at or above your minimum is placed, a $45 charge will be applied once to the referring realtor) Placing a bid - Free Accepting a referral award if selected - $185 flat, one time No monthly fees. No setup fees. No percentage of your commission. You only pay when you win a referral - and by then, you've already seen exactly what you're getting. RefBid's complete referral auction model is patent-pending. There is no other platform like this. Built for Realtors. By those who saw the problem firsthand. The referral process in real estate has been broken for decades - running on handshakes, near blind trust, DMs, and Facebook comments. RefBid brings it into the open, gets the client as involved as they'd like, makes it competitive, and makes it enforceable. RefBid. The referral network Realtors have always needed

Screenshots

dotloop4 screens
RefBid4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: RefBid at none against dotloop's 2. RefBid also leads on update cadence (every 11 days vs every 2 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). dotloop's advantage is ratings volume (70K vs 2) and chart position (#161 vs unranked). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. dotloop sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $31.99 per month. RefBid asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RefBid holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: dotloop has 70K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

dotloop ships an update every 2 months, RefBid every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
dotloop versus RefBid: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterdotloopRefBid
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (70K ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews44.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings70K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 11 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#161 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size72 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerdotloop, inc.Refbid LLC

Customer experience

dotloop

All ratings69,775 ratings
Positive94.6%
Neutral2.0%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews186 reviews
Positive44.6%
Neutral10.2%
Negative45.2%

RefBid

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

dotloop

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes and freezes
  • Inability to sign documents
  • Data loss and missing information
  • Inconsistent behavior across platforms
  • Billing and subscription issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to edit text fields
  • Improved scrolling and navigation
  • Seamless integration across devices
  • Spellcheck and formatting options
  • Easier document management and archiving

RefBid

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

dotloop

Subscriptions2
  • Dotloop Premium$31.991 Month
  • Dotloop Premium$329.991 Year
None

RefBid

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is dotloop free?
dotloop is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RefBid free?
RefBid is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, dotloop or RefBid?
RefBid is rated higher. dotloop averages 4.8 out of 5 from 70K ratings, while RefBid averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do dotloop or RefBid have ads?
Neither dotloop nor RefBid shows ads.
Which is updated more often, dotloop or RefBid?
dotloop ships an update every 2 months, and RefBid every 11 days. Most recently, dotloop was updated on October 1, 2026 and RefBid on September 24, 2026.

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