Comparison / Review Between Advantage xi, published by Mark-It Systems, and RealtyJuggler™

Summary:

Advantage xi is published by Mark-It Systems. This product has been serving real estate agents for over 20 years. The maturity of the software can be seen in the large feature set it offers. RealtyJuggler has a similar core feature set and is built upon a newer Internet foundation, while Advantage xi has a Microsoft Windows heritage. Advantage xi includes most of the functionality of Microsoft Office within itself. RealtyJuggler takes a different approach and integrates with Microsoft Office, rather than replacing it. Advantage xi has a steep learning curve while RealtyJuggler is considerably simpler to learn and operate.

The largest distinction between the two products is the underlying technology. RealtyJuggler is an Internet based service. To use, just sign onto the secure web site and you are ready to work. No installation or upgrading of software is required. The RealtyJuggler database is a modern multi-user relational database which is administered from a remote secure facility. That means that your data is secure and always available. When bugs are fixed or new capabilities are added to the software, an upgrade is automatically made available the next time you sign in.

Advantage xi takes a different approach. The underlying database for Advantage xi resides on the users hard drive, as does the application program. To permit sharing, each individual user's database is synchronized periodically with each individual computer that is to be shared. The configuration and arrangement of these computers is fairly complex and requires the Realtor to administer their own network. This approach also makes the realtor personally responsible for the integrity of their Advantage xi database. If the database becomes corrupted from a hard drive failure or virus, it is your responsibility to restore from a backup. For agents who are not techno-geeks, this may be an issue.

On the other hand, RealtyJuggler operates as a secure web site. This means that the database and underlying software is maintained for you automatically. All data is redundantly backed up and instantly available from any machine you sign on to. There is no software to install. Multi-user access is seamless and requires no synchronization. Changes that one user makes are available to all shared accounts in real-time. If your computer hard drive crashes, you can sign on using any other computer in just seconds, without any data loss. An added benefit of the Web Browser approach is that you can access your information from the newest breed of cell-phones such as the Palm Pre, Google Android Phone and iPhone.

There is one other thing to consider, which is the way the software is licensed. RealtyJuggler is licensed per-user. Agent xi is licensed per-machine. In some circumstances, you won't notice much difference. After all, you likely have one computer for each person who is using the software. However, if you use multiple computers during your work-day, your licensing just became much more complicated and expensive with Agent xi. With Agent xi, you must first install the software on all the computers you intend to use, and purchase individual software licenses for each computer. In the case of RealtyJuggler, you just log on - no software to install and no extra licenses to purchase. For example, you can sign into one of the pool machines at your office with RealtyJuggler without any fuss. With Advantage xi, you would need to purchase a license and spend a few hours installing and configuring the software. With RealtyJuggler, there is nothing to configure or install - just go to the web site and sign in and you are looking at your data in 30 seconds.

So, if you are looking for a Microsoft Windows application, where the database resides on you local hard drive, Agent xi, might be what you are looking for. If you are looking for a web application, then RealtyJuggler might be just up your alley. Selecting a contact management package is about picking something that works for YOU and that you will enjoy using. Both products offer a free trial, allowing you to spend a few minutes to do a comparison yourself.

RealtyJuggler is a trademark of RealOrganized, Inc.

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