How we rank
Agency Tech Guide is a directory first. Every tool that serves independent P&C agencies is listed free, with a review built from public sources. Our picks sit on top of that as a lighter layer. They’re our view of which tools are worth a look first in each category, not a verdict you have to accept.
How we judge tools
Each category has its own buying criteria, listed on the category page. They’re the questions agencies tell us decide whether a tool sticks: which carriers and states it reaches, which lines and classes it handles, how it connects to your AMS, what happens when a risk falls out, and what it costs at your volume. Where agencies weigh something specific, such as MFA handling for AI quoting agents or the markets a rater can’t reach, the criteria say so.
A tool ranks higher when the public evidence shows it does better on the criteria that matter most. We look for things a buyer can check:
- Carrier lists, lines and states the vendor publishes, with dates
- Integrations the vendor documents, and in which direction data flows
- Published pricing and contract terms, or the fact that there aren’t any
- Themes from G2 and Capterra reviews, summarized in our own words and linked
Every review lists its sources and the date we last verified it. If we can’t confirm a fact, we leave it out. When a review says “the vendor says”, it means exactly that: we haven’t independently tested the claim.
Each ranked tool gets a short Our take: its main strength and its main catch, in a few words, drawn from the full review.
The experience behind it
We build software that works inside carrier portals, and we talk to agencies every week about their stack: what they use, what they’ve dropped and why. That shapes what we look for. It’s why our criteria ask about logins, re-keying and turnaround, not just feature lists.
Where it helps, reviews include a short What agencies tell us section. Those are things agency owners and staff have told us in our own conversations. We keep them anonymous, paraphrase them, and never share anything said in confidence.
What we haven’t done is hands-on testing of every product. Our rankings rest on documented evidence plus what agencies tell us. When we add hands-on notes, we’ll say so on the review.
How often rankings change
We review rankings every month and update them when the evidence changes. We don’t show movement arrows. A tool’s position is our current view, not a scoreboard.
What vendors can and can’t do
Listing is free. Vendors can claim their profile, correct facts and add screenshots. They cannot pay for a ranking or a better review. If we ever offer featured partner placements, they’ll be clearly labeled, the links will be marked sponsored, and they won’t change any ranking.
Our own product
Agency Tech Guide is built by Get Talky, the team behind Relay, an AI agent for independent agencies. Relay is ranked in commercial quoting, AI quoting agents, AI agency assistants and submission automation, and we rank it first in all four. It’s also listed, but not ranked, in certificates. Here’s how we handle that:
- Relay carries an Ours label everywhere it appears: in rankings, on the podium and on its own page.
- Its page uses the same format as every other review, including what it doesn’t do well and who should look elsewhere.
- Competing tools are reviewed on the same criteria, with sources, and we never mention Relay in their reviews. We fix mistakes fast. See corrections.
- Relay never appears in rankings for categories it doesn’t compete in. It isn’t a comparative rater, an AMS or a CRM, so it isn’t ranked there.
We think Relay is the best option for agencies that quote across carrier portals. We built it for exactly that. But we’re not neutral about it, so read its review alongside the others and judge for yourself.