You may need a scheduling link for a handful of listings. Your office may need shared appointment management. Your MLS may already supply a platform. Showing Bell, ShowingTime, BrokerBay, Aligned Showings, and Instashowing approach those needs through different products and purchasing arrangements.
Use this guide to narrow your options. Begin with your workflow, then check the exact plan, local availability, and tools you would receive.
Start with the kind of work you manage
For a listing agent, the basics are concrete: set availability, receive showing requests, involve the seller, keep activity organized, and follow up after the scheduled showing window. For a brokerage or MLS, the decision may also involve shared administration, member access, integrations, and organizational reporting.
Showing Bell focuses on the listing-agent workflow through a web app and a scheduling link for each property. You can explore the listing-agent workspace and see how a showing works before comparing plans.
That gives you a useful reference point. Consider which tasks you want to handle yourself, which other people need access, and whether a service already included through your organization meets those needs.
A practical comparison of showing platforms
| Option | A useful starting point | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Showing Bell | A listing-agent web workspace with property links, seller approvals, and feedback requests. | Your active-listing count and the flow for your sellers. |
| ShowingTime | Agent and organization products, including Appointment Center with live appointment specialists. | The specific service, your MLS access, and what your subscription includes. |
| BrokerBay / Supra | Showing management for agents, teams, brokerages, associations, and MLSs. | Availability through your organization and any separate service upgrades. |
| Aligned Showings | Showing tools connected with MLS organizations, including web and mobile access. | Local access and the arrangement available through your MLS. |
| Instashowing | Direct agent signup as well as brokerage and MLS options. | Feature tier, billing basis, and eligibility for the native mobile app. |
Each product documents ways to involve sellers and manage showing activity. Approvals and feedback are shared capabilities across this category. Compare the details of the workflow instead of assuming that a similar feature label means the experience will be identical.
Follow one listing from setup to feedback
Choose a familiar property and use it as your example. Start with availability: the days and hours it can be shown, the notice people need, and who should approve a request. Then trace a request through confirmation, a change of plans, and the visit itself.
Afterward, look at the record you will have. Can you find the appointment and the feedback you need for a seller conversation? Does the person helping you manage the listing have the right role? Are your showing instructions easy to find and understand?
Showing Bell connects these steps around the listing. For an active vacation rental, compare how each option handles guest bookings. Showing Bell connects Airbnb and Vrbo calendars and blocks booked stays automatically. See the rental calendar integration. For different access needs, explore showing coordination for land and acreage, short-term rentals, and vacant listings. The right setup should reflect the property and the people using it.
Separate software access from extra services
Two prices can describe different things. One may cover an individual agent's software, another an organization-wide agreement, and another a live answering service. An MLS benefit may also change what you pay directly.
Showing Bell's plans are organized by active-listing count; see current pricing. Instashowing publishes separate agent feature tiers and monthly or annual billing options. Aligned Showings has announced usage-based pricing options for MLS organizations. BrokerBay's publicly described Appointment Desk is a distinct live answering service.
Write down the plan you are comparing, its billing basis, the included capabilities, and any additional service you actually need. Then compare totals. This makes the decision more useful than lining up unrelated starting prices.
Sources and review date
Reviewed September 13, 2026. This comparison is published by Showing Bell. Provider sources: ShowingTime Appointment Center, Supra/BrokerBay showing management, BrokerBay seller features and Appointment Desk, Aligned resources, and Instashowing pricing. The Aligned pricing-model reference comes from its October 2024 MLS announcement; confirm current availability and terms directly.
Questions to ask before you choose
Does a web app work on a phone?
A web app is accessed through a browser, including on a phone. Showing Bell provides an agent web app. If a native app or a specific mobile capability is essential to your work, confirm that requirement separately. Some providers' mobile-app access depends on the subscription or organizational agreement.
Should I choose the software my MLS provides?
It may be a good fit. Establish what your MLS includes, whether your brokerage has requirements, and how your colleagues use it. Compare an alternative when you have a clear need it could address. Keep access, cost, and workflow as separate parts of the decision.
How should I compare seller approvals?
Look at who receives a request, how they respond, and what happens when plans change. Showing Bell uses seller text or email approvals. Other products also offer seller involvement, so test the actual steps instead of treating approvals as an exclusive feature.
Where can I compare Showing Bell with ShowingTime?
Our Showing Bell vs ShowingTime guide looks more closely at listing workflow, seller participation, web access, and the difference between software and live appointment support.