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Insurance · head to head

Ivans vs Semsee

Ivans logo

Ivans

Insurance

Carrier to agency data exchange infrastructure that sits under most US insurance agency management systems

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Semsee logo

Semsee

Insurance

Small commercial insurance quoting that sends one submission to many carriers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Semsee has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Ivans applied Systems owns both Ivans and competing agency management systems, so the neutral infrastructure that every AMS depends on is controlled by one of the AMS vendors, a conflict that rival vendors have complained about for years.; Semsee the free tier only quotes Semsee's own carrier panel, so the workflow consolidation most agencies actually want, running their own appointments through one form, costs fifty dollars per user per month on top.
  • They diverge on capability: Ivans covers Ivans Download, Semsee covers Single submission to many carriers.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ivans and Semsee actually diverge.

Attributes where Ivans and Semsee differ
AttributeIvansSemsee
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotePer user per month
Free tierNoYes

Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Insurance).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Ivans

  • Ivans Download
  • Ivans Exchange
  • Ivans Distribution
  • Market Appetite
  • Download analytics for carriers
  • Commission download

Only in Semsee

  • Single submission to many carriers
  • Appetite checker
  • Class code finder
  • Direct appointment quoting
  • ACORD forms
  • Auto-fill
  • Proposal generation
  • Wholesale and MGA access

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Ivans

  • An agency evaluating a new management system that needs to confirm, carrier by carrier and line by line, which data will actually download before it signsnot Semsee
  • A carrier launching a new line that wants agency systems to receive policy data automatically rather than by rekeying from a portalnot Semsee
  • An MGA that wants its book visible to retail agencies in the same download flow as admitted carriersnot Semsee
  • An agency operations lead auditing why commission reconciliation keeps failing, which usually turns out to be a missing or misconfigured download connectionnot Semsee

Semsee

  • A personal lines agency starting to write small commercial that has no commercial appointments and needs market access without meeting carrier production requirementsnot Ivans
  • A retail agency quoting twenty BOP submissions a month that is losing hours retyping the same risk into six carrier portalsnot Ivans
  • A wholesaler that wants a structured intake form so retail agents stop sending incomplete submissions by emailnot Ivans
  • An agency checking appetite before spending time on a submission that no carrier on its panel will writenot Ivans

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Ivans

  • Applied Systems owns both Ivans and competing agency management systems, so the neutral infrastructure that every AMS depends on is controlled by one of the AMS vendors, a conflict that rival vendors have complained about for years.
  • Download coverage is decided by carriers, not by Ivans or your AMS, so a carrier that does not publish a line simply does not download it and no amount of configuration in your system will fix it.
  • Eligibility requires that you are appointed and writing the line in that state, meaning newly appointed agencies wait on carrier-side setup with little visibility into where the request sits.
  • Data quality varies sharply by carrier, and agencies routinely find that some carriers send incomplete or oddly mapped policy data that then has to be cleaned inside the AMS, undermining the point of automating it.
  • Pricing is opaque and largely invisible to agencies because it is bundled into AMS and carrier agreements, which makes it impossible to judge what the network actually costs your business or to negotiate it.

Semsee

  • The free tier only quotes Semsee's own carrier panel, so the workflow consolidation most agencies actually want, running their own appointments through one form, costs fifty dollars per user per month on top.
  • Carrier coverage is concentrated in small commercial lines such as BOP, general liability and workers compensation, so anything with real complexity still goes to the carrier portal or the underwriter by email.
  • Quotes returned are indicative for many carriers and still subject to underwriting referral, so an agent can present a number to a client and see it change at bind, which damages trust.
  • The March 2026 acquisition by iBynd puts the product inside a wider distribution platform, and buyers should expect priority to shift towards iBynd's end-to-end ambitions rather than incremental improvements to standalone quoting.
  • Agency management system integration is limited, so quote and policy data frequently has to be re-entered into the AMS after binding, which reintroduces the duplicate entry the product exists to remove.

Pricing, plan by plan

Ivans

On request
  • Ivans$undefined/year
    • Ivans Exchange is provided to agencies at no additional charge, with a possible fee for Citizens of Florida business
    • Carrier and MGA participation, Ivans Distribution and appetite products are quoted
    • Pricing is generally embedded in the agency management system or carrier agreement rather than billed separately to the agency

Semsee

Free
  • EssentialFree
    • Access to the Semsee carrier panel
    • Appetite checker
    • ACORD form generation
  • Professional$50/month
    • Everything in Essential
    • Quote your own direct appointed carriers
    • Class code finder
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • White labelled deployment
    • Advanced workflow
    • Carrier and MGA distribution features

Which should you pick?

Choose Ivans if

  • You need ivans download.
  • You also want ivans exchange.
Ivans review

Choose Semsee if

  • You need single submission to many carriers.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want appetite checker.
Semsee review

Questions people ask

Is Ivans or Semsee better?
Neither clearly leads. Ivans starts at On request and Semsee at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ivans or Semsee?
Semsee has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Ivans and Free for Semsee.
Does Ivans or Semsee run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Semsee for free?
Yes. Semsee has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Ivans starts at On request.
What is Ivans best used for?
Ivans is most often used for an agency evaluating a new management system that needs to confirm, carrier by carrier and line by line, which data will actually download before it signs, a carrier launching a new line that wants agency systems to receive policy data automatically rather than by rekeying from a portal, an mga that wants its book visible to retail agencies in the same download flow as admitted carriers, an agency operations lead auditing why commission reconciliation keeps failing, which usually turns out to be a missing or misconfigured download connection. Of those, an agency evaluating a new management system that needs to confirm, carrier by carrier and line by line, which data will actually download before it signs and a carrier launching a new line that wants agency systems to receive policy data automatically rather than by rekeying from a portal are not what Semsee is typically brought in for.
What can Ivans do that Semsee cannot?
Ivans covers Ivans Download, Ivans Exchange, Ivans Distribution, Market Appetite. Semsee covers Single submission to many carriers, Appetite checker, Class code finder, Direct appointment quoting.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Ivans: Do agencies pay for Ivans?

Ivans Exchange is provided to agencies at no additional cost, with a noted exception for business written with Citizens of Florida. The economics sit with carriers and with the agency management system vendors.

Semsee: Is Semsee free?

The Essential tier is genuinely free and gives access to Semsee's own carrier panel. Quoting your own direct appointments requires the Professional tier at fifty dollars per user per month.

Ivans: Why is a carrier not downloading?

Almost always eligibility or carrier-side publication: you must be appointed and writing that line in that state, and the carrier must publish that line for download. Check the connection status in Ivans Exchange first.

Semsee: Do I need carrier appointments to use it?

No. That is the main reason small agencies sign up, since Semsee's panel provides market access without production commitments.

Ivans: Is Ivans owned by Applied Systems?

Yes. That matters because Applied also sells Applied Epic and EZLynx, so a competing AMS depends on infrastructure run by a competitor.

Semsee: Is Semsee still independent?

No. iBynd acquired Semsee in March 2026, though the product is still sold under the Semsee name.

Ivans: Can you switch AMS and keep your downloads?

Connections have to be re-pointed to the new system, which is a per-carrier request through Ivans Exchange and is a common source of migration delay.

Semsee: Which lines does it cover?

Small commercial: business owners policy, general liability, workers compensation, commercial auto and some professional liability, depending on carrier.

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