HawkSoft vs Applied Epic: AMS Comparison for Independent Agencies

If you are evaluating agency management systems, HawkSoft and Applied Epic are likely on your shortlist. They are the two most frequently recommended AMS platforms in the independent agency channel — but they serve fundamentally different agency profiles.

This comparison is based on publicly available pricing, vendor documentation, user reviews from G2 and Capterra, HawkSoft's published pricing guide, and conversations with agency owners running each platform. For a broader view that includes AMS360, EZLynx, NowCerts, and QQCatalyst, see our full AMS comparison for 2026.

TLDR: HawkSoft is the better choice for agencies with 1–15 users that want transparent pricing, fast onboarding, and strong support. Applied Epic is the better choice for agencies with 20+ users that need deep customization, extensive carrier connectivity, and enterprise-grade infrastructure. The decision usually comes down to agency size and growth trajectory.

Pricing: Transparent vs Custom

The pricing difference is the most immediate distinction between these two platforms.

HawkSoft Pricing

HawkSoft publishes its pricing openly — a rarity in the AMS market:

• Base fee: Starting at approximately $250/month
• Per-user fee: $94/user/month
• Contracts: No long-term contracts (30-day minimum)
• Data extraction: No data extraction fees
• Implementation: Included with onboarding

For a 5-user agency, that works out to roughly $720/month. For a 10-user agency, approximately $1,190/month. What you see is what you pay.

Sources: HawkSoft Pricing Guide, G2 Pricing, Capterra

Applied Epic Pricing

Applied Epic uses custom, quote-based pricing:

• Per-user cost: Typically $150–$200+/user/month
• Implementation fees: $10,000 for small agencies to $100,000+ for large enterprises
• Contracts: Multi-year commitments common
• Additional costs: Training, custom development, add-on modules

For a 5-user agency, expect $750–$1,000+/month before implementation fees. For a 20-user agency, $3,000–$4,000+/month is typical.

Sources: ITQLick Applied Epic Pricing, G2 Reviews

Bottom line: HawkSoft is significantly cheaper for agencies under 15 users and offers complete pricing transparency. Applied Epic's premium makes sense at scale (20+ users) where the per-user cost is offset by deeper functionality.

Feature Comparison

Where HawkSoft Wins

• Ease of use. HawkSoft consistently earns top marks for usability. The interface is intuitive, onboarding is fast, and daily workflows require minimal clicks. For agencies that value getting work done over configuring systems, this matters.
• Support quality. HawkSoft's support team is frequently cited as the best in the AMS category. The company has maintained an 18-year average customer retention rate — an extraordinary figure in an industry where AMS migrations are common.
• Transparent pricing. No surprise invoices, no escalating costs, no data hostage fees. HawkSoft is one of the only AMS vendors that publishes its pricing openly.
• HawkLink Chrome extension. Auto-fills carrier portal forms from HawkSoft data, reducing duplicate data entry for quoting workflows.

Where Applied Epic Wins

• Carrier connectivity. Epic offers the broadest set of carrier integrations in the market. If carrier download volume and real-time connectivity matter to your operation, Epic has no equal.
• Customization depth. Custom workflows, reporting dashboards, automation rules, and organizational structures are all deeply configurable.
• Scalability. Epic handles multi-location agencies, complex organizational hierarchies, and 100+ user deployments without performance degradation.
• Ecosystem integration. As part of the Applied Systems family (which also owns Tarmika and EZLynx), Epic integrates deeply with Applied Rating Services, CSR24, and Tarmika's commercial quoting.

The Quoting Gap Neither AMS Solves

Here is what most AMS comparisons miss: your agency management system handles servicing and policy management. It does not solve the commercial quoting bottleneck.

Regardless of whether you use HawkSoft or Applied Epic, your producers and CSRs still face the same problem: quoting a commercial risk across multiple carriers means logging into each carrier's portal individually, re-entering the same ACORD data, and waiting for each response.

QuoteSweep's internal research shows that a typical independent agent logs into 3–5 different carrier portals to quote a single commercial risk. At approximately 6–10 minutes per carrier portal, that is 45–60 minutes of manual data entry for one prospect.

This is where the AMS and the quoting tool serve different roles:

• Your AMS (HawkSoft or Epic) manages the policy after it is bound — servicing, renewals, certificates, commissions, accounting
• Your quoting tool gets the quote in the first place — appetite checking, multi-carrier submission, quote comparison

QuoteSweep tracks appetite data for 553 carriers across 76 lines of business and all 50 states. That carrier intelligence layer works alongside either AMS — checking which carriers will actually write a risk before your team spends time on submissions.

The industry data backs this up: 60% of commercial insurance submissions go unquoted, and 71% of independent agents struggle to understand carrier appetites. The right AMS will not fix that. The right appetite intelligence and quoting workflow will.

Which AMS Should You Choose?

Choose HawkSoft if:

• Your agency has 1–15 users
• You want predictable, transparent pricing with no contracts
• Ease of use and support quality are top priorities
• You write a mix of personal and standard commercial lines
• You want fast onboarding (days, not months)
• You prefer a privately-owned, agent-focused vendor over a conglomerate

Choose Applied Epic if:

• Your agency has 20+ users or plans to scale there
• You need the deepest carrier connectivity available
• Custom workflows and advanced automation justify the cost
• You write complex commercial, specialty, or benefits lines
• You are already in the Applied Systems ecosystem (Tarmika, EZLynx)
• Multi-location management is a requirement

The gray zone: 10–20 users

Agencies in this range genuinely could go either way. HawkSoft will be cheaper and easier. Applied Epic will offer more room to grow. The deciding factor is usually growth trajectory: if you expect to be at 30+ users within 3 years, start with Epic. If you expect to stay under 20 users, HawkSoft delivers more value per dollar.

FAQ

Can I switch from HawkSoft to Applied Epic (or vice versa)?

Yes, but AMS migrations are significant projects. Moving from HawkSoft to Epic typically takes 2–6 months and involves data migration, retraining, and workflow reconfiguration. Moving from Epic to HawkSoft is faster but still requires careful data extraction. HawkSoft notably does not charge data extraction fees, which makes leaving easier than most AMS platforms.

Does HawkSoft integrate with Tarmika?

Not directly. Tarmika is owned by Applied Systems and integrates natively with Applied Epic and EZLynx. HawkSoft agencies that want commercial comparative rating typically use standalone tools or QuoteSweep's appetite checker to pre-screen carriers before submitting.

Which AMS has better commercial lines support?

Applied Epic is stronger for complex commercial accounts — multi-policy, multi-location, specialty lines. HawkSoft handles standard commercial lines well but was originally built around personal lines workflows. For agencies with a heavy commercial book, Epic's commercial lines capabilities are more mature.

How does QuoteSweep work with either AMS?

QuoteSweep is AMS-agnostic. It operates at the quoting stage — before a policy exists in your AMS. Agents use QuoteSweep to check carrier appetite, submit to multiple carriers simultaneously, and compare quotes. Once a quote is selected and bound, the policy goes into your AMS (HawkSoft or Epic) for ongoing servicing. No AMS integration is required to start using QuoteSweep.