What is IDX?

IDX (Internet Data Exchange) is the technical and legal framework that allows real estate websites to display live MLS listings. Without IDX certification from your local MLS board, your site can't pull listing data — full stop.

How does IDX certification work?

As an agent, you don't apply for certification yourself — your provider does it on your behalf. IDX certification is per-board, per-provider. To pull from a board, the provider must:

  • Agree to the board's data licensing terms
  • Implement required branding and attribution
  • Follow display rules (off-market, expired, agent attribution)
  • Pass annual compliance audits
  • Maintain RESO compliance where the board supports it
  • Pay board-specific feed fees (usually $100–$300/month per board)

Leading IDX providers in 2026

The IDX market is split between standalone feed providers and all-in-one platforms — each serves a different type of agent.

  • Lofty Front — 500+ boards, RESO-compliant, full schema markup, managed SEO included
  • iHomefinder — large IDX-only feed provider, used by many website builders as backend
  • IDX Broker — established IDX-only provider, often layered on Wix/WordPress
  • ShowingTime+ — Zillow-owned, primarily for Zillow listings
  • Real Geeks (built-in) — IDX included in their website platform
  • kvCORE (built-in) — IDX included in their CRM+website platform
  • Luxury Presence (built-in) — proprietary IDX built into their platform, used by high-end agents and teams

The largest MLS boards in North America

  • Bright MLS — Mid-Atlantic US
  • CRMLS — California
  • Stellar MLS — Florida
  • REBNY — New York City
  • Heartland — Midwest
  • TREB — Toronto
  • ARMLS — Arizona
  • NTREIS — North Texas

What makes a good IDX provider?

A good IDX provider delivers real-time listing data, clean schema markup, and fast pages — six signals tell you whether a platform actually delivers.

  • Sync frequency — RESO Web API delivers near-real-time updates; RETS syncs every 15 minutes. New listings matter most in the first hour.
  • Photo quality — Full-resolution images or compressed thumbnails? Compressed photos hurt both user experience and listing page SEO.
  • Schema markup — Does the provider ship RealEstateListing schema on every listing page? Without it, your listings are invisible to AI search engines.
  • Search UX — Fast filters, map search, and save-search are table stakes. Slow or broken search sends buyers back to Zillow.
  • Compliance handling — Board rules change. Your provider should handle updates automatically, not put compliance work back on you.
  • Performance — Listing pages should load in under 2 seconds. Slow IDX is a direct ranking penalty.

Lofty Front checks all six: RESO-compliant feeds, full-resolution photos, RealEstateListing schema on every listing, fast map search, automatic compliance updates, and sub-2s page loads.