Keller Williams vs RE/MAX: units, growth & AI adoption
RE/MAX leads on AI adoption (68/100 vs 66/100), while RE/MAX is the larger system by unit count (145,000 agents vs 1,100 offices). RE/MAX is growing faster year-over-year (+1.7%). Data verified Q3 2026.
What this matchup actually shows
The headline gap is 2 points, but it is not evenly spread. The widest divergence is marketing AI, where RE/MAX leads by 4; the two are closest on operations AI, separated by just 2. Keller Williams takes one pillar back — training & support AI — despite trailing overall.
On scale, RE/MAX runs about 131.8× the units of Keller Williams. The larger system is also the more AI-advanced, so scale and AI standing point the same way in this pairing. Both sit in the same sector, so these figures are directly comparable.
| Pillar | Keller Williams | RE/MAX | Gap | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operations AI | 58 | 60 | 2 | RE/MAX |
| Data infrastructure | 66 | 68 | 2 | RE/MAX |
| Marketing AI | 72 | 76 | 4 | RE/MAX |
| Training & Support AI | 68 | 66 | 2 | Keller Williams |
DERIVED FROM THE FRANCHISE AI INDEX · Q3 2026 · NO THIRD-PARTY FIGURES USED
| Metric | Keller Williams | RE/MAX |
|---|---|---|
| Sector | Real Estate | Real Estate |
| Headquarters | USA | USA |
| Units (approx.) | 1,100 offices | 145,000 agents ◂ |
| Unit growth YoY | +1.6% | +1.7% ◂ |
| AI Adoption Score | 66/100 | 68/100 ◂ |
| Operations AI | 58 | 60 ◂ |
| Marketing AI | 72 | 76 ◂ |
| Training AI | 68 ◂ | 66 |
| Data infrastructure | 66 | 68 ◂ |
| Region | North America | North America |
| Index rank | #24 | #19 ◂ |
Keller Williams
Command platform and KW's long-running tech-company ambition give agents AI CRM, smart plans, and market insights.
FULL KELLER WILLIAMS PROFILE →RE/MAX
Global real-estate franchisor equipping agents with AI listing copy, lead scoring, and market-analytics tools across 110+ countries.
FULL RE/MAX PROFILE →Reading the comparison
What actually separates them
RE/MAX (68/100) and Keller Williams (66/100) are separated by 2 points — close enough that the ranking order is not the interesting part. What matters is that RE/MAX leads Keller Williams on marketing AI by 4 points.
Marketing AI carries 20% of the score. It is real capability, but it can be purchased without changing how the system operates — so a lead here says less about durability than a lead on data or operations would.
A composition pattern worth noting
RE/MAX (marketing 76 vs data 68) carries marketing AI well ahead of data infrastructure. Across our panel this shape recurs in the middle band of the Index and tends to precede a plateau: the tools that work without system-wide data have been bought, and the next step requires the consolidation work that was skipped.
This is a caution about the likely trajectory, not a judgement on current capability. The marketing capability is real; what is unproven is whether it extends.
Sector context
Both compete in Real Estate, which averages 65/100 across the 3 systems we track in it, against an industry average of 63. Both sit above their sector average.
Same-sector comparison is the one that carries real weight. These two are competing for the same operators and the same customers, so a durable capability gap between them is a competitive fact rather than a statistical curiosity.
What this comparison does not tell you
Keller Williams ranks #24 and RE/MAX #19 of the 56 systems in the Index. That ordering describes depth of AI deployment and nothing else.
We publish no correlation between AI score and franchisee profitability, because no verified dataset supports one. Unit economics, franchisee satisfaction, territory terms and the disclosure document decide a franchise purchase; AI maturity is a tiebreaker between otherwise comparable options.
Scores describe system-level capability. What reaches any individual unit depends on that system's rollout, and in large networks the variation between units is wide.
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SOURCE: FRANCHISEPULSE FRANCHISE INTELLIGENCE INDEX, Q3 2026 · FREE TO CITE WITH ATTRIBUTION + LINK
Unit counts, growth rates and founding years are approximate public figures compiled from company reports and press (2025–26). They are published by third parties, compiled as-is, and may change; we do not independently verify the underlying data — check the company’s own filing before acting on it. The AI Adoption Score is FranchisePulse’s own editorial metric (operations 35% · data infrastructure 30% · marketing 20% · training 15%), not a measured industry statistic — see the open methodology. For reference only; not legal, tax, or investment advice.