The problem it solves
Without a rater, a producer enters the same driver, vehicle and property details into one carrier portal after another and copies the premiums into a spreadsheet. It's slow, error-prone and it's why many agencies quote fewer options than they'd like.
How a comparative rater works
- You enter the applicant's details once.
- The rater sends the data to the carriers you're set up with.
- Premiums come back side by side so you can compare coverage and price.
- The quote is saved on the client record.
What to look for
- Lines covered. Personal auto and home are the common starting point; commercial often runs through separate quoting tools.
- Carrier coverage. Make sure it supports the carriers you actually write with.
- Quote filing. Quotes should attach to the client automatically.
- Import options. The ability to import an existing quote from a photo or screenshot saves re-keying.
- Cost. Check whether the rater is included or priced per quote or per module.
The rater in DarkHorse AMS
The DarkHorse AMS comparative rater quotes personal auto and home across your carriers side by side, files quotes to the client, and can import a quote from a photo. Commercial quoting connects through Quotamation and, optionally, Bold Penguin under your own contracts. It's part of the core platform at $250 per month.
More guides
- How to choose an insurance agency management system: 9 questions to ask first
- AMS vs. insurance CRM: what's the difference for an independent agency?
- How to switch agency management systems without losing your book
- Insurance agency software pricing: what to expect and what to watch for
- Insurance agency software for small agencies: what you actually need
- How to reconcile insurance commission statements, step by step
- Agency management system implementation checklist: from signed to live
- Insurance agency CRM features checklist for buyers
- What is IVANS, and how do carrier downloads work?
See DarkHorse AMS running
$250/month flat. Deployed on your own server, branded as your agency. Talk to an agency owner, not a sales rep.
Got more questions? Schedule a one-on-one with the developer → See pricingKeep reading
Agency management system (AMS)What an AMS should do — and what ours includesInsurance CRMClients, policies, pipeline and retention for agenciesComparative raterQuote auto & home across your carriers side by sideCommission trackingStatements parsed, splits calculated, reports that tie outCOI softwareACORD 25 certificates in seconds, or client self-issueVideo tourSix short walkthrough videos of the system, about eleven minutes in totalAPI & Claude connectorFree send-only API and Claude Desktop (MCP) extension for your own automationsPricing$250/month flat — what's included and what isn'tSwitching systemsHow moving your book to DarkHorse AMS worksCompare systemsA neutral worksheet, plus pages for Epic, AMS360, HawkSoft, EZLynx and AgencyZoom switchersBlogGuides for independent insurance agenciesGlossaryPlain-English insurance agency software termsAboutBuilt by working agency ownersFAQStraight answers about the software