Disclosure first: I'm Philip Setter, a licensed advisor in Calgary since 2014 and the founder of PolicyStream, one of the tools on this list. I've tried to describe every product fairly, using only what each company says publicly on its own website as of October 2026. Prices and features change, so check each vendor before you buy.
This guide is for advisors in Canada. Everything here serves the Canadian market, and US-only tools are left out.
What "quoting software" means in 2026
Ten years ago, quoting software meant one thing: a rate engine that compared term premiums across carriers. Today the category has split into a few kinds of tools, and most advisors end up using two or three:
- Rate engines and comparison tools. Fast multi-carrier premium comparisons, product research and illustrations.
- Needs analysis and planning tools. Work out how much coverage the client needs and document the recommendation.
- Client-facing quote and application tools. Website quoting, client applications, signatures and compliance files.
- Carrier e-apps. Each carrier's own application platform, where the business actually gets submitted.
The right setup depends on how you sell. A face-to-face advisor doing complex permanent cases needs something different from an online broker writing term.
What to look for
- Carrier coverage. How many Canadian carriers and products, and how fast rates are updated after a change.
- Product depth. Term only, or also permanent, UL, joint and other products.
- Who uses it. Advisor-only, or also client-facing (website quoter, shareable reports).
- Needs analysis. Built in, or a separate tool.
- Compliance output. Does it produce a needs analysis, reason why letter and disclosures you can file?
- Branding. Your logo and colours on what the client sees.
- Data location and security. Where client data is stored, and how it's protected.
- Price and contract. Monthly or annual, per seat, and whether there's a trial.
The tools
Listed in no particular order of quality. Each section says what the company itself publishes.
Equisoft/lifeguide (formerly LifeGuide)
LifeGuide has been a multi-carrier quoting and product research tool for Canadian advisors for about 30 years. It was built by CompuOffice Software, which Equisoft acquired in 2023.
- What it does: Multi-carrier life insurance quoting, product research and comparison. Equisoft says it powers more than 280,000 quotes a month across Canada and has been rebuilt as a fully browser-based product.
- Price: Listed at $30 CAD per month on Equisoft's product page.
- Best for: Advisors who want deep product research and broad market coverage from an established Canadian tool.
Compulife (Canada)
Compulife has produced life insurance quoting software for the Canadian market since 1982.
- What it does: Advisor quoting software covering term, term to 100, guaranteed whole life, UL-T100, joint life and critical illness products. The individual agent version lists rates from over 20 companies.
- Website quoting: An internet quote engine is available to subscribers on the agency/BGA licence. Compulife also runs the consumer site Term4Sale.ca, where subscribers can buy postal code listings.
- Price: The individual agent version is listed at $210 per year.
- Best for: Advisors who want a long-standing, low-cost rate engine, and agencies that want to embed quoting on a website.
Life Design Analysis (LDA)
LDA is a Canadian platform for quoting, illustrations and policy management.
- What it does: Insurance quoting, client presentations and comparisons, plus block of business management and pipeline views, according to its website.
- Partnerships: LDA and PPI jointly released AmpLiFi, a client-facing quote tool.
- Price: Monthly plans in CAD on its pricing page, with a free 15-day trial and group pricing from 5 licences. Plans have changed over time, so check the current page.
- Best for: Advisors who want quoting and presentation tools plus a view of their existing book.
Dynamic Needs Analysis (DNA)
DNA is a newer Canadian needs analysis platform for life insurance advisors.
- What it does: Needs analysis, with an AI assistant called Helix. It focuses on the needs analysis rather than multi-carrier quoting.
- Price: Per its plan guide, a free Starter plan for up to 3 clients, Pro at $99 per month, and Team at $99 per advisor per month (minimum 2 advisors).
- Best for: Advisors who want a dedicated needs analysis tool alongside a separate quoter.
PPI Stratosphere
Stratosphere is PPI's suite of digital tools for advisors who work with PPI.
- What it does: A set of prospecting, analysis and presentation tools, including AmpLiFi (built with LDA). PPI's public quote page runs on Compulife.
- Best for: Advisors already contracted through PPI.
Conquest
Conquest (formerly Conquest Planning) is a Canadian financial planning platform, not a life insurance quoter. It's worth knowing about if your practice is planning-led, because insurance needs often fall out of a full financial plan. Several carriers and dealers have rolled it out to their advisors.
Carrier e-apps and MGA portals
Every major Canadian carrier has its own quoting and e-app tools, and most MGAs give contracted advisors a multi-carrier quoter. They're free to use and they're where the application gets submitted. The trade-off is that each one works differently, and nothing carries over from one to the next.
PolicyStream (we make this)
PolicyStream is the platform I built to run my own online brokerage, Affinity Life, and opened up to other Canadian advisors.
- What it does: Quotes from 20+ Canadian carriers, a capital needs analysis that carries into the application and the reasons-why letter, and an application link your client completes on their phone or computer. Clients sign with a consent checkbox and their typed name, and everything lands in one compliance file PDF with an audit page.
- Autofill (beta): Fills carrier e-apps from the client's answers. Mapped today for Canada Protection Plan, UV Insurance, iA Financial Group, RBC Insurance and Equitable Life of Canada, with more carriers coming.
- Branding: Your logo and colours on the application portal, quote report and emails.
- Data: Stored in Canada, on Amazon Web Services in the Canada (Central) region.
- Price: Solo $89 CAD per month ($890 per year). Brokerage plans add $59 per additional advisor per month. Taxes extra. 7-day free trial, no credit card.
- Limits: Canada only, and not available in Quebec yet. It isn't a product research or illustration tool, and it doesn't cover investments. If you need deep product research or permanent life illustrations, pair it with a rate engine like the ones above or the carrier's own software.
- Best for: Independent advisors and small brokerages who sell online or by video and want quote, application and compliance file in one place.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Main job | Client-facing | Price (as published) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equisoft/lifeguide | Quoting and product research | Advisor-focused | $30 CAD/month |
| Compulife | Quoting rate engine | Website engine (agency licence) | $210/year (individual) |
| LDA | Quoting, presentations, book management | Presentations, AmpLiFi | Monthly CAD plans, 15-day trial |
| DNA | Needs analysis | See vendor | Free to 3 clients, $99/month |
| PPI Stratosphere | Advisor tool suite | Yes (AmpLiFi) | Through PPI |
| Conquest | Financial planning | See vendor | Through dealer or direct |
| PolicyStream | Quote to application to compliance file | Yes | $89 CAD/month, 7-day trial |
How to choose
If you mostly need prices fast, a rate engine like Equisoft/lifeguide or Compulife, or your MGA's quoter, is probably enough.
If you sell complex permanent cases, you'll want product research and illustrations, plus each carrier's illustration software.
If your bottleneck is the needs analysis and the paperwork, look at tools that produce the documents you need to file, like DNA or PolicyStream.
If you sell online, look at the whole path: quote on your website, application the client can finish on their own, signatures, and a compliance file. That's the gap I built PolicyStream for.
Most advisors I talk to use a rate engine plus one workflow tool. Try two or three on a real case before you commit. Most offer a free trial.
Information in this article comes from each company's public website as of October 2026 and may have changed. It's general information, not a recommendation for your specific practice.
If PolicyStream sounds like a fit, start your 7-day free trial. No credit card needed.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common life insurance quoting software in Canada?
LifeGuide (now Equisoft/lifeguide) and Compulife have both served Canadian advisors for decades, and many other tools license one of their rate engines. Equisoft says LifeGuide powers more than 280,000 quotes a month in Canada.
Is there free life insurance quoting software for Canadian advisors?
Carrier websites and many MGA advisor portals offer free quoting, usually for their own products or contracted carriers. Multi-carrier tools are typically paid, though several offer free trials or free starter plans.
Do I need quoting software if my MGA has a quoter?
Not necessarily. An MGA quoter may be enough if you only need prices. Advisors usually add their own software for branding, website quoting, needs analysis, client applications or compliance files.
Do these tools work in Quebec?
Some do. PolicyStream is not available in Quebec yet. Check each vendor directly for Quebec and French-language support.