Aged leads vs fresh leads: which one is worth your money?
Fresh leads cost more and convert better per lead. Aged leads cost a fraction as much and convert worse per lead. Which one wins depends on a single number: what it costs you to write a policy. For an agent with a real follow-up system, aged leads often come out ahead. Without one, they’re a pile of numbers that never answer.
The difference
- Fresh leads, sometimes called real-time leads, reach you minutes after the person fills out a form. They’re sold exclusive, to you alone, or shared with several agents who all call at once.
- Aged leads are the same kind of lead, at least 30 days old, sold again at a steep discount. Usually several agents have already tried them once or twice and moved on.
Side by side
| Fresh leads | Aged leads | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per lead | High, often tens of dollars | Low, from cents to a few dollars |
| Remembers asking | Yes, minutes ago | Sometimes, depends on age |
| Competition | Heavy on shared leads, none on exclusive | Light. Most agents gave up |
| Contact rate | Higher | Lower, and falls as leads age |
| What wins | Speed to dial | Persistence, then speed after a reply |
| Budget needed to start | Large | Small |
Current prices across lead types are in Link Leads’ 2026 insurance lead cost report.
The math that decides it
Price per lead is the wrong comparison. Cost per policy is the right one. Here’s an illustration with example numbers. They aren’t industry averages, so swap in your own.
| Example | Fresh exclusive | Aged, worked with a system |
|---|---|---|
| Leads bought | 20 at $35 | 1,000 at $0.50 |
| Spent on leads | $700 | $500 |
| Follow-up tools | $0 | $270 |
| Conversations | 10 | 10 |
| Policies written | 2 | 2 |
| Cost per policy | $350 | $385 |
In this example they come out close. What moves the aged column is how many of those 1,000 leads you turn into conversations. Double the conversations and the aged cost per policy drops by nearly half, without spending a dollar more on leads. That’s why follow-up matters more for aged leads than for any other kind. Run your own numbers in the ROI calculator.
When fresh leads make sense
- You need appointments this week and have the budget.
- You can call within a minute of every lead arriving, every time.
- You sell a product where timing is everything, like open enrollment.
When aged leads make sense
- You’re building a book on a tight budget.
- You already own a pile of old leads you paid for and never fully worked.
- You’ll follow up for weeks instead of one or two tries.
- You can call back within minutes when someone replies.
What about live transfers?
Live transfers sit at the top of the price range. You pay a vendor for a consumer who’s already on the phone and agreed to talk. They’re the most expensive per lead and the easiest to close. Link Leads compares aged leads and live transfers in detail.
Resurge is a way to get transfers out of aged leads you already own. It texts and emails each lead until they reply YES, an AI assistant calls them within about two minutes, and the live call rings your phone. You pay a small monthly fee plus a per-transfer fee only when you answer and the lead stays on the line.