Is Ease shutting down?

Yes, in two steps. Employee Navigator, which acquired Ease in April 2023, has announced that new companies cannot be added to Ease from January 1, 2027, and that Ease goes read-only on July 1, 2027. Existing groups keep renewals, integrations and access until then, and a migration tool moves companies to Employee Navigator.

Is Planlined a replacement for Ease?

Not for enrollment or benefits administration — Planlined does not run either; Employee Navigator is the designated successor. For the quote-to-proposal step, yes: Planlined parses carrier documents into a comparison, contribution model, proposal book and employee guide, and works alongside whichever enrollment platform you choose.

Where do Ease brokers quote and build proposals after the sunset?

Inside the Employee Navigator ecosystem, quoting comes from the Zywave CPQ integration, which works from a rates database. A document-first tool such as Planlined works from the carrier quotes, SBCs and rate sheets you already receive, with the first proposal free and a $75 monthly plan after that.

Planlined vs Ease: Features and Pricing Compared

Planlined

Benefit analysis software, formerly BART. Parses whatever the carrier sent into one comparison, models contributions and scenarios, and exports the proposal book and employee guide.

For: brokers and agency teams who receive quotes as PDFs and spreadsheets and build the proposal themselves.

Ease

Benefits enrollment and administration platform for brokers and small employers, acquired by Employee Navigator in April 2023 and now being retired: no new companies from January 1, 2027, read-only from July 1, 2027.

For: brokers with existing small-group clients enrolled on Ease, who can keep renewing them through 2026 and are being moved to Employee Navigator with a migration tool.

Side by side

Capabilities, one row each.

Parses carrier PDFs and spreadsheets
PlanlinedYesQuotes, SBCs, rate sheets and invoices; no cap on documents per case.
EaseNot documentedEase describes "custom quoting options"; parsing carrier-issued documents is not documented.
Side-by-side comparison for the broker
PlanlinedYesUnlimited carriers.
EasePartialPlan comparison for employees during enrollment and small-group quoting inside the platform.
Proposal book export
PlanlinedYesBranded PDF and presentation mode.
EasePartial"Online benefits proposal" for small groups; not a branded proposal book.
Employee enrollment guide
PlanlinedYes
EasePartialEmployees see plan information inside the enrollment flow; no standalone branded guide is documented.
Contribution and what-if modeling
PlanlinedYes5+ structures plus a scenario manager.
EaseNot documented
Invoice reconciliation
PlanlinedYes
EaseNot documented
Benefits administration and enrollment
PlanlinedNoPlanlined produces the proposal and guide; it does not run enrollment.
EaseYesCore product, until read-only mode on July 1, 2027.
Plan and case libraries
PlanlinedYes
EaseNot documented
Live carrier rate feed
PlanlinedNoWorks from the quotes you already have.
EaseNot documented
Connects to the enrollment platform
PlanlinedYesConnectors for Ease and Employee Navigator, enabled per workspace on Enterprise plans.
EaseYesIt is the enrollment platform, until read-only mode.
Self-serve signup with a free start
PlanlinedYesFirst proposal free.
EaseNoDemo request only, and no new companies after January 1, 2027.
Pricing
PlanlinedFirst proposal free. Professional $75/month, or $62/month billed annually, with unlimited proposals. Enterprise custom.
EaseNot published. Demo requests route to employeenavigator.com. New companies can no longer be added from January 1, 2027, and the platform goes read-only on July 1, 2027.

"Not documented" means the vendor's public pages do not describe the capability. It may exist; ask them before deciding.

Choose Ease when

You have groups already enrolled on Ease and want to keep renewing them through 2026 while you migrate to Employee Navigator at your own pace.
Your need is enrollment and benefits administration, not proposals — in which case the real decision is Ease's successor, Employee Navigator.

Choose Planlined when

The step you want is the proposal before enrollment: parse the carrier quotes, compare them, model contributions, produce the proposal book and employee guide.
You want a tool that is not affected by the Ease sunset and does not require a migration.
You want published, flat pricing and a free first proposal rather than a demo request.

Frequently asked

Questions about switching.

Is Ease shutting down?: Yes, in two steps. Employee Navigator, which acquired Ease in April 2023, has announced that new companies cannot be added to Ease from January 1, 2027, and that Ease goes read-only on July 1, 2027. Existing groups keep renewals, integrations and access until then, and a migration tool moves companies to Employee Navigator.
Is Planlined a replacement for Ease?: Not for enrollment or benefits administration — Planlined does not run either; Employee Navigator is the designated successor. For the quote-to-proposal step, yes: Planlined parses carrier documents into a comparison, contribution model, proposal book and employee guide, and works alongside whichever enrollment platform you choose.
Where do Ease brokers quote and build proposals after the sunset?: Inside the Employee Navigator ecosystem, quoting comes from the Zywave CPQ integration, which works from a rates database. A document-first tool such as Planlined works from the carrier quotes, SBCs and rate sheets you already receive, with the first proposal free and a $75 monthly plan after that.

Sources · reviewed September 5, 2026

Planlined vs Ease: Features and Pricing Compared

Planlined

Ease

Capabilities, one row each.

Questions about switching.

See Planlined on your own carrier quote.