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.
ThreeFlow
A "benefits placement system": a shared workspace where brokers, carriers and general agencies quote, compare, negotiate and place fully insured medical, ancillary, voluntary and stop-loss business, with side-by-side comparisons and in-platform presentations.
For: brokers placing mid-market and ancillary business with carriers that participate on the platform; carriers and GAs pay the fee.
Side by side
Capabilities, one row each.
- Parses carrier PDFs and spreadsheetsPlanlinedYesAny carrier, any format you were sent.ThreeFlowPartialQuotes are entered by participating carriers into the shared system; broker-side PDF upload is not documented.
- Side-by-side comparisonPlanlinedYesThreeFlowYesDeviations from in-force coverage highlighted.
- Proposal exportPlanlinedYesBranded PDF and presentation mode.ThreeFlowYesPresent in-platform or export to Excel.
- Employee enrollment guidePlanlinedYesThreeFlowNot documented
- Contribution and what-if modelingPlanlinedYesThreeFlowNot documented
- Invoice reconciliationPlanlinedYesThreeFlowNot documented
- Carrier RFP marketplace and negotiationPlanlinedNoThreeFlowYesThe core of the product.
- Coverage linesPlanlinedYesMedical, dental, vision, life, STD/LTD, payroll.ThreeFlowYesFully insured medical, ancillary, voluntary, stop-loss.
- Self-serve signup with a free startPlanlinedYesFirst proposal free.ThreeFlowNo
- PricingPlanlinedFirst proposal free, no card. Professional $75/month, or $62/month billed annually. Enterprise custom.ThreeFlowCarriers and general agencies pay a fee; no broker price is published.
"Not documented" means the vendor's public pages do not describe the capability. It may exist; ask them before deciding.
Choose ThreeFlow when
- You want carriers to submit and revise quotes inside one shared system and to negotiate there.
- Your book is mid-market ancillary and stop-loss with carriers already on the platform.
- You want the placement workflow more than the deliverables.
Choose Planlined when
- Your carriers send quotes by email as PDFs and spreadsheets, whether or not they are on any platform.
- Your deliverables matter: branded proposal book, employee enrollment guide, contribution scenarios.
- Small-group medical, level-funded and PEO comparisons where no marketplace exists.
Weighing more than these two? Read our roundup of ThreeFlow alternatives for small brokers, which lines up five tools that do this job.
Frequently asked
Questions about switching.
- Is Planlined a ThreeFlow alternative?
- Partly. Both produce side-by-side comparisons and presentations. ThreeFlow is a marketplace where carriers enter quotes; Planlined is a broker-owned tool that parses whatever the carrier sent. If your carriers are not on ThreeFlow, Planlined still works.
- Does ThreeFlow charge brokers?
- ThreeFlow states that carriers and general agencies pay a fee. No broker price is published. Planlined charges the broker: first proposal free, then $75 per month.
- Can I use both?
- Yes. Place business through ThreeFlow where your carriers participate, and use Planlined for the client deliverables, contribution modeling and the lines or carriers that arrive by email.
Sources · reviewed September 3, 2026