IDX and broker reciprocity are usually the same program under two names. A VOW is a different permission, with stricter rules, for visitors who sign up first. The data feed is the pipe that carries the listings for either one. Most agent and brokerage websites need IDX. You only need a VOW if you want to show data your board keeps off public IDX sites, and you are ready to run a sign-up wall.
You hear all of these words when you try to put listings on your site. Your broker says IDX. Your board’s form says VOW. A developer asks for a data feed. Here is what each one means, in plain words, and which one you need.
What is the difference between IDX, VOW and broker reciprocity?
| IDX (broker reciprocity) | VOW (virtual office website) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sees the listings | Anyone, with no sign-up | Only visitors who register and log in |
| Sign-up and terms of use | Not required | Required: name, a checked email address, accepted terms of use |
| Listing data | What your board’s IDX rules allow | Often more, such as sold history. Your board decides. |
| Brokers can opt out | Yes, but a brokerage that opts out can’t show other firms’ listings | Set by your board’s VOW rules |
| Public listing pages can show up in search | Data behind the login is hidden from search | |
| Who signs | Your broker | Your broker |
Every MLS writes its own version of these rules. Use this table to know what to ask, then get your board’s answer in writing.
Why is IDX also called broker reciprocity?
Because it works both ways. Brokers in your MLS agree to let each other show their listings online. Canopy MLS calls IDX “a mutual agreement among brokerages participating in an MLS.” A brokerage can opt out, but then it can’t show other brokerages’ listings either. Some MLSs call the program Broker Reciprocity instead of IDX. The idea is the same. For the full story of IDX, read What Is IDX (Internet Data Exchange).
What is a VOW?
A VOW is a website that works like your office: the visitor signs up first, then sees more listing data. VOW stands for virtual office website. NAR’s VOW policy says a visitor must give a name and a valid email address. You may let them in only after you check the email works and they got your terms of use. Those terms can’t charge them anything or make them your client by contract. Canopy MLS adds that the broker must first set up a broker and consumer relationship as your state’s law defines it.
- More data. CPAR says its VOW feed “Provides all active, pending, contingent listings in the MLS, as well as all Sold listing history,” while its IDX feed carries current active and contingent listings.
- More work. ARMLS lists a “closed loop” sign-up that checks the email address, terms of use, and records kept for every registered visitor for up to 180 days after their password expires.
- Fewer visitors. ARMLS also notes the trade-off: a sign-up “may eliminate many Buyers who object to registering.”
Does adding a sign-up form turn my IDX site into a VOW?
No. A sign-up form on an IDX site is just a sign-up form. To give VOW data, your brokerage needs your MLS’s VOW approval, the VOW sign-up and terms of use, and the broker and consumer relationship your state requires. Check with your MLS which fields you may show, and to whom, before you put any restricted data behind a login.
Do I need a VOW to show sold homes?
Not always. It depends on your MLS. Some boards keep sold data for VOW sites only. Others allow it on IDX. ARMLS, for example, includes “Sold listings participating in the IDX program from 2012 forward” in its IDX data. So ask your board first: “Can my IDX site show sold listings, and with the sale price?” If the answer is yes, IDX is enough. Before you turn sold homes on, read closed and off-market listings.
Where does the data feed fit?
IDX and VOW are permissions. The data feed is how the listings travel. The feed carries price, photos, status and remarks from your MLS to your website. Today most MLSs send it through the RESO Web API, the modern standard a plugin or developer connects to. You can’t get a feed without a permission: your MLS issues it to your broker or office under the IDX or VOW agreement, not to a plugin. See What are IDX, MLS, RETS and RESO API for how these words fit together.
Which one does my website need?
Most agents and brokerages need IDX. It lets anyone search homes on your site without signing up. Ask about a VOW only when your board keeps sold data off IDX sites and that data matters to your buyers and sellers. Then ask what the VOW agreement costs and what sign-up and record rules come with it, and weigh that against the buyers a sign-up wall turns away.
How does MLS Import work with IDX and VOW feeds?
MLS Import handles the data feed step on WordPress. It pulls the feed your MLS approved into your own site, so every listing becomes a real page on your domain. It checks your MLS for changes every hour. A separate daily check removes listings that left the MLS, if you turn it on. Plans start at $49 a month for one MLS, after a 30-day free trial, and one site can connect up to seven MLS boards.
| Step | Who does it |
|---|---|
| Sign the IDX or VOW agreement with your board | You and your broker |
| Get the feed login from your MLS | You and your broker |
| Pull the listings into WordPress and keep them updated | MLS Import |
| Show sold homes | MLS Import, if your feed carries them and your board allows it |
| Follow your board’s display rules | You, with the plugin’s settings |
Holding a VOW feed? Your board’s VOW rules ask for a sign-up before visitors see the extra data. Before you buy, open a ticket or contact us with your MLS name and its VOW rules, and we will tell you which parts the plugin covers and which parts your site has to handle.
Frequently asked questions
Who signs for an IDX or VOW feed?
The MLS participant, which is normally your broker. Agents usually can’t sign alone. See who needs to hold the MLS credentials.
Can I get a data feed without IDX or VOW?
Not for a public website. Your MLS issues the feed under an agreement, most often IDX. The agreement comes first, then the board approves the feed. Some boards also have back office feeds for in-house tools, but those are not for public websites.
Have a VOW or IDX question your board didn’t answer? Ask it in the comments. Fellow agents run into the same forms every week.
