COMPARE · 7 MIN READ
Unreserved vs helm
Two platforms built around AI tooling, priced very differently. helm is $349 a week or $2,499 once. We are $900. Here is what actually separates them.
Short answer
helm is the newest entrant and leans hardest on AI, including AI negotiation with buyers. We are a licensed agency at $900 with auctions and a board included. If you want the negotiation automated, helm is making a genuinely different bet. If you want it supported by a licensed agent, that is us.
Key takeaways
- helm: $349/wk (two-week minimum) or $2,499 once. Unreserved: $900 once.
- helm’s weekly plan passes $900 during week three and passes their own one-off at 7.2 weeks.
- Both list on realestate.com.au and Domain. Both lean heavily on AI tooling.
- helm automates negotiation. We support it with licensed agents. That is the real fork.
- Auctions, reverse auctions and a For Sale board are included with us and not offered by helm.
The prices
| Unreserved | helm | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $900 once | $698 (two-week minimum at $349/wk) |
| Pay-once option | $900 | $2,499 |
| Listing period | Until it sells | Until it sells on the one-off plan |
| realestate.com.au + Domain | Yes | Yes |
| For Sale board | Included | Not listed |
| Auction / reverse auction | Included | Not offered |
Figures captured 2026-08-18 from hellohelm.co, unreservedrealestate.com.au. Pricing moves; check before you buy.
helm’s weekly plan is the only genuinely cheaper entry point here, and only briefly. At $349 a week it passes our $900 during week three.
Where the money goes
A weekly fee is a clock on your campaignThe concern with subscription pricing on a home sale is not the rate, it is what it does to your judgement in week six. A seller watching a meter run is a seller under pressure to accept, and that pressure costs more than any fee.
Whichever platform you pick, the price decides more than the fee.
A free AI valuation reads the comparable sales around your address and returns a defensible range in about a minute.
Get Free Instant ValuationWhat helm does better
Written honestly, because a comparison that finds nothing good in a competitor is not worth reading.
- AI negotiation. helm markets AI that negotiates with buyers directly. We do not do that, and for a seller who dreads the negotiation it is a real proposition.
- AI-optimised images. Automatic enhancement of listing photography as a core feature rather than an add-on.
- A weekly option. If you are confident of a fast sale, $698 for a fortnight is the lowest entry cost on the market.
- A single modern product. No tiers to choose between, which some sellers will prefer to our two.
What we do differently
- We are a licensed real estate agency. That carries statutory obligations and gives you a regulator to complain to. It is a different relationship from using a platform.
- Auctions and reverse auctions. Neither is offered by helm. If auction is the right method for your property, that decides it.
- Licensed humans, seven days. Our AI answers the phone; a licensed agent answers the hard question.
- $900 once, and a board included. No clock, no upgrade path, no second decision to make in week six.
The two plans this page does not compare
helm publishes a weekly rate and a one-off. We publish three plans, and the comparison above uses the middle one.
Every comparison on this page uses Unreserved Lite at $900, because that is the like-for-like: a listing on realestate.com.au and Domain that you run yourself. We sell two others, and depending on your situation either may suit you better.
| Plan | Price | Portals | Who runs the campaign |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $500 up front | Domain only | You |
| Lite | $900 up front | realestate.com.au + Domain | You |
| Plus | $2,000 up front, then $4,900 on a successful sale | realestate.com.au + Domain | A licensed campaign manager |
All three charge zero commission at settlement and all three include the AI Inspection Agent, the valuation tools and every sale strategy. Captured from our own pricing page, August 2026.
- Basic is the cheapest way onto a major portal. $500, Domain only. If your buyers are local and you are comfortable without realestate.com.au, it is the sharpest price in this whole category.
- Lite is the one everybody compares. $900, both major portals, the full toolkit. Most sellers should be on this.
- Plus is the one that removes the work. $2,000 up front and $4,900 only if it sells, so the larger half is contingent on the result. A licensed campaign manager runs photography, copy, pricing, buyer follow-up and negotiation. You still open the door at your own open homes.
Ben’s insightThe reason Plus is split $2,000 and $4,900 rather than charged up front is that we think the bigger number should depend on the outcome. It is still a flat fee: it does not rise with your sale price the way a percentage does, so on a $1.2 million sale it is $6,900 against roughly $30,000 in commission.
Which to choose
Both say AI. They mean different things
Every platform in this category now markets AI, which makes the word useless on its own. It is worth separating what each of us actually automates.
| What gets automated | Unreserved | helm |
|---|---|---|
| Listing copy | AI-assisted, you edit it | AI-optimised description |
| Photography | Free photo edits | AI-optimised images |
| Answering the phone | AI answers calls and SMS 24/7, routes to you | Not listed |
| Buyer questions at inspections | AI inspection agents | Buyer chat management |
| Scoring offers | You, with licensed support | AI offer scoring and insights |
| Negotiating with buyers | You, with licensed support | AI negotiation with buyers |
| Pricing | AI valuation plus weekly market reports | Real-time listing platform data |
Figures captured 2026-08-18 from hellohelm.co, unreservedrealestate.com.au. Pricing moves; check before you buy.
The pattern is clear enough. helm automates further down the funnel than we do, including the negotiation itself. We automate the front of the funnel and keep a licensed human on the decisions that carry money.
Ben’s insightWhich you prefer is a genuine judgement call rather than a right answer. Automating a negotiation removes the discomfort that costs some sellers real money. It also removes the judgement that earns other sellers real money. I would not pretend to know which you are without meeting you.
What neither of us does
- Neither will attend your inspections. Both are self-run models. If you need someone physically at the property, that is a different product, and ours is Unreserved Plus at $6,900.
- Neither guarantees a price. Any platform implying otherwise is selling something.
- Neither replaces a conveyancer. Contracts and settlement sit with your legal representative on both.
Impressed by the AI valuation
“Used the AI valuation tool from Unreserved and was seriously impressed. Within a couple of minutes it generated a really detailed valuation report with smart insights around the property, the local market, and even value-add opportunities from renovations. It felt genuinely useful in mapping out our next steps, not just a generic automated estimate.”
Alistair Ferguson · Google · Local Guide
Still deciding between the two?
Fifteen minutes with a licensed agent who will tell you honestly if helm suits your property better. No obligation.
Talk to a licensed agentCommon questions
How much does helm cost?
helm publishes two options: $349 a week with a two-week minimum, or $2,499 once with the listing running until it sells. Unreserved is $900 once. Figures captured from helm’s own site in August 2026.
Is helm cheaper than Unreserved?
No, on either plan, if your sale runs a normal length. helm’s weekly plan costs $698 at the two-week minimum and passes $900 during week three. Their one-off is $2,499 against our $900.
What does helm do that Unreserved does not?
helm markets AI-optimised images and an AI co-pilot for the seller, and describes AI negotiation with buyers as a core feature. If you want the negotiation itself automated, that is their pitch and it is a real difference in approach.
What does Unreserved do that helm does not?
Auctions and reverse auctions, a custom For Sale board included in the fee, and licensed agent support seven days. We are a licensed real estate agency rather than a platform alone.
Should I pay weekly or once?
helm’s weekly plan overtakes their own one-off price at about 7.2 weeks. Under a month it is cheaper; a slow campaign reverses that. The risk with any weekly plan is that the thing determining your cost is the thing you cannot control.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ben Williams
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Ben spent 15+ years as a licensed estate agent and conducted over 2,000 auctions before founding Unreserved. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Property & Valuation) from RMIT and is licensed across VIC, NSW, QLD, SA, and WA.