Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about LeadKumo. Can't find your answer? Contact us.

General

LeadKumo is an enterprise-grade, self-hosted lead distribution platform. It enables you to receive leads from multiple sources (publishers, affiliates, web forms) and distribute them to buyers using real-time ping/post technology or direct posting. It also supports inbound call routing and distribution. You install it on your own server, giving you complete control over your data and operations.
LeadKumo is designed for lead generation companies, performance marketing networks, call centers, insurance agencies, and any business that needs to aggregate and distribute leads at scale. It's ideal for companies doing 1,000+ leads per month who want to eliminate per-lead fees and maintain full control over their lead flow.

Ping/post is a two-step process for real-time lead price discovery:

  1. Ping: When a lead is submitted, partial data (no PII) is sent to eligible buyers who respond with their bid prices.
  2. Post: The full lead with PII is delivered only to the winning bidder.

This maximizes revenue through competitive bidding while minimizing PII exposure. LeadKumo also supports direct posting (skipping the ping phase) for fixed-price arrangements.

LeadKumo supports any vertical through custom lead type definitions. Common verticals include: insurance (auto, home, health, life, Medicare), solar and renewable energy, mortgage and refinance, home services (roofing, HVAC, windows, plumbing), legal (personal injury, mass tort), education, debt settlement, and more. You define the fields, validation rules, and pricing for each vertical.

Pricing & Licensing

LeadKumo is a one-time purchase with two options:

  • Standard License ($9,999): Full platform access with lifetime updates within your major version.
  • Source Code License ($19,998): Everything in Standard plus complete source code access for customization.

Financing is available at $1,000/month for 10 months. There are no per-lead fees, no monthly subscriptions, and no hidden costs.

No fees to us. Your only ongoing costs are:

  • Server hosting: Typically $20-100/month depending on your provider and traffic volume.
  • Telnyx (for call leads only): ~$0.002/minute for call routing if you use the call distribution features.

There are no per-lead fees, no platform fees, and no support subscriptions required.

Your license includes free updates within your major version forever:

  • If you buy version 1.x, you get all 1.x updates (1.1, 1.2, 1.3, etc.) for life.
  • New major versions (2.0, 3.0) are separate products requiring a new license.
  • You can stay on your version indefinitely with continued security patches.

You're never forced to upgrade. We commit to supporting your version for as long as you use it.

Yes. We offer a 90-day money-back guarantee. If LeadKumo doesn't meet your needs within the first 90 days, contact us for a full refund. No questions asked.

Each license is tied to one domain. During installation, you provide your domain (e.g., leads.yourcompany.com) and it's permanently linked to your license key. The system performs a daily heartbeat to verify the license is active. If your server can't reach our licensing server for 7 consecutive days, the platform will pause until connectivity is restored.

Need to move to a different domain? Contact support and we'll transfer your license at no charge.

Each license covers one domain. If you need multiple installations (e.g., for different brands or clients), you can purchase additional licenses or contact us about volume pricing. Development/staging environments on subdomains of your licensed domain are permitted.

Installation & Technical

  • CPU: 2+ cores recommended
  • RAM: 4GB minimum, 8GB recommended
  • Storage: 40GB minimum SSD
  • OS: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (recommended), Debian 11+, or CentOS 8+
  • Network: Public IP address with ports 80 and 443 open

Any VPS from providers like DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, or Azure works well. A $20-40/month VPS handles most workloads.

Installation is straightforward. After purchase, you receive a personalized install script with your license key embedded. The process:

  1. Point your domain to your server's IP address
  2. SSH into your server
  3. Run the one-line install command
  4. Enter your domain when prompted
  5. Provide your encryption key (you generate this)

The script handles everything: Docker, PostgreSQL, Redis, Nginx, SSL certificates, and application deployment. Most installations complete in under 15 minutes.

Basic comfort with servers is helpful but not required. You should be able to:

  • Provision a VPS from a cloud provider
  • Update DNS records for your domain
  • Connect via SSH (we provide instructions)

If you can follow step-by-step instructions, you can install LeadKumo. Our support team is also available to help with installation questions.

LeadKumo includes built-in backup functionality. You can configure automated daily backups to local storage or cloud storage (S3-compatible). Backups include your database and configuration. We recommend also enabling your VPS provider's snapshot feature for additional protection.
When an update is available, you'll see a notification in your admin dashboard. Updates are applied with a single click from the dashboard. The system automatically backs up your data before updating. You control when updates are applied - they're never forced automatically.

Features & Capabilities

LeadKumo can deliver leads via:

  • HTTP/HTTPS: POST or GET requests with JSON, XML, or form-encoded data
  • Email: SMTP delivery with customizable templates
  • SMS: Text notifications via SMS gateway

The Handlebars templating system lets you transform lead data into any format your buyers require. You can also configure custom headers, authentication, and response parsing rules.

Yes. LeadKumo includes full call lead distribution capabilities:

  • Provision and manage DIDs (tracking phone numbers)
  • Availability pings to check buyer capacity before transferring
  • Conference transfers with optional call whisper
  • Duration-based billing (pay per billable minute)
  • Call recording storage

Call features require a Telnyx account. Telnyx charges approximately $0.002/minute for call routing - you bring your own account and API key.

LeadKumo includes AI-powered configuration assistance. Instead of manually configuring every integration setting, you can:

  • Describe your buyer's API in plain English
  • Paste their documentation or sample requests
  • Let AI generate the integration configuration

This reduces integration setup from hours to minutes. You can still manually configure everything if you prefer - AI assistance is optional. You provide your own OpenAI or Anthropic API key for this feature.

You can set caps at the buyer or campaign level: daily, weekly, and monthly limits. When a buyer hits their cap, they're automatically excluded from routing until the cap resets. You can also set budget caps (dollar limits) in addition to lead count caps.
Yes. You can create accounts for buyers with limited access. They can view their own leads, download reports, process returns, and see their performance metrics - but they can't access other buyers' data or system configuration. Role-based permissions let you control exactly what each user can see and do.

LeadKumo includes full return management:

  • Process individual returns with reason codes
  • Bulk return processing via CSV upload
  • Track return rates by source and buyer
  • Automatic revenue adjustments
  • Complete audit trail

You can set return windows (e.g., buyers have 72 hours to return) and define which return reasons are acceptable.

This is one of LeadKumo's most powerful adoption features. Legacy field mapping lets you migrate existing publishers and affiliates without requiring them to change a single line of code in their integrations.

The Problem It Solves

When switching lead distribution platforms, the biggest friction is getting publishers to update their integrations. They're already sending leads to your old system using field names like fname, ph, or zipcode. Asking them to change to first_name, phone, and zip means development work, testing, and coordination - often taking weeks.

How It Works

  • Per-Source Field Maps: Define field mappings for each lead source individually. Publisher A can send fname while Publisher B sends first - both map to your standard first_name field.
  • Automatic Transformations: Built-in normalizers handle common variations automatically:
    • - Phone: (555) 123-4567 or 5551234567 → 555-123-4567
    • - State: California or california → CA
    • - Zip: 12345-6789 → 12345
    • - Boolean: yes, Y, 1, true → true
  • Default Values: Set fallback values for fields the publisher doesn't send.
  • Value Mapping: Transform specific values (e.g., publisher sends auto, you need automobile_insurance).

Zero-Downtime Migration

The typical migration workflow:

  1. Set up LeadKumo and configure your lead types with standard field names
  2. For each publisher, create a lead source with their specific field mappings
  3. Give publishers your new endpoint URL - they just change the destination, not their payload
  4. Leads flow through immediately with zero code changes on their side

Real Example

Publisher's existing payload (unchanged):

{
  "fname": "John",
  "lname": "Smith",
  "ph": "(555) 123-4567",
  "st": "california",
  "zip_code": "90210"
}

Your field mapping config:

fname → first_name
lname → last_name
ph → phone (with phone normalizer)
st → state (with state normalizer)
zip_code → zip (with zip normalizer)

Normalized lead in LeadKumo:

{
  "first_name": "John",
  "last_name": "Smith",
  "phone": "555-123-4567",
  "state": "CA",
  "zip": "90210"
}

This feature alone can cut migration time from weeks to days, making adoption dramatically easier for companies with established publisher networks.

Security & Compliance

  • Encryption at rest: All PII is encrypted using AES-256 with a key you provide during installation. We never have access to your encryption key.
  • Encryption in transit: All communications use TLS 1.2 or higher.
  • Audit logging: Complete activity trail for all user actions.
  • API authentication: All API access requires API keys.
  • Self-hosted: Your data stays on your server - we never have access to your leads.
No. LeadKumo runs entirely on your server. The only communication with our servers is the daily license heartbeat, which sends no lead data - just a verification that your installation is legitimate. Your leads, buyer information, and business data never leave your server.

LeadKumo provides tools to help you maintain TCPA compliance:

  • Consent capture and storage
  • TCPA-compliant form builder with consent language
  • Timestamp and IP logging for consent records
  • Lead payload preservation for compliance documentation

However, TCPA compliance is ultimately your responsibility. LeadKumo is a tool - you must ensure your lead generation practices comply with applicable laws.

Your installation continues working. The 7-day heartbeat grace period means you'd have time to contact us. In the unlikely event of company closure:

  • Source code license holders have complete independence - they can maintain their own installations indefinitely.
  • Standard license holders would receive source code access to ensure continuity.

We're committed to never leaving customers stranded.

Support

Your license includes lifetime email support for:

  • Installation assistance
  • Configuration questions
  • Bug reports and fixes
  • License transfers
  • General usage questions

We typically respond within 24 hours on business days. There's no support subscription or per-incident fees.

We offer a comprehensive video demo instead of a limited trial. This lets you see the full platform capabilities before purchasing. Combined with our 90-day money-back guarantee, you can purchase with confidence knowing you can request a full refund if LeadKumo doesn't meet your needs.
  1. Watch the demo to see LeadKumo in action
  2. Purchase your license through our secure checkout
  3. Receive your personalized install script via email
  4. Provision a server and run the installer
  5. Start configuring your lead types, sources, and buyers

Most customers are processing leads within 24-48 hours of purchase.

Still have questions?

We're happy to answer any questions about LeadKumo. Get in touch and we'll respond within 24 hours.