HealthCare.gov puts it simply: “Agents may work for a single health insurance company; brokers may represent several companies.”

A navigator or certified application counselor is trained and certified by the Marketplace, works for free, and is “required to be unbiased.” That last part matters more than it sounds. Navigators can walk you through the application, but they are not permitted to recommend a specific plan. A licensed broker can look at your doctors, your prescriptions, and your budget and tell you which plan he would put his own family on.

Both can help you apply. Only one can give you a recommendation.