Apple Business vs BrightLocal (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Apple Business if

• Fits if you want your Apple Maps place card correct and complete
• Works for brands that want their name and logo in Apple Mail, Wallet and Tap to Pay

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you need Google, Bing or Yelp too, as it covers Apple's apps only
• Watch out: Actions need Apple's approval, up to three working days, and show only on iOS or iPadOS 17.4 or later
• Watch out: features vary by country, and ads on Apple Maps are open only in the US and Canada

Pick BrightLocal if

• Fits if your business is in the US, UK, Canada or Australia and you want rankings and listings in one account
• Works for agencies sending white-label local ranking reports for many client locations

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if your business is outside the US, UK, Canada and Australia, where only citation building works
• Tight if you're on Track, as listing sync starts at Manage ($40) and review replies at Grow ($49)
• Watch out: Citation Builder is paid per site, from $3.20 or $2 with bulk credits, on top of any plan
• Not for you if you want a free plan, since after the 14-day trial you can only look at old data
• Watch out: above 100 locations prices are on request, and a downgrade takes effect at once with no refund

Apple Business

• It covers Apple Maps and other Apple apps only; Google, Bing and Yelp listings are claimed separately.
• Actions need Apple's approval, which can take up to three working days, and show only on iOS or iPadOS 17.4 or later.
• Feature availability varies by country, and ads on Apple Maps are open only to businesses in the US and Canada.
• The paid extras, iCloud storage from $0.99 per user a month and AppleCare+ for Business from $6.99 a month, are for the device side and not needed for Maps.

BrightLocal

• The platform works in the USA, UK, Canada and Australia; citation building alone reaches more countries.
• Citation Builder is paid per site, from $3.20 or as low as $2 with bulk credits, on top of any plan.
• Prices rise with the number of locations, and above 100 locations they are on request.
• Downgrades take effect at once and the unused part of the old plan is not refunded.

Apple Business

Place cards

Set the name, category, hours including holiday hours, phone, website, photos, logo and details such as payment types, Wi-Fi and parking for each physical location.

Showcases

Publish seasonal items, offers or events on a location's place card, with a call-to-action button that links to the business's app or website.

Actions

Add buttons such as Menu, Reserve, Order or Tickets to a place card, created in the portal or through the brands API and approved by Apple first.

Insights

See how customers search for the business, how they interact with its place card, showcases and Actions, and how it compares with competitors.

Brand identity across Apple apps

Register a brand, including online-only businesses, and show its name and logo in Maps, Wallet, Siri, Branded Mail and Tap to Pay on iPhone.

Ads on Apple Maps

Paid ads that place a business in Apple Maps search results, with buttons to call or get directions, sold separately in the US and Canada only.

BrightLocal

Local Rank Tracker and Local Search Grid

Track local rankings for up to 100 keywords and 4 competitors per location, and map Google local rankings on a geogrid.

Local AI Visibility Tracker

Checks whether ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and Google AI Overviews recommend a business, for up to 20 prompts per location, on every plan.

Citation Tracker and Citation Builder

Audit listing accuracy and find gaps, then pay per site to have listings built, including the Data Axle, Neustar Localeze and Foursquare aggregators.

Active Sync and Google posts

From Manage up, keeps business details synced and protected on key sites and schedules Google Business Profile posts across locations.

Reputation tools

Grow adds review monitoring with replies across several sites, review requests by email, SMS and in-store campaigns, and a review widget.

White-label reports, APIs and MCP

Reports and tools can carry your own branding, and the platform offers local SEO APIs and an MCP server for ChatGPT, Claude or Mistral.

Apple Business

• Apple Business$0

  Locations and place cards on Apple Maps, showcases, Actions, insights and brand identity, plus built-in device management and 5GB of storage per user.

BrightLocal

• Track$31

  per month for 1 location, billed annually ($41 billed monthly)

  Rank tracking for 100 keywords, a geogrid for 5 keywords, audits, citation tracking and AI visibility. $62 a month yearly for 6-10 locations.

• Manage$40

  per month for 1 location, billed annually ($54 billed monthly)

  Everything in Track plus AI Insights, Active Sync to keep listings synced and protected on key sites and a Google post scheduler.

• Grow$49

  per month for 1 location, billed annually ($65 billed monthly)

  Everything in Manage plus review monitoring and replies, review requests by email, SMS and in store, and a review widget.

• CustomCustom

  Price on request for more than 100 locations, or for high-volume accounts that need only one or two report types.

Apple Business

No public discounts listed.

BrightLocal

• Annual discount

  Save 25% with annual billing

  BrightLocal's pricing page lists 25% off for annual billing: Track for one location is $369 a year ($31 a month) against $41 a month billed monthly.