BrightLocal vs Synup (2026): which should you pick?
As of Oct 24, 2026, we pick BrightLocal: it is second in our ranking of local SEO tools, and they share a 2.4 GPA.
Checked Oct 23, 2026 · graded Oct 23, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
BrightLocal
Local SEO platform for rankings, listings, reviews and AI visibility
Synup
Local marketing platform with an AI agent, priced by location band
Which one is for you
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
Pick Synup if
- Fits if you're an agency running listings, reviews and posts for up to 50 client locations
- Works for teams willing to hand routine local tasks to an AI agent under approval rules
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: agent work, posts, review replies and listing updates spend credits, and work pauses when they run out
- Watch out: the listed credits are quadrupled for launch, and the page doesn't say what accounts opened after September 30 get
- Pricey if you have two locations, as the next band is Premium at $239 a month yearly, and above 50 it's a sales quote
- Tight if you need white labeling, which starts at Premium, while the free trial covers only Solo
How we grade them
| 2.4GPABrightLocalFair | 2.4GPASynupFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CTrack is $31 a month for one location on yearly billing, $41 monthly. That's right at this category's middle ($31). Listing sync needs Manage at $40, reviews need Grow at $49, and the price climbs with every location you add. | CSolo is $39 a month for one location on yearly billing, $49 monthly, between this category's middle ($31) and dearer quarter ($59). Every feature is included, but a second location moves you to Premium at $239 a month for up to 10. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan, but a 14-day trial with full access and no card. When it ends you can still log in and see your data, but you can't run new reports until you pay. | CNo free plan, but a 14-day trial of the Solo plan with $50 in AI credits. The trial doesn't cover the bigger plans or white labeling. |
| Features | BRank tracking for 100 keywords, a geogrid, audits, citation tracking and AI answer checks on every plan, then listing sync, Google post scheduling and review requests higher up. It covers the whole job, with citation building bought per site. | BListings sync to Google, Apple, Bing, Facebook and 100+ publishers and aggregators, review replies and requests, social posting, geogrid rank tracking, location pages and AI answer scores. It covers the whole job, with the agent's work metered in credits. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. You add locations, keywords and competitors and connect Google Business Profile before the reports fill in, and the plans split the tools three ways. | CNo rating on record. You set approval rules, skills and playbooks for the agent and keep an eye on the credit balance, on top of connecting each location's profiles. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with no desktop or phone app. It links to Google Business Profile, Google Analytics, Data Axle, Neustar Localeze and Foursquare, and has local SEO APIs and an MCP server for ChatGPT and Claude. | BWeb only, with no desktop or phone app. It connects to Google Business Profile, Apple Business Connect, Bing Places, Facebook, Tripadvisor, Slack and HubSpot, with APIs and MCP. |
| Best for | local rankings, listings and reviews in one account | agencies handing local tasks to an AI agent |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: BrightLocal and Synup. How we grade
Price against what you get
BrightLocal starts at $31 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Synup starts at $39 a month and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and BrightLocal starts $8 a month lower. Of the other local SEO tools on the chart, none scores higher than BrightLocal for less, and none scores higher than Synup for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- BrightLocal also covers reports.
- Synup also covers AI agents.
At a glance
| BrightLocal | Synup | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $31 per month for 1 location, billed annually ($41 billed monthly) | $39 per month for 1 location, billed annually ($49 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial with full access, no credit card required | 14-day free trial of the Solo plan with $50 in AI credits |
| Web | ||
| Made by | BrightLocal Ltd | Synup |
| Price read from | brightlocal.com | synup.com |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 23, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Synup
- Agent work, posts, review replies and listing updates spend credits; when they run out, agent work pauses until you buy more.
- The listed credits are quadrupled for launch; accounts opened by September 30 keep them, and the page does not say what later accounts get.
- White labeling needs Premium or above, and the free trial covers only the Solo plan.
- Above 50 locations the price is a contract quote from sales.
Key features
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.
Synup
- Sydekick agent
- Takes requests in plain language, runs repeatable skills and multi-step playbooks across locations, and logs every action in an approvals inbox and audit trail.
- Listings sync
- Pushes names, hours, categories and attributes to Google Business Profile, Apple Business Connect, Bing, Facebook and 100+ publishers and data aggregators.
- Reviews
- Collects reviews per location with drafted replies for approval, and sends review request campaigns to customers.
- Local rank grid and visibility score
- Geogrid rank tracking block by block for each keyword, plus one findability score per location with the competitors ranking where you do not.
- AI answer visibility
- Scores each location in ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity, shows whether it is cited and suggests what to fix.
- Agency tools
- A multi-client command center, a branded client portal, white labeling from Premium, scoped team access, APIs and native MCP support.
Plans
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.
Synup
Solo$39
per month for 1 location, billed annually ($49 billed monthly)
All features for one location, 20,000 monthly credits and 1 agent chat at a time on shared infrastructure. No white labeling.
Premium$239
per month for up to 10 locations, billed annually ($299 monthly)
200,000 monthly credits, 3 parallel agent chats and white labeling.
Pro$399
per month for up to 25 locations, billed annually ($499 monthly)
600,000 monthly credits, 5 parallel agent chats and a dedicated agent environment.
Scale$719
per month for up to 50 locations, billed annually ($899 monthly)
1,200,000 monthly credits, 10 parallel agent chats and a dedicated agent environment.
EnterpriseCustom
Contract pricing for more than 50 locations, with custom credits, bring-your-own AI keys or models, and custom compute.
Ways to pay less
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.
Synup
- Annual discount
Save 20% with annual billing
Synup's pricing page lists 20% off for annual terms: Solo is $39 a month billed annually against $49 billed monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, BrightLocal or Synup?
As of Oct 23, 2026, BrightLocal is cheaper to start with: $31 a month, against $39 a month for Synup. BrightLocal starts at $31 per month for 1 location, billed annually ($41 billed monthly), and Synup starts at $39 per month for 1 location, billed annually ($49 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, BrightLocal or Synup?
As of Oct 23, 2026, neither BrightLocal nor Synup has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.