brightlocal vs bing-places
BrightLocal vs Bing Places — features, pricing, and which to choose for your local SEO workflow in 2026.
Quick Verdict
This comparison highlights a classic local SEO dilemma: comprehensive paid platform versus free listing management. BrightLocal offers a full-featured local SEO suite for agencies and businesses serious about dominating local search, while Bing Places is Microsoft's free business listing manager that handles your presence on an often-neglected search engine.
The choice comes down to scope versus cost. BrightLocal covers Google, Bing, and dozens of other directories with advanced tracking and reporting. Bing Places does one thing well — manages your Microsoft ecosystem presence for free — but leaves you to handle Google and other platforms separately.
Feature Comparison
BrightLocal delivers enterprise-grade local SEO tools including local rank tracking across multiple search engines, automated citation building to 50+ directories, review monitoring and response management, and comprehensive Google Business Profile auditing. Their Citation Tracker identifies inconsistent NAP data across the web, while their Local Search Audit provides detailed optimization recommendations for each location. Bing Places focuses exclusively on Microsoft's ecosystem — Bing search results and Bing Maps. You can update business information, add photos, post updates, and respond to reviews, but only for Bing properties. It includes basic analytics showing how customers find your listing and what actions they take, plus integration with Microsoft Advertising for location-based campaigns. The feature gap is massive. BrightLocal provides multi-platform management, automated workflows, and detailed reporting that agencies need to scale local SEO services. Bing Places handles one platform well but offers no cross-platform visibility or automation.
Pricing Comparison
BrightLocal starts at $39/month for the Grow plan covering 5 locations with local rank tracking, citation building, and basic reporting. Their Scale plan at $89/month adds white-label reporting and covers 25 locations. Enterprise pricing scales based on location count and feature requirements. Bing Places costs nothing. Zero monthly fees, no location limits, no feature restrictions within its Microsoft-focused scope. This makes it attractive for businesses managing their own listings or agencies handling Bing optimization as part of a broader strategy. However, the cost comparison isn't straightforward. If you need comprehensive local SEO management, Bing Places only handles one piece of the puzzle. You'd still need separate tools for Google Business Profile management, citation tracking, and review monitoring — potentially costing more than BrightLocal's integrated approach.
Best For
BrightLocal works best for digital agencies managing multiple client locations, businesses with extensive local footprints, or companies that want comprehensive local SEO automation. If you're tracking local rankings across Google and Bing, building citations at scale, or need detailed client reporting, BrightLocal's integrated platform saves significant time compared to managing multiple point solutions. Bing Places suits businesses that primarily self-manage their online presence and want to ensure they're not missing Bing's 6% search market share. It's also valuable for agencies that use other tools for Google optimization but want to cover their Bing bases without additional cost.
The Verdict
Choose BrightLocal if local SEO is a core business function requiring systematic tracking, reporting, and optimization across multiple platforms. The $39/month investment pays for itself quickly when you consider the time saved on manual citation building and rank tracking. Bing Places belongs in every local business's toolkit as a free supplement, but it can't replace a comprehensive local SEO platform like BrightLocal for serious optimization efforts.