brightlocal vs grid-my-business
BrightLocal vs Grid My Business — features, pricing, and which to choose for your local SEO workflow in 2026.
Quick Verdict
BrightLocal and Grid My Business represent two completely different approaches to local SEO. BrightLocal is a comprehensive platform built for agencies and serious local marketers, offering everything from citation management to review monitoring. Grid My Business, launched in 2020, focuses purely on one thing: showing you exactly where your business appears on Google Maps through geographic grid visualization.
This comparison comes down to scope versus simplicity. If you need a full local SEO suite, BrightLocal delivers 15+ years of platform development. If you just want to see your local rankings without the complexity or cost, Grid My Business offers that specific functionality for free.
Feature Comparison
BrightLocal provides a complete local SEO toolkit including local rank tracking, citation building and auditing, review management, Google Business Profile optimization, local SEO audits, and white-label reporting for agencies. Their rank tracking covers both organic and Maps results, with automated reporting and competitive analysis features. Grid My Business does one thing exceptionally well: geogrid rank tracking. Similar to Local Falcon's approach, it shows your Google Maps rankings across a geographic grid, letting you visualize exactly where your business appears for customers in different locations. This geographic visualization is often more accurate than single-point rank checking since local rankings vary significantly by searcher location. The feature gap is massive. BrightLocal offers citation management across 100+ directories, automated review monitoring from multiple platforms, GMB posting tools, and comprehensive local SEO auditing. Grid My Business provides only rank tracking visualization, but it's incredibly effective for that specific use case.
Pricing Comparison
BrightLocal starts at $39/month for their basic plan, scaling up to enterprise pricing for larger agencies. Even their entry-level plan includes multiple tools beyond just rank tracking. Grid My Business is completely free, making it accessible for any business size. The value proposition depends entirely on your needs. BrightLocal's $39/month gets you citation management, review monitoring, and rank tracking — services that would cost significantly more if purchased separately. Grid My Business gives you sophisticated rank visualization at zero cost, but you'll need other tools for citation building, review management, and GMB optimization.
Best For
BrightLocal is the clear choice for agencies, multi-location businesses, or anyone managing comprehensive local SEO campaigns. If you need citation building, review management, or client reporting alongside rank tracking, BrightLocal provides everything in one platform. Their 15-year track record and extensive feature set make them ideal for serious local SEO work. Grid My Business works perfectly for small businesses or solopreneurs who primarily need to understand their local visibility. If you're a restaurant, service business, or retailer that wants to see exactly where you rank on Google Maps across your service area, Grid My Business provides that insight without monthly costs or feature complexity.
The Verdict
Choose Grid My Business if you only need rank tracking and want to save money. Their geographic grid visualization is genuinely useful and costs nothing. However, for any serious local SEO effort, BrightLocal is the better investment. The $39/month pays for itself through time saved on citation management and review monitoring alone, plus you get professional reporting capabilities that Grid My Business simply doesn't offer.