Funeral Guide

What Funeral Guide does

Funeral Guide (legally Funeral Zone Ltd) is a UK-based online directory and comparison platform serving bereaved families and individuals arranging funerals. The platform aggregates 5,814 UK funeral directors across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, alongside 303 crematoriums, enabling users to search by postcode or address and compare providers on price, distance, and reviews. Consumers access the service free of charge via the website; the platform enforces a verification mechanic whereby only individuals who have used a listed funeral director for a loved one's funeral can leave a review, with 130,577 verified reviews currently on the platform and all displayed prices stated as inclusive of third-party fees.

The underlying technology is a relational directory database combined with location-based search, multi-filter sorting (nearest, most reviewed, best rated), and a verified review ingestion layer. Beyond the core funeral director directory, the platform operates adjacent verticals including dedicated directories for hospices, crematoriums, cemeteries, and natural burial grounds, plus an obituary listing module. Supporting content assets include a Help & Advice center covering funeral planning, costs, bereavement support, government services, and estate management, alongside curated funeral hymns and poems resources. The platform is delivered exclusively as a website (no mobile app) and is operated from Exeter.

The commercial model is a two-sided marketplace monetised on the supply side: funeral directors join the platform via a "Join Now" portal and pay recurring monthly subscription fees for premium listing visibility, while consumer access remains free. Marketing is SEO-led, augmented by content marketing through the Help & Advice section and social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. The company was founded in 2013 and is privately held by co-founders Ed Gallois (CEO) and Kevin Homeyard, with Kevin Baldwyn as non-executive director; total disclosed funding since inception is approximately $4.1M across four equity rounds between 2014 and 2017.

Name

Funeral Guide

Legal name

Funeral Zone Ltd

Website

https://funeralguide.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Funeral Guide is a UK-based online directory and comparison platform that helps bereaved families find and compare 5,814 funeral directors, crematoriums, hospices, and cemeteries using verified reviews and transparent pricing. The company monetizes through recurring monthly subscription listings paid by funeral directors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Funeral Services Comparison Platform

NAICS

Funeral Homes and Funeral Services (81221), Death Care Services (8122), Cemeteries and Crematories (812220)

akta.pro primary industry

End-of-Life Planning & Hospice/Palliative Care Coordination (HLADALAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Family Aftercare) (HSABAFAI), Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Hospice-Affiliated/Independent) (HLADAHAL), Bereavement, Grief & Family Support Services (Hospice-Linked) (HLAFAEAO)

Keywords

• Funeral director directory
• Funeral services comparison
• Verified funeral reviews
• Crematorium directory UK
• Bereavement support platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Exeter

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Funeral Director Listings and Advertising: Funeral directors join the platform to list their services and reach potential customers. The platform charges funeral directors for visibility and listing placement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Funeral Guide operates a UK-wide online comparison and review platform that lets bereaved consumers find, compare, and contact 5,814 funeral directors across the United Kingdom. Listings include price estimates, distance, and reviews that are restricted to verified past service users for authenticity. The platform extends beyond funeral directors into specialized directories for crematoriums, hospices, natural burial grounds, and cemeteries, all organized by region.

Product overview

Funeral Guide is a UK-based comparison and review platform for funeral services. The core offering is the Funeral Director Directory, which provides searchable access to 5,814 funeral directors with verified reviews and price estimates. The platform operates as a multi-directory service, also offering specialized directories for crematoriums, hospices, natural burial grounds, and cemeteries, all organized by UK region. Supporting content resources include a Funeral Hymns library, Funeral Poems collection, and a Help & Advice Center covering funeral planning, bereavement support, and estate management. The platform emphasizes transparency by displaying prices inclusive of third-party fees and requires reviews to be from verified service users.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Funeral Director Directory A searchable, location-based database of 5,814 UK funeral directors with reviews, distance information, and inclusive price estimates, allowing consumers to compare services by price, distance, relevance, and quality.
• Obituaries Listing Service An online obituary publishing and viewing service for families and funeral directors to publish and search obituaries for deceased individuals.
• Crematoriums Directory A comprehensive directory of 303 crematoriums across the UK (254 in England, 17 in Wales, 31 in Scotland, 1 in Northern Ireland), organized by region to help users find cremation services for funerals.
• Hospices Directory A searchable directory of UK hospices organized by region, enabling users to find palliative and end-of-life care providers near them.
• Natural Burial Grounds Directory A directory of woodland and natural burial grounds in the UK, providing eco-friendly burial options for environmentally conscious families.
• Cemeteries Directory A searchable directory of cemeteries across the UK organized by region, helping users find burial locations and cemetery services.
• Funeral Director Listing Subscription A paid recurring subscription offering for funeral directors to list on Funeral Guide, gaining visibility, placement, and access to consumer leads searching the platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,814 funeral homes listed across the UK
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Beyond.life: UK-based funeral comparison and planning platform that connects consumers with funeral directors and related services. Directly comparable to Funeral Guide in product, customer base, and geography.
• Perfect Choice Funerals: UK funeral price comparison service that helps families compare funeral director costs. Closely mirrors Funeral Guide's directory-and-comparison value proposition for UK consumers.
• Funeralbooker: UK-based funeral comparison platform enabling users to compare funeral director prices and reviews. Operates in the same UK online comparison category as Funeral Guide.

Broad incumbents

• Dignity plc: One of the largest UK funeral operators with a national branch network and own-brand direct digital marketing. A broad incumbent that competes for the same end-customer demand Funeral Guide channels to its listed directors.
• Co-op Funeralcare: Major UK funeral services provider with extensive branch coverage and direct digital booking. Represents the incumbent supply side Funeral Guide aggregates and could also disintermediate via its own consumer brand.
• Golden Charter: UK funeral plan provider offering pre-paid funeral plans through a network of independent funeral directors. Comparable as a UK funeral services intermediary with overlapping audience and supply-side relationships.
• Trustpilot: Global consumer review platform that covers funeral directors among many other categories. Comparable as a general-purpose reviews infrastructure that overlaps Funeral Guide's verified review differentiator.

Emerging players

• Eternity Funerals: UK-based newer entrant offering direct, simplified funeral services online. Comparable as an emerging digitally-native player targeting the same end-of-life consumer with a more direct service model.
• Willow Stream: UK direct cremation provider focused on simple, lower-cost funeral services. Comparable as a digitally-native UK death-care brand competing for the same consumer search demand.
• Pure Cremation: UK direct cremation specialist with strong digital marketing and at-need planning tools. Comparable as an emerging digital-first UK death-care operator that could capture demand Funeral Guide currently routes to listed directors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/funeralguideUK
• Facebookfacebook.com/funeralguideUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/funeralguide

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Funeral Guide