What Brownbook.net does

Brownbook.net, operated by Brownbook Limited and headquartered in Winchester, United Kingdom, is a global crowd-sourced business listings database. Founded in 2008 by Marc Lyne and David Ingram, the platform indexes over 44.6 million business listings across more than 200 countries and is built on a wiki-style model in which any user can create, edit, and claim listings. The company's core product is a free web-based listing and verification service aimed at small and medium business owners seeking SEO visibility on Google, Yahoo, Bing, and Google Maps, as well as at consumers searching for local business information. The platform supports self-service registration and editing through a web UI, with a commercial API available to authorized partners under formal agreements.

Beyond the core listings database, Brownbook offers two premium subscription add-ons: BLINX, a mobile-optimized business bio page with short URLs and QR codes, and an Uberall-powered Listing Manager that synchronizes listings across 20+ directories and social networks. The business model is freemium, with revenue generated from paid premium features and commercial API licensing. The company operates with a very lean team of 1-10 employees and received a single disclosed funding round of approximately $1.97 million from Friday Media Group in May 2008. No additional funding rounds, acquisitions, or material strategic shifts are evidenced in the source data, suggesting a low-burn, capital-efficient operating posture.

Name

Brownbook.net

Legal name

Brownbook Limited

Website

https://brownbook.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Brownbook.net is a UK-based, crowd-sourced global business listings database with 44.6 million entries across 200+ countries, offering free and premium listing services to SMBs and consumers seeking local business information and SEO visibility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Business Directory

akta.pro primary industry

POI, Local Listings & Business Directory Platforms (BPAMANAD)

Keywords

• Global business directory
• Business listing database
• Local SEO listings
• Online business presence
• Crowd-sourced directory

Headquarters

HQ city

Winchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Free Basic Listings: Basic business listing creation and editing is free for all users. Businesses can add themselves, edit information, and claim listings at no cost.
2. Premium/Claim Features: Paid services include claiming a listing to lock edits and gain exclusive control, adding enhanced details, images, videos, and promotional features. Paid services are fulfilled at moment of payment with no refunds.
3. API Access for Commercial Partners: Commercial API access is available under formal commercial agreements with Brownbook Limited for authorized partners requiring automated or high-volume access.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Brownbook.net operates a crowd-sourced global business listing database of more than 44.6 million businesses across 200+ countries, enabling any user to create, edit, and claim listings via a self-service web UI for SEO and local discovery. It monetizes through free listings plus premium add-ons such as BLINX mobile bio pages, the Uberall Listing Manager cross-directory sync, and authorized commercial API access.

Product overview

Brownbook.net is a Global Business Listing Database offering a platform with multiple integrated components: the core Free Business Listing database (44.6M+ businesses, 200+ countries) which enables SEO and search engine visibility; the Free Claim/Verification service for business ownership verification and edit control; and the Free Profile+ for enhanced business profiles with media. The platform also integrates BLINX (mobile-optimized business bio pages with short URLs and QR codes) and the Uberall Listing Manager (automatic sync across 20+ directories and social networks) as supplementary services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BLINX: A mobile-optimised business bio page feature that provides businesses with their own short URL and QR code

Products and services

• Free Business Listing

Quantifiable outcome

• Get found on all major search engines including Google, Yahoo, Bing, and Google Maps

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UberallcoreTechnology or IntegrationUberall provides the LISTING MANAGER feature within Brownbook, allowing users to automatically sync their business listing across 20+ of the most important online business directories and social networks. This partnership enables enhanced value for businesses seeking comprehensive directory presence.
• BLINXcoreTechnology or IntegrationBLINX provides mobile-optimized business bio pages for Brownbook users, including custom short URLs and QR codes. This enables businesses to provide customers with easy access to their complete online presence and directory listings.
• GooglecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBrownbook listings appear in Google search results and Google Maps, driving significant organic traffic and visibility for listed businesses. Google integration is a core component of the platform's SEO value proposition.
• YahoominorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrownbook listings are syndicated to Yahoo search results, providing additional search engine visibility for listed businesses.
• BingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrownbook listings appear in Bing search results, expanding the reach of business listings beyond Google to Microsoft's search ecosystem.
• Google MapscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBrownbook provides listings that appear on Google Maps, enabling local discovery and map-based visibility for listed businesses.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Yext: Yext is an enterprise digital presence platform that lets businesses manage listings, reviews, and pages across 100+ services. It overlaps with Brownbook at the premium listing-management tier and competes for the same SMB and multi-location buyer.
• Tripadvisor: Tripadvisor is a major user-generated business listing and review platform with strong global reach, particularly in travel and hospitality. It competes with Brownbook for SMB visibility, reviews, and SEO-driven discovery, though with a more verticalized focus.
• Google Business Profile: Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is the default free business listing platform deeply integrated with Google Search and Maps. It competes with Brownbook for the same SMB listing market and directly drives the SEO traffic that Brownbook depends on for its value proposition.

Direct peers

• Yelp: Yelp is the dominant crowd-sourced business listing and review platform, competing directly with Brownbook for SMB visibility and consumer local-search attention. Both rely on user-generated listings and reviews to drive SEO traffic, and sell premium/claimed features to business owners.
• Manta: Manta is a US-focused SMB directory and listings platform offering free business listings plus paid marketing and SEO services. It directly parallels Brownbook's free-listing-with-premium-upsell model for small business owners seeking online visibility.
• Hotfrog: Hotfrog is a global small business directory with a similar free-listing, freemium model and international footprint. It targets the same SMB audience as Brownbook with comparable free and claimed-listing features.
• Foursquare: Foursquare operates a global POI and business location platform with consumer discovery apps and B2B location data licensing. It overlaps with Brownbook on crowdsourced venue data and commercial API/data services for SMBs and enterprises.

Others

• Uberall (Localsense): Uberall is a location marketing platform whose Listing Manager is already integrated with Brownbook. It is a partner and adjacent competitor, helping multi-location businesses syndicate listings across directories, directly overlapping with Brownbook's premium Uberall-powered tier.

Regional players

• Yell.com: Yell (UK Yellow Pages digital) is a UK-headquartered business directory offering free listings plus paid premium and marketing services to SMBs. It is the most direct geographic and product competitor to Brownbook in its home UK market.

Emerging players

• Cybo: Cybo is a global local business directory offering free listings, maps, and reviews across multiple countries. It is a smaller, niche competitor to Brownbook in the same crowd-sourced global listings category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/marc_lyne
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pt-cahayaputra-asa-keramik

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Brownbook.net