RateUsOnline

What RateUsOnline does

RateUsOnline operates a UK-based online business directory platform founded in 2015 and headquartered in London. The platform enables small and medium businesses to create free listings, aggregate customer reviews from third-party sources, and access lead-generation services across 19 verticals including restaurants, health, automotive, real estate, and professional services. Consumer-side users search and discover local service providers through category pages and the all-listings directory.

The product portfolio consists of four interconnected offerings: a free Business Directory with 39,042+ listings, a Review Management system that aggregates reviews from Yelp, Google Maps, and TripAdvisor into a unified score, a Job Board enabling businesses to purchase customer lead contact details or subscribe for monthly access, and a tiered Marketing Services suite covering Google Ads management, email marketing, and SEO. The underlying technology is a web-based directory platform with third-party review integrations implemented through URL pasting rather than API-level access; no proprietary AI/ML components are documented.

The business model combines a freemium directory core (free listings used as top-of-funnel) with paid monetization through Job Board subscriptions and per-lead fees, tiered Marketing Services packages (Growth Starter Pack, Performance Booster Plan, Scale Smarter Growth Plan with multi-year contracts, and the Inbox to Income Conversion Package), and managed Google Ads services. Go-to-market is primarily product-led growth via organic search and content marketing, supplemented by inside sales for marketing service contracts. All revenue is generated within the UK market, and the company operates as a private entity with no disclosed funding, no named management team, and no documented M&A, partnerships, or strategic investors in the available data.

Name

RateUsOnline

Legal name

RateUsOnline

Website

https://rateusonline.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RateUsOnline is a UK-based online business directory founded in 2015 that lets small businesses create free listings, aggregate reviews from Yelp, Google Maps, and TripAdvisor, and access paid lead-generation and digital marketing services across 19 verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Free Business Listing (Lead Generation): Basic business listing is free; generates traffic and leads for businesses, creating user base that can be upsold to paid services
2. Job Board Subscriptions: Monthly subscription plans give businesses access to new clients each month; businesses can also purchase individual customer contact details on the job board
3. Marketing Services: Done-for-you digital marketing including Google Ads campaigns, email marketing, and SEO services with tiered pricing from Growth Starter Pack to Performance Booster Plan
4. Paid Advertising Management: Local Google Ads campaign management with targeted reach, lead generation focus, and ROI-oriented strategies
5. Email Marketing Services: Campaign strategy, content creation, audience growth, budget optimization, and analytics reporting with no-contract flexibility

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

RateUsOnline operates a free UK-wide business directory that allows businesses to create profiles, aggregate reviews from multiple platforms (Yelp, Google Maps, TripAdvisor) into a unified score, and connect with customers via a Job Board. Monetization comes from paid Job Board subscriptions, per-lead contact purchases, and tiered Marketing Services (Google Ads, email marketing, SEO) offered as add-ons to the free listing.

Product overview

RateUsOnline is a UK-based online platform operating as a free business directory, review management system, and job board. The core offering consists of four interconnected services: a Business Directory for local business listings across 19 categories, a Job Board enabling direct customer-business connections through purchased lead information and monthly subscriptions, a Review Management system that aggregates reviews from third-party platforms, and Marketing Services providing paid advertising, SEO, and email marketing solutions as add-on modules for businesses seeking enhanced visibility and lead generation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Directory Listing Free UK-wide business listing platform allowing businesses to create profiles with images, descriptions, services, directions, and contact details, enabling consumers to search and compare local service providers across 19 categories including restaurants, health, entertainment, and real estate.
• Job Board Lead generation platform connecting businesses with customers actively seeking services. Businesses can browse job postings, purchase individual customer contact information, and subscribe for monthly access to new leads.
• Review Management Centralized dashboard enabling businesses to aggregate and manage reviews from multiple platforms (Yelp, Google Maps, TripAdvisor) in one location, calculating an aggregated review score without charge.
• Marketing Services Suite of digital marketing solutions including Google Ads campaign management (Growth Starter Pack, Performance Booster Plan), Email Marketing services (Scale Smarter Growth Plan, Inbox to Income Conversion Package), and SEO services (comprehensive website analysis, keyword research, link building, performance monitoring).

Quantifiable outcome

• 45% of small businesses use PPC to boost local visibility
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Yelp: Yelp is a global reviews and business listings platform that directly competes with RateUsOnline's review aggregation and directory core. Yelp's localized category coverage and consumer search experience overlap substantially with RateUsOnline's offering.
• Hotfrog: Hotfrog is a global small business directory with listings in the UK, offering free business profiles and premium upgrades. Its SMB directory model and category coverage closely mirror RateUsOnline's positioning.
• FreeIndex: FreeIndex is a UK-based business directory offering free listings plus paid upgrades, directly comparable to RateUsOnline's directory model. Both serve UK SMBs across similar vertical categories.
• Thomson Local: Thomson Local is a UK-focused directory connecting consumers with local businesses. It directly competes with RateUsOnline for UK SMB directory placements and consumer search traffic.
• Yell.com: Yell.com is the UK's leading online business directory and the most direct competitor to RateUsOnline. Both target UK SMBs with free listings, paid placements, and add-on marketing services, and both compete for the same local search traffic.

Broad incumbents

• Bing Places: Bing Places is Microsoft's free business listing product integrated with Bing Maps and the broader Microsoft search ecosystem. It serves as a broad incumbent alternative to RateUsOnline's core directory offering.
• Yellow Pages: Yellow Pages operates a global directory and business listing platform with established UK presence. As a broader incumbent, it competes across listings, reviews, and SMB marketing services adjacent to RateUsOnline's portfolio.
• Google Business Profile: Google's free business listing product is the dominant incumbent for SMB local visibility. It competes with RateUsOnline's core directory offering via organic search advantage and overlaps heavily in business profile and review aggregation.

Emerging players

• Trustpilot: Trustpilot is a review platform with meaningful overlap in the review aggregation and reputation management use case. While Trustpilot focuses more on standalone reviews versus a full directory, it competes for SMB reputation management spend.

Regional players

• Cylex: Cylex is a local business directory operating across European markets including the UK, with comparable category coverage and free listing monetization. Comparable to RateUsOnline in product offering though focused on continental Europe.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RateUsonline

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 RateUsOnline