Local listings management · November 2026 Edition
BrightLocal vs Semrush Local
Eight of fourteen models named BrightLocal first on the direct prompt; two named Semrush Local. Both were named by all fourteen models and BrightLocal carries 67 labels and Semrush Local 47, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in four categories this edition.
By Semrush, Boston, United States, founded 2008. Named in two categories this edition.
First-choice share46%4%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate9%11%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#1#4A position in a field of 10; printed, not drawn.
Labels6747A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, BrightLocal reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.BrightLocal vs Moz Local · BrightLocal vs Yext · BrightLocal vs SOCi
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the local listings management page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
BrightLocalFirst choices, of fourteen modelsSemrush Local
Direct821 against BrightLocal · 1 against Semrush Local
Paraphrase120
Comparative30
Budget-constrained302 against Semrush Local
Scale-constrained10
Negative105 against BrightLocal · 2 against Semrush Local
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.
Across every category in the November 2026 Edition, BrightLocal and Semrush Local were named in the same answer 110 times, of the 222 answers naming BrightLocal and the 122 naming Semrush Local. In those answers Semrush Local took the first choice zero times and BrightLocal forty-eight.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where BrightLocal and Semrush Local stood in it.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | | | | | ||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | | | | ||
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | | | | |
| Perplexity Sonar | | | | | | |
| Grok 4.20 | | | | | | |
| Mistral Small | | | | | | |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | | | | ||
| Llama 4 Maverick | | | | |||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | | | | ||
| Kimi K2 | | | | | | |
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | | | | | ||
| MiniMax M2.5 | | | | | | |
| GPT-6 Luna | | | | |||
| Muse Glimmer 30B | | | | | |
BrightLocal Semrush Local first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, BrightLocal on the left and Semrush Local on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where BrightLocal and Semrush Local stood in it.
Both were the first choice
1 of 14 modelsThe answer named them together, and the judge labeled each a first choice.Claude Haiku 4.5BrightLocal, Semrush Local alternatives: Advice Local, Synup
BrightLocal first, Semrush Local an alternative
7 of 14 modelsSemrush Local was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Gemini 3.5 FlashBrightLocal alternatives: Semrush Local, Uberall
Mistral SmallBrightLocal alternatives: GBPPromote, Moz Local, Yext
DeepSeek V4 FlashBirdeye, BrightLocal alternatives: Uberall
Qwen 3.7 FlashBrightLocal alternatives: Semrush Local, Uberall
Kimi K2BrightLocal alternatives: Moz Local, Semrush Local, Synup
GLM 4.7 FlashXBrightLocal alternatives: Birdeye, Semrush Local
Muse Glimmer 30BBrightLocal alternatives: Birdeye, Moz Local, Yext
Semrush Local first, BrightLocal not the choice
1 of 14 modelsBrightLocal was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.MiniMax M2.5SOCi, Semrush Local alternatives: Birdeye, Yext
Neither was the first choice, one was named
3 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Perplexity SonarYext alternatives: Birdeye, BrightLocal, Semrush Local, Uberall
Grok 4.20SOCi alternatives: Birdeye, Semrush Local, Yext
GPT-6 LunaYext alternatives: BrightLocal, Uberall
Neither was named
2 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.GPT-5.4 miniYext alternatives: SOCi, Uberall
Llama 4 Maverickno first choice
Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
BrightLocal leads by forty-three points.
BrightLocal45%#1 of 12Semrush Local2%#6 of 12Mid-marketThe figures above
BrightLocal leads by forty-two points.
BrightLocal46%#1 of 10Semrush Local4%#4 of 10Enterprise
BrightLocal leads by two points.
BrightLocal2%#5 of 10Semrush Local0%#7 of 10What the models said about BrightLocal
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“Who should avoid: Larger operators or agencies managing dozens of listings.” Grok 4.20 · negative prompt · hard negative
“BrightLocal is often recommended, but buyers note persistent issues: "eight persistent issues, including performance bottlenecks, a dated user experience, unpredictable costs"” Muse Glimmer 30B · negative prompt · soft negative
“Other platforms like BrightLocal and Moz Local have also received some negative feedback, but they also offer useful features” Llama 4 Maverick · negative prompt · soft negative
“BrightLocal is the top recommendation due to its comprehensive features, strong reputation, and value for multi-location management.” Mistral Small · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“BrightLocal is the best fit for agencies and local brands needing recurring multi-location listing audits with audit-ready reporting.” Muse Glimmer 30B · comparative prompt · first choice
“BrightLocal: Strong for agencies/SMBs scaling up. Excellent listings sync, reporting, and review tools. Affordable entry point” Grok 4.20 · scale prompt · first choice
What the models said about Semrush Local
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“more cost-effective, but usually better for smaller footprints or simpler needs than a typical mid-market B2B rollout” GPT-5.4 mini · direct prompt · soft negative
“generally more expensive or more enterprise-oriented, so usually not ideal for a limited budget” GPT-5.4 mini · budget prompt · soft negative
“the per-location cost can be difficult to justify if listings are your only requirement” Perplexity Sonar · negative prompt · soft negative
“BrightLocal and Semrush tend to offer the best balance of features, control, and affordability for mid-market companies.” Claude Haiku 4.5 · direct prompt · first choice
“I'd recommend starting with SOCi or SEMrush” MiniMax M2.5 · direct prompt · first choice
“Combines listings with broader SEO tools (rank tracking, audits). Great if your team already uses Semrush.” Grok 4.20 · scale prompt · alternative
Also compared
BrightLocal vs Moz LocalBrightLocal vs YextBrightLocal vs SOCiBrightLocal vs UberallBrightLocal vs BirdeyeBrightLocal vs WhitesparkMoz Local vs Semrush LocalYext vs Semrush LocalSemrush Local vs SOCiSemrush Local vs UberallSemrush Local vs BirdeyeSemrush Local vs WhitesparkAll twenty-eight head-to-head pages and the full local listings standing
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.