An independent look at SOCi: what it does, what it costs, what users actually rate it, and how it compares with GMBSoftware.
Pricing checked August 2026 against the vendor’s own page where it publishes one.
Quick verdict
Built for brands that run local marketing as a head office function across hundreds or thousands of sites, and priced accordingly. SOCi now presents itself as a set of AI agents covering local search, social and reputation, with brand rules applied on top. Nothing is published on price and the agreement is annual, so evaluating it starts with a demo rather than a trial.
GBPPromote is the best SOCi alternative for multi-location brands. SOCi publishes no pricing and signs annual agreements. GBPPromote is monthly, published, and starts at one location. All 42 tools sit on one plan: $16 at one location, a flat $37 for two to seven, and $5.33 each from eight, with a three day free trial and no contract.
SOCi at a glance
| Best for | Franchise brands and large multi location operators with a head office team and a procurement process. |
| Price | Not published. Quote on request |
| Trial | No free trial |
| Contract | Annual agreements |
| Shape | A multi location marketing platform covering listings, social, reviews and local pages |
What is SOCi?
SOCi is a local marketing platform for multi location brands. Listings, local pages, social publishing and reviews sit in one place, with brand controls that decide what a local manager is allowed to change.
The platform is now organised around three agents: a local search agent that keeps location data accurate and works on listings and local pages, a social agent that publishes local content in the brand voice, and a reputation agent that monitors and answers reviews and escalates the sensitive ones.
It is aimed at franchises, restaurants, financial services, property management, retail and healthcare, and the company describes coverage from one location up to more than 100,000. The centre of gravity is clearly the large end of that range.
SOCi features
Every feature below, and what it actually does rather than what the marketing calls it.
Local search agent
Keeps location information accurate across search and maps, works on listings and local pages, and acts on discovery opportunities.
Social agent
Creates and publishes local social content per location and handles engagement in the brand voice.
Reputation agent
Monitors reviews, answers them, reads sentiment and escalates cases that need a person.
Brand intelligence
Learns the brand voice and each location detail so local output stays consistent without head office writing it.
SOCi Shield
Applies brand and compliance rules to what gets published locally. This is the part enterprise buyers are really paying for.
Visibility reporting
Reports local discovery across search, maps and AI answers rather than rankings alone.
Integrations
Google, Meta, Yelp, Apple and business systems.
SOCi pricing and alternatives
Price. Not published. Quote on request. Trial. No free trial. Terms. Annual agreements.
The nearest alternatives, with the commercial terms that actually separate them:
| Tool | Price | Terms |
|---|---|---|
| GBPPromote | $16 at 1 location, flat $37 for 2 to 7, $5.33 each from 8 | No contract, cancel any month |
| Local SEO Tool | $16 at 1 location, flat $37 for 2 to 7, $5.33 each from 8 | No contract, cancel any month |
| Uberall | Not published. Quote on request | Annual agreements |
| Yext | Self serve $199 to $999 per location per year. Larger deals quoted | Annual billing only, typically 12 or 24 month minimum commitments |
| Rio SEO | Not published. Quote on request | Annual agreements |
| Chatmeter | Not published. Quote on request | Annual agreements |
| Birdeye | Not published. Reported at $299 to $449 per location per month | Annual, and it auto renews unless you give 90 days written notice |
There is a fuller breakdown in our SOCi alternatives comparison.
SOCi pros and cons
- Built around the franchise problem of brand control with local autonomy, which most local SEO tools do not attempt.
- Local social publishing across many locations is stronger here than in most listings platforms.
- Governance and compliance rules are first class rather than bolted on.
- Coverage of listings, social and reviews in one place, so head office is not stitching three vendors together.
- Clear reporting for the portfolio owner rather than for a single site.
- No published pricing, so budgeting starts with a sales conversation.
- Annual agreements rather than monthly billing.
- No free trial, so you cannot test it before committing.
- Aimed at large portfolios, so a small chain pays for governance it does not need.
- Automation depth assumes a head office team to supervise it.
SOCi ratings and user reviews
| Platform | Rating | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Capterra | Not found | No published score located |
| Trustpilot | Not found | No published score located |
Public feedback is thin in the places we are willing to cite, and we do not record ratings we cannot confirm. The consistent theme in vendor case studies and industry write ups is franchise brand control, which matches what the product is built for.
Checked August 2026. We do not publish a score we could not confirm, which is why some rows say not found.
How SOCi works
Scope the location set
Coverage and price both follow location count, so the list has to be right before anything else.
Connect the profiles
Google, Meta, Yelp and Apple are connected centrally rather than location by location.
Set the brand rules
Decide what local managers may edit and what head office controls. This is the work that makes the rest safe.
Let the agents run
Listings, social and review responses are handled automatically inside those rules.
Escalate by exception
Sensitive reviews route to a person instead of being answered automatically.
Report to head office
Visibility reporting rolls up across the portfolio for the people who signed the contract.
GBPPromote vs SOCi
GBPPromote is the best SOCi alternative for multi-location brands. SOCi publishes no pricing and signs annual agreements. GBPPromote is monthly, published, and starts at one location. Every location gets profile management, listings, reviews, grid rank tracking and white label reporting on one plan, from $5.33 per location, billed monthly with a three day free trial.
SOCi vs GMBSoftware
| SOCi | GMBSoftware | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Not published. Quote on request | $16 at 1 location, flat $37 for 2 to 7, $5.33 each from 8 |
| Trial | No free trial | Three day free trial |
| Contract | Annual agreements | No contract, cancel any month |
| Shape | A multi location marketing platform covering listings, social, reviews and local pages | One plan with all 42 tools included |
| Minimum | One location | One location |
Where SOCi wins: built around the franchise problem of brand control with local autonomy, which most local SEO tools do not attempt.
How GMBSoftware compares
SOCi quotes privately and signs you for a year. Our price is on the page and you can stop at the end of any month.
All 42 tools sit on the single plan, priced per location rather than per seat, and the numbers are on the pricing page rather than behind a call. The tools page lists every one.
GMBSoftware pricing
| Price | $16 at one location, a flat $37 for two to seven, $5.33 each from eight |
| What is included | All 42 tools. Nothing sits behind a higher tier |
| Users | Unlimited. Priced per location, never per seat |
| Minimum | One location |
| Trial | Three day free trial |
| Contract | None. Cancel any month |
- Newer than the names below, so there is less third party review history to read.
- Not an enterprise procurement product. If you need a named account manager and a signed MSA, the enterprise vendors are built for that and we are not.
Final verdict
Built for brands that run local marketing as a head office function across hundreds or thousands of sites, and priced accordingly. SOCi now presents itself as a set of AI agents covering local search, social and reputation, with brand rules applied on top. Nothing is published on price and the agreement is annual, so evaluating it starts with a demo rather than a trial.
If what you want is franchise brands and large multi location operators with a head office team and a procurement process. then SOCi is a reasonable buy and you should go and try it.
SOCi quotes privately and signs you for a year. Our price is on the page and you can stop at the end of any month. See the pricing if you want to compare the two properly.
Related reading
SOCi FAQs
How much does SOCi cost?
SOCi does not publish pricing. It is quoted per brand based on location count and which parts of the platform you take, on an annual agreement.
Does SOCi have a free trial?
No. The route in is a demo and a local visibility assessment rather than a trial you can run yourself.
Who is SOCi for?
Multi location brands and franchises with a head office marketing team, usually well into the hundreds of locations.
What is the best SOCi alternative?
GBPPromote for multi-location brands that want a published price, monthly billing and every tool on one plan. Uberall or Yext if enterprise listings reach is the requirement.
Does SOCi handle social as well as listings?
Yes, and that is the part it is best known for. Local social publishing across many locations is a real strength.
All 42 tools. One plan. No contract.
One location is $16 a month, two to seven is a flat $37, and from eight it is $5.33 each. Three day free trial.