Yelp vs Google vs Yellow Pages vs Apple: Where Should You List Your Business?

By EODIGO Editorial · Updated October 1, 2026

Short answer: Create free listings on Google Business Profile, Yelp, Apple Business (formerly Apple Business Connect) and Yellow Pages. They cost nothing and help people find your hours, address and phone number. Then pick one place to test paid ads with a small budget, track the calls and visits it brings, and only keep spending if the numbers make sense.

In this guide

1. The quick comparison
2. Google Business Profile: start here
3. Yelp for business: what you get for free
4. Apple Business (formerly Apple Business Connect)
5. Yellow Pages: still worth a free listing?
6. Is Yelp advertising worth it?
7. Sites like Yelp: good Yelp alternatives
8. How to decide where to list
9. In a tourist area? Add traveler channels
10. The bottom line

The quick comparison

All four sites let you list your business for free. The real differences are who searches there, how reviews work, and what paid options they sell. Here is a simple side-by-side view.

Google Business Profile: start here

For most local businesses, Google is the first place customers look. Your Business Profile shows up in Google Search and Google Maps with your hours, photos, reviews, and a button to call or get directions.

It is free, and Google says there is no way to pay for a better local ranking. What helps is a complete, accurate profile, real photos, and replying to reviews. We cover the full setup in our Google Business Profile guide and ranking tips in Local SEO and reviews.

Yelp for business: what you get for free

A free Yelp business page lets you add photos, hours, a description, and reply to reviews. Many diners and people looking for salons, spas, repair shops and movers still check Yelp before they decide.

Yelp has one rule that surprises owners: it asks businesses not to ask anyone for reviews. That includes customers, friends, family and email lists. Yelp says solicited reviews tend to be biased, because owners usually ask only happy customers. Its software may not recommend reviews that look solicited.

So on Yelp, your job is simple. Keep your page complete, add good photos, and reply politely to reviews. Let reviews come on their own.

Apple Business (formerly Apple Business Connect)

Apple Business Connect was the free tool for managing how your business shows up in Apple Maps. In 2026 Apple folded it into one platform called Apple Business. It is still free.

Apple said at launch that your details can show in Apple Maps, Messages, Wallet, Siri and other Apple apps. You can add photos, a logo, hours and action links, such as a link to book or order. You can also post Showcases, which are short offers or updates on your place card.

Many iPhone owners open Apple Maps by default, not Google Maps. If you skip Apple, those people may see old hours or no photos. Setup takes about as long as a Google profile, and after that it needs very little care.

Yellow Pages: still worth a free listing?

YellowPages.com is owned by Thryv. You can claim and update a free listing on the site. Thryv also sells paid marketing packages.

Fewer people browse Yellow Pages than Google or Yelp. But the free listing takes a few minutes, and it gives search engines one more place that confirms your name, address and phone number. We would claim it, keep the details correct, and skip paid packages until your other free channels are fully set up.

Is Yelp advertising worth it?

Here is how Yelp describes its own ad pricing. You set a monthly budget, and Yelp spends it to get you ad clicks and leads. Your daily spend can go up and down, but Yelp says you will never pay more than your monthly maximum. Yelp says you can spend as little as $5 a day on average, change your budget whenever you want, and cancel at any time. Self-serve ads have no term contract.

Yelp does not publish a fixed cost per click. What you pay depends on your category, your area and how many other businesses are bidding. Ask the Yelp ads team for a budget suggestion, but decide your own limit first.

Yelp also states that advertising does not change how its software treats your reviews. Ads buy placement, not better reviews. Whether ads pay off depends on your numbers, not on Yelp's promises or ours.

• Often a better fit: restaurants, cafes, bars, salons, spas, nail shops, auto repair, movers, plumbers and other services where people compare several options on Yelp before calling.
• Often a weaker fit: businesses with very few Yelp searches in their category, businesses that sell mostly online, and businesses whose customers come mostly from referrals.
• Before you spend: make sure your free page has good photos, correct hours, and replies to recent reviews. Ads send people to that page, so fix it first.
• Test small: run one month with a budget you can afford to lose. Count calls, messages, direction requests and bookings you can trace to Yelp.
• Decide with math: if the cost per new customer is lower than what a customer is worth to you, keep going. If not, stop and try another channel.

Sites like Yelp: good Yelp alternatives

You do not need to be everywhere. But a few more free listings can help people find you. Pick the ones your customers actually use.

• Google Business Profile: the most important free listing for most local businesses.
• Apple Business: covers Apple Maps and Siri users.
• Bing Places for Business: shows your business in Bing search and Bing Maps.
• Facebook Page: good for photos, events and messages from local customers.
• Nextdoor: neighbors ask for local recommendations here.
• Tripadvisor: important for restaurants, hotels, tours and attractions in visitor areas.
• Foursquare: its place data feeds many apps and map services.
• Angi, Thumbtack and the BBB: common for home services and trades.
• Industry sites: OpenTable or Resy for restaurants, booking apps for salons, Viator or GetYourGuide for tours.

How to decide where to list

Want more free options? See our list of free business listing sites and our guide on how to advertise your business.

1. List free everywhere that mattersSet up Google, Apple, Yelp and Yellow Pages. Use the exact same business name, address and phone number on each one.
2. Fill every fieldAdd hours, holiday hours, photos, your website, and a short, clear description of what you do.
3. Watch where calls come fromAsk new customers how they found you, and check the insights each platform gives you.
4. Test paid ads on one platform onlyPick the site where your customers already search the most. Set a small budget and a clear end date.
5. Keep, change or stopAfter the test, compare cost to new customers. Keep what works. Drop what does not.

In a tourist area? Add traveler channels

If you run a business in Guam, Saipan, Hawaii, or a busy visitor spot on the mainland, many of your customers may not live nearby. Visitors often search on travel apps and in their own language, not only on Yelp.

Korean travelers are a good example. Many visit Guam, Saipan and Hawaii, and they often look for places with Korean information.

EODIGO is a free directory Korean travelers use to find local businesses. The Standard listing is free. We write your Korean description for you, and we take no commission on your sales. Pro ($30/month) and Premium ($200/month) plans are coming soon. If Korean visitors come to your area, list your business for free.

The bottom line

Free listings on Google, Apple, Yelp and Yellow Pages cost you only time, so claim them all and keep them accurate. Then test paid ads on one platform, with a small budget and a clear way to count results. If you serve travelers, add the channels they use. No listing or ad can guarantee customers, but being findable in the right places gives you a fair chance.

FAQ

Is a free Yelp listing enough?

For many businesses, yes, at least at first. A complete free page with good photos and polite review replies does most of the work. Consider Yelp Ads only after your free page is in good shape, and test with a small budget.

Can I delete Yelp reviews?

No. Businesses cannot remove Yelp reviews themselves. If a review breaks Yelp's content guidelines, report it through Yelp and include facts the moderators can check. Yelp also uses automated recommendation software. It decides which reviews are recommended based on things like reliability and possible conflicts of interest. Yelp says no employee can override it, and advertisers are treated the same as everyone else.

Why are some of my Yelp reviews "not recommended"?

Yelp's software may not recommend reviews that look less reliable, such as ones from very new or inactive accounts, or ones that seem solicited. Not recommended reviews stay visible on a separate page but do not count toward your star rating.

Does anyone still use Yellow Pages?

Fewer people than before, but some do, especially when looking for home services and trades. A free listing takes a few minutes and keeps your details consistent online, so it is usually worth claiming. Paid packages are a separate decision.

Is Apple Business Connect still free?

Yes. In 2026 Apple merged Business Connect into a single platform called Apple Business, and it is still free to use for managing your place card on Apple Maps.

Which platform should I advertise on first?

The one where your customers already search. For most local businesses that is Google. For restaurants and personal services, Yelp can also make sense. Test one at a time so you can tell what worked.

Sources

• Yelp: Yelp Ads (budget, no term contracts)
• Yelp: 5 things to know about advertising on Yelp
• Yelp: Don't Ask for Reviews
• Yelp: How do I remove a review?
• Yelp Trust & Safety: Recommendation software
• Apple Newsroom: Introducing Apple Business Connect (2023)
• PinMeTo: Apple Business in 2026 (rebrand from Business Connect)
• Apple Business
• YellowPages.com (free listing, owned by Thryv)
• Google Business Profile Help: How Google determines local ranking

This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. Features and prices of other services change; check each official page.