Citation building cost depends on how you buy it. Manual per-listing work costs roughly $0.46 to $3.20 per site, subscriptions run about $199 to $399 per location per year, and managed SEO retainers start around $499 a month. Our local citations guide explains what citations are. This post covers what they cost.
Prices reviewed 10 November 2026. Vendors change prices often, so confirm on each provider’s page before you buy. Our own plans are listed under citation building packages.
| How you buy | Typical published range |
|---|---|
| Do it yourself | Your time, plus a tool at about $39 to $149 a month if you use one |
| Software subscription | About $199 to $399 per location per year, or $35 to $60 per location per month |
| Per-listing or package service | About $0.46 to $3.20 per listing; packages from $20 to $999 one-time |
| Managed monthly service | Mostly quoted; published SEO retainers start at $499 a month |
The main things that move the price are the number of locations, cleanup of old listings, your country, niche directories, turnaround speed and reporting.
A citation service is more than typing your address into forms.
Cheap offers often include submissions only. Ask which of these five are in the price.
You pay in time, plus an optional tool. Whitespark’s Local Citation Finder, which helps you find directories, is listed at $39 to $149 a month depending on plan.
How long it takes: that depends on your data and the directories. As a planning assumption, not a published figure, allow about 20 minutes per listing once your details are ready.
Suits: one location, a tight budget and a free afternoon. For the trade-offs, read our guide to software vs manual citation building.
You pay a monthly or yearly fee per location, and the software distributes your details to a network of directories.
Suits: businesses that want ongoing sync across many sites. Watch for: per-location billing adds up quickly, and some listings may revert when you cancel.
You pay for the work, usually once. Here is how providers price it.
Suits: one-off builds and agencies reselling. Watch for: what “a citation” means in each package.
A team handles submissions, updates and reporting every month. Few providers publish citation-only monthly prices. The one published figure is Whitespark’s done-for-you SEO service at $499 to $1,999 a month, which covers more than citations, so treat it as an upper bound, not a citation price. You can also look at Citations Check packages.
Suits: multi-location businesses and agencies that don’t want to manage it. Ask for: a written scope.
A low price isn’t automatically a bad one. Several providers publish under $1 per listing for bulk packages. Check what you get.
Our guide on how to choose a citation building service has a full checklist.
Current plans and ordering are on our citation building packages page.
| Plan | Citations | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | 5 | $5 |
| Basic | 25 | $25 |
| Standard | 50 | $49 |
| Ultimate (USA, UK, Australia only) | 100 | $99 |
All listings are submitted manually, with a NAP consistency check, a screenshot report and a dashboard to track progress. Orders usually take 3 to 5 working days. Duplicate checks and edits to existing listings are quoted on request.
How much does citation building cost?
Manual services publish prices from about $0.46 to $3.20 per listing. Subscriptions run about $199 to $399 per location per year at Moz Local. You should check Citations Check if you need a very affordable package, as it starts from $25.
What is the cost per listing?
It ranges widely by provider and package size. BrightLocal lists $3.20 per manual submission, and bulk packages elsewhere come in under $1. Citations Check also offers an affordable package.
Is a subscription or a one-time build better?
A one-time build suits a single location that needs a clean start. A subscription suits businesses that want continuous sync. Ask what happens to your listings if you cancel.
Are the cheapest services safe?
Some are, and some aren’t. Check which sites they use, whether submissions are manual, and whether you get a report. If you need a safe citation building service, try Citations Check.
Do I need to pay for cleanup?
If you have old or wrong listings, yes. New listings on top of conflicting ones can weaken the result.
If your needs match a standard plan, start with our citation building packages. If you have several locations, listings to clean up or a custom scope, contact us with your business details, and we will quote it.
Our manual citation building service covers new listings, edits, duplicate checks and monthly maintenance.
