Author | Joshua ChapmanDate Posted | April 10, 2024

5 Yext alternatives you should try out

Yext is one of the biggest names in listings management. They are well-reviewed, with an average rating of 4.4 on G2 and 4.3 on Capterra, and an established and trusted figure in the industry.

However, are they the right listings management choice today?

Look more closely at recent reviews of Yext, and you’ll see that their offering hasn’t quite kept pace with their competitors and the evolving needs of today’s businesses. 

Put another way, there are plenty of Yext alternatives out there that you should consider. This article delves into real user feedback about Yext and introduces several alternative platforms that may offer more up-to-date solutions. 

So whether you’re an existing Yext customer looking for something new or a prospective buyer on the fence, you’ll be able to choose the right listings management software for your business.

5 common complaints about Yext

No platform is perfect. But it’s important to read common complaints that customers have to fully understand what you’re getting with a product. What looks great on their product page might not work so well in real life. Reviews are where you’ll learn that before it’s too late.

Here are some of the most common negative reviews about the Yext platform.

1. Questionable business practices

Regardless of how a product works, you want to know that, as a customer, you’re going to be treated well by that company. 

Unfortunately, although many customers have had good experiences with Yext, several felt they had been cheated. This included several people claiming that their listings completely reverted after leaving Yext.

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Other complaints included issues with being unable to cancel their subscription or getting no help from customer support after an accidental renewal of contract.

These kinds of experiences have led to not only several very negative reviews of the platform but also 28 complaints to the Better Business Bureau in the last three years.  

2. Bad support

Another major issue that customers have with Yext is their general level of customer support.

For instance, some reviewers found that Yext’s customer service agents weren’t overly knowledgeable and couldn’t help them get the most out of their product. 

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Another problem people noted was that they felt that support was getting worse as turnover and cuts to support were happening behind the scenes at Yext. 

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All of this amounts to customers feeling like they just weren’t getting the support they needed from the Yext team.

3. Outdated UI and reputation management features

On top of the lack of support, people found that Yext was often difficult to learn and use. As one frustrated customer noted, the Yext experience for them was anything but easy right from the get-go:

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Other frustrations came less from problems with the UI and more from missing features or integrations.

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For instance, Yext lacks generative AI response generation, survey tools, and other reputation-management features offered by other listings management software today. 

4. Surface-level analytics

One of the biggest advantages of a full-featured listings management tool is its analytics. It can pull data from multiple sources and give you the unique insights you need to optimize your business location by location.

However, some people found that Yext’s analytics didn’t offer enough beyond the basics:

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Although these basics may be good enough for some, the truth is that Yext’s competitors often offer much more. For example, Chatmeter’s Signals feature allows you to ask questions about your audience, and then our advanced AI will use customer review data to give you an answer. 

Ever wonder why customers end up choosing your product or what causes them to churn? Signals can give you that answer. 

5. Pricey 

Like many SaaS companies, Yext has been accused of nickel and diming their customers.  

This is because Yext offers different tiers of support and packages that can make an initially reasonable price quickly balloon into much more. 

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Plus, some users found that even at the price they paid, they weren’t getting what they really wanted:

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5 Yext alternatives to try out

1. Chatmeter

Chatmeter is an AI-driven reputation-management platform designed specifically for businesses operating over 50 locations. With our tools, businesses can manage their online listings, enhance local organic traffic, and convert online traffic into paying customers.

Reasons to choose Chatmeter over Yext

  • Advanced features: Chatmeter constantly continues to innovate and develop industry-leading AI technologies to help businesses like yours manage and optimize their business listings. Features you get with Chatmeter include our AI-powered customer sentiment analyzer and review response generator. 
  • Directory partnerships: Chatmeter partners with all of the major directories, including directories in more specialized industries, like healthcare and financial services. 
  • White glove support: Chatmeter’s support team is completely based in the U.S., so you get a professional experience from onboarding to ongoing usage.
  • Full-featured plans: Unlike Yext, Chatmeter’s pricing plans fit all kinds of budgets and always include all of the important bells and whistles you’ll need. Even our basic plans come with our reputation management, listing management, and analytics tools.
  • More trusted: Customer service is one of our top priorities, and we’re proud to say that we haven’t received a single BBB complaint in the last three years.

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Request a demo of the Chatmeter platform

2. SOCi

SOCi is a multi-location business marketing platform designed to help companies manage their social media and marketing campaigns. However, it also has some basic listings management features. 

This makes SOCi less of a direct competitor to Yext and more of a great alternative for businesses that need more help with marketing than listings management.

Reasons to choose SOCi over Yext

  • Social media management: SOCi focuses primarily on social media functionality, more so than Yext or other options on this list. If this is your priority, then it’s a great alternative to Yext.
  • Tier 1 listings coverage: Gives you access to the most important listing directories, like Google, Bing, and Apple.  

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3. Reputation

Reputation is a direct competitor to Yext that differentiates itself with features like help desk ticketing and specializations in industries like healthcare.

Reasons to choose Reputation over Yext

  • Unique features: Reputation offers features that Yext does not, like helpdesk ticketing and customer surveying options.
  • Directory partners: Partners with nearly every directory you would need. However, they do not have a partnership with Yelp, which may be a problem for some companies. 
  • Specialists in healthcare: Reputation focuses more on healthcare than other similar tools, making it an ideal choice if your company happens to be in that space. 

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4. Podium

Podium is a lead conversion platform that offers features like local listing management, phone and SMS customer messaging, and a customer payment platform.

This makes Podium both a great alternative to Yext and a smart choice for small business owners who need more than just reputation management features.

Reasons to choose Podium over Yext

  • Features for small businesses: Podium allows you to track, manage, and convert leads, whether they’re online, over the phone, or through text.
  • Payment platform: A convenient feature for businesses that need this kind of support.
  • Directory partners: Has fewer directory partners, but it focuses on the big players like Google and Facebook.

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5. Birdeye

Birdeye is a reputation and review management platform that helps multi-location businesses build their customer base online.

It’s important to note that Birdeye, like Yext, has some issues with customer service, as they’ve both had multiple complaints to the BBB from customers over the last three years. You can learn more in our side-by-side comparison of Birdeye, Podium, and Chatmeter. 

Reasons to choose Birdeye over Yext

  • Social media features: Users found Birdeye’s social media features made it easy to manage multiple accounts for their businesses. 
  • Specialty features: Birdeye offers features like patient appointment booking and text messaging, which can help certain businesses, depending on their needs. 

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Ready to try your best Yext alternative?

Chatmeter is built from the ground up to grow your business’s customer base through its advanced local listings and review management tools. Our platform stands out from alternatives like Yext by offering a combination of unique features, AI assistance, and the best support team in the industry.

If you’re tired of Yext or aren’t certain if they’re the right choice for you, we recommend you give us a try. Schedule a live demo today to see how our tool can revolutionize your business’s online engagement and customer outreach. 

 

 

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