Yext · Profound · SOCi
Three different fights, one argument that beats all three
| LOCLshop | Yext | Profound | SOCi | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Neutral AEO data layer | Digital presence platform + Scout | AI visibility monitoring + Agents | Multi-location marketing execution |
| Measurement grain | Location × prompt, locked panels | Location level, Yext’s own data | Brand and topic level | Location level, execution focused |
| Sells what it measures | No | Yes — listings, pages, reviews | Increasingly yes — Agents | Yes — execution across channels |
| Scale | Early stage | $446.6M FY26, public, flat | $155M raised, $1B valuation | ~$238M raised, ~632 staff |
| Threat to us | — | Bundled into a contract they hold | Owns the category and price anchor | Owns the franchise relationship |
| Our counter | — | Who scores it, who sells the fix? | What does that say about Denver? | They execute. We measure it. |
Yext now claims local-level AI search visibility in its own copy and names Profound and Scrunch as brand-level-only. It holds the contract already. Flat revenue and $107.3M EBITDA mean Scout is the growth story management has committed to — expect it bundled, not priced.
Brand grain, not location grain, so not a feature competitor today. But it frames what the buyer thinks this category is and anchors price at $499–$1,499 a month. With $96M fresh it can buy the location layer faster than we can build distribution.
Closest to our ICP. Positions as an agentic workforce executing location-level optimisation. AI search measurement less developed than Scout, but it owns the franchise budget conversation and appears on every shortlist beside Yext.