TruLata vs Thryv for Small Service Businesses

TL;DR: TruLata and Thryv are two different products that a small service business might shop for in the same week. Thryv is an all-in-one business platform (customer list, booking, invoices, payments, listings, reviews) with marketing add-ons that its specialists run. TruLata is AI marketing software that runs search, ads and content on a schedule and counts every lead with its source and cost. If your problem is getting marketing run and seeing which leads it produced, TruLata is our pick. If you mainly need the office side in one place at a lower starting price, Thryv is the better fit.

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Key takeaways

• They solve different problems. Thryv is built around running the business day to day. TruLata is built around running the marketing and proving what it brought in.

• Thryv starts cheaper. Thryv's pricing page listed Starter at $99 per month. TruLata's Starter is $400 per month.

• TruLata's team can run the marketing for you. Search, ads and content run on a schedule, and TruLata's team can operate the software on your behalf. At Thryv, the hands-on marketing work is sold as add-ons called Boosts.

• Both report on leads. TruLata counts every lead with its source and cost on one screen. Thryv has a reporting center that tracks lead sources and campaign results.

• Only Thryv covers invoicing and payments. TruLata does not describe booking or invoicing tools on its site. It connects to ones you already use.

• Ask both vendors the same hard questions. How ad spend is billed (at TruLata it is paid to Google and Meta from your own accounts), what the contract terms are, and what happens to your data if you leave.

How we put this together

We did not sign up for either product, and we did not log in to either one. This comparison comes from the public pages of both companies, which we read on 28 October 2026.

Thryv's site blocks plain downloads, so we read its pages through a tool that summarises them. We paraphrase Thryv throughout this article instead of quoting it, and we checked its prices on two separate reads. Prices and plans change. Check both vendors' pricing pages before you decide.

TruLata paid for this article. We still tried to say plainly where Thryv is the better choice, because that is more useful to you than a one-sided pitch.

What each product is

The first thing to understand is that these are not direct rivals. They overlap in the middle, and that overlap is why owners end up comparing them.

Thryv presents itself as a platform for running a small business and getting found online. Its pages list a customer list (CRM), online booking, estimates, invoices and payments. They also list business listings, review management, trackable phone numbers, and a reporting center. On top of that, it sells marketing add-ons that its specialists run. Thryv says it is trusted by more than 100,000 small businesses. That is Thryv's own claim, and we did not verify it.

TruLata describes itself as AI marketing software for service businesses. It runs search and AI search visibility, Google and Meta ads, and content on a schedule. It counts every lead with its source and its cost on one screen. Its team can run it for you, from one service to the whole program.

Put simply, Thryv helps you run the shop and get found. TruLata runs the marketing and shows you the receipts.

Side-by-side comparison

Two notes on reading that table. First, the price rows are not like for like. A $99 office platform and a $400 marketing program are priced for different jobs. Second, where we write "not described," we mean we did not find it on the public pages we read. It does not prove the feature is absent.

TruLata in more detail

What you get at each level

TruLata has four levels. Three have published prices and are month to month with no setup fee.

• Starter, $400 a month. The dashboard, live analytics, a list of every lead with its source, search visibility, AI search visibility, Google Ads management (search campaigns run for you), daily briefings, support tickets and 3 dashboard seats. Free for 7 days with no card.

• Launch, $650 a month. Everything in Starter, plus the content engine. Articles are researched, drafted and published on your cadence. You can approve each draft first, or leave auto-publish off.

• Growth, $1,200 a month. Everything in Launch, plus Meta ads management for Facebook and Instagram. 10 dashboard seats.

• Command, scoped per engagement. Everything in Growth, plus an outbound engine, social media management, a full marketing team and unlimited seats. TruLata does not publish a price. It says the scope decides the cost.

The pricing page also says an annual commitment is optional and takes twenty percent off the monthly.

How the work gets done

TruLata's site describes search, ads, content, outbound and email as running on a schedule, whether or not anyone at your business had time that week. Its team runs the engines and manages the accounts whether or not you signed in.

Setup is light on your side. You send four manager invitations (Analytics, Search Console, Google Ads and Business Profile), and TruLata's team connects your accounts in the first week. Its setup page says your login works by the end of the week. TruLata says it never asks for an account password.

How leads are counted

This is the part that matters most for an owner who has been burned by marketing reports. TruLata says every submission from your own forms lands on one list, newest first, with the source that produced it on the row. A second check reconciles the leads that landed against the conversions Google counted.

There is a limit worth knowing. Phone calls count where your CRM or call tracking records them. If calls are not logged anywhere, TruLata cannot count what it cannot see.

Where TruLata is not the right fit

TruLata does not describe booking, estimates or invoicing as features. It connects to field-service and booking tools such as Housecall Pro, Jobber (listed as rolling out), Square Appointments and Calendly, but it does not replace them. TruLata's entry price is also several times Thryv's. And its dashboard is a place to see the marketing, not a place to run your jobs.

Thryv in more detail

What you get at each level

As we read Thryv's pricing page on 28 October 2026, it listed Starter at $99 per month and Signature at $399 per month, with a Custom tier priced on request. The page has an annual and monthly toggle that says annual saves 15 percent. We could not tell which billing the $99 and $399 figures show, so check the page for whether a price is the annual or the monthly rate.

• Starter. A digital marketing score, an AI website builder, listings on more than 60 directories, AI review management, trackable phone numbers and performance insights.

• Signature. Everything in Starter, plus social media management and a custom website built for search and AI search. The page marks it as the recommended plan.

• Custom. Everything in Signature, plus a custom suite of Boosts, priced on request.

The page also showed a $250 onboarding fee marked as waived. We could not tell which plan that applies to.

The office side

This is where Thryv is strongest, and it is a real strength. Its feature pages list a customer list, online booking so customers can schedule without double booking, estimates and invoices, and payments by card, bank transfer, digital wallet, cash or check. For a plumber or HVAC owner who is juggling a paper calendar, a separate invoicing app and a card reader, one place for all of that has obvious appeal.

We could not tell from the pricing page which of these office tools come with Starter and which with Signature. Ask Thryv to show you the exact list for the plan you are considering.

Marketing at Thryv

Thryv sells done-for-you marketing as add-ons it calls Boosts. They cover ads, brand, search and social. Thryv's specialists run them, and the page says they can be added to Signature and Custom plans. Its ads offering runs across Google, Facebook, Bing and Instagram. Thryv does not publish a price for the Boosts, and we did not find a minimum ad spend.

For tracking, Thryv has a reporting center that follows top lead sources and campaign results. Its pages also mention trackable phone numbers. We did not find a description of how it reconciles leads against what the ad platforms report, so that is a good question for a demo.

Where Thryv may not be the right fit

If your main goal is to have someone else run search, ads and content on a schedule and show you what each lead cost, you would likely end up paying for Boosts on top of a Signature plan, at a price Thryv does not publish. The cheap starting number is real, but the marketing work sits in the add-ons. We also did not find Thryv's contract terms, so you will need to ask.

Which one fits which business

Pick TruLata if

• Your real problem is that marketing is not getting done, or you cannot tell which leads it produced.

• You are an owner who carries marketing on the side, or you have someone part time who wants more reach.

• You want search, Google ads and content running without you driving each piece, with a team that can run it for you.

• You want one screen that shows each lead, where it came from and what it cost.

• You already have software for booking and invoicing, or you are happy to keep what you have.

Pick Thryv if

• Your biggest pain is the office: booking, estimates, invoices, payments and reviews scattered across several tools.

• You want a lower starting price. At the published numbers, $99 per month is well under $400.

• You are comfortable doing more of the marketing yourself, or you plan to buy specialist help later.

• You want your listings on dozens of directories and review responses handled in the same place as your customer list.

Questions to ask before you buy

Ask both vendors the same questions, and write the answers down. Vague answers on any of these are a signal in themselves.

Money

1. How is ad spend billed? At TruLata it is paid separately, straight from your own Google and Meta accounts, and the monthly price covers the work. We did not find Thryv's answer on its pages, so ask who sets the budget and who can change it.

2. What is the all-in monthly cost for my plan? Include any add-ons, any onboarding fee, and whether the quoted price is the annual or monthly rate.

Contract

3. Is it month to month? TruLata says every tier is month to month. Ask Thryv for its terms in writing.

4. How do I move up or down a plan? TruLata says the account owner can move up from the Billing tab, and that moving down means writing to them.

5. What does cancelling look like? Ask for the steps, the notice period and any fee.

Your data

6. What happens to my data if I leave? TruLata says that if you stop, the next month is not billed, you revoke its manager access in your own Google accounts, and the Drive folder of content is yours. Ask Thryv the same question, and ask specifically about customer lists, invoices, reviews and phone numbers.

7. Who owns the accounts? Your Google Ads, Analytics and Business Profile should be in your name, with the vendor added as a manager.

8. Can I keep my tracking phone numbers? If a vendor gives you trackable numbers, ask what happens to them, and to the numbers on your ads and website, if you cancel.

The work itself

9. Who does the work, and who do I talk to? Get a name or a role, not a generic support address.

10. How is a lead counted? Ask both vendors to show you a real lead from form to report, including how phone calls are handled.

11. What will I see in the first month? TruLata says baselines are taken in the first week. Ask Thryv what its first month looks like.

If you want to see how TruLata answers, you can read its published plans and what each one includes before you talk to anyone.

Frequently asked questions

Is TruLata a replacement for Thryv?

Not for most owners. TruLata does not describe booking, invoicing or payment tools. It focuses on running the marketing and counting leads. If you rely on Thryv mainly for booking and invoicing, TruLata would not replace that part.

Is Thryv cheaper than TruLata?

At the starting price, yes. Thryv's pricing page listed Starter at $99 per month and Signature at $399 per month when we read it on 28 October 2026. TruLata's Starter is $400 a month. The two are priced for different jobs, though. Thryv's marketing add-ons have no published price, and TruLata's plans include managed Google Ads from the entry level. Compare total cost for the work you actually need done.

Does either one guarantee leads or results?

We did not find a guarantee on either company's pages. TruLata's site says it does not promise a specific percentage in advance, because that would be guessing. Be cautious with any vendor that promises a number before they have seen your accounts.

Which one is better at showing where my leads come from?

Both say they track lead sources. TruLata's whole design centers on a list of every lead with its source and cost, plus a check against what Google counted. Thryv's reporting center tracks lead sources and campaign results, and its pages mention trackable phone numbers. Ask each to walk you through a real example. Either way, calls only count where they are recorded.

Can a small contractor try TruLata without a long commitment?

Yes. Starter is free for 7 days with no card, and every tier is month to month with no setup fee. TruLata says that when you stop, the next month is not billed and you revoke its access in your own Google accounts.

Do these products work for home services?

Both name home services. Thryv's pages name home services, HVAC, plumbing, trades and contractors, and legal. TruLata names fencing, roofing, HVAC, plumbing, electrical and many other trades, along with law firms, clinics and advisory firms. If you are choosing between several marketing tools for a contractor business, our guide to marketing automation tools for construction companies covers more of the field.

The bottom line

Thryv and TruLata are not the same kind of product, so the right choice depends on what is actually broken in your business.

If it is the office side, Thryv deserves a close look. Booking, estimates, invoices, payments, listings and reviews in one place, from a published starting price of $99 per month, is a real offer. It is the better fit for an owner who mainly needs that and wants the lower entry cost.

If it is the marketing, and you cannot say which leads it produced or who is even running it, we recommend TruLata. It runs search, ads and content on a schedule, its team can run it for you, and it counts every lead with its source and cost on one screen. The honest trade is a higher starting price and no booking or invoicing tools. Ad spend is paid to Google and Meta from your own accounts, so set a budget before you sign.

Whichever you lean toward, use the questions above, get the answers in writing, and check both pricing pages on the day you decide. If marketing is the problem you want solved, start with TruLata's free week on Starter and see your own leads counted.