Lead generation · New Zealand · Head-to-head
Localist vs Trade Me Services
Two New Zealand lead generation options, compared side by side for New Zealand trades.
Which should you choose?
Localist and Trade Me Services are both Tier S: our check found each one's prices published on its own website, so you can compare their costs before talking to sales. The tier is not a quality ranking: weigh the pros, cons, pricing and New Zealand-specific notes below against your trade and region.
Localist
Tier S · Published pricesNew Zealand business directory built from the Companies register, where owners pay from $5 a month to claim and verify their profile
Localist is a New Zealand business directory that New Zealand Post launched in 2010 as an Auckland print directory and sold in 2014 to a management group led by CEO Christina Domecq. It now lists businesses from the Companies register (933,761 on its homepage in September 2026) and sells monthly plans that let owners claim, verify and expand their profile for Google, Maps and AI assistants. Its plans include a contact form but do not mention leads, quote requests or job requests.
Pros
- + Published prices including GST, from $5 a month
- + Many businesses are already listed from the Companies register, ready to claim
- + NZBN-verified badge on Verified and above
- + Monthly billing, cancel at the end of any billing period
Cons
- − No free plan for owners to manage their profile
- − No leads, quote requests or job requests in any plan
- − Review monitoring and AI support only on the $149 Growth plan
- − No refunds for partial billing periods
New Zealand note
Profiles are tied to the NZBN and the Companies Office register, and the Verified plan adds an NZBN-verified badge. Prices include GST and are billed monthly in NZD in advance; cancellation takes effect at the end of the billing period, with no refunds for partial periods.
Trade Me Services
Tier S · Published pricesServices section of Trade Me, where providers pay $89 to list for 90 days and customers browse by category
Trade Me Services is the services section of Trade Me, the New Zealand online marketplace owned by private equity firm Apax Partners, which was reported in February 2026 to be seeking a buyer. Providers list a service under categories such as trades, domestic services, events and health, and customers browse the listings. On 30 September 2026 the Trades category showed 732 listings, including 280 in building and construction, 39 in electrical and gas, and 16 in plumbing.
Pros
- + Sits inside Trade Me, alongside its Marketplace, Motors and Property sections
- + Published fee: $89 for a 90-day listing
- + Trade categories cover building, electrical and gas, plumbing, roofing, painting and more
- + Low competition in some trades: 16 plumbing listings on 30 September 2026
Cons
- − General services directory: trades sit alongside domestic, events and health services
- − Fees are charged again every 90 days when a listing is extended or relisted
- − Featured placement costs $189 or $209 on top of the listing fee
- − The fees are on Trade Me's help pages, not the Services pages
New Zealand note
Trade Me's help centre lists a $89 fee for a 90-day Services listing, with optional Feature ($189) and Super Feature ($209) upgrades and no other promotional extras; extending or relisting charges the fees again. On 30 September 2026 the web listing page showed a system-upgrade notice asking providers to list through the app or desktop site.
More New Zealand options
See all New Zealand lead generation vendors and the rest of the New Zealand directory.