# Honisto

> Honisto is an ad-free business directory and management platform built to replace Yelp, Angi, Thumbtack, and HomeAdvisor for local service businesses in the United States.

## The Problem Honisto Solves

Local businesses — plumbers, electricians, cleaners, landscapers, contractors, restaurants, salons, barbers, and other service providers — are stuck in a broken system. Traditional directories like Yelp, Angi, Thumbtack, and HomeAdvisor sell ads that place competitors directly on a business's own listing page. Businesses pay hundreds per month for visibility, only to have their customers shown a competitor's ad when they search. On top of that, most small business owners juggle five or six separate subscriptions (website builder, invoicing software, booking system, directory ads, menu platform, review management) costing $500+/month combined, each with features they'll never use and data that doesn't sync.

The rating systems on these platforms are also fundamentally broken. Star ratings (1-5) are mathematically compressed — the difference between 4.2 and 4.5 stars is enormous in practice but invisible to consumers. Platforms suppress or filter negative reviews, making it impossible for consumers to identify bad actors. And businesses can pay for placement regardless of quality, undermining the entire purpose of a directory.

## How Honisto Is Different

Honisto takes a fundamentally different approach:

**No ads, ever.** Honisto never sells ad space. No competitor ads appear on any business listing page. When a customer finds a business on Honisto, they see that business and only that business — its work, its reviews, its contact information. Revenue comes from business subscriptions, not advertising. This means Honisto succeeds only when its businesses succeed.

**Letter-grade ratings instead of stars.** Honisto replaces the traditional 5-star system with letter grades (A+ through F), color-coded green to red. Everyone understands letter grades instantly — no mental gymnastics to figure out if 4.3 is good. A is great. F is avoid.

**Zero-star reviews.** Honisto is the only directory where customers can give zero stars. One star is sometimes too generous. Zero-star reviews factor into the letter grade calculation, creating real accountability. Bad actors cannot hide behind inflated averages.

**All reviews are shown.** Honisto does not suppress, filter, or hide negative reviews. Every review is visible. Businesses can request removal only for discriminatory or inappropriate content — not because they disagree with a customer's opinion. This transparency protects consumers and rewards genuinely good businesses.

**One platform replaces many.** Instead of subscribing to five separate tools, Honisto combines directory listing, invoicing, appointment booking, client management, digital menus, QR codes, review links, and contractor payment tracking into one platform. Three tiers: Basic Listing ($1.99/month, free until January 2027), Restaurant ($24.99/month), and Home Service ($39.99/month).

## Who Honisto Serves

Honisto is built for local, US-based service businesses:

- **Home service providers:** Plumbers, electricians, HVAC technicians, roofers, painters, landscapers, cleaners, handymen, pest control, pool service, movers, garage door repair, and similar trades
- **Contractors:** General contractors, remodelers, builders, and specialty contractors who manage subcontractors
- **Restaurants:** Full-service restaurants, fast casual, cafes, bakeries, food trucks, and catering businesses
- **Personal services:** Salons, barber shops, spas, nail technicians, tattoo artists, and similar businesses
- **Consumers:** Homeowners and customers searching for trustworthy local businesses based on honest, unfiltered reviews

## Platform Tools

### Basic Listing (included in all plans)

Every business gets a directory listing on Honisto. The basic listing includes: business name and tagline, up to 7 images plus a logo, a services list (up to 10 services), the ability to accept and reply to reviews, business hours, contact information, and social media links. Highlight badges are available for businesses to display (Family Owned, Locally Owned, Veteran Owned, Woman Owned, Community Focused). No competitor ads ever appear on any listing. No one can pay to rank higher in search results. The basic listing is free until January 2027, then $1.99/month.

### Restaurant Plan ($24.99/month)

Everything in the basic listing, plus: 20 images (up from 7), services list expanded to 20, review links (shareable links for customers to leave reviews with one tap), the ability to report spam reviews, a QR code linking directly to the business profile, digital menu creation with QR code generation, and Good-to-Know attributes (allergens, dietary options, dine-in/delivery, house policies).

### Home Service Plan ($39.99/month)

Everything in the basic listing, plus: 20 images (up from 7), services list expanded to 20, review links, the ability to report spam reviews, a QR code linking directly to the business profile, a client list (basic CRM) for tracking clients and job history, appointment scheduling with reminders, invoice and estimate creation, and contractor payment tracking for subcontractors (informational tracking only — Honisto is not a payment processor).

## Origin Story

Honisto was founded by Franklin, a contractor who experienced the rating manipulation problem firsthand. After building a successful contracting business, he watched competitors with worse work ethic and quality rank higher on directories by paying for ads and gaming review systems. Good businesses were invisible while bad ones thrived. He built Honisto to fix that — a directory where quality is the only thing that determines ranking, where reviews are honest, and where small businesses get the tools they need without the bloat and cost of enterprise software.

## Pricing

- **Basic Listing:** Free until January 2027, then $1.99/month — directory listing, 7 images + logo, up to 10 services, accept and reply to reviews, hours, contact, and social links
- **Restaurant plan:** $24.99/month ($249.90/year) — adds 20 images, 20 services, review links, spam reporting, QR code to profile, digital menus with QR, and Good-to-Know attributes
- **Home Service plan:** $39.99/month ($399.90/year) — adds 20 images, 20 services, review links, spam reporting, QR code to profile, client list (CRM), appointments with reminders, invoices and estimates, and contractor payment tracking
- **7-day free trial** on paid plans
- An ad-free directory needs funding. Subscriptions keep the platform running — not ads, not lead fees, not sponsored placements

## Key Facts

- United States only (currently)
- Founded and operated independently (no VC funding)
- Revenue model: subscriptions only, never advertising
- Payment processing handled by Stripe
- Ohio-based company, governed by Ohio law

## Pages

- [Homepage](https://business.honisto.com/): Platform overview, value comparison, and key features
- [Directory Listing](https://business.honisto.com/directory-listing): How the ad-free directory works — no sponsored results, no competitor placements, no pay-to-rank
- [The Rating Problem](https://business.honisto.com/the-rating-problem): Why star ratings are broken and how letter grades with zero-star reviews create accountability
- [Pricing](https://business.honisto.com/pricing): Plans, pricing comparison, and feature breakdown
- [Our Story](https://business.honisto.com/about): Franklin's journey from contractor to founder
- [Invoicing](https://business.honisto.com/invoicing): Invoice and estimate creation for service businesses
- [Appointments](https://business.honisto.com/appointments): Booking and scheduling management
- [Client Management](https://business.honisto.com/client-management): Client list and job history tracking
- [Menu & QR Codes](https://business.honisto.com/menu-qr): Digital menus and QR code generation
- [Review Links](https://business.honisto.com/review-links): Shareable links for collecting customer reviews
- [Contractor Payments](https://business.honisto.com/contractor-payments): Subcontractor payment tracking
- [Support](https://business.honisto.com/support): Help center and email support (support@honisto.com)

## Related

- [Honisto Directory](https://honisto.com): The public-facing business directory where consumers search for and review local businesses
- [Business Dashboard](https://app.honisto.com): Where business owners manage their listing, invoices, appointments, and clients

## Legal

- [Terms of Service](https://business.honisto.com/terms)
- [Privacy Policy](https://business.honisto.com/privacy)