Quick answer: a basic listing on JustDial and Sulekha is free. What costs money is visibility and leads — paid packages that place you higher in search results and send you enquiries, sold as annual or monthly plans and sometimes on a per-lead basis. Prices are negotiated by sales representatives and vary widely by city, category and competition, which is why you will not find a public rate card. The important thing to understand before buying is that the same lead is typically sold to several businesses, so speed of response determines whether you get the job.
How these platforms actually work
| JustDial | Sulekha | |
|---|---|---|
| Free listing | Yes | Yes |
| Paid model | Visibility packages, lead packs | Lead packs by category and area |
| Lead exclusivity | Generally shared with competitors | Generally shared with competitors |
| Pricing transparency | Negotiated by sales rep | Negotiated by sales rep |
| Strongest for | Local services, retail, professional services | Home services, education, events |
The shared-lead model is the single most important thing to understand. When a customer enquires, the enquiry typically goes to several listed businesses at once. You are not buying a customer; you are buying a place in a race. Businesses that call back in two minutes convert; businesses that call back tomorrow do not, and then conclude the platform does not work.
How to decide whether it is worth it
Do the arithmetic before the sales call, not after:
- What is your average order value and gross margin?
- What is your realistic conversion rate from a shared lead — usually much lower than from an inbound enquiry to your own number?
- How many leads does the package promise, and over what period?
- Therefore: what is the cost per acquired customer, and is it below your margin?
Then add the operational condition: can you call back within minutes, every time, including weekends? If the answer is no, the spend will not work regardless of the arithmetic, and you should fix that first.
Negotiating, and what to get in writing
Because pricing is representative-led, treat it as a negotiation:
- Ask for the package to be defined in lead counts and categories, not vague "visibility".
- Ask what happens with invalid leads — wrong number, out of area, not your service — and whether they are replaced.
- Ask for a short initial term. Annual commitments signed on the first call are the most common regret.
- Get the renewal price stated up front.
- Avoid bundling a website or app build into the deal unless you independently want one; compare against proper website builders first.
Track it properly or do not buy it
Businesses that cannot say what a channel produced usually keep paying for it. Two mechanisms make it measurable:
- A separate tracking number for each platform, through a cloud telephony product — MyOperator, SuperReceptionist, Exotel. Then you know exactly how many calls each listing produced. See our SuperReceptionist guide.
- A CRM recording the source on every enquiry and the outcome — Zoho CRM, Kylas CRM, Freshsales or Corefactors. See best CRM software in India.
With both in place, the renewal decision takes ten minutes and is not an argument.
What to build instead, or alongside
Paid listings are rented demand. The things that compound:
- Google Business Profile, properly filled, with photos and consistent review generation. Free, and for local services often the highest-return channel available.
- Your own website ranking for your services and city. See best website builders and hosting in India and our SEO tools guide.
- Keyword research to know what people actually search — see our Google Keyword Planner guide.
- WhatsApp follow-up to past customers. See WhatsApp automation.
- IndiaMART for B2B products specifically, where the model suits enquiry-led manufacturing and trading.
FAQs
How much does JustDial cost for a business?
A basic listing is free. Paid visibility and lead packages are sold by sales representatives as annual or monthly plans, or on a per-lead basis, with pricing varying substantially by city, category and competition — which is why there is no public rate card. Ask for the package defined in lead counts, get a short initial term, and get renewal pricing up front.
Is Sulekha free for businesses?
Listing on Sulekha is free. Receiving leads is the paid part, typically sold as lead packs by category and service area. As with JustDial, prices are negotiated rather than published, and leads are generally shared with competing businesses.
Why do I get the same lead as my competitors?
Because that is the business model. Both platforms typically distribute an enquiry to several listed businesses simultaneously. You are buying a place in a race rather than an exclusive customer, which is why response speed — calling back within minutes — is the single biggest determinant of whether the spend pays.
Is JustDial or Sulekha worth the money?
It depends on your margin per customer, your realistic conversion rate from a shared lead, and whether you can respond within minutes every time. Do that arithmetic before the sales call. Businesses that cannot call back fast should fix that first, because no amount of lead volume compensates for slow response on shared leads.
How do I track whether these listings are working?
Use a separate tracking phone number for each platform through a cloud telephony provider such as MyOperator or Exotel, and record the source of every enquiry in a CRM such as Zoho CRM or Kylas CRM. With both, the renewal decision becomes a number rather than an opinion.
Next step: get a free matched shortlist of CRM and call-tracking tools so you can measure every lead source properly.
