Local Brand Hub vs a freelance marketer
Hiring a freelance marketer gives you a real person and a personal touch. Marketing software gives you always-on tools at a fixed low price. Here is an honest comparison for a UK local business weighing the two, with real freelance rates.
Freelancer vs software, side by side
A fair look at both. A freelancer wins on doing the work for you and human judgement; software wins on cost, consistency, availability and ownership.
| Aspect | Freelance marketer | Local Brand Hub |
|---|---|---|
| Does the work for you | Yes: hands-off if you brief them well | No: you run it, just faster |
| Personal touch and human judgement | Yes: a real person who learns your business | AI tailored to your trade, but not a person |
| Always available | No: holidays, illness, other clients | Yes: tools work 24/7 |
| Consistent output | Varies by individual | The same tools every day |
| Local SEO tools included | Depends on their skills | Yes: visibility score, NAP audit, schema |
| Competitor tracking | Rarely | Yes: track up to 5 competitors |
| Fixed, predictable cost | No: cost scales with hours | Yes: flat monthly price |
| You keep control and logins | Depends on the arrangement | Yes: it is your account |
| Start straight away | No: recruit, brief, trial | Yes: Free plan, today |
| Typical cost | £300 to £800/mo, or ~£418/day | From £0, £24.99/mo Standard |
Where software has the edge
A person vs a system
A good freelancer brings human judgement and does the work for you. Local Brand Hub gives you the tools to do it yourself in less time, and it never takes a holiday or goes quiet.
Fixed cost, no surprises
Freelance costs scale with hours, and day rates rise every year. Local Brand Hub is a flat monthly price whatever you produce, so your marketing budget stays predictable.
You stay in control
With software, your accounts, logins and content are yours. If a freelancer moves on, there is no scramble to recover passwords or rebuild what walked out the door.
How the costs compare
A freelancer does the work for you, which is why they cost more. Local Brand Hub is a flat monthly price for the tools to do it yourself. Freelance rates below are typical UK figures for 2025.
Freelancer, project work
~£418/day
UK average day rate, 2025 (YunoJuno)
- Done for you by a person
- Human judgement and creativity
- A few days a month adds up fast
Freelancer, monthly
£300 to £800/mo
Social media management, avg ~£450 (Bark)
- Ongoing, hands-off if briefed
- A recurring cost that can climb
- Availability depends on one person
Local Brand Hub
From £0
Free plan available. Standard: £24.99/mo. Growth: £49.99/mo
- Flat price whatever you produce
- AI content, scheduling and local SEO
- Always on, and always yours
- You run it (the tools make it quick)
If you're a local business owner who...
“...wants someone to just do the marketing for them”
A freelancer may be the better fit, if you can brief them well and afford the monthly rate. Local Brand Hub is for owners who want to do it themselves in less time, not hand it off entirely.
“...wants professional-looking marketing on a fixed budget”
Local Brand Hub gives you AI content, scheduling and local SEO from £24.99 a month, far below a freelance retainer. The catch is that you run it yourself, though the tools make that quick.
“...has been let down by a freelancer leaving or going quiet”
Software doesn’t take holidays, get ill or move on to bigger clients. Your tools, content and logins stay with you, so your marketing keeps running whatever happens.
Try the do-it-yourself route first
Start with the Free plan, no credit card required. See how much you can do yourself before you commit to a freelance retainer.
Start your free trialFrequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to use software or hire a freelance marketer?+
Software is almost always cheaper. A UK freelance marketer’s day rate averaged around £418 in 2025, and ongoing social media management typically costs £300 to £800 a month. Local Brand Hub is £0 to start and £24.99 a month on the Standard plan. The trade-off is that a freelancer does the work for you, whereas with software you do it yourself, just faster and with more structure.
What does a freelancer do that Local Brand Hub can’t?+
A good freelancer brings human judgement, creativity and a personal understanding of your business, and they do the work for you. If you brief them well, marketing largely comes off your plate. Local Brand Hub gives you AI content, scheduling and local SEO tools, but you are still the one running it. It speeds the work up and gives it structure; it does not replace a person’s hands or their judgement.
What does Local Brand Hub do better than a freelancer?+
Cost, consistency and availability. Local Brand Hub is a flat monthly price whatever you produce, it never takes a holiday or goes quiet, and it delivers the same tools every day. It also bundles local SEO (a visibility score, NAP audit and schema checks) and competitor tracking that many freelancers don’t offer. And the accounts, content and logins always stay with you.
Can I use both a freelancer and Local Brand Hub?+
Yes, and many businesses do. Local Brand Hub can be the system your freelancer works in: they use the calendar, AI content and visibility tools while you keep ownership of everything. If the freelancer ever moves on, your marketing setup and history stay with you rather than walking out of the door.
What happens if my freelancer leaves?+
That is one of the risks of relying on a single person: holidays, illness, taking on other clients, or moving on entirely can leave your marketing stalled. Software doesn’t leave. With Local Brand Hub the tools, your content and your logins are always yours, so there is no handover gap.