This is the page that, on most websites, is a thinly veiled attempt to say every competing product is rubbish. But here it aims to give an honest and fair account of alternatives to Blipstar. And, against all common wisdom, it includes convenient links to their sites, so you can see what's going to work best for you, your company, or your client.

So what makes Blipstar unique? It strives to be simple to use, come with first-class support, and beat most of the competition on price. Customer feedback suggests it does that pretty well. Obviously it would be great if you end up choosing Blipstar, but let's face it, you're probably going to do a Google or Yahoo search to see what's out there anyway, so we might as well make that search a bit easier for you. You can compare hosted or install-it-yourself solutions.

PHP Zip Code Locator - visit website	Example Cost	...vs Blipstar
PHP Zip Code Locator seems like a nice straight-forward solution, with very extensive options, all managed via the web. Software design is always a balancing act between lots of features and simplicity - and although the Admin Panel is logically laid out it's perhaps not the easiest interface to get to grips with, but obvious enough. Comparative prices are an annual fee of $256 for 500 locations (Blipstar Plus: $145) and $437 for 1000 locations (Blipstar Plus: $220). Although you can't try it out for free you can easily test out the Admin Panel for yourself via a Demo mode. Worth checking out, although the standard Store Locator interface (i.e. what customers see) is perhaps not the slickest.	$256 (500 locations)	$145 (500 locations)
Findlocation Plus - visit website
Findlocation Plus has a no-nonsense approach which works well. It's quick too, although the presentation of results is quite basic and it uses MapQuest background mapping which arguably isn't the best. The cost is $1199 for up to 2000 locations (Blipstar Plus: $340) and includes a 14 day trial period.	$1199 (2000 locations)	$340 (2000 locations)
Bullseye - visit website
Bullseye is another established player that has offered a hosted solution since 2005. It claims to have all the features you'd expect, and the site is easy to use which a good sign. Unfortunately there's no online demo (you have to arrange for a salesperson to visit to see it in action) but does have some good example sites. Although it's a hosted solution it's unusual in that they set it up for you (claiming to take around a day to do so).	Not available (~$545?)	$145 (500 locations)
Xtreme Locator - visit website
Xtreme Locator certainly has a lot going for it, and a handy feature list for you to compare it against other solutions (unsurprisingly it ticks all the boxes). There's a nice option for having text-only results as well as a map-based results, and it's got a crisp, clear interface, although the site keeps refering to IVR as though it's an obvious acronym (apparently it's Interactive Voice Response). Comparative prices are $648 for 500 locations (Blipstar Plus: $145) and $1284 for 1000 locations (Blipstar Plus: $220) so it's a solid choice but expensive. You can try it out with a free 30 day trial.	$648 (500 locations)	$145 (500 locations)

Lookup Runner - visit website	Example cost	...vs Blipstar
Lookup Runner has an easy to understand website although the installation process looks pretty detailed, so you really need a good understanding of PHP. If you want a simple way to merely list nearest stores locations (rather than show them on a map or offer driving directions) it's worth investigating. The customer-facing interface is simple to use but not the slickest around and being forced to select a country when searching might annoy some people. It has limited features but the big attraction is the price - just $79 (Blipstar Server: $295).	$79	$295
Ultimate Locator - visit website
Ultimate Locator - with a name like that things sound promising. It's a popular choice and the features list is comprehensive, with a nicely thought-out Admin panel, although some of the options are perhaps only relevant to a small number of users. It costs $299 (Blipstar Server: $295) which seems very reasonable. Although the search interface seems overly complicated it's a well-established product that's definitely worth a further look.	$299	$295
Got WWW? Store Locator Software - visit website
Got WWW? benefits from a neat, simple to use website and is a little different in that the solution is custom built for you (it takes around a week). The search results are returned very quickly which is an important consideration, although the geo-targeting technology (which tries to estimate where you are so you don't need to type in a search term) appears pretty inaccurate. It costs $947 (Blipstar Server: $295) but obviously has the benefit of being customised for your site with minimal effort required on your part.	$947	$295
Xtreme Locator - visit website
Xtreme Locator also comes available as a host-it-yourself option, featuring all the functions of the hosted solution. The cost is $3750 compared to Blipstar Server: $295.	$3750	$295
Make one from scratch!
If you like a challenge then you could always write a custom store locator yourself. The concept is simple enough, but getting it to work well is more involved than you might think - and we know! Writing your own basic, but polished, store locator could take anything from one day to a week or more depending on how familiar you are with the various technologies. Might be worth considering if time is on your side.	1 to 7+ days effort $500 to $3500+	$295