Hibu Review 2026: The $2,223 Per Lead Disaster Story
TL;DR: Hibu charges $1,500/month average for bundled local marketing. Customer reviews reveal a pattern of technical failures ("wrong phone number on website for 2 months"), no ROI ("wasted so much money on their gimmicks"), and cancellation nightmares. The $2,223 cost-per-lead case study is extreme but representative of a larger problem: expensive bundled services that underdeliver.
What is Hibu?
Hibu is a national digital marketing provider (formerly Yellowbook) with 25+ years in business and 30,000+ small business clients. Their core offering is bundled local marketing: website design/hosting, local SEO, Google/Facebook Ads management, social media, and reputation management.
The pitch? One-stop-shop marketing. Pay one monthly fee, get everything handled. For some businesses, it works. But for many others—especially small service businesses with tight margins—Hibu's bundled model becomes a financial trap with unclear ROI and difficult exit terms.
Hibu Pricing Breakdown (2026)
Budget Tier
- • Basic website (3-5 pages)
- • Minimal SEO (GBP setup)
- • No ads management
Standard Tier (Most Common)
- • Full website (10-15 pages)
- • Local SEO + GBP posts
- • Google Ads management
Premium Tier
- • Enterprise website
- • Multi-location SEO
- • Google + Facebook + LSA
The Real Monthly Cost (Standard Tier Example)
Monthly retainer: $1,500 + Website hosting: $19/mo + Google Ads budget: $800/mo = $2,319/month total
First-year cost: $599 (setup) + $2,319/mo × 12 = $28,427
The $2,223 Per Lead Horror Story
The Investment
- • Monthly retainer: $1,482/mo
- • Duration: 6 months
- • Total paid: $8,892
The Results
- • Total calls received: 4
- • Cost per lead: $2,223
Industry Benchmarks
- • SEO-generated lead (organic): $31/lead
- • Google Ads lead (paid): $50-$150/lead
- • Facebook Ads lead: $25-$75/lead
What Customers Are Saying: The 2.8/5 Reality
"Hibu had the WRONG PHONE NUMBER on our website for 2 MONTHS. We lost dozens of calls because customers couldn't reach us."
— BBB Complaint"Wasted so much money on their gimmicks. $1,800/month for 8 months and we got MAYBE 5 calls total. Complete waste."
— PissedConsumer Review"I canceled my Hibu account in writing 30 days before renewal. They continued charging my credit card for 3 MORE MONTHS."
— BBB ComplaintWhat Hibu Does Well (Fair Assessment)
Meta & Google Partner Status
Direct access to ad platform support reps and early feature access.
All-in-One Convenience
One monthly bill, one support contact, one dashboard.
25+ Year Track Record
Not a fly-by-night agency. Some customers have been with them 5+ years.
Best for Multi-Location
Works better for businesses with 3+ locations and $5K+/month budgets.
Hibu vs FlashCrafter Comparison
| Feature | Hibu Standard | FlashCrafter |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Cost | $1,500 | $500 |
| Setup Fee | $599 | FREE |
| You Own Website? | ⚠️ Limited | ✓ Yes (you own it) |
| Contract Length | 6-12 months | Month-to-month |
| CRM Included | ✗ No | ✓ Yes (HighLevel) |
| Exit Strategy | Lose website | Keep everything |
Full disclosure: I run FlashCrafter. But the ownership difference is real.
Bottom Line: Overpriced for Most Local Businesses
Hibu isn't a scam, but it's not the best option for most local service businesses in 2026. The pricing is high ($1,100-$1,500/month average), customer reviews are poor (2.8/5 PissedConsumer, 1.7/5 Sitejabber), and the bundled model creates opacity where you can't track ROI per dollar spent.
The $2,223 cost-per-lead case study is extreme, but it illustrates the risk: you're paying a premium for convenience, and if results don't materialize, you're stuck.