Free vs. Sponsor Listings: Complete Comparison

Quick Answer

Sponsor listings ($25/month or $240/year) provide critical advantages including removing the login wall for contact visibility, 24-hour priority on all leads, unlimited pro bono access, and expanded team collaboration. The most significant benefit: visitors can see your contact details immediately without creating an account.

Overview

Heritage Web offers both free and sponsor listing options across all listing types (Profile, Organization, Event, Job). While free listings provide valuable baseline features, sponsor listings deliver premium benefits that significantly increase visibility, lead quality, and conversion rates. ANY sponsor listing activates account-wide benefits.

Key Comparison Table

Feature	Free Listing	Sponsor Listing
Cost	$0	$25/month or $240/year
Contact Visibility	Behind login wall	Visible without login
Search Placement	Below sponsors	Priority placement
Lead Priority	24 hours after sponsors	Immediate notification
Pro Bono Access	3 per month	UNLIMITED
Team Members	1 slot	3 slots per sponsor
Email Notifications	Primary + 1	Primary + 5
SMS Notifications	Not available	1 included
Approval Time	2-3 business days	1 business day
Message Button	Available	Available
Lead Matching	Full access	Full access

Account-Wide Benefits

Critical Design: When you sponsor ANY listing (even an Event or Job listing), your entire account receives:

24-hour priority on ALL leads across ALL your listings
Unlimited pro bono access for community service
Pro Bono Champion badge
Priority customer support
Faster approval on all listing edits

Detailed Feature Breakdown

Contact Visibility (Biggest Differentiator)

Free Listings:

Visitors MUST create an account to see phone, address, and website
Email verification required before viewing
Significant friction for potential clients
Message button visible without login

Sponsor Listings:

ALL contact details immediately visible
No account creation needed
Zero friction for inquiries
Major conversion advantage

Lead Distribution Priority

Free Listings:

Receive lead notifications 24 hours after sponsors
Same lead quality, delayed access
First-come, first-serve after delay
May miss time-sensitive opportunities

Sponsor Listings:

Immediate notification for all matched leads
24-hour advantage over free listings
Better chance to secure exclusive leads
Applies to paid referrals AND pro bono

Team Collaboration

Free Listings:

1 team member slot only
Limited collaboration capability
Basic role assignment

Sponsor Listings:

3 team members per sponsor listing
Slots stack (2 sponsors = 6 members)
Full role-based permissions
Enhanced business management

Pro Bono Program Access

Free Listings:

Limited to 3 cases per month
Resets on the 1st
Must choose carefully

Sponsor Listings:

UNLIMITED pro bono cases
No monthly restrictions
Maximum community impact
Build reputation freely

Important Notes

Sponsor benefits begin immediately upon upgrade
Account-wide activation from ANY sponsor listing
Multiple sponsors add more team slots (only benefit that stacks)
Annual payment saves 20% ($240 vs $300)
7-day grace period for failed payments

FAQs

Q: If I sponsor just my Event listing, do all my listings get benefits? A: Yes! ANY sponsor listing activates account-wide benefits. Your Profile and Organization listings would also get 24-hour lead priority and all other benefits.

Q: Is the login wall really that important? A: Yes. Studies show that requiring account creation can reduce contact rates by 50-70%. Removing this friction is the single biggest advantage of sponsoring.

Q: Can I mix free and sponsor listings? A: Yes, but remember that sponsoring just one listing gives your entire account the key benefits. Most users sponsor their primary listing.

Q: Do sponsor listings rank higher in Google? A: While we don't control Google's rankings, sponsor listings do get priority placement in our internal search results, which can improve overall visibility.

Q: What happens if I downgrade back to free? A: You get a 7-day grace period with continued benefits. After that, you lose priority access, contact visibility returns behind the login wall, and team slots reduce to 1.