Simple pricing for Island businesses
Free listings, forever. Paid plans from $5/month — priced for real Island small businesses, not big-city ad budgets.
Join 680+ verified Island businesses across all nine regions of Vancouver Island.
Founding rates
Lock today’s price in for as long as you stay
VanIsleNet is new, and early supporters get the deal that goes with that: whatever you pay when you join is what you keep paying. When prices rise — and they will, as the directory grows — your rate doesn’t move. PayPal ties your subscription to the plan you signed up on, so this isn’t a promise we have to remember to keep; it’s just how it works. Cancel and re-subscribe later, though, and you’ll pay whatever the price is then.
Free
$0
forever
- Verified listing with contact details
- Your address and website link
- Found in search and your region page
- Edit it yourself after claiming
Standard
$5/month
or $49/year — 2 months free
- Everything in Free
- Up to 4 photos on your listing
- Interactive map with directions
- A fuller, richer profile — ranked the same as everyone
Most reach
Featured
$15/month
or $149/year — 2 months free
- Everything in Standard
- Up to 10 photos
- Featured badge and double-width card
- A labelled spot in the Featured spotlight on your region and category pages
- Homepage rotation
Upgrades happen from your own listing page — find your business in the directory and click Upgrade. Cancel anytime from your PayPal account. Payments are processed by Design Menu, VanIsleNet's parent company.
Side by side
Compare the plans
| Feature | Free | Standard | Featured |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per month | $0 | $5 | $15 |
| Price per year (2 months free) | — | $49 | $149 |
| Verified listing & contact details | Included | Included | Included |
| Business description | Included | Included | Included |
| Address on your listing | Included | Included | Included |
| Interactive map & directions | Not included | Included | Included |
| Photos | Not included | Up to 4 | Up to 10 |
| Double-width card with photo | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Labelled Featured spotlight (region & category) | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Homepage rotation | Not included | Not included | Included |
One business per category
Own your category
Be the only business we feature in your category — the sole card in the Featured spotlight on your category page and the regions you choose, plus named sponsor of the category guide. No competitor can buy the spotlight beside you. We sell each category once, and once it’s gone, it’s gone.
$49/month — most categories
$99/month — Trades, Real Estate, Tours
- Everything in Featured
- Sole featured business in your category, Island-wide or in the regions you pick
- The sole business in the Featured spotlight on your category page
- No competitor can hold a Featured spotlight in your category
- Named sponsor of the category guide — roughly 700 words of original writing that ranks in search
- Month to month — but you keep first refusal when it renews
For bigger reach
Site sponsorships
Put your business in front of Islanders beyond the directory: a sponsored card on the homepage, search results, region pages, or the events calendar. Designed in the site's own style, clearly labelled, one sponsor per page. Spots are priced by how ready-to-act the visitors on that page are, so a card beside search results costs more than one on an index page. You get a monthly report of views and click-throughs.
| Spot | Where it shows | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Homepage band | Every visitor to the front page | $45 |
| Search results | Beneath every directory search — people already looking to buy | $45 |
| Region pages | Any one of the nine region directories | $30 |
| Events page | The Island events calendar | $30 |
| Directory index | The main directory landing page | $15 |
| Explore index | The regions overview page | $15 |
| Site-wide | Every spot above, all at once | $75 |
One sponsor card per page, designed in the site's style and clearly labelled. Month to month, no contract — and you get a monthly report of views and click-throughs.
Index spot
$15/month
Directory or Explore index
- Your sponsor card on one index page
- Headline, supporting line, logo and link
- Monthly report: views, clicks, click-through rate
Region & events
$30/month
One region page or the events calendar
- Your card on one region page or the events calendar
- Best when your business serves one part of the Island
- Monthly report: views, clicks, click-through rate
Prime spot
$45/month
Homepage or search results — highest intent
- Your card where people are actively deciding
- Seen by visitors ready to pick a business
- Designed in the site's style, clearly labelled
- Monthly report: views, clicks, click-through rate
Best value
Site-wide
$75/month
every spot — less than two bought separately
- Your card in rotation on all seven placements
- Homepage, search, nine region pages, events, both indexes
- One combined monthly report
Questions
Pricing FAQ
Is the free listing really free?
Yes — free means free, forever. Every Island business gets a verified listing with contact details, address, and a website link at no cost. Paid plans add a fuller, clearly-marked presence with maps, photos, and a labelled Featured spotlight.
What is a founding rate?
The price you join at is the price you keep. PayPal ties each subscription to the plan it was created on, so when we raise prices later, existing subscribers carry on at their original rate for as long as they stay subscribed. It only resets if you cancel and come back — then you pay whatever the going rate is that day.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Subscriptions are handled through PayPal and you can cancel from your own PayPal account whenever you like. Your listing simply returns to the free tier — it never disappears.
How do I upgrade my listing?
Find your business in the directory, open your listing, and click Upgrade. If you're not listed yet, start with a free listing — it takes about two minutes.
What does the yearly plan save?
Just over two months. Standard is $49/year instead of $60, and Featured is $149/year instead of $180. Yearly plans renew automatically each year; cancel anytime.
What does “own your category” actually stop?
It stops us featuring anyone else in that category. Other businesses can still hold a free listing — we'd never remove a business from the directory for money — but you are the only one we feature: the sole business in the Featured spotlight on the category page and your chosen regions, and the named sponsor of the category guide. Ask us and we'll tell you honestly whether your category is still open.
Why is it still inexpensive?
VanIsleNet is an independent, Island-owned project. The goal is a directory every local business can afford, not a big advertising bill — paid plans just keep the site running and the listings verified by hand.