Localy is a UK hyperlocal community marketplace connecting local Neighbours with trusted small and micro businesses in their area, including home bakers, home cooks, personal trainers, groomers, nail technicians, barbers, cleaners, handymen, mortgage advisors, beauty therapists, tutors, crafters, florists, artists, massage therapists, physios, photographers, cake designers, gardeners, childminders, mobile valets, and music teachers. More than a directory, Localy is an end-to-end platform with integrated payments, bookings, messaging, verified seller badges, insurance and credential checks, real reviews, dispute resolution, and business tools including deposits with automatic balance collection and in-person card payments. Free to join with no commission until you sell. Buyers can discover, order from, and book trusted local businesses by postcode in one place. Sellers get found locally without needing a website or a social-media following, and are paid directly into their own account. Localy was born in Calderwood, near Edinburgh, pilots there first, then launches in Edinburgh and expands city by city across the UK. Shop community. Live Localy.
Your local community, in your pocket.
The bakers, home cooks, personal trainers, groomers, nail technicians, and handymen your neighbours already trust, finally in one place. Search your postcode, message, book, and pay securely, all in a couple of taps. Local business owner? Take orders, fill your diary, and get paid straight into your own account. It's free to start, even if it's your first business.
You're on the list.
One more thing. Know a local business or a fellow trader who should be on Localy? Tag them and @thelocalyapp on Instagram. We'll find them.
Follow @thelocalyapp
Where it started
Born in Calderwood.
Built for every neighbourhood.
Localy started in Calderwood, a new community just outside Edinburgh that's full of amazing businesses run from kitchens, garages, and garden pods. Cakes for the weekend, dog grooming round the corner, a haircut without leaving the street. The talent was never the problem; it just didn't have a home. So we built one.
We're piloting in Calderwood first, launching in Edinburgh next, then rolling out city by city across the UK. Founding Partners and Founding Neighbours who join now are first through the door.
Become a founding memberWhy Localy
Built for both sides of
your local community.
Localy connects Neighbours (buyers) with Partners (sellers) in their postcode area.
For Neighbours
Discover the local businesses on your doorstep.
From food to florists, in one place
No more flicking between Just Eat, Maps, Bark and Instagram. Find the local food, services and trades that actually live near you, all by postcode.
Trust you can actually see
Every Partner is approved before they go live. Verified and Insured badges show you who's been checked, real reviews come from real local customers, and built-in messaging lets you ask before you buy or book.
Buy & book in one flow
Order a cake. Book a haircut. Schedule a tutor. Pay securely in the same flow, join the waitlist when a slot is full, and if plans change, your refund goes back to the card you paid with.
Keep money in your community
Every order and booking goes to a real person nearby. Your money stays in your neighbourhood instead of disappearing into a warehouse.
For Partners
Everything you need to run your local business.
No website needed. No following needed.
If you can do it, you can sell it. Localy gives you a professional storefront, payments, bookings, and messaging. It's free to start, even if this is your first business.
Get found locally
Neighbours in your area discover you through postcode search. You show up exactly where your customers are already looking, without paying for ads or chasing followers.
Paid straight to you
Payments land directly in your own account, powered by Stripe. Localy never holds your money. Ask for deposits and the balance collects itself, issue refunds yourself, and even take card payments in person.
Built for proper business
Orders, bookings, messages, reviews, promotions with your own promo codes, and sales analytics, all in one dashboard. Run your business properly, without juggling four different apps.
Who it's for
The businesses your
community is built on.
From first-time founders taking their first orders to established professionals with a full book of clients. If it's local, it belongs on Localy.
How it works
It's a loop, not a list.
Partners list. Neighbours discover. Orders and bookings flow. Reputation grows. Then it all goes round again.
List & discover
Partners build a simple storefront. Neighbours search by postcode and find them. No website needed.
Connect
Built-in messaging opens the conversation. Questions asked, details agreed, trust built, all in one place.
Order or book
Products ordered. Services booked. Slots filled. Everything flows through one simple, trusted transaction.
Deliver & grow
Payments cleared. Reviews collected. Reputation built. Then the loop comes round again.
Trust, built in
Buying from a neighbour
should feel safe. On Localy, it does.
No more taking a stranger's word for it, or sending a deposit into thin air over DMs. We check our Partners so you don't have to guess, and Partners get the credibility their work deserves.
Approved before they go live
Every Partner is reviewed before their storefront opens. No anonymous listings, no mystery sellers.
Badges that mean something
Verified badges show whose identity and payment setup have been checked. The Insured badge means public liability insurance we've actually seen.
Qualified for the job
Where a job needs a certificate, we check it: Gas Safe, DBS, food hygiene, and more, verified before that Partner can take your booking.
Real reviews, and backup if you need it
Reviews come only from genuine orders and bookings. And if something goes wrong, a proper dispute process gets it sorted, with your money back on the card you paid with.
Built on fairness
Start simple. Grow strong.
Localy is built to look after the Partners who make it work. Listing is free, and you only pay when you sell. Fair pricing that rewards growth, never punishes it. Your money lands in your own account (we never hold it), and deposits collect themselves, so you're not chasing balances over DMs. The tools to run a real business, without the marketplace squeeze.
Shop community. Live Localy.
Be a Founding Partner or a Founding Neighbour. Whether you're looking for brilliant local businesses or ready to build one, founding members get first access as we open in Calderwood and Edinburgh, exclusive perks, and a hand in shaping what comes next.
You're on the list.
One more thing. Know a local business or a fellow trader who should be on Localy? Tag them and @thelocalyapp on Instagram. We'll find them.
Follow @thelocalyappQuestions, answered
Everything you might want to ask.
What is Localy?
Localy is the UK's hyperlocal community marketplace, an end-to-end platform that connects local Neighbours (buyers) with small and micro Partner businesses in their postcode area. Not a directory and not a classified-ads board: discovery, booking, payments, real-time messaging, reviews, and dispute resolution all happen in one place.
How does Localy work?
Neighbours search by postcode and find trusted local Partners near them: bakers, home cooks, personal trainers, groomers, nail technicians, handymen, mortgage advisors, and more. They book or order in one flow, with built-in messaging and integrated payments. Partners get a free professional storefront, take orders and bookings without juggling apps, get paid directly into their own account, and grow their reputation through real customer reviews.
When does Localy launch?
Localy pilots first in Calderwood, the community just outside Edinburgh where the idea was born. Edinburgh follows as our first city, then we expand city by city across the UK. Joining the waitlist puts you first in line for the moment we go live near you.
Where in the UK is Localy available?
We're piloting in Calderwood, near Edinburgh, then launching in Edinburgh and expanding city by city across the UK. We'll let you know the moment Localy is live in your area. Joining the waitlist is how we know where the demand is.
Is it really free to start?
Yes. Listing on Localy is free, and Partners only pay when they sell. We're built to look after the businesses on the platform with fair pricing that rewards growth, never punishes it. Founding Partners also get exclusive fee benefits at launch. See the founding member question below.
What's the founding member programme?
We're inviting our first Neighbours and Partners to join Localy as Founding Partners and Founding Neighbours. Founding Partners get exclusive fee benefits at launch and first access to new tools as we ship them. Founding Neighbours are first to discover local Partners as they go live in Calderwood and Edinburgh, plus invitations to founding-member launch moments. Everyone who joins the waitlist now is automatically considered for founding status.
Do I need a website, payments setup, or a social following to be a Partner?
No. Localy gives you everything you need: a professional storefront, payments, bookings, messaging, and reviews, all built in. Even if this is your first business, you can start with us.
How is Localy different from Etsy, Just Eat or Facebook Marketplace?
Localy is hyperlocal. We connect Neighbours with Partner businesses in their postcode area, not globally or city-wide. We handle the full transaction end-to-end (payments, bookings, messaging, reviews), unlike Facebook Marketplace which doesn't take payments. And our Partner economics are designed to be a fraction of what Etsy or Just Eat charge.
My business runs on Instagram, Facebook or WhatsApp. What if my account gets suspended?
That's exactly why we built Localy. A business built on a social media account is one algorithm change or false report away from disappearing, with no backup, no export, no recourse. On Localy, your storefront, customer history, reviews, and messages are yours, and they're persistent.
How do I know I can trust businesses I haven't used before?
Every Partner is approved before they go live. Verified badges show you whose identity and payment setup have been checked, an Insured badge shows verified public liability insurance, and regulated trades are checked for the right credentials, like Gas Safe, DBS, and food hygiene. Reviews come from real local customers, in-platform messaging lets you ask before you book, and a dispute resolution process with refunds backs you up if something goes wrong. Trust is built in, not an afterthought.
How do Partners get paid?
Directly. Payments from your customers land in your own account, powered by Stripe, and Localy never holds your money. You can issue full or partial refunds yourself when you need to, without raising a support ticket.
Can Partners take deposits?
Yes. Ask for a deposit upfront on a product or service and Localy collects the remaining balance automatically when the order or booking is fulfilled. No more chasing balances over DMs.
Can Partners take payments in person?
Yes. Partners can take card payments face to face from the Localy dashboard with a supported card reader, so in-person sales sit alongside online orders and bookings in one place.
What happens to my email and data?
We use your email only to send you launch updates from Localy. We don't sell it, and we don't share it. You can unsubscribe at any time. See our privacy policy for the full picture.
Still want in? ↑ Join the waitlist