Facebook’s new Nearby local search feature could become a Foursquare killer one day. So far, however, it’s not as comprehensive, deep or personal for users. But if Facebook can get its 600 million mobile users to think of it as a local search utility, look out.

Facebook’s upgrade to its Nearby mobile feature was framed as a Foursquare killer by some with its ability to provide local search, recommendations and information. But in trying out Nearby, Foursquare still comes out on top for me as a local search tool. That’s to be expected when you consider all the investments Foursquare has made in local but it shows how much Facebook needs to do to get competitive in local search. And this is not even considering comparisons to Yelp and Google, which are also strong local search tools.

This might be comforting for Foursquare but the location-based service doesn’t have Facebook’s reach and many people still don’t see it as a local search tool. Foursquare’s will have to work to stay ahead of Facebook and more importantly, turn people on to its local search and recommendation engine Explore.

Here’s a look at how the two stack up as local search tools:

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Read also:

Facebook Takes On Foursquare And Yelp With 'Nearby' (Forbes)

As Facebook Launches Nearby, Foursquare Continues Its Focus On Discovery … (TechCrunch)

Facebook Nearby, Foursquare mobile updated with improved social features (TechRadar UK)

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