Thumbtack and Angi (which absorbed HomeAdvisor) are the two biggest lead marketplaces for home service businesses. Both can put jobs on your calendar, and both can eat your margin if you are not careful. Here is how they compare and how to decide.
How Thumbtack charges
Thumbtack is pay per lead with no monthly subscription for pros. You set the services, area and a weekly budget. When a customer is matched to you automatically, or when you choose to contact a customer about their request, you pay for that lead. Prices vary by trade, job size and market. Pros commonly report anywhere from about $10 to over $100 per lead, and a lead that does not turn into a job is generally not refunded.
How Angi charges
Angi offers a few products. Angi Leads (the former HomeAdvisor network) is pay per lead with a budget you set, and has historically included an annual membership fee. Angi Ads works more like advertising, with your listing promoted to homeowners searching your area. Reported per-lead costs are often in the $15 to $85 range and higher for big-ticket trades. Pricing changes, so get a current quote from Angi for your trade and area.
Side by side
- Pricing model: Thumbtack is pay per lead with a weekly budget. Angi Leads is pay per lead plus a membership fee; Angi Ads is paid advertising.
- Lead competition: on both, the same homeowner often contacts or is matched with several pros, so speed matters.
- Control: Thumbtack lets you choose some leads to pursue; Angi leads are mostly sent to you based on your settings.
- Refunds: both have limited credit policies for bad leads; read the current terms before you start.
- Reviews: reviews you earn live on their platform, not on your Google profile.
Which is better?
It depends on your trade and market, and the honest answer is that many pros try both. Thumbtack tends to suit smaller jobs and service businesses that can respond within minutes. Angi tends to suit established companies that can handle volume and want steady flow. In both, the pros who win are the ones who reply first and follow up.
How to get the most out of either one
- Respond within five minutes. The first pro to reply wins a large share of jobs on these platforms.
- Track every lead: cost, whether you reached them, whether you quoted, whether you won. Do the math on cost per job, not cost per lead.
- Narrow your service area and job types to the work you actually want.
- Ask every customer you win for a Google review too, so the job builds your own reputation.
The problem with renting your leads
Every month you stop paying, the leads stop. The reviews you earn mostly stay on their site, and you are always competing against other pros for the same homeowner. That is why many contractors use lead platforms to fill gaps while they build their own source: a website that ranks, a strong Google Business Profile, and a steady flow of reviews. Leads from your own site are yours alone, and the cost per job drops the longer you keep it going.
Want to see how your own Google presence stacks up before you spend more on leads? Our free Google audit shows your map ranking, reviews against the top three competitors, and what to fix.