Paying per lead on Angi, Thumbtack or HomeAdvisor compared with owning a website and Google listing.
Angi, Thumbtack and HomeAdvisor (which is now part of Angi) are the sites most contractors try first. A homeowner types in what they need, the site sends the request to pros in the area, and the pro pays for the lead or for the contact. For a new business with no reviews and no website, it can be the fastest way to get the first jobs.
This page is about what those leads cost over time, what you own at the end of a year, and when a lead site is the right call. Plenty of the contractors we work with still use one, and some should keep using it.
Lead sites sell you access to homeowners who are already looking. Someone needs a plumber or a painter, and the site puts your name in front of them. You usually pay per lead or per contact, the price depends on the trade, the job type and the area, and the same request can go to more than one pro, so you're often quoting against two or three other companies who paid for the same lead. Some programs add a membership or advertising fee on top, and the terms change often enough that you should read the current pro pages for each one before you sign up.
The part that surprises owners is the math a year later. The leads stop the day you stop paying, the reviews you earned live on the platform's profile rather than on your Google listing, and the homeowner remembers the site's name more than yours. Lead credits for bad leads exist on most of these platforms, but chasing them is its own job.
None of that makes the sites a bad choice. They're a variable cost that scales with the work you can take, which is exactly what a new or seasonal business needs.
We build the things a homeowner finds when they search on Google instead of on a lead site: a website with a page for each service, town pages on the Ranked and Booked plans, and a Google Business Profile that shows up in the map pack. The calls come straight to you, nobody else gets the same lead, and the reviews go on your own Google listing, where they keep working for years.
It's a fixed monthly fee, $347 to $997 a month with no build fee, published on the pricing page, and every month you get a report that counts the calls and form fills the site and profile produced. The trade off is time. Google Business Profile changes often show in four to six weeks, and ranking gains across a full service area usually take three to six months, so this is not the answer for a truck that needs jobs this week.
Missed call text back is included with every plan. A lead site lead and a Google lead both go to the next company if nobody picks up.
Swipe the table sideways to see both columns.
| What you get | Angi, Thumbtack and HomeAdvisor | SiteHike |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Pay per lead or per contact, priced by trade, job type and area, and the same lead often goes to more than one pro. Check each site's current pro terms. | $347 to $997 a month, no build fee, published on the pricing page |
| Build fee | No website is included. | No build fee |
| Contract | Pay per lead or contact. Terms vary by site. | 12 months, then month to month |
| Who owns the website | There’s no website to own, and reviews stay on the platform’s profile. | You do after 12 monthly payments. Your domain and Google profile stay in your name. |
| Local SEO and Google Business Profile | Not included | Local SEO on every plan. Profile setup on Visible, ongoing management on Ranked and Booked |
Details about other companies come from what each one publishes. Check their current terms before you sign.
They do different jobs. Lead sites send you requests from homeowners who are already looking, and you pay per lead or contact. SiteHike builds your own website and Google Business Profile so calls come to you directly. Many owners keep using a lead site while their own site and profile build up.
A lead site makes sense if you’re new, you don’t have reviews yet, or you need work in the next two weeks. Set a budget, answer every lead quickly, and ask each customer for a Google review.
Your own site and Google profile usually take a few months to build up. After that, calls come to you without a per lead fee, and the reviews you earn stay on your Google listing.
Get a free audit of your website, your Google listing and your local rankings, then decide who you want building it.