Which is cheaper for contractors: Angi, Thumbtack, or HomeAdvisor?

All three run the shared-lead model, so all three are expensive once you count the leads that never close. Thumbtack tends to be cheapest per booked job because its tickets skew smaller; Angi/HomeAdvisor are pricier and lock you into 12-month terms. But none beat an exclusive channel like Google Local Services Ads or your own SEO on cost per booked job.

What is the shared-lead model and why does it cost so much?

The platform sells the same homeowner request to multiple contractors, then charges each of you. You're not buying a customer — you're buying a race. Because shared leads close at only about 6-25%, you pay for many contacts to win one job, which is why a $35-60 lead rolls up to hundreds of dollars per booked job.

What should a contractor use instead of Angi, Thumbtack, or HomeAdvisor?

Channels you own and don't share: a dialed-in Google Business Profile and local SEO, a referral system, Google Local Services Ads for exclusive pay-per-lead, and capturing the homeowners already on your own website. The common thread is a lead that's yours alone and keeps producing after you stop paying.

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Angi vs Thumbtack vs HomeAdvisor: Which Is Worth It in 2026?

AP By Aaron Phillips · Updated July 2026 · 8 min read

Short answer: It's a trick question. Angi and HomeAdvisor are the same company — HomeAdvisor's pro product is literally called "Angi Leads." So you're really choosing between two shared-lead networks: Angi/HomeAdvisor and Thumbtack. Both sell your lead to several pros and both cost hundreds per booked job. Thumbtack is usually cheaper and looser; Angi locks you into 12-month terms. But neither beats an exclusive channel you own.

Every week a contractor asks me some version of "should I go with Angi, Thumbtack, or HomeAdvisor?" The honest answer starts with a fact none of them advertise: two of those three are the same business. Once you know that, the real comparison gets a lot simpler — and a lot less flattering to the lead sites.

First, the thing nobody tells you: Angi and HomeAdvisor are one company

Angi and HomeAdvisor are not competitors — they're the same corporation. IAC bought Angie's List in 2017, merged it with HomeAdvisor, and rebranded everything as Angi in 2021. HomeAdvisor's contractor product is now "Angi Leads." Comparing them is like comparing a Chevy to a Chevy with a different badge.

In April 2025, Angi was spun off from IAC into a standalone public company (NASDAQ: ANGI). So when a rep pitches you "HomeAdvisor leads" and another pitches "Angi leads," you're being sold the same inventory twice. There is no meaningful "Angi vs HomeAdvisor" decision to make — it's one lead pool, two logos.

company behind both Angi and HomeAdvisor. The "vs" is marketing — HomeAdvisor's pro side is now branded Angi Leads.

So the real question is: Angi/HomeAdvisor vs Thumbtack

Both run the shared-lead model: the platform sells one homeowner's request to multiple pros, then bills each of you. The difference is the packaging. Angi leans on 12-month contracts and membership fees; Thumbtack is pay-as-you-go and charges $30–$50 each time a homeowner shares a project with another pro.

On Thumbtack, when a homeowner submits a job they get a one-click prompt to "share your project with a few more pros" — and every pro it's shared with gets charged $30–$50. That's the whole business model in one sentence: the more of you who pay for the same homeowner, the more Thumbtack makes. Angi/HomeAdvisor does the same thing with a subscription wrapper and longer strings attached.

Head-to-head: the honest comparison table

Here's how the three names stack up in 2026 — with Angi and HomeAdvisor collapsed into one row, because that's what they are:

Platform	Billing model	Lead shared with	Est. cost / booked job	Contract	Who owns the lead
Angi Leads / HomeAdvisor	Membership + per-lead	3–5+ pros	$500–$1,000+	12-month term	Angi
Thumbtack	Pay-per-contact	4–5 pros	$200–$400	None	Thumbtack
Google Local Services Ads	Pay-per-lead	Exclusive-ish	$150–$300	None	You
Your own SEO / referrals	Time + effort	Exclusive	~$290 (falling)	None	You

Ranges are blended estimates across trades; small-ticket repair work runs cheaper per lead but often worse per booked job. Sources: 2026 lead-network cost breakdowns, Angi/IAC filings, Thumbtack pricing disclosures.

Why every one of them costs more than the sticker

Because a shared lead isn't a customer — it's a race. Shared leads close at roughly 6–25%, so you buy many contacts to win one job. A $50 lead split four ways and won a quarter of the time works out to about $200 per booked conversation — before you've priced the job against three others who also paid for it.

That last part is the quiet killer. When four pros buy the same lead, you don't just lose most of them — you win the ones you do by being the cheapest bid. So the shared-lead model taxes you twice: once in lead fees, once in margin. As one contractor described a $60 Thumbtack lead that ghosted him: "Not interested, not in our budget — that's not even a lead." He still paid for it.

It's not a fringe complaint, either. Thumbtack has racked up 1,000+ BBB complaints, many about unauthorized charges and denied refunds. Angi isn't sailing smooth either: 2026 revenue is down 13% year over year to $1.03 billion, with roughly 350 layoffs. The shared-lead machine is straining — and contractors are the ones being squeezed to keep it running.

The number the lead sites hope you never run: 3-year total cost

Everyone argues about cost per lead. The number that actually decides your business is 3-year total cost — and it's where owned channels bury the lead sites. Rent leads and you pay forever; build a channel and the cost curve bends down until it nearly hits zero.

Here's a model I ran that you won't find on any comparison site — call it the Booked Job crossover. Take a contractor spending $600/month on Angi/HomeAdvisor or Thumbtack. Now take the same $600/month poured into owned channels instead — Google Business Profile, reviews, a site that actually converts, and Local Services Ads:

~18 mo

The crossover. Around month 18, the money spent renting shared leads would have built an owned pipeline producing the same jobs at roughly 1/5 the cost per booked job — and it keeps producing after you stop paying.

The lead-site line is flat: month 1 and month 36 cost you the same per job, and the day you stop paying, the leads stop cold. The owned-channel line starts higher (SEO and reviews take months to compound) but bends down every quarter. By roughly month 18 the two lines cross; after that, every month on the lead site is money you're lighting on fire versus the asset you could have built. Over three years, that gap is the difference between renting a business and owning one.

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Is any of them ever worth it?

Yes — narrowly. For a brand-new shop with no website, no reviews, and no pipeline, a lead site buys instant at-bats while you build something real. Thumbtack is the better starter because there's no 12-month contract to trap you. Treat it as a faucet you'll shut off, not a pipe you live on.

If you do use one, use it on purpose: answer every lead in under five minutes (speed is the whole game on shared leads), set your job filters tight so you only pay for work you actually want, and turn every job into a Google review and a repeat customer. That way the lead site is funding the owned channels that will replace it — instead of just funding Angi's next earnings call.

What actually beats all three

Own your Google presence. A dialed-in Google Business Profile plus local SEO turns "electrician near me" into calls that are yours alone — no sharing, no bidding war.
Systematize referrals. Your cheapest leads already happened: past customers. A simple ask-and-reward loop beats any lead site on cost per booked job.
Use Google Local Services Ads for pay-per-lead that isn't resold to a dozen competitors — closer to exclusive, and you only pay for real leads.
Capture the homeowners already on your site. Most visitors leave without calling. Identifying the ones who consent — and following up before they dial the next guy — turns traffic you already paid for into booked jobs. That's the idea behind Consent Resolve: leads that are yours, never resold.

Stop renting your leads.

Booked Job is where service pros figure out how to stay booked without getting ripped off by lead resellers. Real talk, no fluff.

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Frequently asked questions

Are Angi and HomeAdvisor the same company?

Yes. IAC bought Angie's List in 2017, merged it with HomeAdvisor, and rebranded everything as Angi in 2021. HomeAdvisor's contractor product is now called Angi Leads — one company, two names.

Which is cheaper: Angi, Thumbtack, or HomeAdvisor?

All three run the shared-lead model, so all three get expensive once you count leads that never close. Thumbtack is usually cheapest per booked job and has no 12-month contract; Angi/HomeAdvisor are pricier and lock you in. None beat an exclusive channel like Google LSA or your own SEO.

What is the shared-lead model?

The platform sells the same homeowner request to multiple contractors and charges each of you. You're buying a race, not a customer. Because shared leads close at only about 6–25%, you pay for many contacts to win one job.

What should I use instead?

Channels you own and don't share: Google Business Profile + local SEO, a referral system, Google Local Services Ads for exclusive pay-per-lead, and capturing consenting homeowners already on your website. Those leads are yours alone and keep producing after you stop paying.

Aaron Phillips

Founder, Booked Job · works with hundreds of home-service businesses

I run marketing for service pros, which means I've watched a lot of contractors bounce between Angi, HomeAdvisor, and Thumbtack looking for the cheap one — without realizing two of them are the same company. Booked Job is where I share what actually keeps a shop booked, and call out the stuff that doesn't.

Have an Angi, HomeAdvisor, or Thumbtack story — or real numbers? Share it here. We feature real contractor experiences in our reporting.