The test: cost per job, not cost per lead
Divide what you spent on leads in a month by the jobs you won from them. If that number is less than the profit on a typical job, the leads pay. If not, they don't, however cheap each lead looks.
- Add up a month of lead charges, minus credits or refunds.
- Count jobs won from those leads, not quotes given.
- Cost per job = lead spend ÷ jobs won.
- Compare it with the profit on an average job.
Neither service promises a job:
"No, Opportunities and leads are not guaranteed jobs." (Angi Help: Opportunities and leads FAQ)
How Angi and Thumbtack charge for leads
You pay for the chance to contact a customer. Both price leads by job, place and demand, and neither publishes a price list.
| Angi | Thumbtack | |
|---|---|---|
| When you pay | When you and the homeowner both show interest; leads are charged "whether or not you open or respond to them" (Angi) | When a matching customer contacts you; for Opportunities, only if the customer replies (Thumbtack) |
| Price set by | Task, homeowner location and demand (Angi) | Job type and size, pros available, your market; you set your lead price with a slider (Thumbtack) |
| How many pros get it | No more than five per request (Angi) | Customer can contact up to five pros in the first four hours, more after that (Thumbtack) |
| Budget control | Monthly budget for automatic leads; Opportunities cost extra (Angi) | Weekly budget and lead prices you set; Opportunities cost extra (Thumbtack) |
Up to five pros on one request means you may be one of several calls the customer gets in the first hour. The fastest, clearest reply has the edge; Angi says so: "The faster you respond, the better your chance of winning the job." (Angi)
Thumbtack leads not responding: can you get a refund?
Sometimes on Thumbtack, not on Angi. A customer who goes quiet on you may still be talking to another pro, and both companies price that in.
"A customer not replying to you isn't enough on its own, since they may still be talking with another pro." (Thumbtack Help)
| Angi | Thumbtack | |
|---|---|---|
| Silent customer | Not eligible: "The homeowner does not answer your calls or return your messages." (Angi) | With Thumbtack numbers, on eligible services, automatic refund if the customer replies to no pro within 72 hours, and you answered within four business hours and stayed on Thumbtack (Thumbtack) |
| Bad lead | Credit possible for invalid phone, wrong location, wrong service, duplicate, or a charge while paused (Angi) | Refund possible for a big job change, invalid phone, duplicate, or a fixed date you'd blocked (Thumbtack) |
| Deadline | Lead under 45 days old; you tried calling within 24 hours (Angi) | Request within 45 days of the charge (Thumbtack) |
| Paid back as | Credit on future leads, expiring after six months; none on annual subscriptions (Angi) | Thumbtack balance by default; ask within 10 business days to get it on your card (Thumbtack) |
Not eligible on Angi either: the homeowner hired someone else first, decided not to go ahead, is collecting quotes, or picked another quote (Angi).
Angi leads reviews: what the FTC found
In 2023 the FTC finalized an order against HomeAdvisor, a company affiliated with Angi. It had charged the company with making false or unsupported claims about lead quality since mid-2014.
"The complaint also alleged that HomeAdvisor often told service providers that its leads result in jobs at rates much higher than it can substantiate." (FTC, April 21, 2023)
The order required HomeAdvisor to pay up to $7.2 million and bars false or misleading claims about its leads (FTC). It was a settlement; it doesn't tell you what today's leads are worth. Your own cost per job does.
Owning your leads instead
A lead you own is a call or form from your Google listing, your website or your own ads. The customer may still call around, but nobody sold the same request to four other pros, and they picked you rather than being handed a list.
The trade-off is time and upfront cost. Your own channels take setup and tuning before they bring steady calls, while a lead service sends leads from week one. You can run both, then cut whichever has the higher cost per job.
Example
A plumber on Angi
- $1,200 a month in leads, 4 jobs won.
- Cost per job: $300. Average profit per job: $450. The leads pay, barely.
A painter on Thumbtack
- $900 a month, 2 jobs won, $250 profit each.
- Cost per job: $450. Losing money: raise prices, narrow job preferences, or answer faster.
A roofer comparing channels
- Thumbtack: $2,000 for 3 roofs. Own Google ads: $2,000 for 2 roofs the first month, 4 the third.
- Judge on month three, not month one.
Different for you?
- You lose jobs because you answer too slowly: speed to lead.
- You miss calls on the job: missed calls: what they cost.
- You want Google's pay-per-lead ads instead: Local Services Ads not showing or not getting leads.
- You're planning spend by season: HVAC, roofing and plumbing marketing budget.
- You're in Canada: the help pages quoted here are written for US pros, so check a service covers your city before you budget for it.
- You want your own leads built and tracked to jobs: Paid Ads Agent.