Marketplaces Rent You
Someone Else’s Customer.
If you are paying Angi right now, this is not a dig at you. These platforms work when you are new, have no web presence, and need work this week. The problem is what happens at year three: the same price per lead, shared with three competitors, and still nothing of your own to show for it.
Packages from $500/mo. The website we build is yours to keep.
Lead marketplaces like Angi, Thumbtack, and HomeAdvisor sell contractor leads, usually shared with several competitors. Typical shared leads run $25–$100 with close rates around 15–25%. They can bridge a gap for a new business, but the customer, the reviews, and the relationship stay with the platform.
Own It or Rent It
What You Keep
When You Stop Paying.
This is the only question that matters when comparing marketing channels. Everything on the left is an asset that stays with your business. Everything on the right disappears with your next invoice.
✓ You Own This
- ✓ Nothing. That is the entire point of this pillar.
✗ You Rent This
- ✗ The lead, shared with your direct competitors
- ✗ The customer relationship after the job
- ✗ Your reviews, locked to their profile
- ✗ Your ranking inside their directory
Build the channels you keep.
We build and run owned marketing for home-service contractors starting at $500/mo. From the Black tier up, the custom website is free — and it is yours, whether you stay with us or not.
Get Started →Read Next
Everything on Lead Marketplaces
Written for contractors, with real numbers and no pitch in the first half.
Is Angi Worth It? The Real Math for Contractors
Is Angi worth it? It depends on your close rate and job size. Here is the real math on shared leads, when Angi makes sense, and when owned channels win.
How Much Does Angi Charge for Leads? 2026 Ranges
How much does Angi charge for leads? Our 2026 estimates run about $18 to $220 per lead by trade. See your real cost per booked job and what you actually keep.
Does Angi Leads Work? What Contractors Actually Get
Does Angi leads work? Sometimes, for big-ticket jobs and new businesses. See who it works for, who it burns, and what to build instead that you own and keep.
Thumbtack vs. Angi vs. Google LSA: Comparing Lead Gen Platforms for Contractors
Lead generation platforms promise easy leads — but at what cost? We compare Thumbtack, Angi, and Google LSA head-to-head with real contractor data.
Is Yelp Worth It for Contractors in 2026? An Honest Analysis
Yelp charges contractors $300-$1,000/month for advertising. Is it worth it? Here's an honest breakdown based on real contractor data.
How to Get More Leads as a Contractor Without Paying for Ads
Paid ads aren't the only way to fill your pipeline. Here are proven organic strategies that generate contractor leads for free — or close to it.
How Much Does a Lead Cost for Contractors? (2026 Data by Trade and Channel)
We compiled cost-per-lead data across 12 trades and 6 channels. Here are the real numbers contractors are paying for leads in 2026.
Questions
Frequently Asked
Is Angi worth it for contractors? +
It depends on your close rate and average job value. At $25–$100 per shared lead and a 15–25% close rate, the math works for high-ticket trades and fails for low-ticket ones. It is most defensible for a new business with no other lead source and least defensible as a permanent strategy.
What is better than Angi? +
For most established contractors, an optimized Google Business Profile plus organic rankings produces leads at a lower effective cost and keeps the customer relationship. Local Services Ads are a reasonable paid alternative since the lead is not shared four ways. The honest answer is that owned channels win on a long enough timeline.
Why are contractors unhappy with lead marketplaces? +
Three recurring complaints: the same lead is sold to multiple contractors so you compete on price, lead quality varies and disputes are difficult, and nothing accrues to your business. Spend ten years there and you have no site, no rankings, and no list of your own.
Stop renting your lead flow.
Contractor Bear builds the channels you own — a website on your domain, a Google Business Profile you control, and rankings that keep working between invoices. From $500/mo, and you keep the site either way.