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Angi vs Google Ads: is Angi or Thumbtack worth it?

By the SpendCanary team · Updated

At a glance

  • Angi matches each project request with no more than five pros. (source)
  • A Thumbtack lead can go over your weekly budget, by up to 40% of it or $40 plus 2% of it, whichever is less. (source)
  • Google Local Services Ads no longer credits leads for job types or areas you don’t serve. (source)

Angi vs Google Ads comes down to cost per job won, not cost per lead: marketplace leads can look cheaper, but they’re often shared with other pros, so you may win fewer of them. Work out what each source costs per job you actually win, using your own close rates, and keep the one that’s cheaper.

How much does Angi charge for leads?

Angi’s help centre doesn’t list prices. Its help centre says lead fees “change based on task, homeowner location, and demand for the work”, and HomeAdvisor’s FAQ says pros pay a fee for each lead they match to, which varies with the size of the job. Ask Angi for a written quote for your trade and area.

How you’re charged matters as much as the price. Angi charges for a lead “as soon as both you and the homeowner show interest”, whether or not you open or respond to it. Without an annual subscription you’re billed weekly. Some leads, called Opportunities, may fall just outside your service area, and the ones you accept are charged on top of your monthly budget.

How much does Thumbtack charge for leads?

You set your own lead price, and Thumbtack says it’s “the exact amount you’ll pay for each lead”. When a customer contacts you directly and the job matches your preferences, you pay automatically.

Watch the budget rule. If a lead costs more than what’s left of your weekly budget, Thumbtack charges it in full, going over by up to 40% of the budget or $40 plus 2% of the budget, whichever is less. On a $100 weekly budget that’s up to $40 extra. Budgets reset on Monday.

Are Angi and Thumbtack leads shared with other pros?

Usually, yes. Angi says it matches each project request “with no more than five pros”. Thumbtack’s Opportunities are customers who “have started conversations with other pros but haven’t hired anyone yet”, and they close after 48 hours or once 5 pros have shown interest. For direct leads, Thumbtack promises “a competition limit” that keeps you from competing with an unlimited number of pros; it doesn’t say what the limit is. On Yelp, a customer can send the same request to other businesses.

A Google Ads click is different: nobody else pays for that click, though the searcher can still call other businesses.

Angi leads vs Google Local Services Ads: what’s different?

Local Services Ads also charge per lead, but Google only charges for valid leads, such as answered calls, messages and booking requests; a missed call is charged only if the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds. Follow-ups from the same customer within 15 days aren’t charged again. Prices vary by location, job type and lead type, and plumbers, HVAC, roofers, cleaners and electricians are among the eligible US categories.

Google may credit low-quality leads automatically, usually within 30 days, but Google no longer credits leads for a job type or an area you don’t serve, so set those carefully. Google is also moving Local Services Ads into Google Ads, starting in August 2026 with selected US home and storefront service advertisers; you still pay per lead. The plumbers guide has more on Local Services Ads.

How do I compare cost per job won?

Cost per job won is the cost per lead divided by your close rate, plus any yearly fee divided by the jobs that platform won you.

Here’s an example with our own numbers, not Angi, Thumbtack or Google prices. Say a Google Ads lead costs you $90 and you win 1 in 3: a job costs $270. Now say a marketplace lead costs $60, but because other pros get it too you win only 1 in 5: that’s $300 a job. If 1 lead in 10 is refunded, the effective price drops to $54 and the job to $270, about even.

So the lead price alone doesn’t decide it; your close rates matter as much. If you win only 1 in 4 of your Google leads, a Google job costs $360 and the marketplace wins.

What can I get refunded or credited?

  • Angi: a credit for bad contact details, a project outside your ZIP codes, the wrong service, a duplicate within 45 days, or a charge while your leads were paused. The lead must be under 45 days old, you must have tried to call the homeowner within 24 hours, and you can’t have an overdue balance. Annual subscribers get no credits, and credits expire after 6 months.
  • Thumbtack: automatic refunds if the customer replies to no pro within 72 hours and you replied within 4 business hours through Thumbtack, without sharing your own phone number or email first. Otherwise refunds are at Thumbtack’s “sole discretion”, requested within 45 days, and they go to your Thumbtack balance unless you ask within 10 business days.
  • Local Services Ads: Google may credit low-quality leads automatically, but not leads for job types or areas you don’t serve.

When is a lead marketplace worth keeping?

Track 8 to 12 weeks of leads from each source, each with its own phone number (see call tracking). Then:

  • Keep it if its cost per job won, with fees in and refunds out, is at or below your Google Ads cost per job, and you can answer within minutes, because refund rules reward speed.
  • Cut it if its cost per job won, with fees in and refunds out, stays above your Google Ads cost per job, or if many out-of-area leads go uncredited.

Out-of-area leads cost money in Google Ads too: new campaigns show ads to people outside your area by default, which you can fix with presence or interest. The free SpendCanary scan checks that, and your search terms, in your Google Ads account, and with Sign in with Google it also lists your charged Local Services leads by job type. It doesn’t look at marketplaces.

Sources

Common questions

Is HomeAdvisor the same as Angi?
HomeAdvisor’s site for pros now uses the name Angi Leads, and both belong to Angi.
Can I get a refund if the customer hires another pro?
Not on Thumbtack: its refund policy says so. Angi’s list of reasons for a lead credit doesn’t include it either.
Can I run Angi and Google Ads at the same time?
Yes. Judge each by its own cost per job won, and give each its own tracked phone number so you know where every job came from.