Comparison · Channels · No. 02

Paying for leads your competitor also bought

Marketplaces work by selling one homeowner to several contractors and letting you race. If you win on speed and price you can make it pay. The question is what you own after two years of it.

The short answer

A marketplace is a customer acquisition cost with no residual value. Your own site and profile are the only channel where last year's work still earns this year.

Side by side

Thumbtack and Angi next to a HogTron build.

Thumbtack and Angi HogTron

Exclusivity Thumbtack and Angi The lead is typically sold to several businesses at once. HogTron The caller found you and is calling you.

What you compete on Thumbtack and Angi Response speed and price, because the homeowner is comparing quotes side by side. HogTron Proof, reviews, and the work you show. Price comes up later in the conversation.

Cost behaviour Thumbtack and Angi Per lead, including the ones that never answer the phone. HogTron Flat monthly for the work, independent of volume.

Reviews Thumbtack and Angi Live on the platform and stay there if you leave. HogTron On your Google profile, where the next searcher sees them.

Residual value Thumbtack and Angi None. Stop paying and the pipeline empties. HogTron Pages and rankings keep producing after the month is paid for.

Speed to first job Thumbtack and Angi Days. A real advantage when you are starting cold. HogTron Slower to start, then compounding.

Where we would tell you no

When a marketplace is the right call

We would rather lose the job than sell you something you do not need. If any of these describe you, keep your money.

You are brand new, have no reviews, and need jobs to generate the reviews everything else depends on.
You have a crew idle this week and a marketplace lead is cheaper than the idle time.
You answer the phone faster than anyone in your market. Speed is the whole game there and some contractors genuinely win it.

The alternative

What we do instead

01 ——

Turn finished jobs into proof

Photos, a short write-up, and a review request while the customer is still happy. This is the raw material every other channel runs on.

02 ——

Build pages for the jobs you want more of

If the money is in bathroom remodels, the site should have a bathroom remodel page that ranks, not a services list that mentions it.

03 ——

Wean off the per-lead spend

We do not ask you to quit cold. We track where booked jobs come from and let the numbers decide when to cut the marketplace budget.

Common Questions

What people ask about Thumbtack and Angi.

Is Thumbtack a scam?

No. It is an expensive channel with real leads and a business model that puts you in a race. Plenty of contractors profit on it. The problem is that spending stops working the moment it stops, and it builds nothing you keep.

How do I know which channel actually books jobs?

Call tracking and a simple source field on the intake form. Most contractors we work with are surprised by the answer, usually because word of mouth is doing more than they credited and the marketplace less.

What if my area is small?

Small areas are where owning search is easiest. There are fewer competitors bidding for the same terms and a well-built local site can take the map pack faster than in a city.

Find out where you actually stand.

The free audit scores your site the way search engines and AI assistants read it, in about a minute. No call required, and it will tell you if nothing needs fixing.

Run a Free Audit → Talk to a human

More comparisons

Wix vs. a custom site Squarespace vs. a custom site GoDaddy Builder vs. a custom site Yelp Ads vs. SEO Google Ads vs. SEO AI slop vs. built by hand