By Project Genie Admin ·
September 3, 2026
"How much does a lead cost?" is the wrong first question — the number that actually matters is what you pay per booked job, after accounting for leads that don't convert, membership fees, and leads you pay for but never win. Here's how the major lead sources actually compare once you look past the sticker price.
Pricing on every platform below shifts by trade and market, and changes over time — treat these as general ranges for planning purposes, not a quote, and verify current pricing directly with any platform before budgeting around it.
Quick answer: Angi and HomeAdvisor typically run $15–$100 per lead plus an annual membership around $288–$300, sold to multiple pros at once. Thumbtack runs roughly $25–$75 per quote with no annual fee, also shared. Google Local Services Ads charge per lead with no membership fee, billed only for leads Google counts as valid. Project Genie charges nothing to post a job or place a bid — you only pay if you win the exclusive lead.
Why "Cost Per Lead" Is the Wrong Number to Compare
Every platform's sticker price looks different, but sticker price isn't what determines whether a channel is actually worth it. A $20 lead that never answers the phone is more expensive than a $100 lead that books a $5,000 job. The number that actually matters is cost per booked job — total spend divided by jobs actually won — and it's rarely the number platforms lead with in their marketing.
To actually calculate it, track three numbers for a month on whatever source you're evaluating: total amount spent, number of leads received, and number of those leads that turned into an actual booked job. Divide total spend by jobs booked, not by leads received — that single change in how you measure often flips which platform looks "cheap."
What Angi and HomeAdvisor Typically Cost
Angi and HomeAdvisor (now under common ownership) generally price leads in the $15–$100 range depending on trade and location, on top of an annual membership fee commonly reported around $288–$300. These leads are shared — the same homeowner's contact info typically goes out to somewhere between three and eight businesses at once, so you're competing on response speed as much as price. Contractors commonly report needing a credit or refund process for leads that turn out to be fake, out of service area, or unreachable, which is worth understanding before you commit a membership fee upfront. The membership fee is also owed regardless of how many jobs it actually produces that year — it's a fixed cost you're carrying whether the leads convert or not, which changes the math considerably for a slow month or a slow season.
What Thumbtack Typically Costs
Thumbtack works differently: instead of buying a contact, you spend credits to send a quote on a job request, and that same request typically goes to five or more pros. There's no annual membership fee, but you're paying for the chance to be seen, not a guaranteed lead — a homeowner can ignore every quote sent, including yours, after you've already spent the credits. This flips the risk compared to a straight paid-lead model: instead of paying for a contact and then competing for the job, you're paying upfront just to be one of several quotes in front of the homeowner at all, with no guarantee they respond to anyone.
What Google Local Services Ads Typically Cost
Google Local Services Ads (the "Google Guaranteed" badge) charge per lead, generally similar in range to Angi/HomeAdvisor pricing depending on trade and market, with no membership fee. The mechanism is different too — leads come from Google's own search results rather than a shared marketplace, and Google offers a damage guarantee up to a set amount for jobs booked through verified leads. It still shares the core shared-lead dynamic: nothing stops the same homeowner from being visible to multiple advertisers. Ad-based channels like this also require ongoing budget management — pause your spend and the leads stop immediately, unlike a one-time membership that at least keeps your listing visible.
Quick Comparison
| Source | Model | Typical Cost | What You're Really Paying For |
|---|
| Angi / HomeAdvisor | Shared lead + membership | $15–$100/lead + ~$288–$300/yr | Access to a large lead volume, split with competitors |
| Thumbtack | Pay-to-bid (credits) | $25–$75/quote sent | A chance to be seen, no guarantee of a response |
| Google Local Services Ads | Pay-per-lead | Varies by trade/market | Search visibility + a Google-backed guarantee |
| Project Genie | Bid for exclusive lead | Free to post/bid, pay only if you win | One exclusive customer, no split with competitors |
Hidden Costs to Watch For, on Any Platform
A few things are worth confirming before you commit budget anywhere:
Membership or subscription lock-ins — an annual fee you owe regardless of how many jobs you actually book
What happens with a bad lead — fake contact info, wrong service area, a homeowner who never responds — and whether there's a real credit or refund process, not just a policy on paper
Minimum spend commitments — some platforms require an ongoing budget, not a pay-as-you-go arrangement
How "lead" is actually defined — a genuine homeowner inquiry versus a click, a form fill, or a quote request that may never get a response
How Project Genie's Cost Actually Works
There's no membership fee, no cost to browse jobs, and no cost to place a bid. Customers post their project free, service professionals bid for it, and the winning bid is the one that gets the exclusive lead — full contact info, no split with competitors. You only ever pay for a job you actually won, which sidesteps the core problem with every model above: paying for access or attempts, rather than paying for outcomes. There's also no annual membership sitting on your books during a slow month — if you don't bid, or don't win, you haven't spent anything.
See how bidding for exclusive leads works on Project Genie.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which lead source is cheapest?
It depends on how you measure it. Thumbtack often has the lowest per-quote cost; Angi/HomeAdvisor and Google LSA vary by trade and market. The real comparison is cost per booked job, not the sticker price per lead — a cheaper lead that rarely converts can cost more in the end than a pricier one that does.
Do I have to pick just one lead source?
No — many service professionals use more than one channel and track which one actually produces booked jobs at the best cost, rather than committing exclusively to any single source.
Does Project Genie charge a membership fee?
No. There's no cost to create a profile, browse jobs, or place a bid — you only pay when you win an exclusive lead.
Compare the Real Cost, Not the Sticker Price
Every lead source has a different pricing model, but the only number that actually tells you whether it's working is cost per booked job. See how Project Genie's bidding model works and pay only for the jobs you actually win.