Angi vs Thumbtack vs JobSteady: The Real Cost Per Job for Contractors

Every contractor has the same question: where should I spend my marketing budget? Angi, Thumbtack, and JobSteady all promise to bring you work — but the real cost per booked job is wildly different on each platform. Let’s break it down.

Angi (formerly Angie’s List / HomeAdvisor)

Angi charges per lead, typically $50–$150 depending on your trade and market. Every lead is shared with 3–5 other contractors. You pay whether you book the job or not.

With an average close rate of 20–25% on shared leads, you need about 4–5 leads to book one job. At $80 per lead, that’s a real cost of roughly $320–$400 per booked job.

The work is almost entirely residential — one-time service calls and small projects. Once the job is done, you’re back to square one.

Thumbtack

Thumbtack works on a similar per-lead model but uses a bidding system. Lead prices start lower (around $15–$50) but vary by category. You send a quote, and the homeowner picks from a list of contractors who responded.

Close rates on Thumbtack tend to be slightly higher than Angi because homeowners are more actively comparing. Expect to close about 1 in 3 to 1 in 5. At an average lead cost of $40, your real cost per booked job is around $120–$250.

The catch: it’s a race to respond. The first contractor to send a quote usually wins. And like Angi, it’s all residential, all one-time jobs.

JobSteady

JobSteady works completely differently. Instead of selling you leads, we charge a flat $497 per month. For that, you get exclusive commercial prospects — property managers, facility directors, and general contractors who need your trade.

These aren’t shared with anyone else. Our prospecting AI identifies decision-makers in your market and delivers them directly to you. Most clients book 10–15 conversations per month, which translates to roughly $33–$50 per booked opportunity.

The difference: commercial clients come back. One property manager relationship can generate $5,000–$20,000+ in annual revenue from recurring maintenance work.

Side-by-side comparison

When each platform makes sense

Angican work if you’re brand new and need any work you can get. The leads are fast, and you’ll stay busy — just don’t expect to build a sustainable business on shared residential leads alone.

Thumbtackis a decent option for handyman services, cleaning, and smaller trades where the lead cost stays low. If you’re in a high-ticket trade like HVAC or roofing, the math gets worse fast.

JobSteadymakes sense for established contractors who want to move into commercial work or expand their commercial client base. If you’re tired of one-and-done residential calls and want clients who call you back month after month, that’s where the value is.

The real math

A contractor spending $4,800 per year on Angi might book 12 residential jobs worth $500–$2,000 each. Total revenue: maybe $12,000–$18,000 from those leads. Not bad.

That same contractor spending $5,964 per year on JobSteady could land 3–5 commercial maintenance contracts worth $3,000–$10,000 each per year— with those contracts renewing automatically. Year one revenue: $15,000–$50,000. Year two, with the same clients: double that, plus new ones.

The per-lead platforms keep you on a treadmill. Commercial prospecting builds something that compounds.