Stop paying for leads that never pick up.
Lead marketplaces sell you a chance to compete for a customer they found. You pay whether you win or not, you race other pros to the phone, and when you stop paying, the work stops. There is a better way to fill a schedule, and it's yours to keep.
A lead marketplace is a toll booth between you and your own customers. Every month, you pay the toll again.
How renting really works.
No opinions here. These come straight from the platforms' own annual reports, help pages and terms. Last checked October 31, 2026.
You pay whether or not you get the job.
Angi's annual report says pros pay for consumer matches regardless of whether they end up providing the service.
Source: Angi Inc. Form 10-K, fiscal 2025One request, up to five pros.
Angi's help center says each homeowner request is matched with no more than five pros, and that you're charged for leads whether or not you open or respond to them.
Source: Angi help: Opportunities and leads FAQ, read October 31, 2026Five pros in four hours.
On Thumbtack, a customer can contact up to five pros in the first four hours of a search, and more after that.
Source: Thumbtack Quality CommitmentUp to four contractors per lead.
Networx says a single pay-per-lead lead can go to up to four contractors in total.
Source: Networx help: Pay per leadCredits, not cash.
On Angi, an approved lead credit is applied toward future lead charges, expires after six months, and requires that you tried to call within 24 hours.
Source: Angi help: How to request a lead creditPrepaid credit can vanish.
Thumbtack's terms say it may close an account with or without cause, and that prepaid packages and promotional credits can't be redeemed after a suspension or termination.
Source: Thumbtack Terms of Use, updated July 10, 2026What changed on October 31, 2026: we re-read Angi's help center and its second-quarter 2026 filing, Thumbtack's Terms of Use and Yelp's pricing page. New since our early October check are Angi's limit of five pros per request, Thumbtack's July 10, 2026 rule on prepaid credit after Thumbtack suspends or closes an account, and the AI follow-up tools Angi and Yelp now sell inside their own platforms (below). Thumbtack's help center would not load for us that day, so the five-pros-in-four-hours card is from our October 7 read and is not re-verified.
The FTC has looked at this business model before.
In March 2022 the Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint against HomeAdvisor, the company now known as Angi. It alleged that HomeAdvisor misrepresented the leads it sold: that many came from people who weren't planning to hire soon, didn't match the pro's services or area, or were bought from third parties.
HomeAdvisor settled in 2023 under an order to pay up to $7.2 million, and the FTC later mailed more than 110,000 refund checks to businesses that had paid for memberships. The settlement included no finding that the allegations were true.
FTC files its complaint alleging HomeAdvisor misrepresented lead quality and source.
Source: FTC press release, January 2023Maximum HomeAdvisor agreed to pay under the 2023 order, which bars misleading lead claims.
Source: FTC press release, April 2023Refund checks the FTC sent in November 2023 to businesses that paid for HomeAdvisor memberships.
Source: FTC press release, November 2023Run your own numbers.
Third parties report Angi leads anywhere from about $15 to $85. Use your real invoices if you have them.
Swap every rented piece for one you own.
Each row is something you pay a marketplace for today, and the owned version we'd build instead.
When renting makes sense.
We're not going to pretend marketplaces never work. A company that just opened, with no website, no reviews and an empty calendar, can use them to get the first jobs and the first reviews. Some owners use them to fill a slow week.
The trap is treating rented leads as the plan instead of a bridge. Track what every paying job actually cost you, not what the leads cost. Then put part of that money into things that keep working: a real website, a complete Business Profile, a review habit, a phone that always gets answered, and a customer list you market to every season.
If you buy leads, answer every one. Angi's leads FAQ says you are charged for leads whether or not you open or respond to them, and Google's Local Services Ads rules bill a missed call during your business hours once the caller has stayed on more than 20 seconds (both read October 2026). A rented lead that rings out can cost the fee and the job. Ring groups, missed-call text back and an AI receptionist keep those calls from going to waste.
The platforms now sell the follow-up too. Angi's second-quarter 2026 filing says it began testing AI Front Desk, an agent for lead follow-up and scheduling, in July 2026, a quarter in which its revenue fell 11% to $248.0 million and its average monthly active pros fell 17% to 106,000. Yelp's October 20, 2026 product release lists Smart Lead Reply, which answers Request a Quote leads inside Yelp, at $30 a month, rolling out in November 2026. Both work the leads that arrive through the platform, and Yelp logs each conversation in its own inbox. A receptionist on your own number answers every caller, wherever they found you, and the record lands in a CRM you keep. Details: Angi alternative · Yelp Ads alternative.
Every job you win through your own channels is a job you didn't pay a toll on. That's the whole idea.
How to get leads without Angi · Cost per lead vs cost per job · Angi vs Thumbtack vs owning
Paying an agency or a platform you want to leave? Move your data, domain, Business Profile and phone number before you give notice: read what to do before you cancel and print the agency exit checklist. Step by step for one vendor: Hibu · Thryv · Townsquare Interactive · Marketing 360 · LocaliQ.
Sizing up the platforms agencies sell or resell? Is your agency's CRM really HighLevel? · Thryv vs HighLevel · Podium vs Birdeye
Owning your leads, answered.
Are lead marketplaces ever worth it?
Sometimes. A brand-new company with an empty calendar can use them to get early jobs and reviews, as long as it tracks what each paying job really costs. The mistake is staying on them forever. Use the cash they bring in to build channels you own.
How long does it take to replace marketplace leads?
It depends on your market, your competition and where you're starting. Business Profile and website fixes can help within weeks; strong search rankings usually take months. We suggest tapering marketplace spend as your own leads come in, rather than switching it off overnight.
Did the FTC really take action against HomeAdvisor?
Yes. In 2022 the FTC alleged that HomeAdvisor misrepresented the quality and source of the leads it sold to contractors. HomeAdvisor settled in 2023 under an order to pay up to $7.2 million, without a finding that the allegations were true. Read the full explainer.
Isn't Google Local Services Ads also pay per lead?
Yes. Google charges per lead and decides which leads to credit, and its lead rules, read in October 2026, bill a missed call during your business hours once the caller has stayed on the line more than 20 seconds. It's often a better deal than a marketplace because the customer calls you directly, but it's still rented. What changed in 2026 · How it compares to SEO.
Quit renting. Start owning.
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