Thumbtack vs. Angi vs. HomeAdvisor: Home Service Showdown

Thumbtack review

The most specialized services offered

Pros

Cons

Thumbtack.com isn’t just an advertisement platform for handymen and contractors; it’s a one-stop landing platform for entrepreneurs of all kinds. On Thumbtack, you can find any type of professional you’re looking for – from painters to DJs, magicians to landscapers, personal trainers to wedding planners – absolutely anything you need done, you can find on Thumbtack.

Just create a “project” and then check out bids from local professionals who work in that industry. The estimates are free, so you can search through the prices, company reviews, and business profiles from professionals available to you. You can contact anyone with a listing on the site (in the app/on the site), and then just pick the pro you want and schedule your appointments. It’s that easy!

Best Feature: Thumbtack gained popularity by offering more services than typical local ‘find a contractor’ sites, including professionals in the fields of photography, massage, entertainment, and more.

Download It Now: Android | iOS
Download It Now (for pros): Android | iOS

Angi review

More contractors to choose from to get your work done

Pros

Cons

Angi.com is another one of the sites like Thumbtack, but it focuses on the home, and on finding you the perfect pro to get work done on your home. You can find plumbers, roofers, electricians, landscapers, remodelers, house cleaners, and more.

With Angi, just research professionals based on the type of job you want to do, see what others are saying about them, and then choose the right person for the job. They also perform background checks and guarantee the businesses they advertise on their website, and they have an extensive blog and resource center that can be a great resource for home improvements.

Best Feature: Angi is known for having great customer service, and sticking up for their users if anything goes wrong with the arrangements you make.

Download It Now: Android | iOS

Download It Now (for pros): Android | iOS

HomeAdvisor review

They take the work of too much research out of it for you

Pros

Cons

HomeAdvisor.com is another great option for finding someone to complete work around your house. To hire someone, simply select a project category that matches what you need done, and answer a few additional questions to find the right professional. All people you are matched with are pre-screened, and available immediately to complete your work – so you don’t have to spend hours looking over pros that are booked for the next 6 weeks!

Best Feature: By matching you with only up to 4 professionals that are right for you, HomeAdvisor takes a lot of extra research work out of finding the right person.

Download It Now (for users): Android | iOS
Download It Now (for pros): Android | iOS

Comparison table: Thumbtack vs HomeAdvisor vs Angi – membership fees, costs, and more

These home professional sites work quite differently for users looking to hire someone, and for professionals looking to list their skills and availability. We’ve broken down our comparison into useful info for users and for professionals. If you’re more interested in what these sites can do for you as a professional, jump down here.

For users

Website
Estimated Cost (averages)	House Cleaner: $130-$160 Painter: $540-$900 Handyman: $40-$50	House Cleaner: $100-$200 Painter: $380-$790 Handyman: $50-$100	House Cleaner: $115-$165 Painter: $350-$974 Handyman: $60-$75
Review System	5-star with customer feedback accessible only when you answer questions	5-star with customer feedback accessible only when you answer questions	5-star with customer feedback accessible without providing any information
Coverage	U.S.	U.S.	U.S.
Number of Services Offered	929	720	500
Customer Service	6/10 - phone + live chat	7/10 - phone + live chat (paying members only)	8/10 - phone + live chat
Ease of Use	9/10 - the app is very easy to use	7/10 - website is clear and simple	10/10 - don't need to jump through any hoops to find pros!
User Privacy	9/10 - some information must be given to contact pros, including address/neighborhood	9/10 - some information must be given to contact pros, including address/neighborhood	10/10 - no information necessary to research pros

For contractors

Website
Number of Leads	Poor	Good	Great
Quality of Leads	Good	Great	Poor - Good
Membership Fees	1 credit: $1.50 1 quote: 1 credit	Silver: $24.99/year Gold: $99.99/year	$28.99/month Additional cost for leads
Time to Set up Account	15 minutes	20 minutes	20 minutes
How You Advertise	Users answer questions about a project and top-matching pros are displayed (when you purchase credits)	Users answer questions about a project and top-matching pros are displayed	Top 4 matches are provided to user based on project + users can search based on project type

Winner: most services offered

More variety means you’ll get longevity out of using the site. Yes, if you find a good painter one time, that’s great. But if you have a site that can also find you a wedding photographer, masseuse, personal trainer, or anything else you need, it will be more useful to you over time.

Winner: Thumbtack

Thumbtack offers over 900 unique services in 13 distinctive industries, and offers very specialized work you won’t find on the other two websites, including:

…and much more! When it comes to Thumbtack vs. Angi vs. HomeAdvisor, strictly in terms of number of services offered, the other two simply can’t compete.

Winner: best rating system

Ratings are critically important to choosing a person who will come into your home to do any kind of work. The majority of people using home services websites make their decision based on good ratings from previous customers.

Winner: HomeAdvisor

All three rating systems are essentially the same: after a customer receives a service, they rate the professional out of 5 stars, and then leave written feedback about their experience. However, HomeAdvisor is the winner here, because they make their contractor and business reviews available for viewing immediately, without needing to provide any information about your project.

You can simply go to the HomeAdvisor directory and choose a service you are interested in, and immediately see which pros are available in your area without needing to answer question after question about what it is you are doing with your home. Just head to the website and shop around at your own leisure.

Winner: best for contractors

Actual quality of contractors is one of the most significant factors to deciding which website to use; when it really

comes down to it, you want to find contractors and professionals who are experienced, and who you know you can trust.

Winner: Angi

Angi is better than Thumbtack and HomeAdvisor in this respect, mainly because it has been around since 1995. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, they have learned how to properly verify workers and match them with users correctly. They also verify all reviews, so that only customers who have actually worked with the professionals listed on the site can provide feedback – not the bother of the painter you want to hire. They also weed out anonymous comments and bots so that you are only every interacting with real humans – 100% of the time.

4 Important FAQs to stay safe and save money using business listing websites

1. Are home services websites always safe to use?

In short – yes, it is safe to use home service websites and hire professionals from a site like Angi, Thumbtack, or HomeAdvisor. The companies listed on that site have to pay to generate business, so they are always serious about the work. They are also verified, and reviewed by other users.

Having said that, there are a few things you should watch out for, to make sure you don’t get taken for a ride, including:

2. How can I be sure one contractor is better than another?

Reviews are KING on these websites, so be sure to make use of them. You always want to read every business review possible for the professionals and companies you’re considering, both good and bad, to get a good sense of what your experience will be like with them. If you need some help figuring out which reviews are most helpful, check out this article on how to determine if an online review is legitimate.

3. 3 ways to get a deal when finding a contractor

1. Shop around and do your research

Make sure you take a look at both the low-end and high-end of quotes for the service you’re asking for, and in your local area. That way you’ll know what to expect from quotes, and have a good idea of what a deal would actually be. Without that preliminary info, you won’t be able to figure out how to get the best deal.

2. Try more than one website

Make sure you check out multiple sites to see what the going rates are. For various reasons, the average amounts charged for services in your area can be lower or higher on other websites; this is typically due to popularity – as contractors on one website get busier, their prices go up. You can probably find a comparable company listing on another website, and for a little less money.

3. Negotiate directly with the contractor

Just because you received a “quote” from a professional, that doesn’t mean it is set in stone. Once you contact them, give them specific details about the job you need them to do, and ask if they will do it for a little less than they said. If they know you are serious about hiring them, they might consider a lower price.

4. What happens if my contractor cheats me? How do I report foul play?

This depends on the website you’re using specifically, but in general, these are the steps you should take to get an issue resolved, in this order:

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