What is Angi?

What is Angi?

Angi is an online home services contractor marketplace. Homeowners can use it to search for contractors offering particular home services, read how recommended they are by others, and book the one that’s right for them. Contractors themselves can sign up for Angi and advertise their services.

How does Angi work for people seeking home services?

Homeowners can use Angi to browse profiles of contractors offering different home services, and view reviews from other people who have hired them. For a more detailed search, homeowners can answer a series of questions about the project they wish to accomplish, then Angi will match them with contractors who better fit that project’s parameters.

Homeowners can then communicate with contractors and discuss the details of their job. Eventually, they can choose to instantly book a contractor offering a service with a fixed price, or arrange a bigger project in more depth with their contractor of choice. When the work is done, the homeowner can leave a review and rating for the contractor.

How does Angi work for contractors offering services?

Contractors can register for a free profile on Angi in order to advertise their business, as well as receive communications from homeowners looking for people to perform home improvement work for them. Using paid services, contractors can also get increased exposure and have Angi deliver them leads for homeowners wanting jobs done.

A homeowner may reach out directly to a specific contractor to do a job, or contractors may reach out to homeowners after receiving leads that customers want work done. The job may be an instant booking with a fixed price, in which case there is less to negotiate. Other times, the contractor will have to work out more thoroughly with the homeowner the scope of the project, cost estimates, timeline, materials needed, warranties, payment plan, work schedule, and so on.

How much does Angi cost to use?

Angi is free to use for homeowners looking to find and hire contractors to work on their homes. Additionally, it doesn’t charge service fees for booking jobs.

A premium homeowner membership option called Angi Key is available for an annual fee of $30. It provides a 20% discount on pre-priced services and access to other exclusive offers. Additionally, Angi Key members are connected with a home specialist who can offer advice and assistance with hiring home services, scheduling jobs, and doing home improvement tasks right.

Home service professionals can also create accounts on Angi for free. They have the option to subscribe to Angi Ads, which is a $300/year premium membership. It provides increased visibility for their profile on Angi, including the ability to post paid ads and to receive leads for projects (the latter of which typically cost between $15-$85).

They can also (or alternatively) subscribe to Angi Leads – formerly known as HomeAdvisor – to get leads for projects. While the service doesn’t cost anything to sign up for, the leads it generates are typically more expensive (between $15-$100, or perhaps more).

The costs associated with using Angi have many nuances and specific instances where you might be paying fees, so check out our guide to Angi costs, fees, and memberships for a more in-depth explanation.

How safe is Angi?

Angi provides some safety features to protect homeowners looking to hire contractors. One is the Angi Code of Conduct that asks all users on the platform to be respectful, fair, professional, honest, reliable, and inclusive. Angi reserves the right to restrict anyone who fails to follow these guidelines from further using its services.

Angi also provides the Happiness Guarantee if a homeowner is unsatisfied with services performed on their house by a contractor hired through Angi. If Angi considers the case eligible and valid, it will either have the work fixed or redone, or provide a refund. This guarantee is subject to limitations, as outlined in the terms and conditions.

Does Angi conduct a background check on the contractor I hire?

Both individual and corporate contractors who sign up for Angi must provide detailed personal and/or business information. Individual contractors must also verify their identity credentials, and must pass a background check that searches national, state, and county databases for offenses from at least the past 7 years.

It should be noted, however, that corporate contractors are only required to have a background check performed on their owner, principal, or relevant manager. Not all employees of the company will necessarily have passed a background check, though the company may conduct its own internal background checks.

Occasionally, homeowner or contractor scams are also run through Angi, so there are additional measures you might want to take before signing up to use the service. You can learn more in our detailed guide on Angi safety and legitimacy.

5 important Angi FAQs answered

1. Why did Angie’s List change to Angi?

Angie’s List was originally a database of reviews on local home services professionals. Over the years, though, it merged with and acquired companies such as HomeAdvisor and Handy. This gave it the ability to allow homeowners to communicate with and book contractors regarding home improvement jobs, rather than just view contractors’ information and reviews. Therefore, Angie’s List rebranded to Angi in 2021 because the company felt its previous name no longer reflected its current business model. It chose the name “Angi” as opposed to “Angie” because it was a unique name that would make brand recognition easier.

2. Who owns Angi?

Angi was originally founded in 1995 by Angie Hicks (the company’s namesake) and William S. Oesterle. It is currently owned by IAC (InterActiveCorp), an international conglomerate that owns companies such as Dotdash Meredith, Ask Media Group, and Care.com.

3. How does Angi make money?

Angi makes money through three primary channels. One is premium membership subscriptions for homeowners (i.e. Angi Key). Another is through paid advertisements (i.e. Angi Ads) and leads (i.e. Angi Leads) for contractors looking to gain exposure and find jobs. The last is through fixed-price services performed by contractors hired by Angi (i.e. Angi Services).

4. Do you tip Angi workers?

Home services workers are typically highly-trained, and so are generally paid a significant hourly rate to do projects. Therefore, it’s not customary to tip them, and you should never feel pressured to do so. However, you can tip them if you feel they have gone above and beyond your expectations. A standard recommendation is tipping 10-20% of the initial quote.

5. What does “Angi Certified” mean?

“Angi Certified” denotes contractors on Angi that meet the following criteria:

Only contractors that are “Angi Certified” are allowed to pay to get sponsored advertisements on Angi. In addition, Angi will revoke the “Angi Certified” status of any contractors that fail to maintain these standards.

Is Angi worth it for home services?

The question of whether Angi is worth it or not for homeowners is highly subjective. The platform itself is free to sign up for, doesn’t charge service fees for booking contractors, and has an inexpensive premium membership that provides discounts on fixed-price jobs. At first glance, this all seems great for homeowners, and many homeowners find Angi worthwhile.

From the perspective of contractors however, Angi charges a significant amount of money to advertise their services and get leads for jobs. Those leads are often highly competitive, and often aren’t guaranteed to translate into work.

For homeowners, this means you might be able to score the odd deal on a minor home upgrade or fix. But you might not always get the most qualified professionals, because many of them have realized using Angi and other sites like it isn’t the most profitable way to market their services. And there are many exceptions to Angi’s Happiness Guarantee if a job is done poorly.

However, the website has a fairly well-rounded help center with information about many topics, as well as many options for contacting Angi customer service if you run into issues – which other home services companies aren’t always as helpful with.

The consensus seems to be that, when looking for a contractor to do a bigger project, it may be better to search at a hyper-local level through social networks (such as Facebook and Nextdoor and word-of-mouth recommendations. To get a better sense of whether it will be worth it for you to use, check out our Angi review, which covers the topic in more depth. And you can also review our comparison of the best sites like Angi to see what other options you might have for home services.

How to download the Angi app on iOS & Android

Maybe you’re always on the go and can’t find time to sit down in front of a computer to research contractors for home improvement jobs around your property. Good news – you don’t have to! Download the Angi app and you can manage your home service hires wherever you take your mobile device.

How to sign up for Angi

The Angi sign up process for homeowners is relatively simple. It consists of three major steps:

If you’re signing up for Angi, be sure to check out our full guide on how to use Angi to learn how to make the most of your experience. You should also review our guide to how to cancel an Angi membership and delete your account to learn about the implications of signing up, and what is required to close your account.

That’s a quick rundown of what Angi is and how to get started with it! Be sure to check out our full list of Angi guides for more in-depth information on how to use this home service contractor review and booking platform.