Contractor Lead Costs by Platform (2026)
Contractor lead costs in 2026 range from about $10 to $200 per lead, but the per-lead price is the least useful number on this page. What decides your cost is the billing model (per lead, per contact, per credit, or subscription) and the close rate, which is driven mainly by whether the lead is shared. Shared marketplace leads close at roughly 5–15%. Google Local Services Ads book at about 43.9%. A $40 shared lead and a $53 LSA lead produce booked jobs at roughly $400 and $121 respectively. Full table below, with sources and a last-verified date.
Last verified: August 2026.
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The table
| Platform | Billing model | Reported cost | Shared? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Local Services Ads | Per lead | $53 avg; $25–$120 by trade | No — contacted directly | Highest book rate; licensed trades |
| Angi / HomeAdvisor | Per lead + annual fee | $15–$100, plus ~$300/yr | Yes | Volume, broad trades |
| Thumbtack | Per customer contact | $15–$80; cleaning $8–$25, HVAC $35–$90, kitchen $90–$150+ | Yes | Testing a market; no contract |
| Modernize | Per lead | $20–$100+ | Yes | High-ticket: solar, windows, HVAC replacement |
| Networx / CraftJack | Per lead | $10–$60+ | Yes | Category and ZIP targeting |
| Bark | Credits | ~$2.35/credit, ~6–12 credits/lead ≈ $15–$30 | Yes, up to 5 pros | Choosing which leads to pursue |
| Houzz Pro | Subscription, tiered by annual project volume | ~$399/mo at standard volume; sources cite $55–$400+ | Yes | Design-led remodelers who use the software |
| Exclusive lead vendors | Per lead | $100–$200 | No | Higher close rate, fewer wasted calls |
| SEO / owned demand | Monthly retainer | No per-lead price; $297–$3,997/mo typical agency range | No | Lower cost per job at volume, 6–12 mo build |
LSA cost per lead by trade
The one channel with published aggregate data, drawn from $6.72M of spend across 888 contractors (early 2026):
- Electrical ~$39 · HVAC ~$51 · Plumbing ~$57 · Drain/sewer ~$59
- Roofing $71–$162 — the widest and highest band
- Overall home services average $53, with a 43.9% book rate and $233 per paying customer
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Why cheap leads produce expensive customers
Every figure above becomes meaningful only after this:
Cost per booked job = cost per lead ÷ (lead-to-appointment rate × appointment-to-sale rate)
| Source | Lead price | Book rate | Cost per booked job |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google LSA | $53 | 43.9% | ~$121 |
| Exclusive lead | $150 | 30% | $500 |
| Shared marketplace | $40 | 15% | $267 |
| Shared marketplace | $40 | 10% | $400 |
| Shared marketplace | $40 | 5% | $800 |
| SEO at $497/mo | — | 12 jobs/mo | $41 |
| SEO at $497/mo | — | 4 jobs/mo | $124 |
The $40 lead is the most expensive customer in the table at a 5% close. The $150 exclusive lead is cheaper per job than the $40 shared one at realistic rates. Nobody should choose a lead source on sticker price.
What changed in 2025 and 2026
Angi implemented homeowner choice in January 2025, letting homeowners select which pros contact them. In its Q3 2025 results Angi reported Network Leads down 81% year over year, Network Service Requests down 67%, revenue of $265.6M (down 10%), and 131,000 Average Monthly Active Pros, down 17%. Full-year 2025 revenue was $1.03 billion, down 13%.
Practically: less lead-blasting, materially less volume. Any cost table published before 2025 describes a market that no longer exists.
Methodology and limitations
Sources. Angi's revenue, lead-volume and active-pro figures come from Angi Inc's own quarterly filings and are the most reliable numbers here. LSA figures come from published industry aggregate data covering $6.72M of spend across 888 contractors. All other per-lead prices are compiled from contractor reports and third-party industry publications, because none of these platforms publish a national rate card by trade.
Limitations. Prices are ranges, not quotes. Every platform prices dynamically against job value, trade, market density and season, so two contractors in the same trade and city can pay very different amounts. Close rates are reported industry figures and yours will differ, most of all with response speed. The only reliable price for your business is the one in your own account.
Corrections welcome. If you have current invoice data that contradicts a figure here, we would rather update the table than defend it.
Related
Is Angi worth it · HomeAdvisor cost per lead · Thumbtack cost per lead · LSAs vs Angi · contractor growth benchmarks
Disclosure
BaaDigi is a contractor marketing agency and appears in the final row of the table as an owned-demand option, priced $297–$3,997/month. We do not sell leads. That makes us an interested party in the last row and a neutral one everywhere else.
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Ryan Goering
CEO & Founder, BaaDigi
U.S. military veteran and digital marketing strategist who built BaaDigi to help contractors generate predictable leads and revenue. 15+ years in SEO, PPC, and AI-powered marketing automation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do contractor leads cost in 2026?▼
Between roughly $10 and $200 per lead depending on platform and trade. Google Local Services Ads average $53, Angi and HomeAdvisor run $15 to $100 plus an annual fee, Thumbtack charges $15 to $80 per contact, Networx and CraftJack $10 to $60, Bark about $15 to $30 in credits, and exclusive lead vendors $100 to $200.
Which contractor lead source has the lowest cost per booked job?▼
On published data, Google Local Services Ads, at roughly $121 per booked job from a $53 average lead and a 43.9% book rate. Shared marketplace leads at $40 produce booked jobs between $267 and $800 depending on whether you close 15% or 5%. SEO at a $497 retainer reaches $124 per job at 4 jobs a month and $41 at 12.
Why are shared leads more expensive than they look?▼
Because several contractors receive the same lead, so reported close rates run about 5 to 15%. A $40 lead closed one time in twenty costs $800 per booked job, which is more than a $150 exclusive lead closed one time in three. Sticker price and actual acquisition cost move in opposite directions once sharing is factored in.
Do lead platforms publish their prices?▼
No. None of the major marketplaces publish a national rate card by trade. Pricing is dynamic against job value, trade, market density and season, which is why published ranges vary so widely and why the only reliable figure for your business is the one shown in your own account.
Did contractor lead prices change in 2025?▼
The model changed more than the prices. Angi implemented homeowner choice in January 2025, letting homeowners choose which pros contact them, and reported Network Leads down 81% year over year in Q3 2025 with active pros down 17% to 131,000. There are materially fewer shared leads in the market than there were.
What is a good cost per lead for a contractor?▼
There is no universal figure, because it depends on your average job value, gross margin and close rate. Work out your maximum affordable cost per booked job first — average job value times gross margin, then decide what share of that you will spend acquiring the work — and judge every platform against that number rather than against an industry average.
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