Angi vs. HomeAdvisor: Which Lead Generation Platform Should You Use?
Whether you’re a lawn care provider, cleaner, handyman, or plumber, generating new leads is key to growing your home service business.
HomeAdvisor (now Angi Leads) and Angi (formerly known as Angie’s List, now Angi Ads) are two popular lead generation platforms, but which one is a better fit for your business?
In this guide, we review everything you need to know about Angi Ads (Angi) and Angi Leads (HomeAdvisor) to help you pick the right lead-generation platform for your needs so you can attract more customers and win more leads.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
Angi vs. HomeAdvisor: a quick overview
Angi Ads and Homeadvisor both fall under the same parent company, Angi Homeservices Inc. and are currently referred to as Angi Ads and Angi Leads respectively.
However, most people still call them Angi and HomeAdvisor, and while they may belong to the same company, the two platforms have some notable differences.
Where Angi Ads is geared toward small, niche, or one-off jobs, HomeAdvisor (AKA Angi Leads) targets larger or more costly projects.
Here’s a comparison of how the two lead generation platforms stack up against each other.
| Angi Ads | HomeAdvisor (Angi Leads) | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | 1. Create your Angi listing to be matched with Create an Angi Ads listing. 2. Get matched with customers searching for your services. Note: You will be charged for each lead you’re sent. | 1. Enter your service area and what you offer to be matched with leads in your area. Note: You will be charged for each lead you’re sent. |
| Who should use it | – Businesses that focus on small or one-off jobs, as well as service niches. – Best for service providers in industries such as plumbing, pest control, HVAC repair, lawn care, residential cleaning, painting, handymen, etc. | – Businesses that take on bigger contracts and more costly jobs. – Best for general contractors, landscapers, roofers, etc. |
| Pricing | – The cost per lead varies based on the services you provide and the area you’re in but typically ranges from $15 to $85. – Users say ads cost an average of $300/month. | – HomeAdvisor sends you a list of leads, and you must pay between $15 to $100 per lead to send a quote to them. |
| Pros | – Improves online visibility through search engines, like Google. – Builds your online reputation through customer reviews. – Helps you find leads with small or niche projects. – You can use paid ads to boost your visibility. | – Improves online visibility through search engines, like Google. – Builds your online reputation through customer reviews. – You can turn leads on and off as your availability fluctuates. – Helps you find leads with bigger projects and larger budgets. |
| Cons | – Angi is review driven, so the fewer reviews you have, the less visibility. – If you don’t use paid ads, you won’t generate many leads. – You have to pay for premium listing space. – There are early termination fees if you wish to cancel your membership. – Some users have said Angi’s sales team is aggressive. | – Leads are expensive. – HomeAdvisor is free for homeowners to use, meaning some leads aren’t serious about their projects or ready to commit to a job. – Depending on the service area, there can be a lot of competition for leads. – Some users say that the leads they receive from HomeAdvisor are low-quality. |
| Lead management | You can use Angi Ads to manage leads by: – Handling quote requests and claimed deals. – Letting you communicate with customers through the platform. – Using push notifications to alert you when you have a new lead. – Offering lead management through their mobile app. – Creating, sending, and tracking quotes and invoices. | HomeAdvisor (Angi Leads) helps you manage leads by: – Allowing you to categorize and organize leads. – Tracking customer communications. Letting you respond to leads via phone or email. – Offering lead management through a mobile app. – Creating, sending, and tracking quotes and invoices. |
How Angi Ads and HomeAdvisor help you win leads
Angi Ads
Angi Ads is a review-based platform that generates leads for you based on two main factors:
- The number of positive customer reviews you have on the platform.
- Whether or not you pay for ads.
The more reviews you have, and the more you invest in paid ads on the platform, the more traffic you’ll generate, and the more leads will be sent your way.
Unfortunately, without positive reviews and paid ads, you may not generate as many leads as you’d like, and the ones that are sent your way may not be as high-quality.
But if you do have a high rating and you invest in ads to showcase your services to homeowners using the platform, there’s a chance it could become a viable way for you to generate business.
With Angi Ads, you’re paying to have your business advertised to homeowners who use the platform. When one of them clicks on your ad and follows through with requesting a quote, you pay a fee per lead based on different factors such as your services, location, and competition.
How much does Angi Ads cost for contractors?
While you can create a business listing on Angi Ads, any leads the platform sends your way will cost anywhere from about $15 to $85. The cost per lead varies based on factors such as the size of the service area, industry, and competition. Additionally, if you choose to boost your listing through ads, many service providers who use Angi Ads say it costs them an average of $300/month.
HomeAdvisor
HomeAdvisor, or Angi Leads, works a little differently. When you sign up, you create a profile that outlines the type of service you provide as well as the area you offer your services in. Then, HomeAdvisor matches you with relevant homeowners.
If a homeowner chooses to reach out to you, you get charged for that lead, regardless of whether it results in a confirmed job.
How much does HomeAdvisor/Angi Leads cost for contractors?
HomeAdvisor works in a similar way to Angi Ads. Once you list your business, you’ll pay a fee per lead, which ranges from $15 to $100 based on the city or town you offer services in, the competition in your area, and the type of service you provide.
Although HomeAdvisor is slightly more expensive than Angi Ads, it’s important to note that the jobs and projects on the platform tend to be larger with bigger budgets.
Getting set up on Angi Ads and HomeAdvisor
Angi Ads
Getting started on Angi Ads is easy. Simply follow these steps:
- Visit pro.angi.com and click on List My Business.
- Enter the service you offer and your ZIP code.
- Follow the prompts to add your business information, service details, and service areas and complete your Angi account.
HomeAdvisor/Angi Leads
HomeAdvisor/Angi Leads is similarly easy to get set up on. To get started:
- Head to HomeAdvisor.com and select Join our Pro Network.
- Enter your ZIP code and click Get started.
- Add the type of services you want to provide.
- Enter your contact information to create your account.
Best features and benefits of Angi Ads and Homeadvisor
Angi Ads
To help you generate and win more leads, Angi Ads offers a handful of useful features and benefits to service providers. You can use Angi to:
- Get a free listing for your home service business.
- Build your online reputation by asking for reviews on Angi.
- Use paid ads to have your listing shown above competitor or non-advertiser pages, and on profiles outside of Angi.
- Access online tools to help you send quotes, create invoices, collect payments, and follow up with customers.
- Improve your online visibility and appear higher in Google search results.
Here’s an example of what shows up in Google search results when you type in “plumber in Orange County”. Angi and HomeAdvisor are taking up two spots on the first page where competition for visibility is high.
HomeAdvisor/Angi Leads
Like Angi Ads, HomeAdvisor offers users a variety of features to help contractors attract, win, and organize their leads. You can use HomeAdvisor to:
- Improve your online visibility and appear higher on Google search results.
- Find customers to get your business up and running.
- Manage client communications, and connect with leads with HomeAdvisor tools.
- Easily manage your leads and turn leads on or off when your business slows down or picks up.
- Collect HomeAdvisor Badges for special licensing or certification and high-quality work to set yourself apart from the competition.
Common complaints about Angi Ads and HomeAdvisor
Angi Ads
While Angi Ads works for many home service providers, not everyone is satisfied with the platform. Here are some of the most common complaints from Angi Ads users:
- Subscription required: Because homeowners are required to pay for a subscription to Angi Ads, fewer homeowners use the service compared to free alternatives—meaning fewer leads for your home service business.
- Pay for premium listing space: Although it’s free to list your business and services with Angi Ads, your free listing will appear lower on the search results page than paid listings and likely won’t bring in many leads. Some users say you’ll need to pay about $300/month to advertise your listing and move to the top of search results.
- Poor quality or fake leads: Several contractors have left reviews complaining about Angi Ads selling them fake leads, leads for services they don’t offer, or leads for jobs outside of their service area.
- Early termination fees: If you choose to cancel your Angi Ads membership before your one-year contract is up, you’ll have to pay a termination fee.
- Aggressive sales team: Many contractors complain of constant calls and false promises from Angi Ads’ sales team trying to get you to pay for advertising.
HomeAdvisor/Angi Leads
While some contractors praise HomeAdvisor for helping get their business off the ground, many others have encountered problems with the lead generation platform.
Here are some of the biggest complaints HomeAdvisor users have shared:
- Expensive: Leads can cost anywhere from $15 to $100 each. And you’ll pay for every lead you receive—even if it doesn’t convert to a sale.
- Fierce competition: Leads are sent to multiple companies in your area at a time, which means higher competition to win the job.
- Poor lead quality: Some leads may be from homeowners just looking for pricing and who aren’t actually ready to start a project, or who are just shopping for the lowest prices.
- Sharing leads: Both HomeAdvisor and Angi share leads, so if you have your business listed on both sites, you may end up paying for the same leads twice.
- Questionable marketing tactics: When you sign up with HomeAdvisor, you give them the right to use your branding (business name, logo, and images) for marketing. HomeAdvisor can then create profiles on your behalf on other directories, direct leads back to HomeAdvisor, and then charge you to receive those leads.
Which lead generation platform is best for you?
When comparing HomeAdvisor vs. Angi Ads for your home service business, you’ll want to consider the type of business you run and the services you offer.
If your business relies on smaller projects, service niches, or one-off jobs, consider investing in Angi Ads.
On the other hand, if you’re primarily focused on bigger and more costly jobs, you’ll get better leads through HomeAdvisor or Angi Leads.
But if neither seem like the right fit, there are a ton of other lead generation sites to choose from, like Thumbtack. And when you do commit to one, make sure to stick to a budget, and track your return on investment to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth.
Originally published in June 2022. Last updated on April 25, 2024.