6 Home Services Lead Generation Services Compared (2026)

Short answer: Most home service lead sources fall into two groups. With pay-per-lead services (Google Local Services Ads, Angi, HomeAdvisor, Thumbtack, Modernize), you pay for each inquiry, and the leads stop when you stop paying. With ads you pay for by budget, such as Yelp, you pay for visibility, not inquiries. Both work for filling the schedule fast. If you want leads you don’t pay for one at a time, you build them yourself with your website, Google Business Profile and local SEO. The table below compares the 6 services, and the end of the post shows how to work out which costs less for your shop.

The 6 services at a glance

Service	How you pay	How the customer reaches you	Best for
Google Local Services Ads	Per lead, when a customer calls or messages you from the ad	Contacts you directly from the ad on Google	Trades Google supports that want calls from Google search
Angi	Per lead (prices aren’t shown before sign-up)	Not shown on its sign-up page	Contractors who want volume from a big homeowner network
HomeAdvisor	Per lead, on a budget and lead settings you choose	Homeowners are matched with up to 4 pros	Contractors who want to set lead types and a budget
Thumbtack	Per lead, on a budget you set. Free to join, no subscription	Finds you in search and messages you	Smaller jobs and newer businesses building reviews
Modernize	Per lead, priced by the lead’s expected value, with a maximum you set	Homeowners are matched with up to 4 pros	Larger home improvement projects
Yelp Ads	Daily ad budget. Yelp Ads plans from $150 a month	Contacts you from your Yelp page	Trades where homeowners already check Yelp

Prices and rules come from each company’s own pages, read on November 11, 2026. They change, so check before you sign up.

1. Google Local Services Ads

Local Services Ads show at the top of Google for searches like “plumber near me”. You pay per lead: only when a customer calls or messages you from the ad, not per click. Google doesn’t charge for leads it judges invalid, and it credits some charged leads later. It doesn’t credit a lead for a job type or area you don’t serve, so set those carefully.

• Best for: trades Google supports in your area that want calls from people searching right now.
• Watch out for: every lead still costs money, and the ads stop when the budget runs out.

2. Angi

Angi is one of the largest homeowner networks. You pay for leads in the services and areas you choose. Its pro sign-up page doesn’t show lead prices, so you see them after you sign up.

• Best for: contractors who want a steady flow of requests and can answer fast.
• Watch out for: compare your cost per booked job, not cost per lead (see the math below).

3. HomeAdvisor

HomeAdvisor sends you prospects that match the work you do and where you do it. You set your budget and lead preferences. It tells homeowners they’ll get information for up to 4 local pros.

• Best for: contractors who want to choose lead types and cap spending.
• Watch out for: you may be one of several pros calling the same homeowner, so call back fast and narrow your settings to the jobs you actually want.

4. Thumbtack

Thumbtack is free to join, with no subscription. Customers find you in search and message you about their project, and in some areas you can claim jobs that already have a set price. You set your lead budget, which decides how many leads you get.

• Best for: smaller jobs, and newer businesses building reviews.
• Watch out for: it’s a marketplace, so the customer is comparing you with other pros on the same screen.

5. Modernize

Modernize focuses on larger home improvement projects. Each lead is priced by its expected value, and you set the most you’ll pay. Programs are built around your annual revenue. Its FAQ tells homeowners they’ll be matched with up to 4 pros.

• Best for: remodelers, roofers, and window and siding companies selling bigger tickets.
• Watch out for: larger projects mean longer sales cycles, so judge it over months, not weeks.

6. Yelp Ads

Yelp Ads put your business higher on Yelp on a daily budget, from as little as $5 a day on average, with Yelp Ads plans from $150 a month. You can cancel anytime. You pay for the ad, not for each lead.

• Best for: trades where homeowners already read Yelp reviews before hiring.
• Watch out for: you pay whether or not anyone contacts you, so track calls and messages from Yelp.

Pay per lead or own your leads? Do the math

Cost per lead doesn’t tell you much. Cost per booked job does. Here’s a worked example with made-up numbers. Swap in your own.

• Paying per lead: you buy 40 leads at $60 each, which is $2,400. You book 1 in 8, so 5 jobs. That’s $480 per booked job, every month you keep buying.
• Owning your leads: you spend $1,000 a month on your website and local SEO. In the first months it may bring few calls. Once you show up in Google’s map results, say it brings 15 calls a month and you book 1 in 3, so 5 jobs. That’s $200 per booked job, and the calls don’t stop the day you stop paying.

The catch is time. Paid leads start this week, and owned leads take months to build. Many contractors do both: pay for leads now while they build their own. If more leads would swamp your office, read how to scale without breaking your front office.

Our Local SEO ROI Calculator runs these numbers for your trade.

How to judge any lead service

• Track booked jobs and revenue, not calls. A cheap lead you never close costs more than a pricey one you do.
• Call back in minutes. On any service where the customer compares pros, the first to call often gets the job.
• Check the refund or credit rules before you sign up. Know which leads you can dispute and how.
• Read the contract. Look for minimum terms, setup fees and how to cancel.
• Ask happy customers for reviews. Reviews on your own Google profile keep working after the job. See the review golden window.

A free way to get leads you own

Our Find A Contractor directory lists over 100,000 home service businesses. Owners can claim their profile for free, and once it’s claimed, quote requests from homeowners go straight to the owner by email. There’s no per-lead fee. Find A Contractor is run by Demand & Convert.

Where Demand & Convert fits

We’re a marketing agency for home service businesses, so we’re not a lead service and we didn’t rank ourselves above. We build the “own your leads” side: Local SEO and a website built to get calls. We work with 1 contractor per trade per area, and new clients get a free lead gen website and a 60-day free trial of Local SEO. Plans run $499 to $1,500 a month, with any ad spend separate. Check if your area is open.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the biggest problem with most lead generation services?

Shared leads. When the same homeowner request goes to several contractors, you end up competing on speed and price.

Should I use lead services or invest in my own marketing?

Many contractors do both. Paid leads fill the schedule now, while your own website, Google Business Profile and local SEO build leads you don’t pay for one at a time.

How do I know if a lead service is actually working?

Track booked jobs and revenue, not just calls. If you get leads but don’t close profitable work, look at lead quality and how fast you call back.

How do Google Local Services Ads charge?

You pay per lead, when a customer calls or messages you from the ad, not per click. Google doesn’t charge for leads it judges invalid and may credit some charged leads later, but not leads for job types or areas you don’t serve.