Lead-gen platforms
Best Lead-Gen Platforms for Trades Contractors (2026)
Independent reviews of 23 lead-generation platforms for HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, and other residential trades. They include pay-per-lead and pay-per-call services, shared-lead and bid marketplaces, self-serve ad platforms, and call tracking. Each review states how the platform charges and whether leads are shared, and each reputation warning cites its source: an FTC order, a settlement, a BBB complaint count or restrictive provider terms.
The short answer
The first thing to check on any lead source is whether leads are shared or exclusive, and what counts as a billable lead. Google Local Services Ads charges per exclusive lead, and Service Direct, 33 Mile Radius and eLocal sell exclusive calls. On shared marketplaces such as Thumbtack and Bark, and on the Networx Pay Per Lead plan, more than one pro can reach the same customer. Exclusive does not mean cheaper: Google Local Services Ads, 33 Mile Radius and eLocal publish no rate card and can bill for missed or voicemail calls, so track cost per booked job by source. No vendor pays for placement.
Shared vs exclusive leads
Shared means more than one business can reach the same customer: Bark's terms say up to five professionals can contact a customer on a general request, a Networx Pay Per Lead goes to up to four contractors, and Thumbtack says some customers contact more than one pro for the same job. Exclusive means one business gets the contact: Google Local Services Ads customers call, message or book you directly through your ad, and Service Direct and 33 Mile Radius route each call to one contractor. Some services sell both: eLocal says its live calls are exclusive while form leads can be shared with up to four other businesses, and Networx sells a higher-priced Exclusive Leads plan. Houzz Pro, Porch, Modernize, HomeAdvisor, Angi, Homeyou and Pro Referral do not publish how many pros receive each lead, so ask before you buy.
No reputation warning, and each lead or call goes to one business: exclusive leads (Google Local Services Ads) or pay-per-call (33 Mile Radius, Service Direct and eLocal). eLocal's live calls are exclusive, but its form leads can be shared. A lead that is yours alone is the advantage this tier marks; it is not a ranking of lead quality or cost. Google Local Services Ads, 33 Mile Radius and eLocal publish no rate card and can bill for missed or voicemail calls, so compare the pricing line on each card.
Google Local Services Ads (LSA)
Google's pay-per-lead ads at the top of Search, with a Google Verified badge for screened businesses
exclusive
Pay per valid lead (calls, messages, booking requests); Google publishes no rate card and says lead prices vary by location, job type, lead type and bidding. Moving into Google Ads as Performance Max campaigns with pay-per-lead goals in phases: select US home and storefront service advertisers (including plumbing, HVAC, electrical, roofing and pest control) from August 2026, service-area businesses without physical storefronts in late 2026, and non-US accounts and remaining categories in 2027. Manual cost-per-lead bidding is no longer supported and per-vertical Target CPAs merge into one campaign-level Target CPA; weekly budgets become daily averages.
- Pricing model
- pay per lead
- Exclusivity
- Exclusive
- Headquartered
- Mountain View, CA
- Affiliate program
- None
Best for: Licensed, insured residential service businesses (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, pest control, cleaning) with a verified Google Business Profile and someone available to answer calls and messages quickly
33 Mile Radius
Exclusive pay-per-call leads for restoration, roofing and other home service contractors, now part of EverConnect
pay per call
Flat rate per valid lead that varies by service area; prices not published (quote from sales). Billed weekly; no setup fees, monthly fees or long-term contracts
- Pricing model
- pay per call
- Exclusivity
- Exclusive
- Headquartered
- Irvine, CA
- Affiliate program
- Direct
Best for: Restoration, roofing and other home service contractors who can answer every call and want exclusive phone leads without a contract or monthly fee
Service Direct
Pay-per-call marketplace where you set your own price per exclusive call, with no setup fee or contract
pay per call
You set your price per call; vendor-published ranges: locksmiths $15-$75, appliance repair $22-$85, pest control $40-$195, electrician $55-$175, plumbing $60-$255, heating and air conditioning $65-$325, roofing $85-$550, mold removal $75-$650, water damage restoration $500-$2,250. No setup fee or term contract
- Pricing model
- pay per call
- Exclusivity
- Exclusive
- Headquartered
- Austin, TX
- Affiliate program
- None
Best for: Home service businesses (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, pest control, restoration) that want exclusive phone leads at a price they set, with no contract
eLocal
Pay-per-call lead network from Conshohocken, PA, part of HomeServe since 2019: live calls are exclusive, form leads can be shared or exclusive
pay per call
Pay only for valid calls and leads, charged against an initial deposit you set up as your budget; eLocal does not publish per-call prices. eLocal says there are no contracts, no subscriptions and no commitments. Calls that go unanswered, reach voicemail or get a busy signal still count as valid; credits are available for calls outside your service area, category or business hours.
- Pricing model
- pay per call
- Exclusivity
- Calls exclusive, form leads your choice
- Headquartered
- Conshohocken, PA
- Affiliate program
- Unknown
Best for: Residential service trades that answer the phone reliably and want exclusive live calls with no contract, alongside their other lead channels
No reputation warning, but the lead model is not exclusive leads or pay-per-call: shared-lead and bid marketplaces, commission and fee-based job platforms, self-serve ad platforms, listing services and call tracking (CallRail tracks calls from your other sources). Thumbtack, Porch, Modernize, Homeyou and EnergySage publish no rate card, and Houzz Pro, Porch, Modernize, Homeyou and Pro Referral do not say how many pros receive each lead, so confirm the price and how many pros get each lead before you spend.
CallRail
Call tracking and attribution software that shows which of your lead sources produce calls
call tracking
$50-$195/mo billed yearly ($55-$215/mo billed monthly) across four plans, each with 5 numbers and 250 minutes; extra local numbers $3 each, local minutes $0.05-$0.06
- Pricing model
- subscription
- Exclusivity
- Not a lead source
- Headquartered
- Atlanta, GA
- Affiliate program
- Direct
Best for: Service businesses paying for several lead sources at once that want to see which channels produce calls and booked jobs
Thumbtack
Local services marketplace where pros set their own price per lead and a weekly budget
shared
Pros pay for leads (customers who reach out directly), not for quotes sent. You set your own lead price per service, which is the exact amount charged per lead, and a weekly budget caps total spend; Opportunities (where the pro reaches out first) are charged only if the customer responds. Thumbtack publishes no rate card; cost varies by job type and size, pro availability and market.
- Pricing model
- pay per lead
- Exclusivity
- Shared
- Headquartered
- San Francisco, CA
- Affiliate program
- Partnerstack
Best for: Residential service pros in categories such as cleaning, handyman, appliance repair, moving and lawn care who can respond quickly and want to control lead spend with their own prices and a weekly budget
Houzz Pro
Design and project-management software for remodelers and designers, with a Houzz profile and optional paid ads for homeowner leads
directory listing
Free plan available; Design $99/mo and Pro $199/mo (1 user each, extra users $50/user/mo); Teams from $399/mo with unlimited users; Advertising Package from $499/mo; paid plans start as an annual subscription after a 30-day free trial
- Pricing model
- subscription
- Exclusivity
- Your own profile and ads
- Headquartered
- United States (remote-first)
- Affiliate program
- Shareasale
Best for: Remodelers, design-build firms, interior designers and other pros selling design-led residential projects who want project-management software and a Houzz profile in one subscription
Porch
Porch.com's pro network: homeowner project requests sold by subscription or pay-as-you-go, from a parent company now focused on home insurance
shared
Not published: Porch's pro terms say the cost to respond to a project request varies by service type and other factors; subscription or pay-as-you-go
- Pricing model
- pay per lead
- Exclusivity
- Not stated
- Headquartered
- Seattle, WA
- Affiliate program
- Unknown
Best for: Residential service pros who want to test a pay-as-you-go source of homeowner project requests and will confirm per-request prices and subscription terms in writing first
Modernize
QuinStreet's home improvement lead brand for contractors in solar, windows, roofing, HVAC, siding, bath and kitchen, and similar trades
shared
Not published: QuinStreet says it is generally paid per click, per lead or per other action; get per-lead or per-call prices in writing
- Pricing model
- pay per lead
- Exclusivity
- Not published
- Headquartered
- Austin, TX
- Affiliate program
- Unknown
Best for: Contractors selling higher-ticket replacement and remodeling work (solar, windows, roofing, HVAC, siding, bath and kitchen) who can follow up fast and track cost per sale by lead source
Homeyou
Woburn, Massachusetts home-services lead marketplace where pros pay per delivered call or lead, with no contract or monthly fee
shared
Not published: Homeyou's pro page says you pay only for calls and leads as they are delivered, set your lead price based on the volume you want, and can cap your monthly budget. It advertises no contracts and no monthly fees, and says you can pause or close your account at any time.
- Pricing model
- pay per lead
- Exclusivity
- Not published
- Headquartered
- Woburn, MA
- Affiliate program
- Unknown
Best for: Contractors who want a low-commitment, budget-capped pay-per-lead source and are willing to confirm pricing, lead sharing and credit rules with Homeyou before they start
Pro Referral (Home Depot)
Home Depot's contractor-referral service: points-based leads with no cash lead fee or commission, for background-checked, insured pros
directory listing
No cash lead fee and 0% commission: Pro Referral says it rewards your everyday and business shopping with cost-free, zero-commission leads, and its app tracks points. Joining requires a background check that Pro Referral runs for a $41.99 fee, plus proof of General Liability insurance.
- Pricing model
- loyalty points
- Exclusivity
- Not published
- Headquartered
- Dublin, CA
- Affiliate program
- None
Best for: Background-checked, insured pros who already buy materials at The Home Depot and want a supplemental, points-based lead channel with no cash lead fee
Nextdoor
Neighborhood social network with self-serve local ads: set a daily budget and target the ZIP codes around your business
display ads
No set price: you set a daily budget in Nextdoor's Ads Manager. Nextdoor says Local Deals moved from per-neighborhood pricing to daily budgets and from neighborhood targeting to ZIP codes, and that the audience you select has no impact on cost. You pick one of three goals, a radius of up to 30 miles, and a daily budget and duration, or one of three recommended starter plans that recur. Ads can be paused and resumed at any time.
- Pricing model
- daily budget
- Exclusivity
- Your own ads (not shared leads)
- Headquartered
- San Francisco, CA
- Affiliate program
- Unknown
Best for: Local trades businesses that want steady local visibility in the ZIP codes they serve and will manage an offer, ad creative and fast follow-up themselves
EnergySage
Clean-energy comparison marketplace where vetted installers quote homeowners who compare offers side by side
marketplace bid
Not published. Free for homeowners; EnergySage says installers pay a small fee to join its marketplace after it vets them, and its terms say it may receive a fee from installers for the opportunity to respond to shoppers' requests. Ask EnergySage for current installer terms.
- Pricing model
- pay per lead
- Exclusivity
- Shared
- Headquartered
- Boston, MA
- Affiliate program
- Unknown
Best for: Established solar and home-electrification installers who meet EnergySage's vetting standards and are comfortable competing on transparent quotes and fast, professional follow-up
Meta Lead Ads
Facebook and Instagram lead ads: target your service area and collect contact details through forms prefilled from people's accounts
display ads
Self-serve auction with no set price: you set a campaign budget, and Meta bills lead-generation campaigns on impressions, not per lead. Your cost per lead depends on your market, audience, budget and offer.
- Pricing model
- pay per impression
- Exclusivity
- Your own ads and forms
- Headquartered
- Menlo Park, CA
- Affiliate program
- None
Best for: Trades businesses that want lead volume, retargeting and local awareness, and have a system to follow up within minutes and screen leads
TaskRabbit
On-demand marketplace for assembly, mounting, moving and handyman tasks: built for individual Taskers, not trade companies
marketplace bid
Taskers pay a one-time, non-refundable $25 registration fee once registration is processed; TaskRabbit says it covers operational costs and that beyond it, all fees are charged to clients, not Taskers. Clients pay a Service Fee plus a Trust & Support fee on top of the Tasker's rate, each calculated as a percentage of the hourly rate. In California and Massachusetts, invoices show only a Service Fee.
- Pricing model
- client paid fees
- Exclusivity
- Clients choose you directly
- Headquartered
- San Francisco, CA
- Affiliate program
- Unknown
Best for: Individual handymen and odd-job workers who want steady small-task work (assembly, mounting, repairs, moving help) with no marketing spend
GreenPal
Lawn-care marketplace where pros bid their own prices for recurring mowing clients, for a 5% fee on each successful payment
marketplace bid
Free for homeowners. GreenPal charges vendors 5% when a customer's payment for a completed service succeeds, including tips and approved additional charges but excluding sales tax, with no signup, bidding or monthly fee. Card processing through the vendor's own Stripe account is separate (Stripe's standard US card rate is 2.9% + $0.30). Vendors set their own prices.
- Pricing model
- commission
- Exclusivity
- Competitive bids
- Headquartered
- Nashville, TN
- Affiliate program
- Unknown
Best for: Lawn-care businesses that want recurring mowing clients at their own prices and will compete on price and reviews, for a 5% fee on each successful payment plus card processing
Entries that carry a reputation warning, shown on each card: an FTC order (HomeAdvisor), a state settlement (Angi), a class-action settlement (Yelp), a BBB complaint count (Bark, Networx, BuildZoom, LawnStarter), or provider terms that restrict you (LawnStarter). Read the warning and the full review before you spend.
Yelp Ads
Cost-per-click ads in Yelp search results and on competitor pages, plus Request-a-Quote inquiries for services businesses
display ads
Budget you set: Yelp says as little as $5 a day on average; ads are priced per click through an automated auction; no term contracts for self-serve advertisers
⚠ Reputation warning
Yelp paid $15 million to settle a California class action over recording its own sales representatives' side of sales calls without notice to the people called.
- Pricing model
- pay per click
- Exclusivity
- Your own ads
- Headquartered
- San Francisco, CA
- Affiliate program
- None
Best for: Local service businesses in areas where customers search Yelp, willing to test a small self-serve daily budget and track calls and messages from each click
HomeAdvisor
Angi Inc.'s lead network for home service pros: annual membership plus per-lead fees, under a 2023 FTC order over deceptive lead marketing
shared
Annual membership plus a fee for each lead; the FTC said in January 2023 the membership was generally $287.99 a year; current lead prices are not published
⚠ Reputation warning
The FTC charged HomeAdvisor in March 2022 with deceptive marketing of the leads it sells to home service pros, and a consent order finalized in April 2023 bars those claims.
- Pricing model
- pay per lead
- Exclusivity
- Multiple pros
- Headquartered
- Denver, CO
- Affiliate program
- None
Best for: Residential pros who can answer leads immediately, cap a monthly lead budget and track cost per booked job, after reading the FTC order in its warning
Angi (formerly Angie's List)
Angi Inc.'s home services marketplace: pros pay for leads and memberships; same parent company as HomeAdvisor
shared
Membership subscriptions plus lead fees for each consumer match, owed whether or not you get the job; prices are not published on the pages we could read
⚠ Reputation warning
Angi settled with the Vermont Attorney General in October 2025 over its use of the term "Angi Certified Pro" and agreed to pay the state $100,000.
- Pricing model
- subscription
- Exclusivity
- Multiple pros
- Headquartered
- Denver, CO
- Affiliate program
- None
Best for: Pros with strong reviews who can answer requests quickly, cap a monthly lead budget and track cost per booked job, after reading the Vermont settlement in its warning
Bark
London-based services marketplace where pros spend credits to respond to customer requests, with up to five pros per request
shared
Pay per response in credits. Bark says the cost of contacting a customer depends on the service, the value of the job and supply and demand in the area, and its US pricing page does not list dollar prices. No commission and no charge for follow-up messages. Credits bought on or after 1 November 2025 are valid for 3 months; the first starter pack has a one-time Get Hired Guarantee that re-adds the credits (not cash) if it wins you no work.
⚠ Reputation warning
Bark's BBB profile, listed under an Austin, Texas address, shows no BBB accreditation.
- Pricing model
- pay per lead
- Exclusivity
- Shared
- Headquartered
- London, UK
- Affiliate program
- Unknown
Best for: Trades that want to test a general services marketplace on a small, fixed budget and can respond quickly to shared requests, while tracking cost per hired job closely
Networx
Atlanta-based home-improvement lead marketplace: shared leads to up to four contractors, or a pricier exclusive plan, paid from a prepaid budget
shared
Networx's help center says leads run about $10-$100+ each on the Pay Per Lead (shared) plan and about $15-$120+ on the Exclusive Leads plan, depending on the job type. Most accounts prepay a monthly, weekly or bi-weekly budget and each lead is deducted as it is delivered. Networx says there are no set-up fees and no contracts, though its billing article says post-pay accounts pay an activation fee. The optional Direct Calls add-on uses a weekly budget of $200-$500, billed after the week.
⚠ Reputation warning
Networx is BBB accredited, and its BBB profile lists 100 complaints closed in the last three years (checked 30 September 2026).
- Pricing model
- pay per lead
- Exclusivity
- Shared by default, exclusive plan available
- Headquartered
- Atlanta, GA
- Affiliate program
- Unknown
Best for: Contractors who want a no-contract, budget-capped source of shared or exclusive homeowner leads and will respond fast and request credits promptly
BuildZoom
Construction and remodeling marketplace built on construction data, acquired by Block Renovation in November 2025
marketplace bid
Not published on pages we could read: BuildZoom sets contractor fees in its own contractor terms, and they can depend on the project. Ask BuildZoom which fee applies to each project, how it is calculated and when it is due before you engage with the property owner.
⚠ Reputation warning
BuildZoom's BBB profile shows no BBB accreditation.
- Pricing model
- referral fee
- Exclusivity
- Matched per project
- Headquartered
- San Francisco, CA
- Affiliate program
- Unknown
Best for: Remodelers and general contractors doing larger residential or small commercial projects who will confirm every fee in writing before engaging
LawnStarter
App-based lawn-care marketplace that prices each job and offers it to providers: easy demand, but LawnStarter sets the price and keeps the customer
marketplace bid
No fee to join: LawnStarter sets each customer's price with its own software and says it keeps a small portion of the mowing price, paying providers the amount shown on each job offer by weekly Stripe deposit. Its provider agreement also lets it charge administrative or service fees, such as payment processor fees, directly or by withholding them from provider pay.
⚠ Reputation warning
Provider-side caution: LawnStarter sets each job's price, retains ownership of the customers under its provider agreement, and bars providers from soliciting or accepting business from those customers during the agreement and for one year after it ends, with a $5,000 penalty per violation.
- Pricing model
- commission
- Exclusivity
- Platform-assigned jobs
- Headquartered
- Austin, TX
- Affiliate program
- Unknown
Best for: Lawn-care providers who want easy, app-routed recurring jobs to fill capacity and accept platform-set pricing and LawnStarter's customer ownership as the trade-off
Where to start
One way to start for a residential service trade: Google Local Services Ads (exclusive, pay per lead, with a Google Verified badge after screening that Google says averages 3-4 weeks; accounts are moving into Google Ads in phases from August 2026), Service Direct (exclusive calls at a price you set, with no setup fee or term contract) and CallRail (call tracking from $50/mo billed yearly, to see which sources produce calls). Restoration and roofing contractors can also ask 33 Mile Radius for a quote (exclusive calls, billed weekly, no monthly fee or long-term contract). Before you spend with HomeAdvisor, Angi, Bark or any other entry with a warning, read the warning.
Editorial independence on lead-gen reviews
- No paid placements. Vendors cannot purchase tier positioning, featured listings, or warning removals.
- Regulatory and legal history is cited. When a platform has a public regulatory or legal record (the FTC consent order requiring HomeAdvisor to pay up to $7.2 million, Angi's October 2025 settlement with the Vermont Attorney General, Yelp's $15 million California class-action settlement), its warning cites it with dates.
- Affiliate disclosure is per platform. Each card shows whether the vendor runs an affiliate program. No Visit button on this page uses an affiliate link; each goes to the vendor's own site. Affiliate status is not an input to the tiers.
- Reputation warnings cite their sources. Each warning names the regulator, court, BBB record or vendor terms it rests on, with the date checked where it quotes a live count. Vendors cannot pay to remove or soften a warning; our methodology is published.
Missing from this list?
We list 23 lead-generation platforms today, and we know that is not all of them. If you build one and it is not here, you can submit it for editorial review. An evaluation can end with or without a listing.
Listings are free. We do not accept payment for inclusion, for placement, for a score, or to remove a documented con. We publish the cons next to the pros, so read an existing review before you decide you want one.