WrenchCallsAngi vs Thumbtack vs running your own Google Ads
Last updated July 30, 2026
Should a plumber use Angi, Thumbtack, or run their own Google Ads?
Angi and Thumbtack sell you shared leads that start immediately and stop the day you stop paying. Your own Google Search ads produce exclusive leads — usually a higher headline price per lead, usually a lower cost per booked job — but take about two weeks to stabilize and need someone to run them. If you need calls this week, use a marketplace. If you want a channel you own in six months, run your own ads. Most shops that can afford both run both and measure each separately.
Side by side
| Angi | Thumbtack | Your own Google Ads | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical cost per lead | $40–$85 for plumbing | $30–$65 for plumbing repair, up to $95 | $75–$183 depending on source |
| Lead exclusive to you | No — three to eight contractors | No — roughly four or five pros | Yes |
| Time to first call | Days | Days | Days, ~2 weeks to steady volume |
| Contract | Typically 12 months | No long-term contract | None |
| Other fees | ~$300/yr membership; a ~$400/mo minimum is reported but weakly sourced | You set a budget; no membership fee reported | Management fee if you hire someone |
| Who owns the customer relationship | The platform | The platform | You |
| What survives if you stop paying | Nothing | Nothing | Your account, history, and negative keyword list |
| Needs someone to run it | No | No | Yes |
The question that actually separates them
Not price. Ownership.
On a marketplace you are renting access to demand. The reviews accumulate on their profile, the customer relationship is mediated by their app, and the moment your card declines the flow stops with nothing left behind. That is a perfectly rational thing to rent — plenty of good businesses rent their building — as long as you know that is what you are doing.
Running your own search ads builds something. After six months you have a keyword list that knows what converts in your zip codes, a negative keyword list that knows what doesn't, conversion history that makes Google's bidding smarter, and a phone number your past customers have saved. Pause for a month and it is still there when you come back.
Marketplaces are an expense. Your own ad account is an asset. Both can be the right call — but only one of them is worth more next year than it is today.
Where each one genuinely wins
- Angi wins on immediacy and on volume in dense markets. If your trucks are idle this week, it solves this week.
- Thumbtack wins on flexibility — no long contract, no annual membership fee, and you set your own budget and can stop. Plumbing repair sits mid-table on its pricing, below HVAC, roofing and remodels, and the work skews smaller and more scheduled than emergency plumbing.
- Your own Google Search ads win on cost per booked job, on exclusivity, and on everything that compounds. They lose on speed and on effort.
- Google Local Services Ads sit slightly outside this comparison and deserve a look: exclusive leads at about $57, pay-per-lead rather than pay-per-click, but they require license and insurance verification and you compete largely on review count.
What most shops should probably do
If you have no lead flow at all, start a marketplace and start your own ads in the same week. Use the marketplace revenue to fund the ads through the two or three weeks it takes them to settle. Then measure both on cost per booked job — not cost per lead, not calls, not clicks — and let the numbers decide where the next dollar goes.
What you should not do is run one of them for a month, look at a dashboard full of impressions and clicks, and conclude that advertising doesn't work for plumbers. It works. It is just measured wrong almost everywhere.
Common questions
Is Thumbtack cheaper than Angi for plumbers?
Often, yes. Published plumbing repair leads on Thumbtack run about $30 to $65, reaching $95 at the high end, against Angi's $40 to $85 — and Thumbtack has no long-term contract. But Thumbtack shows each project to about four or five pros, so the leads are still shared.
Which produces leads fastest?
Angi and Thumbtack, within days, with no setup work. Google Search ads can also produce calls within days but need roughly two weeks before volume steadies.
Can I run all three at once?
Yes, and many shops do. The discipline that matters is measuring each one on cost per booked job separately, so you can tell which is actually paying and shift budget accordingly.
What happens to my leads if I stop paying?
On Angi and Thumbtack, the flow stops immediately and nothing carries over — the reviews and customer relationships stay on their platform. With your own Google Ads account, the account, conversion history, keyword lists and phone number remain yours.
Where these numbers come from
Cost data in home services is almost entirely published by companies selling something. We cite it anyway, because it's the best available — and we label how much each one is worth so you can weigh it yourself.
- LeadTruffle — Angi Leads cost for contractors in 2026One source, uncorroborated — directional only
Plumbing leads roughly $40–$85, against an all-trades band of $15–$85 with $100+ in the most competitive trades. Annual membership about $300. Contracts typically 12 months, with the early-cancellation penalty stated as 30–35% OF THE REMAINING CONTRACT VALUE, and 60 days notice. Its 'roughly $400/month minimum' figure comes from a quoted contractor forum post, not a published fee schedule. Worth knowing: The Valley Marketing Group, citing LeadTruffle among others, publishes $20–$85 for plumbing rather than $40–$85 — the two disagree.
- Pipeline On — How much Thumbtack charges per leadOne source, uncorroborated — directional only
All-trades range $8–$150+, typical $25–$75. Plumbing repair specifically $30–$65, reaching $95 at the high end — mid-table, below HVAC, roofing and remodels. Each project shown to roughly four or five pros. The page states plainly that Thumbtack publishes no public price sheet, so every figure here is that publisher's estimate.
- SearchLight Digital — Plumbing Google Ads cost per lead benchmarksBased on a stated dataset
Non-branded plumbing search at $183 average cost per lead ($168 median), and plumbing Performance Max at $82. Verified against the live page 2026-07-30: $183 is the Q1 2026 plumbing figure (Jan 1 – Mar 26, 2026; 524 contractors, $14.6M spend, 95,749 leads). The $149 appearing on the same page is HVAC from the January 2026 benchmark, not a refreshed plumbing number — an earlier note in this file mixed the two up. Page last updated April 2026; re-check at the next quarterly refresh.
- PPC Chief — Average CPC and cost per lead, plumbing servicesOne source, uncorroborated — directional only
Plumbing average cost per click $8.45 (band $6.34–$11.41), average cost per lead $74.58 (band $56–$101), and a conversion rate of 11.3%.
- LocaliQ — Home Services Search Advertising BenchmarksBased on a stated dataset
Plumbing search benchmarks from LocaliQ's own managed accounts (3,211 home-services campaigns): cost per click $10.49, conversion rate 7.63%, cost per lead $129.02, click-through rate 4.97%. Three caveats the page states and we repeat: the data is titled 2025 benchmarks sampled April 2024 to March 2025, it combines Google and Microsoft Bing rather than Google alone, and its 'averages' are technically medians. The same table shows plumbing mid-table on conversion rate, behind cleaning/maid services (17.65%), window cleaning (13.58%), handyman (13.45%), pools (10.89%), painting (10.80%) and electrical (9.08%).
- SearchLight Digital — Local Services Ads cost per lead by tradeBased on a stated dataset
Plumbing Local Services Ads: $57 cost per lead, 44.5% book rate, $1,714 average ticket, 6.85x closed return on ad spend — stated as drawn from 230 accounts and $2.03M in spend. Verified against the live page 2026-07-30: all four figures match. Period is February 1–28, 2026 (888 contractors, $6.72M total LSA spend, 126,650 leads); blended all-trade CPL is $53. Note the $71 water-heater figure on this page rests on 2 accounts and the publisher flags it as not statistically robust — do not cite it.
Related
- Is Angi worth it for plumbers?An honest breakdown of what Angi costs plumbers in 2026, how the shared-lead model actually works, when it makes sense, and when it doesn't — with sources.
- What a plumbing lead actually costs in 2026Real cost-per-lead numbers for plumbers across Google Search, Local Services Ads, Angi, and Thumbtack — with sources, and with the difference between a lead and a booked job spelled out.
- Local Services Ads vs Google Search Ads for plumbersGoogle Guaranteed versus regular Search ads: what each costs, what each requires, which one appears first, and why most plumbers should run both.
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