56 Thumbtack Competitors: Alternative Software, Apps & Websites

Generating organic leads on your own contractor business website can be a complicated and lengthy process to master, so many businesses turn to online marketplaces and apps to get paid leads. Many commercial and home services companies seek that increased visibility through Thumbtack.

Most apps operating as marketplaces for home and commercial services will attract lots of messages from potential customers but don’t often turn into real leads,some contractors say, yet they are charged for them anyway. This is either because the customer was just starting their project planning, or the same lead was shared with other top competitors, who closed a deal with the customer first. As a result, many contractors look for Thumbtack competitors.

At ServiceTitan, we’ve helped thousands of home service and other contractor companies to increase their revenues, generate job leads, and improve their marketing ROI.

To help you do that for your own contractor business, this article covers:

• What is Thumbtack and how does it work?

• How ServiceTitan helps you book more real jobs

• 55 Thumbtack alternatives

ServiceTitan’s comprehensive service business software includes features to help contractor businesses with marketing and lead generation, including how it works alongside Google ads, provides tools to track the success of your email marketing campaigns, and more.

Specifically, we’ll give you details about how ServiceTitan:

• Gives you tools to measure your marketing

• Automates call booking, scheduling, and appointment management

• Manages and tracks the results of email marketing campaigns

• Helps you create direct mail campaigns and monitor ROI 

ServiceTitan is an all-in-one software solution for contractors to manage and grow their business, including tools for marketing and lead generation. If you want to find out more, book a free personalized demo.

What Is Thumbtack and How Does It Work?

Thumbtack is an app and one of the biggest players in a changing technological landscape made up of apps, web pages, local directories, and review sites.

Thumbtack works by providing job leads to service providers and gives them two options for generating leads:

1. Potential customers can search through the app and then reach out to service providers via their profile. Contractors are automatically charged for these “leads” even if they don’t result in a sale.

2. Customers submit a project (known as an “opportunity”) to the app and, for a fee, contractors have the option to submit a quote for the work. This puts them in competition to secure the lead, but they are out of luck if they are not the winning bid.

There are more than 1,100 different Thumbtack services listed, including HVAC, electrical and plumbing services, but also a huge range of others in different segments and industries, including both residential and commercial. Many of the services listed are simple handyman jobs rather than work that requires a highly qualified professional contractor. The company website says it gets more than 30,000 leads per day from consumers using the free search.

Overall, Thumbtack’s cost per lead can vary depending on a number of factors, so you never know exactly how much a lead is costing you when a customer messages you directly. Opportunities, on the other hand, show the prices upfront and you will only be charged if the customer responds to you (although they can respond to as many of the quotes as they want before making their final selection).

Reviews of Thumbtack from contractors vary wildly, so it takes some work to figure out whether it’s  worth the cost for your business. Customers need to do their own vetting of contractors and carefully check reviews from previous customers. And it’s worth considering alternatives to Thumbtack.

There are an increasing number of options available for customers to find and compare local services, and the volume has left some contractors lagging behind, while others grasp new opportunities—some of which might be better than Thumbtack—to promote their companies online.

We’ll look at those alternatives below, but first, we’ll take a look at how ServiceTitan’s features help you generate leads and make the most of your marketing dollars.

How ServiceTitan Helps You Book More Real Jobs

Thousands of commercial and home service companies use ServiceTitan to run their entire business. Tools included in our contractor business software include business operations, reporting, payroll, invoicing, and accounting, as well as features to help you manage marketing and lead generation.

For marketing purposes, ServiceTitan helps your business:

• Measure marketing results: You can keep an eye on whether Thumbtack, or a Thumbtack competitor, is bringing in real leads that results in real income. This allows you to double down on what is working and improve on, or cancel, what’s not.

• Improve call booking processes: Guide your customer service reps (CSRs) to book more jobs, wherever the leads come from.

• Schedule appointments and manage them efficiently: Identify the right technicians for every job, and send job status notifications and reminders to customers to reduce no-show rates and wasted journeys.

• Use email marketing to drive repeat business: Leverage your current customer base to get more business and boost referrals.

• Use direct mail campaigns to attract new customers: Focus on a specific target audience to send postcards and flyers promoting your services.

Track Your Marketing Performance with ServiceTitan

To keep ahead of your competitors, it’s extremely useful to track your marketing and advertising efforts to know which are reaping rewards. By identifying the ads and campaigns that are performing best, you can make sure to invest further in what is working, and invest less in what isn’t.

One of the main issues with Thumbtack and other similar marketing apps is that it’s hard to keep track of how well each channel is performing. You may know at the end of each month how much you’ve spent on each different app you use, but how much revenue did each bring in? Where do your customer calls originate from?

ServiceTitan helps commercial and home services companies identify which calls have actually resulted in real income for the business. This is done through ServiceTitan’s Marketing Scorecard, which ranks every marketing campaign by revenue. You can see exactly which of your advertising and marketing campaigns are performing best, and make informed decisions about where to channel your advertising budget.

With ServiceTitan, you can assign a specific phone number to every ad campaign you create. This gives you a way of measuring and tracking the exact number of calls that are made to your business as a result of each ad. From there, you can also track the precise ROI of each ad.

ServiceTitan also lets you measure Google Ads’ performance with our add-on product Marketing Pro. By integrating your Google Ads and Google Analytics into ServiceTitan and setting up Dynamic Call Tracking, it’s easy to measure which ad led to each call and avoid spending money on the wrong ads. 

Set Up a System for Call Booking, Scheduling, and Dispatching

Leads turn into real jobs with ServiceTitan because our call booking, scheduling, and dispatch features help your customer service reps turn calls into actual sales and provide great customer service on the way.

ServiceTitan’s Call Booking Tools

To take full advantage of calls that come in, it’s imperative to turn them into booked jobs that generate income. A disorganized, ad hoc approach to call taking will affect conversions. 

The solution is to set up a consistent and repeatable booking process that helps CSRs to ask the right questions, take down all the required job details, and provide an excellent customer experience. ServiceTitan’s call booking software helps your reps do all this and more.

As soon as your CSR picks up a call, they know if it’s a repeat customer calling. If it is, ServiceTitan shows them the customer’s name, even before they pick up the call. They can then greet the customer by name, which immediately creates a great impression.

We give your CSRs a drop-down menu of prompts to ask the customer the right questions, so they can gather all the information needed for techs to do the job correctly. CSRs can also note property information, including the age and size of the property, which gives techs important information about the scheduled work.

Streamline Scheduling with ServiceTitan

Our scheduling and customer experience software sends customers a range of automatic alerts and notifications to keep them updated about the status of their appointment. These notifications include:

• Appointment reminders

• Alerts that the tech is driving to the address

• Requests for a Google review after the job is finished

Dispatching with ServiceTitan

When dispatching, it’s important to send out the right tech, with the right skills, for every job. Using ServiceTitan’s dispatch software makes it possible for dispatchers to see at a glance which techs are available for jobs along with their skill set, so they can assign the best possible professional to do the work.

Email Marketing with ServiceTitan’s Marketing Pro

As your business grows, you build up a database of customers that have used your services. These are people who have the type of equipment and systems that you service, and are an excellent asset to find repeat business. Maintenance visits, for example, can be a source of recurring revenue you can count on. If they are happy with your services, these customers will also recommend you to friends and family.

Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to re-engage and stay top of mind with these past customers, so when they need work, they’ll turn to your company instead of competitors. Repeat business is also cheaper to secure than new leads through apps like Thumbtack.

Using Marketing Pro, ServiceTitan’s add-on solution is designed to make it easy for commercial and home service companies to manage their email marketing. 

You can focus on a specific existing customer profile for each of your email campaigns. You can also filter your customer database for anyone who has had their air conditioning repaired in the last year, for example, send a group email suggesting a maintenance visit before summer kicks in, and add a phone number to call to book the job. 

Targeted emails are more effective than bulk emails to everyone in your customer base because they focus on the customers who are most likely to need the work.

To simplify your email marketing even more, we give you a range of templates you can use to make your email eye-catching, professional, and engaging. You just input your business’s information and send the email to your target customers.

Similarly to advertising campaigns, you can also track the ROI of your email marketing campaigns with ServiceTitan.

Design and Automate Direct Mail Campaigns with Marketing Pro

Beyond email marketing, Marketing Pro also gives you tools to manage and automate direct mail campaigns because postcards and flyers are still a proven strategy to attract homeowners. 

To set up a direct mail campaign, you need to:

1. Select your target customer profile: As with email marketing, you can use filters within your database to select a specific list of customers you want to target. Perhaps you want to remind homeowners with old furnaces that it’s time to check their heating systems. Send them a postcard suggesting an inspection and offering finance for replacement.

2. Upload one of our ready-made range of postcards. 

3. Print as many as you need and send by mail.

4. Monitor the return on investment of each direct mail campaign.

55 Thumbtack Alternatives to Consider

Below, we’ve listed 55 Thumbtack competitors, including online marketplaces, apps, and listings websites in alphabetical order.

1800Remodel

1800Remodel.com vets contractors for home remodel projects so customers can be confident that their home improvement experts have a solid history of quality work. This Thumbtack alternative allows contractors to bid on projects with prequalification approval from 1800Remodel. HVAC, solar, flooring, kitchens, bathrooms, this app is a total home renovation one-stop-shop.  

24/7 Handyman App

A free option that is like Thumbtack, this app connects handyman service providers with local customers. Handyman services aren’t the only contractors listed on the platform. Electrical, outdoor services, home maintenance, plumbing, and many other services are available to search in the 24/7 Handyman App. 

Adopt-A-Contractor

The Adopt-A-Contractor website, like Thumbtack, matches customer requests for work with local contractors. Through this Thumbtack alternative, businesses are paired with prospective customers and provide quotes on projects like: landscaping, solar, electrical, plumbing, locksmith, pool cleaning, garage door repair, and installation. 

Amazon Home Services

Amazon is now offering home services as one of their membership perks. Customers can search for and schedule home services directly through their Amazon account. The card customers have on file with Amazon is charged once services are completed. 

Angi Leads

Angi Leads, which is the result of a merger of HomeAdvisor Pro and Angi (previously Angie’s List), has been around since 1995 and was previously a subscription-based service. The list is now available for free and offers paid memberships as well. This app and desktop-friendly Thumbtack competitor features a background check and licensure screenings for contractors. Landscaping, chimney sweeping, garage door repair, and many other services are featured on the site. 

Angi boasts that it has real reviews by real customers and offers consumer insights into a variety of industries for small one-off projects and scaling up to full remodels. 

ServiceTitan now integrates with Angi Leads. Customers browsing Angi Leads for a service contractor can make instant bookings, right from the Angi Leads platform when the chosen contractor uses ServiceTitan. This makes getting real leads directly from Angi much easier and makes customers more likely to select you above competing contractors using the same marketplace.

Bark

It sounds like it’s a site designed to be pet-centric, but in addition to finding pet sitters and other animal-related services, Bark also helps users find plumbers, HVAC installers, wedding photographers, and much more. 

BidWilly

This website targets property management companies, using customer reviews to help commercial users and HOAs find maintenance professionals who are right for their needs. Contractors create profiles on BidWilly to highlight their services, then customers browse for prospective landscapers, painters, and more.

Bloomchase

This interesting website has taken an approach that offers services that they’re calling “life improvements”. These improvements range from counseling services to home remodels. Bloomchase is available in both the U.S. and Canada. 

BuildZoom

BuildZoom has customers fill out a survey about their remodel needs and matches them with a contractor. The Thumbtack competitor can help customers with new builds, remodels, and additions. Commercial and residential projects can be booked through the platform. 

Citysearch

Users turn to Citysearch for reviews from their neighbors for local services, restaurants, shopping, and much more. The website, like Thumbtack, offers customers up-to-date reviews across a variety of industries. 

Consumers' Checkbook

While Consumers’ Checkbook is offered only in some metro areas currently, it has reviews of just about every industry under the sun. This paid-membership platform offers tiered account options for consumers. The main areas of operation for Consumers’ Checkbook are the San Francisco Bay and in some regions of Washington state.  

Craigslist

Good ol’ craigslist. This site lists just about everything that any major metro area has to offer. Unlike Thumbtack, it won’t provide any of the customer insights that are featured on the review-focused sites, but this tried-and-true method for advertising services locally likely isn’t going away.  

eLocal.com 

Potential customers can search for and get quotes from professionals in a wide range of fields. eLocal.com has a catalog of businesses that offer legal, plumbing, landscaping, painting, and many other local services. Neighborhood-specific search options are available. 

Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace could be considered craigslist 2.0. The online community marketplace connects local businesses and residents. Members looking to sell a bicycle or buy a used crockpot are mixed in with members who are trying to find a neighborhood plumber. 

Foursquare

Foursquare has been on the scene for more than a decade and offers city guides for a cornucopia of services. Known for nudging consumers to check in at local businesses, the location technology platform provides users with customer tips and an interactive map while delivering search results. 

Gentask Pro

Gentask Pro allows local contractors to match up with clients who are in need of professional service providers. The app is designed to help connect skilled professionals with local customers. This product is currently offered only on Google Play.

Google Local Services

Google has its hand in everything, so it’s no surprise that it’s also helping local businesses promote their services through Google Local Services. You’ll first have to become a Google Guaranteed Provider, but the payoff can be worth the extra step. Potential customers can click-to-call or send direct messages through the Google ads that target your desired local audience. 

As we noted above, ServiceTitan integrates with Google Local Services. Contractors using ServiceTitan can receive instant bookings directly via Google Local Services from potential customers (which is one step further than a lead). 

Groupon

This site is known for being the leader in online local bargain shopping. Not all Groupon offers are strictly local anymore, but local service providers are still a staple on the site. Plumbing, landscaping, pool cleaning, electricians, and a host of other services are listed on the site. Groupon has long been a consumer favorite for rock bottom pricing and abundant customer reviews for perusing. 

Handy

This app-based option features some modern conveniences that give it an advantage over some desktop-based competitors. Handy can manage a customer’s home maintenance schedule (i.e. weekly pool cleanings or lawncare). The app allows for online tipping and has recently expanded to offer a database of contractors for home renovations. 

HOMEE

The HOMEE app boasts that most of its professionals are ready to start a project for customers within 30 minutes. This app lets users define their job and add notes and photos to share with prospective contractors. 

Homeflock

Homeflock helps connect customers to contractors who are a good fit by sharing previous project descriptions and providing information on those who have completed work in the area recently.

HomeServe

This service offers plans similar to insurance coverage on specified parts of a home. HomeServe customers can opt for electrical, heating and cooling, plumbing, and combination plans to cover the cost of emergency repairs. 

HomeStars

While HomeStars is available only in Canada currently, the site helps find qualified service pros in a variety of fields. 

Houzz

Houzz is a one-stop-shop for homeowners tackling around-the-house projects, redecorating, or remodeling. This site offers mobile options, lead management tools for Houzz pros, software solutions for contractors, and much more. 

Improvenet

This site is powered by CraftJack and features over 40 searchable categories for homeowners. Improvenet connects home services professionals with quality leads for a monthly fee. Contractors create profiles and get alerts on new leads, shared with up to four competing contractors at a time. 

Insider Pages

Local professionals in metropolitan areas connect with prospective clients through this Thumbtack alternative. Insider Pages has user reviews of home services contractors and features a secondary section for finding local medical professionals. 

Jiffy

Jiffy offers a booking service site for home maintenance projects. The site is free for contractors up front. Instead of membership services, the app takes a small percentage of each project that contractors book through the site. 

Jobonji

This app offers flexible options for contractors who prefer small projects or daily gigs. Users sign up and negotiate their own terms with customers. “On-demand work” is how jobonji has described its mobile platform. 

Judy's Book

Judy’s Book is an online directory for businesses to reach new audiences. This site doesn’t have the bells and whistles of some of the other Thumbtack alternatives, but that doesn’t mean that a lead can’t be generated. There is a cost for contractors to be listed on the site, but tiered options are available. 

LawnStarter

This online landscape booking platform boasts that becoming a pro can increase your business by 30%. The service is free for contractors to use, but charges a fee from each project. LawnStarter is much like the Uber of lawn mowing services, so you’ll need your own equipment and transportation to job sites. 

Lead Genesis

Lead Genesis is a paid solar customer acquisition site that offers contractors different levels of exclusivity when it comes to lead generation. Non-exclusive leads are shared with up to four installers, while exclusive leads are matched specifically to one installation expert. 

Local.com

Similar to an online phone book of sorts, Local.com  listings highlight all local businesses. Business owners can claim their business and input additional information into their listing. Featured listings and sponsored listings are available for businesses that wish to be featured at the top of search results on this Thumbtack competitor. 

Lula

Lula targets property managers, real estate investors, and private homeowners alike. This Thumbtack alternative doesn’t charge service providers for leads, but it does take a fee out of each completed project. Pool maintenance, HVAC, plumbing, lawn care, and any other home or community-related service can be found on Lula. 

Manta

Manta’s platform connects small businesses with local residents. This is another catchall site that lists everything from doctors to wedding singers. Tiered pricing is available to be a featured listing, but you can claim your business for free and be included in search results organically. 

MerchantCircle

MerchantCircle allows potential customers to search and review local businesses in almost any category. Set up to offer marketing services to merchants, this site is a hybrid between consumer search engine and contractor marketing agency. 

Modernize

This website focuses primarily on windows, roofing, HVAC, and solar lead generation. Modernize matches homeowners with contractors based on project size, location, cost, etc. Leads are generated through organic Google search results, display advertising, social media targeting, and paid search ads. 

MüvzU

Despite the name, MüvzU isn’t designed only to  connect movers and potential clients. Almost any home repair related service can be found on the site. This handy service lets contractors sign up for free. Photos and reviews of previous work can be submitted, and paid options to increase visibility are available. 

NeedTo.com

To change things up a bit ,NeedTo.com lets contractors search for work based on keywords, distance, or recency of the posted work requests. This free Thumbtack alternative shows budgets, payment types, and more. 

Networx

Networx has something for everyone. Electrical, heating and cooling, plumbing, landscaping, pool maintenance, it’s all searchable on Networx. Connect with homeowners through real time text and email updates during the bidding process, build a custom profile, and list your business for potential customers to find on the website.  

Nextdoor

Touted as a neighborhood hub, Nextdoor helps connect businesses to customers on a micro level. Finding clients in your neighborhood has the added benefit of word-of-mouth reviews. Business pages, online reviews, coupons, geo-targeted campaigns, and many other options are available for purchase. 

Porch

Porch is known for helping customers with moving, improving, and pre-sale/purchase home projects. Custom profiles, specific work preferences, payment methods, and other options are available for contractors on the Porch platform. Leads are vetted and generated from partnerships with Lowe’s, Walmart, Liberty Mutual, Consumer Reports, Facebook, and more.

Pro Referral - by Home Depot

Home Depot is offering Pro Referral options for a variety of contractor services. The referral program is free for contractors to join and includes discounts on purchases made at Home Depot. 

Pro.com

Pro.com offers homeowners options on contractors for new homes and remodeling projects. This site pairs local subcontractors with potential customers in a plethora of construction-related industries. Pro.com will send contractors requests for proposals (RFPs) and contractors can bid on projects that are specific to their skills. 

ServiceWhale

Simplifying home improvement shopping is ServiceWhale’s main objective. Free leads, a cost per acquisition business model and instant automatic quoting are a few of the vendor benefits of joining ServiceWhale. 

Staffy

This site is more focused on hospitality staffing. A gig-economy take on restaurant staffing is the premise for the Staffy app. 

Super

Super is another hyper-specific, insurance-type membership platform that provides customers with service coverage in the event of an emergency. Instead of paying out of pocket for big unexpected expenses, members pay a monthly fee to maintain the policy. For services not covered in the policies, Super takes a fee out of each project. 

Sweeten

Sweeten is definitely a sugary deal for contractors looking for large projects. The minimum budget for renovation projects listed on the site is $15,000. At this time, this Thumbtack competitor is available only in specific metro markets. 

Takl

The Takl app offers potential customers fast and easy access to local lawn care experts, handyman services, cleaning, and much more. Takl+ is the latest addition to Takl and features listings for services such as plumbers, electricians, and construction. Takl+ is still in beta; due to Covid-19, Takl has suspended operations as of this publication.  

Talk Local

Potential customers use Talk Local to search for service providers in a myriad of categories that include home improvement, tutoring, and physical therapy. The site connects customers with contractors quickly to fulfill service requests. Advertising, pay-per-conversation pricing, and other options are available for contractors. 

TaskRabbit

TaskRabbit is geared more toward freelance labor options than large-scale construction bids. Handyman, yard work help, and furniture assembly are some of the more popular categories on the site. Customers are charged a percentage of the task fee and taskers (contractors) collect their full rate. 

The Home Fixers

Lead verification and no sign-up fees are some of the perks that contractors receive when they join The Home Fixers, a site that connects contractors with potential clients.

Troolr

Troolr matches customers with professionals to help with home, lifestyle, and other tasks based on client needs and contractor skills. Monthly membership fees for contractors offer options for images, social media linking, and business hours listing. A 14-day free trial is available. 

Yahoo Local

Yahoo Local offers tiered options for paid search and free listings for contractors. The search engine algorithms that power Yahoo are used to match contractors with homeowners. Analytics and other high-tech gadgetry are available with membership.

Yellow Pages

The Yellow Pages have gone digital. This old standby is not your grandma’s search directory anymore. A free option similar to Thumbtack, YP offers business options to help scan their online listings for errors at no cost. Paid options such as video production are among featured products for contractors. 

Yelp

The ultimate local’s review guide for dining is also helpful for home renovations and repair service provider comparisons. Yelp has detailed reviews from users and offers paid advertising options for businesses to increase exposure. Basic business listings are free.

Want to discover how ServiceTitan can help you make the most of the leads you generate, whichevers channel they come from? Book a free demo now to find out more.