Is Thumbtack or Angi Worth It? Contractor Lead Cost Calculator (Free)

Industry Benchmarks & Presets

Click a trade to prefill standard ticket sizes & lead fees:

Platform Performance Inputs

Monthly Platform Spend ($)

$

Total spend on Thumbtack, Angi, Google LSA, etc. in a month.

Total Leads Purchased

Junk / Ghost Leads

Leads that never responded, wrong numbers, out of service area, or bots.

Booked / Won Jobs Number of paying jobs closed from this batch of leads.

Avg. Ticket Revenue ($)

$

Gross Margin (%)

%

Margin after direct labor, subcontractor, and materials costs.

True Lead Cost & Net ROI

Profitable

Effective Cost Per Booked Job (CPBJ)

$266.67

Platform Spend ($800) / 3 Booked Jobs

Cost Per Total Lead $40.00

Ghost / Junk Rate 60.0%

Total Gross Profit $1,800.00

              Net Lead Profit
              $1,000.00
            

              Marketing ROI
              125.0%
            

You paid $266.67 for every job you booked.

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Formulas & Math Verification

Cost Per Lead: Spend / Total Leads → $800 / 20 = $40.00
Ghost Loss Tally: Junk Leads × Cost Per Lead → 12 × $40.00 = $480.00 wasted on ghosts
Effective CPBJ: Total Spend / Booked Jobs → $800 / 3 = $266.67 per booked customer
Gross Profit: Booked Jobs × Avg Ticket × Margin → 3 × $1,200 × 50% = $1,800.00
Net Lead Profit: Gross Profit − Platform Spend → $1,800.00 − $800.00 = $1,000.00
Marketing ROI: (Net Lead Profit / Platform Spend) × 100 → ($1,000.00 / $800.00) × 100 = 125.0%

Break-Even Win Rate Calculator

Know exactly what percentage of purchased leads you MUST close to avoid losing money.

Average Lead Cost ($)

$

What you pay the platform per lead notification.

Average Gross Profit Per Job ($)

$

Ticket price minus direct materials & labor costs.

Required Close Rate to Break Even

20.0%

Must close at least 1 in 5 leads to break even.

Formula: Lead Cost ($50.00) ÷ Job Profit ($250.00) = 20.0% required win rate. At this rate, Net Lead Profit is exactly $0.00.

Interactive Local Lead Ledger

Track individual leads offline. Data stays in your browser (LocalStorage).

Total Logged Leads 0

Total Spend $0.00

Booked Jobs 0

Ghost Leads 0

Direct Ghost Loss $0.00

Date	Platform	Lead Fee	Status	Calculated Loss	Action

No leads logged yet. Add your recent lead purchases above or click "Pre-fill Demo Leads" to test.

How Contractors Stop Bleeding Cash on Lead Platforms

1. Stop Tracking "Cost Per Lead"

Platforms advertise $30 or $50 leads. But if 4 out of 5 never pick up the phone, your true Cost Per Booked Job is actually $250. Always measure CPBJ against your average gross margin.

2. Set a Strict Ghost Budget Limit

If your ghost/unresponsive rate climbs above 60%, check the platform's credit policy and request credits for invalid leads. Use this tool's CSV export to document every ghost lead date and fee.

3. Respect the Break-Even Win Rate

If you net $250 profit on a job and leads cost $50, closing anything under 20% means you are working for free. When lead fees spike, quote higher tickets to maintain solvency.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Thumbtack worth it for contractors?

It depends entirely on your trade, local market competition, and your true close rate. While lead platform fees (often $20 to $100+ depending on trade scope and location) can produce new clients quickly, unbilled travel, unresponsive leads, and multiple contractors competing for the same inquiry dilute returns. Contractors who track their effective Cost Per Booked Job (CPBJ) rather than the nominal fee per lead can determine whether net margins remain healthy.

Is Angi worth it for contractors?

Angi connects service professionals with homeowners searching for trade work, but lead costs and fee structures vary widely by region, trade category, and contract type. For high-ticket jobs like roofing, remodeling, or HVAC replacements, even a modest close rate can generate positive net ROI. For smaller handyman or service calls, lead fees can represent a significant percentage of total gross profit if ghost rates are high. Tracking your actual close rate helps you evaluate platform profitability objectively.

What is a good cost per booked job?

There is no single right number. A useful check is to compare it with the gross profit you make on a typical job: the smaller a share of that profit it takes, the healthier the platform is for you. For instance, if your average job brings in $1,000 revenue with a 50% margin ($500 gross profit), spending $100 to win that customer still leaves $400, while spending $450 leaves almost nothing. If your CPBJ approaches or exceeds your gross profit, lead platforms are eroding your earnings.

How do I lower my lead costs?

First, tighten targeting settings to exclude jobs outside your core service radius or specialty. Second, respond quickly; shared leads often go to whoever reaches the homeowner first. Third, request credits promptly for invalid or duplicate contacts according to platform policies. Finally, build owned customer acquisition channels such as a dedicated business website, Google Business Profile reviews, and referral programs so you are not solely reliant on pay-per-lead marketplaces.

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