Thumbtack charges you credits just to send a quote — and sends the same job request to five other contractors at the same time. LeadSeeker.com routes one lead to one contractor. You don't bid. You just call.
Claim your first lead freeThe credit-for-quote model looks cheap until you calculate how many quotes it takes to win one job.
| Feature | Thumbtack | LeadSeeker |
|---|---|---|
| Lead exclusivity | Non-exclusive — same job shown to 5+ contractors simultaneously SHARED | 100% exclusive — one contractor receives each lead EXCLUSIVE |
| Business model | Pay credits to send a quote — whether the homeowner responds or not PAY TO BID | Pay per lead delivered — homeowner is actively waiting for your call PAY PER LEAD |
| Pricing transparency | Credit cost varies by job type and market; credit packs expire; cost unclear until you've already spent OPAQUE | $50/lead, $500/10-pack, $1k/mo unlimited. No surprises. FLAT PRICING |
| Lead quality filtering | No disclosed AI scoring; contractors commonly report browsing/window-shopping requests costing credits | Every lead AI-scored before delivery. Below 40 = quarantined, never charged. AI-SCORED |
| Ghosted quote protection | Homeowner can ignore all quotes — you've already paid. No refund for unanswered bids. | Lead delivered only when homeowner has actively submitted a request. Dispute bad leads for instant credit. |
| Dispute / refund policy | Limited credit refunds available; criteria unclear; frequently denied for "valid" leads regardless of outcome | One-click dispute; auto-approved if AI score <60 AUTO-APPROVE |
| Contract terms | Credit packs expire (typically 6 months); subscription tiers available; auto-renewal common | No contract. Cancel any time. Unused credits on 10-packs don't expire. |
| Effective cost to win a job | With 15–25% quote-to-win rates and shared leads, effective cost is often $150–$400+ per won job | Exclusive, pre-verified lead at $50. Higher win rate due to no competition. |
Sourced from Reddit r/Contractor, BBB, and Trustpilot. Verbatim. Public record.
I spent 20 credits sending quotes on 20 jobs. Got responses on 5. Closed 1. The math doesn't work when you pay to bid whether they respond or not.
— Reddit r/Contractor, pressure washing contractor, 2024The "instant match" feature just automatically uses your credits without confirming. I woke up to 12 credits spent on jobs I never even saw. Customer support gave me back 3.
— Trustpilot, landscaping contractor, 2024Thumbtack's whole model is: they get paid if you bid, regardless of whether you win. So there's zero incentive on their end to send you fewer, better leads. More bidding = more revenue for them.
— Reddit r/smallbusiness, pool contractor, 2023I sent a quote to a job, homeowner already hired someone and forgot to close the listing. Thumbtack still charged my credits. "The lead was valid" they said. Valid but pointless.
— BBB Complaint, general contractor, 2024Six contractors showed up to quote the same deck job. The homeowner told me when I called. She was overwhelmed and ended up not doing the project at all. Six of us paid. None of us won.
— Reddit r/Entrepreneur, deck/fencing contractor, 2023Thumbtack shows your profile to homeowners who browse and submit quote requests — then charges you credits to respond, regardless of whether you win or even get a reply. LeadSeeker.com is the inverse: homeowners submit requests to LeadSeeker.com, and we route them directly to one contractor in their city and service category. You receive the lead and make the call. You don't bid against five others for it.
No. LeadSeeker.com uses flat pricing: $50 per lead, or $500 for 10, or $1,000/month for unlimited leads. No credit packs, no expiration, no surprise charges. The 10-pack credits don't expire if you don't use them all in a month.
Open a dispute from your contractor portal. If the AI quality score is below 60, it's auto-approved and your credit is restored same day. No waiting, no phone call to support, no criteria guessing.
Yes. There's no exclusivity clause on your end. Many contractors use LeadSeeker.com for high-quality exclusive inbound leads while keeping a Thumbtack profile active. Most find they shift budget toward LeadSeeker.com over time as the math becomes obvious.
New contractors can claim one free AI-verified lead — no credit card required. You'll see the lead score (must be ≥70 to qualify for the free tier), the homeowner's service request, and how our routing works. After that, you can choose any paid plan or come back when you're ready. Start the free trial here.
One exclusive lead, delivered directly to you. Claim the first one free — no credit card, no contract.
Claim your first lead freeNo credit card required. Takes 60 seconds. Or see full pricing →