Fee explainer · Home services & handymanHow much does Thumbtack cost professionals?
Thumbtack takes no commission on the jobs you finish. Instead, it charges you for the leads. That is a very different setup, and it changes the maths of what a job really costs you. Here is how it works in 2026.
Pricing sourced July 2026 · Pre-launch comparison
In short
Thumbtack bills professionals per lead rather than per finished job. Prices move with the category, the metro and the estimated job value, there is no published rate card, and a lead is usually shared with several competing pros. That means a pro can end up paying for leads that never turn into work.
Thumbtack vs a flat fee, side by side
| Thumbtack | Bobby (pre-launch) | |
|---|---|---|
| Fee model | Pay per lead (charged before any job is won) | Flat fee per completed booking |
| When the pro pays | On each lead, whether or not it converts | Only when a booking happens |
| Lead exclusivity | Leads are typically shared with several pros | A booking is the customer choosing one provider |
| Cost of a job that never lands | Still charged for the lead | Nothing |
A worked example
Say you contact five prospective clients through the platform and win one job.
Thumbtack: On a pay-per-lead model you are charged for all five leads even though four never became work, so the real cost of the one job you won is the price of five leads.
Bobby (being built): Under Bobby's planned model you pay nothing to get matched and a flat $1 only when a booking actually happens, so the four that never converted cost you nothing.
A pro on Thumbtack pays every time they reach out to a prospective client or get contacted by one, whether or not that lead ever becomes paid work. An algorithm sets the price from the trade, the metro and the estimated value of the job, and with no fixed public rate card the cost per lead swings around a lot.
One request usually goes out to several pros, so the same lead gets sold more than once. Your real cost per job is the lead price divided by how often you actually win. If your win rate is low, you can buy a lot of leads for every job you land.
A pay-per-booking model flips this around. Bobby is being built so a provider pays nothing to get matched and a flat $1 only when a booking actually happens, which means leads that never convert cost nothing.