Great idea on connecting people
Easy to work
Not recomended
No good
READ BEFORE SIGNING UP - THIS APP IS BASICALLY A SCAM
FRUSTRATED
I tried several ways to find work, including using the Direct Leads system, where customers contact professionals directly.
Unfortunately, my experience was extremely frustrating. Less than half of the people who initially expressed interest in my services actually responded to my messages. Many simply disappeared without even continuing the conversation.
What disappointed me the most was that I was charged for every single one of these leads, regardless of whether they resulted in an actual conversation or a real job opportunity. In less than 15 minutes, I was charged over $100 without receiving any positive results.
My goal was simple: find customers, discuss their projects, provide estimates, and have a fair opportunity to earn their business. Unfortunately, none of my attempts produced the results I expected.
To be completely honest, I felt deceived and financially taken advantage of. My impression is that this platform is far more interested in collecting money from professionals than in providing genuine job opportunities.
It is truly disappointing because I joined with high expectations, ready to work, invest, and build a long-term professional relationship with the platform. Instead, all I experienced was frustration, charges, and no return on my investment.
For these reasons, I have decided to stop using Thumbtack for Professionals.
I hope this review encourages other professionals to think carefully before investing their hard-earned money in this platform.
My experience was extremely negative, and I would not recommend this service to other professionals who, like me, are genuinely looking for real work opportunities.
Scum
Vary bad
Fake leads
Lawsuit pending
It’s a waste of money and time
Be very careful
Lifesaver
Fake leads
Pest
Stupid!
Update always freezes
Thumbtack changed drastically
I’ve been doing my trade professionally for 17 years, and what Thumbtack has turned into is ridiculous. They can charge $15, $20, $40, $60+ for ONE lead, while pushing that same customer toward multiple professionals. You’re basically paying for the privilege of entering a race to see who can respond the fastest and who is willing to work the cheapest.
This is not a healthy marketplace. It’s a race to the bottom.
Many of my customers have actually told me about their bad experiences using Thumbtack before hiring me. Some told me, “Yes, I got the cheapest price,” but then they ended up with poor-quality work, inexperienced people, or, in some cases, professionals they simply felt uncomfortable dealing with. They were happy when they finally found and hired me.
And this is exactly the problem with the direction Thumbtack is going.
When you build a platform where PRICE becomes one of the biggest deciding factors, eventually experienced professionals who value their work start disappearing. Someone who has spent 10, 15, or 20 years mastering a trade has a certain price for their knowledge, experience, tools, insurance, time, and quality of work. They cannot continuously compete with someone willing to charge $80 for a job that should cost several hundred dollars.
Eventually, those experienced professionals say, “Why am I paying Thumbtack for this?” and leave.
Then what are you left with?
An app dominated by whoever is willing to work the cheapest—often beginners, people desperate for work, or professionals competing almost entirely on price instead of quality.
Thumbtack should NEVER charge more than 3 professionals for the same lead. Anything beyond that is ridiculous. Imagine paying $40–$60 just to find out the customer is simultaneously shopping your job against four or five other people.
And unlike Google or Yelp, there is almost ZERO organic benefit. You can spend years collecting great reviews and building a reputation, but Thumbtack still stands between you and the customer with its hand out for another lead fee.
The third-party phone number system is another terrible decision. Stop getting between professionals and customers. Contractors need to communicate directly. We’re driving, working with tools, climbing ladders, repairing doors, and actually doing the work. We shouldn’t have to fight through Thumbtack’s system just to communicate with a customer.
Thumbtack used to be a fruitful platform. Now it feels like the entire system has been optimized to squeeze as much money as possible out of professionals while selling competition between us.
You end up running after your own tail: pay for leads, compete against multiple people, lower your price, lose leads, pay for more leads, and repeat.
Thumbtack needs to understand something very simple: if you constantly reward the cheapest price, eventually you drive away the experienced professionals.
And when the experienced professionals leave, customers lose too.
I would seriously caution any established contractor or tradesperson before putting significant money into Thumbtack. Calculate what you’re actually spending on leads versus what you’re actually making from completed jobs. The numbers may surprise you.
Thumbtack needs a complete overhaul because the professionals are the reason this platform exists in the first place.

