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VERDICT

Should I use HomeAdvisor?

Find local home repair and improvement pros - homeadvisor.com

Skip. Contractors shouldn't buy: the FTC ordered HomeAdvisor to pay up to $7.2M for deceptively marketing its leads, and reviews echo pricey, shared, price-shopper leads. Only deep-pocketed, high-volume pros with a fast sales process should even test it; homeowners can use the free cost guides but should expect spam calls.

Confidence

High. Based on 40+ public sources: FTC order, Trustpilot, BBB, ConsumerAffairs, Reddit contractor threads, and security databases.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of useno usability evidence found
  • Feature depthlead marketplace; no feature evidence found
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

Free

Homeowners

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Pros (leads)Per-lead and membership fees, varies by trade

Best for

  • Established contractors with high-ticket jobs
  • Pros with sales staff to chase shared leads fast
  • Homeowners wanting free cost estimates

Not for

  • New or solo contractors — lead fees will eat your margin
  • Anyone needing exclusive leads — they're shared with competitors
  • Low-ticket trades — leads skew to price-shoppers
  • Buyers wanting predictable spend — per-lead costs swing wildly

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Per-lead billing plus membership fees; one Reddit contractor reports $3,000/month

high

Prepaid promos tie up cash; inspectors report refund fights

high

FTC says marketing overstated lead quality; disputed-lead credits are hard to win

medium

Low-ticket leads mostly price-shop and vanish, wasting credits

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free cost guides and matching for homeowners
  • Claims the largest pro network for matching homeowners
  • Public homeowner reviews let you vet pros first
  • Some high-volume contractors report it still works at scale

Cons

  • FTC ordered up to $7.2M payment for deceptively marketing leads
  • Contractors report most leads are price-shoppers, not buyers
  • Leads are shared with competing local contractors
  • Reddit contractors broadly advise avoiding it

Sources & method

Analyzed 10/03/2026 - 10 sources - One old 2014 mobile-app CVE found; no security page. FTC action targets marketing practices, not data breaches.

official x1review x7security x1news x1
  • CVE-2014-6866 — HomeAdvisor Mobile X.509 certificate validation flaw, 2014 vulnerability in the HomeAdvisor mobile app's X.509 certificate handling. Old and mobile-only; no recent CVEs found in reviewed sources.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 1/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 1/5. FTC found lead marketing deceptive; per-lead costs pile up
  • Ease of use. no usability evidence found
  • Feature depth. lead marketplace; no feature evidence found
  • Support quality: 2/5. some praise; many cite pushy sales and poor recourse
  • Security posture: 3/5. one 2014 mobile CVE only; no security page
  • 22,646+ Trustpilot reviews many pro complaints
  • $7.2M FTC settlement 2023 deceptive-lead-marketing order
  • 1998 Founded launched by Microsoft; now part of Angi
  • $3,000/mo Reported pro spend one Reddit contractor, r/Entrepreneur

Pricing

Homeowners

Free

  • Browse and get matched with pros
  • True Cost Guide project estimates

Pros (leads)

Per-lead and membership fees, varies by trade

  • Shared leads by trade
  • Prepay promotions reported (e.g. $750)
  • One contractor reports $3,000/mo spend

Security

One old 2014 mobile-app CVE found; no security page.

  • CVE-2014-6866 — HomeAdvisor Mobile X.509 certificate validation flaw2014 vulnerability in the HomeAdvisor mobile app's X.509 certificate handling. Old and mobile-only; no recent CVEs found in reviewed sources.⁵

FTC action targets marketing practices, not data breaches.

Companies that use it

  • G2 Home Repair
  • G2 Construction & Consulting Inc
Full analysis

Based on 40+ public sources: FTC order, Trustpilot, BBB, ConsumerAffairs, Reddit contractor threads, and security databases.

FTC fined HomeAdvisor $7.2M over lead marketing. Contractors report pricey shared leads. Most should look elsewhere.

Methodology

Based on 40+ public sources: FTC order, Trustpilot, BBB, ConsumerAffairs, Reddit contractor threads, and security databases.

Sources

  1. FTC Order Requires HomeAdvisor to Pay Up To $7.2Mftc.gov
    news
  2. Trustpilot — HomeAdvisor reviewstrustpilot.com
    review
  3. I spend $3000/month on HomeAdvisor — Redditreddit.com
    review
  4. PSA: Avoid Angi, Angie's List, HomeAdvisor — Redditreddit.com
    review
  5. CVE-2014-6866 Detail — NVDnvd.nist.gov
    security
  6. HomeAdvisor BBB complaintsbbb.org
    review
  7. HomeAdvisor Pro Reviews: Is It Worth It For Contractors?hookagency.com
    review
  8. $750 prepay promotion warning — Nachi forumforum.nachi.org
    review
  9. Nearleap vs HomeAdvisor (plumbing)nearleap.com
    review
  10. HomeAdvisor True Cost Guidehomeadvisor.com
    official

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