Mitch vs paying for leads

When the phone goes quiet, buying leads is the quick fix. Customers do turn up. The catch is that you rent each one: when you stop paying, the customers stop, and the reviews you collected sit on someone else's site.

This page compares paying for leads on Angi and Thumbtack with putting the same effort into your own Google reviews and posts through Mitch.

How the lead sites charge

Lead platforms in the US sell you the customer's request. Pricing models vary by platform and change over time, so check current terms before you sign up.

Thumbtack. Thumbtack's help center has an article titled "How much do I pay for leads and opportunities?", which shows it charges pros for leads. Read it for the current model.

Angi. Angi's pro sign-up page says there were "over 1.5M opportunities on Angi last month" and invites you to get started to receive leads. It doesn't list what a lead or membership costs, and it gives a phone number for questions. Ask for the price in writing.

Side by side

The number to work out

Compare the cost per job won, and leave the cost of a single lead out of it. Here is an example, not real figures. You buy 20 leads in a month and win 4 of them. The leads cost $400 in total, so each of the 4 jobs cost you $100 in lead fees. Then ask whether those customers were price-shoppers or good fits.

Mitch does not give you leads. It gives you a Google profile with fresh reviews, posts that show real jobs, and replies to every review. The first 14 days are free, with no card, so trying it costs little.

What changes over a year

On a lead site, the monthly bill is steady and the customers depend on it. With Mitch, the work builds more slowly. Every finished job can become a post and a review request, and over time your profile has more reviews, more recent ones and more jobs shown.

Mitch does not promise rankings and does not run ads. We are not saying your phone will ring more. We are saying the profile you own should be in better shape each month.

Who each one suits

Paid leads suit a business that needs work soon, can quote quickly and wins a fair share of what it quotes.

Mitch suits a business that already completes jobs and wants those jobs to become reviews and posts without evenings spent on it. Plans are $99, $189 and $449 a month, and review requests start on the Local plan. See the pricing page.

When paying for leads is the better pick

• You are new, you have no Google reviews yet, or the diary is empty this month and you need calls this week.
• You win a high share of the leads you quote, so the cost per job is low.
• You work in a trade where those platforms send a steady flow in your area.
• You want to fill a gap in the diary quickly, while your own profile builds up.

Using both

You can keep buying leads while the profile builds. Each job from a lead can also become a Mitch post and a Google review request. Review texts need the customer's mobile number and a consent tick. Watch how many enquiries come direct, and cut the lead spend only when that number holds steady.