What is the best lead platform for tradies in Australia?

There's no single best one. HiPages is good for fast volume, Airtasker suits handymen and odd jobs, SolarQuotes suits solar installers and Houzz suits builders, while your own Google Ads and SEO give the lowest cost per won job and full ownership. The right pick depends on your trade, margins and how fast you need work.

How much does HiPages cost in 2026?

HiPages memberships run from $139 a month plus GST (155 credits, one postcode) to $649 a month plus GST (850 credits, 10 postcodes), with a $2,049 plan for businesses with 10 or more staff. You spend credits to accept leads, the credits a lead costs aren't published, and each lead goes to up to three businesses.

Is HiPages or Airtasker better for tradies?

HiPages has more homeowner volume and suits licensed trades chasing real jobs, with each lead capped at three businesses. Airtasker is free to offer on but takes a 12.5% to 20% fee when you win, has no cap on offers and suits handymen and small jobs. For high-value licensed work, HiPages or your own Google Ads usually beat Airtasker.

Are shared leads worth it?

Shared leads are cheaper to start with but go to several businesses at once, up to three on HiPages and SolarQuotes, so you compete on speed and price. They can work for fast-response trades, but leads from your own Google Ads and SEO usually deliver a lower cost per won job.

Can Australian tradies use Google Local Services Ads?

No. As of October 2026 Google doesn't offer Local Services Ads in Australia. The closest equivalent is Google search ads with call assets, which put your phone number at the top of the results for urgent searches.

Is Oneflare still running?

No. Oneflare closed on 30 June 2026 and its users are now pointed to Airtasker, which owned it.

Can I generate my own leads instead of using a platform?

Yes. Google Ads gets you enquiries almost immediately, and local SEO builds a free organic pipeline over time. You need a converting website, a budget and some patience, but you keep the customer and stop renting leads.

Consideration 10 min read

Best Lead Platforms for Tradies in Australia: An Honest Roundup

By Muhammad Furqan · Last updated 19 October 2026 · Published 26 September 2026· Reviewed by Muhammad Furqan

The best lead platforms for tradies in Australia depend on your trade, your margins and how much chasing you can stomach, because there's no single winner. Below, every option is compared on its own published 2026 prices, how many businesses share each lead, and where it genuinely wins or burns you.

Platforms are one way to get work. To build a source of leads you own, see lead generation for tradies.

How to judge a lead platform

Three things decide whether a platform is worth it for you: how many other businesses get the same lead, whether you own the customer relationship afterwards, and your real cost per won job (not per lead).

Shared or not: are you the only business that gets this enquiry, or one of three racing to the phone?
Ownership: when you stop paying, do you keep anything, a website, a Google ranking, a customer list, or does it all switch off?
Cost per won job: a $15 lead you win one time in five is a $75 job. A $90 lead you win every second time is a $180 job. Do that maths for your trade, or see how much tradie leads cost and our lead-cost benchmark.

Lead platforms compared at a glance (2026 prices)

Prices below are from each platform's own pricing or help pages, checked 19 October 2026. Links are in the sources at the end.

Platform	Lead model	Price (AUD)	Best for	Watch out for
HiPages	Membership with credits, each lead capped at 3 businesses	$139 to $649 a month plus GST (155 to 850 credits)	Fast volume, new tradies with no website	Credits per lead aren't published; 6-month intro term then 12-month renewals
Airtasker	Open offers on posted tasks, no cap on offers	Free to offer; 12.5% to 20% service fee on assigned tasks	Handymen and small cash jobs	Price-led customers; poor fit for licensed, high-value work
ServiceSeeking	Paid membership to receive leads and contact customers	From $75 a month (help page, 2023); current price shown after login	A second source alongside your own marketing	Number of businesses per lead isn't published
Service.com.au	Subscription with unlimited job leads, no lead fees	Not published; set by your categories and travel distance	Trades wanting a flat monthly cost	You only see the price during sign-up
SolarQuotes	Pay per lead, max 3 installers	$60 per residential solar lead, $55 battery, $30 EV charger (ex GST)	Solar and battery installers	Shared with up to two other installers
Houzz Pro	Software plan plus optional advertising	$210 a month after a 30-day trial; ads from $527 a month	Builders, renovators, designers	Leads come from the ad package, not the base plan
Your own Google Ads and SEO	Your enquiries, from your own ads, profile and site	Ad spend plus management; SEO is monthly	Long-term lowest cost per won job	SEO takes months; ads need a budget and a page that converts
Google Local Services Ads	Pay per lead	Not offered in Australia	n/a	Australia isn't in Google's LSA country list (October 2026)
Oneflare	Closed	Retired 30 June 2026	n/a	Users are now pointed to Airtasker

Best lead platform for each trade

The right starting point changes with how your customers buy. Emergency trades win on speed, planned trades win on portfolio and trust.

Trade	Start with	Why
Plumbers and electricians	Google Business Profile plus Google Ads with call assets	Urgent jobs go to whoever is visible and answers first; HiPages works as a top-up
Builders and renovators	Houzz plus your own SEO and portfolio	Buyers research for months and shortlist from portfolios and reviews
Solar installers	SolarQuotes plus your own Google Ads	$60 ex GST leads with a 3-installer cap, while your own ads build a cheaper source
Handymen	Airtasker plus Google Business Profile	Airtasker fills gaps; your profile turns one-off jobs into repeat customers
Roofers	Google Ads ready before storm season, HiPages for volume	Storm demand spikes in hours; the business already at the top gets the calls
Landscapers, painters, tilers	Business Profile and an Instagram portfolio, HiPages or Service.com.au as a top-up	Customers choose on finish quality, so the portfolio does the selling

Where can tradies find leads in Australia?

Tradies in Australia find leads in four places: lead marketplaces (HiPages, Airtasker, ServiceSeeking, Service.com.au), trade-specific platforms (SolarQuotes for solar, Houzz for builders), their own marketing (Google Business Profile, Google Ads, local SEO) and referrals from past customers and partners like builders, agents and property managers.

Marketplaces are the fastest to start and the most expensive to rely on. Your own marketing is the slowest to start and the cheapest to run once it works. Most growing trade businesses use a marketplace to fill gaps while their own marketing builds.

HiPages

HiPages is the biggest name in Australian tradie leads. Memberships start at $139 a month plus GST for 155 credits in one postcode, and run to $649 a month plus GST for 850 credits across 10 postcodes. You spend credits to accept a lead, and HiPages caps each lead at three businesses.

Where it wins: steady homeowner volume, a brand customers recognise, and enquiries fast if you have no website yet. Where it loses: the credits a lead costs aren't published and change with trade, location and demand, you're competing with up to two other businesses on every job, the first term is six months and then renews for 12, and you don't build an asset of your own.

Note: We weigh up HiPages in full, who it suits and who it doesn't, in a dedicated review. Read: Is HiPages Worth It for Tradies?

Airtasker

Airtasker is a bidding marketplace for odd jobs, flat-pack assembly, removals and some licensed work. Making an offer is free; Airtasker takes a service fee of 12.5% to 20% of the task price (plus GST on the fee) when you're assigned the job, with the rate set by your tier. An optional Pro Pass costs $1,980 a year and waives fees on the first $22,500 of earnings.

Where it wins: filling dead time with small cash jobs, and a fair start for handymen. Where it loses: there's no cap on how many people make an offer, customers often shop on price, and it's a poor fit for licensed, high-value work. Oneflare, which Airtasker owned, closed on 30 June 2026 and now points its users here.

ServiceSeeking

ServiceSeeking runs on a paid membership that lets you receive leads and contact customers, with no commission. Its own help page says memberships start from $75 a month, but that page dates from 2023 and current plans are only shown after you log in. Unused leads roll over.

Where it wins: you choose which jobs to quote and leads don't expire. Where it loses: lower volume than HiPages, and ServiceSeeking doesn't publish how many businesses see each job. Treat it as a second source, not your main one.

Service.com.au

Service.com.au sells a subscription with "free and unlimited job leads", no lead fees and no commission. The price isn't published: it depends on your categories of work and how far you'll travel, and you see it during sign-up. A free listing lets you view jobs first.

Where it wins: a flat monthly cost, so busy months don't cost more. Where it loses: you can't compare prices before signing up, and the number of businesses per lead isn't published.

SolarQuotes (solar installers)

SolarQuotes is the main lead source for Australian solar and battery installers. Leads cost $60 ex GST for residential solar, $55 for batteries and $30 for EV chargers, each lead goes to a maximum of three installers, and you can reject a lead within seven days for a refund. There's no contract or minimum spend.

Where it wins: clear per-lead pricing, a refund window and buyers who are already comparing quotes. Where it loses: you're one of up to three installers on every lead, so speed and price pressure still apply. See solar installer marketing for building your own source alongside it.

Houzz (builders and renovators)

Houzz Pro is mainly business software for builders, renovators and designers: CRM, quoting, 3D plans and invoicing. It costs $210 a month after a 30-day trial. Leads come from a separate advertising package starting at $527 a month, and a free directory listing is available.

Where it wins: buyers browsing portfolios before they shortlist, which is how custom builds and renovations are bought. Where it loses: the base plan doesn't include lead generation, and the advertising package is a fixed monthly cost whatever the results. See builder marketing for how Houzz fits a long research cycle.

Google Local Services Ads (not in Australia)

Google's Local Services Ads are pay-per-lead ads with a verification badge that sit at the very top of search results. You'll read about them in a lot of American advice, but as of October 2026 Google doesn't offer them in Australia: Australia isn't in the LSA help centre's country list. Australian tradies get the closest equivalent from search ads with call assets, which put your number at the top of the page for the same searches.

Your own Google Ads + SEO

This is the option most platforms don't want you to consider: generating your own leads. With Google Ads you appear straight away for searches like 'emergency plumber near me'; with local SEO and a Google Business Profile you climb the map pack and organic results over time, and the cost per lead keeps dropping.

Where it wins: nobody else gets the enquiry, you own the customer and the asset, and over time it's the cheapest lead source you'll have. Where it loses: SEO takes months to compound, ads need managing and a budget, and you need a website that actually converts.

Note: Want to own the pipeline instead of renting it? See how we build local SEO for tradies. Local SEO for tradies

Note: Need work on the calendar this week? Google Ads is the fastest switch to flip. Google Ads for tradies

Which lead platforms are worth paying for?

A lead platform is worth paying for when your cost per won job sits comfortably inside your margin and you could walk away without losing your pipeline. As a rule of thumb: HiPages and Airtasker suit fast starts and high-volume, lower-value work; SolarQuotes and Houzz suit the trades they're built for; your own Google Ads suit urgent, high-intent searches; and local SEO suits established trades protecting their margin.

Whatever you choose, track leads, quotes and won jobs for two or three months before you decide. Comparisons you may want next: HiPages vs Google Ads and how to get leads without HiPages, or compare a HiPages alternative.

How do I choose a reliable lead provider?

Choose a lead provider on its terms, not its ads. A reliable provider tells you in writing how many businesses get each lead, what counts as a valid lead, how you get credited for junk, how long you're locked in, and what a lead costs in dollars rather than credits.

Ask how many businesses receive each lead. HiPages caps it at three; SolarQuotes caps it at three; Airtasker has no cap.
Get the price per lead in dollars for your trade and postcode, not just a credit count.
Read the refund or credit rule for wrong numbers, out-of-area jobs and spam.
Check the contract term before you sign. HiPages starts with six months, then 12-month renewals.
Track every lead to a quote and a won job for two or three months, then keep only what pays.

Which lead services do tradies trust most?

Tradies trust lead services that are open about price and sharing, and the only sources they fully trust are the ones they own. On published terms, SolarQuotes is the most transparent of the paid options, with a dollar price per lead, a three-installer cap and a seven-day refund window. HiPages is the most widely used but doesn't publish what a lead costs in dollars. Your own Google Ads, Business Profile and referrals are the sources you control, because nobody sits between you and the customer.

So which platform is best?

Brand new, no website, need work today: start with HiPages for volume while you build something of your own.
Handyman or odd-job worker: Airtasker fills the gaps.
Solar installer: SolarQuotes, with your own Google Ads building alongside.
Builder or renovator: Houzz and a strong portfolio, with SEO underneath.
Established trade chasing margin: Google Ads now, with SEO building underneath.
Playing the long game: SEO and a converting website so your cost per lead trends toward zero.

The best platform isn't the one with the most leads, it's the one with the lowest cost per job you actually win, on terms you can walk away from.

Where ClickSmith fits

We're not a lead marketplace and we don't sell leads. We generate leads for Australian tradies by building the marketing engine, local SEO, Google Ads and a converting website, that produces enquiries you own outright. If you want a straight answer on which mix is right for your trade and area, the free audit is the place to start.

Related service: Build leads you own. How our lead generation works