From about $300 plus your own time, to $5,000 to $18,000 in the first year with an agency. Here is what each route actually includes, the costs people forget, and how many jobs it takes to pay for it.
Year one, side by side
Ranges are ballpark figures from public pricing guides for freelancers and agencies; real quotes vary. The FieldTender numbers are our actual prices, before sales tax.
| DIY builder | Freelancer | Agency | FieldTender Presence | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year-one cost | About $300 | About $1,500 to $5,000 | $5,000 to $18,000 | $1,425 |
| Your time | 20+ hours | Some: copy, photos, revisions | Some: meetings, approvals | A 10-minute form and a 15-minute call |
| Google listing setup | You do it | Often extra | $300 to $500 extra | Included |
| Monthly SEO | You do it | Usually extra | $500 to $1,500 a month | Optional, $197 a month |
| Live in | Weeks, at your pace | Weeks | Weeks to months | 48 hours |
FieldTender year one is $1,197 plus 12 months of hosting at $19 ($228). With the optional active management plan from month 2, it is $3,383. Domain registration, about $10 to $15 a year, is billed to you directly at cost.
What drives the price
A quote that looks cheap is often missing something below. Ask for each as its own line.
Does it pay for itself?
Divide the first-year cost, $1,425, by what an average job brings in.
| Average job value | Jobs to cover $1,425 |
|---|---|
| $300 | 5 jobs |
| $800 | 2 jobs |
| $2,000 | 1 job |
This uses revenue per job, not profit, and it only counts jobs the site brings you that you would not otherwise have won. It will not send calls on day one: your site is live in 48 hours and your Google listing is typically verified in 1 to 5 business days, but ranking takes weeks to months. If you pay for leads today, see the Thumbtack alternative page for that comparison.
Before you sign with anyone
For comparison, our answers: you own both, $1,425 in year one, included, optional at $197 a month, and no minimum term. The longer comparison is on /compare, and provider by provider: Townsquare Interactive, Hibu, Thryv, or Wix.
Pick your trade
The price is the same for every trade. The site is written for yours: see plumbers, HVAC companies, electricians, roofers, handymen, painters, landscapers, pest control companies, locksmiths, garage door companies, water damage restoration companies, and pool and spa companies.
Common questions
It depends on who builds it. A do-it-yourself builder costs roughly $300 a year plus 20 or more hours of your time. A freelancer commonly quotes about $1,500 to $5,000 for a contractor site. An agency often runs $5,000 to $18,000 in year one once Google listing setup and monthly SEO are added. FieldTender Presence is $1,197 once plus $19 a month for hosting.
At minimum: hosting, plus domain renewal (about $10 to $15 a year). With FieldTender, hosting is $19 a month with no minimum term, and the optional active management plan (Google posts, review responses, rank tracking, citation monitoring and a monthly report) is $197 a month. Prices exclude sales tax.
Because the quote often bundles different things: a custom design, copywriting, Google listing setup, citations, schema markup and monthly SEO. Ask for each as a line item so you can compare like with like.
Usually, yes. A marketplace profile belongs to the platform, and a Google listing with no site gives customers less to go on. Your own site and listing keep working without a per-lead fee, but they take weeks to start sending calls, so many contractors keep their marketplace profile while the site builds.
Divide the first-year cost by your average job value. At $1,425 for the first year, that is about 5 jobs at $300, 2 jobs at $800, or 1 job at $2,000. The real question is whether it brings you any jobs you would not have had, which depends on your market and how quickly Google starts sending you calls.
More questions? See the full FAQ or email us.
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