A Thumbtack alternative that doesn't sell you leads
Thumbtack is a lead marketplace: you pay for leads, and the same customer request can be sent to several pros at once. Guildry is a different kind of tool — a free operating system and trust layer for your business, not a lead you pay for. There is an honest trade-off: Thumbtack has far more customer requests than Guildry does, but with Guildry a request goes to one provider at a time and you pay nothing per lead.
Guildry vs Thumbtack, side by side
| Guildry | Thumbtack |
|---|---|
| What it is | |
| Free provider software + a trust layer | A pay-per-lead marketplace |
| What you pay | |
| Nothing on customers you add yourself — you keep the whole invoice, less card processing if you absorb it. On customers Guildry brings you, a fee from what Guildry pays you — never a lead charge. | You pay for each lead; Thumbtack publishes no price list |
| Are leads shared? | |
| No. A request goes to one provider at a time, and your own customers stay yours | The same customer request can be sent to multiple pros |
| Quote → schedule → invoice → get paid | |
| Included | Not included — Thumbtack is a lead source, not a back office |
| Who the customer hires | |
| Guildry — and Guildry stands behind the work | You; Thumbtack is the venue, not a party to the job |
| Reviews | |
| Count only after completed-and-paid jobs | “Verified” means the customer made contact; pros can also import Google reviews |
| Payment protection | |
| Yes — you are paid after the work is done | Optional Thumbtack Pay; no hold, no link to the outcome |
| New customers / demand | |
| Yes — homeowners hire Guildry directly, and Guildry brings that work to providers. Never sold as a lead. | Yes — this is Thumbtack’s core strength |
Thumbtack details verified from thumbtack.com (opens in a new tab). Thumbtack publishes no per-lead price list; lead costs vary by category, market, and week. The rows above describe how Thumbtack’s pro leads and reviews work, not specific prices. Guildry payment and guarantee terms are in our Terms and Refund & Cancellation Policy.
Where Thumbtack genuinely wins
- Volume. Thumbtack puts you in front of a large national pool of homeowners actively looking to hire. Guildry brings its own customer requests to providers, but it is one Phoenix-metro company, not a national marketplace — Thumbtack has far more of them.
- National scale, a strong consumer app, and cost-guide content that ranks for nearly every “how much does X cost” search.
- Distribution inside AI assistants — Thumbtack is embedded in tools like ChatGPT for “who should I hire,” a channel Guildry does not have yet.
Where Guildry is different
- No pay-per-lead: Guildry only earns on customers it brings you, out of what it pays you.
- You own the customer relationship, not a marketplace that resells the same request.
- Payment protection and Guildry’s outcome guarantee, up to $1,000 per job.
- Reviews that count only after completed-and-paid work — Thumbtack’s “verified” only means the customer made contact.
- Momentum you can steer: Guildry ships new features every week, and the roadmap is driven by the providers using it — ask for what you need and it gets built fast.
Who each is best for
Choose Guildry if…
Cleaning pros who already have a customer book (or steady referrals) and want free software plus trust features, without paying for every lead.
Choose Thumbtack if…
Pros who need new demand right now and are willing to pay per lead to get in front of customers they do not have yet.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Guildry give me leads like Thumbtack?
- Yes, but not the way Thumbtack does. Homeowners hire Guildry directly and Guildry brings that work to its providers — you are never charged for a lead, and you never bid against anyone. What Guildry does not have is Thumbtack’s national volume. Many pros pair a demand source with Guildry to actually run and stand behind the work.
- How much does Thumbtack cost?
- Thumbtack charges pros per lead and does not publish a price list; costs vary by category, market, and week. Guildry charges no lead fees. It earns a fee only on customers it brings you, taken from what it pays you.
- Are Thumbtack leads shared with other pros?
- The same customer request can be sent to multiple pros at once, so you pay to compete. Guildry never sells a request and never charges for one: a job goes to one provider, and the customers you already have stay entirely yours.
- Can I use both Thumbtack and Guildry?
- Yes. A lead source brings you demand; Guildry handles the paperwork — quotes, scheduling, invoicing, and getting paid — and backs the job with payment protection and a guarantee. You run the job.
- Is Guildry available outside Phoenix?
- Guildry serves the Phoenix, Arizona metro. Providers join by invitation. More areas follow over time.
Ready to leave the subscription behind?
Guildry serves the Phoenix metro, and providers join by invitation. Tell us about your business and we will get back to you within one business day.