The short answer
Pay for exclusive leads only if they lift your close rate by at least as much as they lift the price. On Networx’s published minimums, an exclusive lead costs $15 and a shared one $10, so it’s 50% more. To keep the same cost per won job, you have to win 50% more of the exclusive leads you reach.
If you already win most of your shared leads, exclusivity can’t pay at those prices. Above a 66.7% close rate on shared leads, you’d need to win more than every exclusive lead.
The close rate you need on exclusive leads
At Networx’s minimums ($10 shared, $15 exclusive), with the same job size and reach:
| You win this share of shared leads | You must win this share of exclusive leads |
|---|---|
| 10% | 15% |
| 20% | 30% |
| 25% | 37.5% |
| 30% | 45% |
| 40% | 60% |
| 50% | 75% |
| 70% | Not possible (over 100%) |
The rule works for any price pair: divide the exclusive price by the shared price, and multiply your shared close rate by that. Higher up Networx’s ranges (to $100+ shared, $120+ exclusive) the gap is open-ended, so take both prices for your category from your dashboard.
Who shares the lead, and with how many
Among the US lead platforms we track, only Networx publishes a plan labelled exclusive and says how many pros get a shared lead (up to four). Angi says its leads are “frequently” sent to several pros. The others publish no number.
| Platform | Who else gets the lead | Published price | Visit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Networx | Shared: up to 4 pros per lead; Exclusive plan: 1 pro | Shared leads $10 to $100+, exclusive $15 to $120+, per lead | Visit Networx | |
| Angi (Angi Leads, formerly HomeAdvisor) | Shared; frequently sent to several other pros (competition limits exist, number not published) | Not published | Not published: price | Visit Angi (Angi Leads, formerly HomeAdvisor) |
| Thumbtack | Not published | Free to join; lead prices not published | Not published: lead sharing | Visit Thumbtack |
| Google Local Services Ads | Not published | Not published | Not published: lead sharing, price | Visit Google Local Services Ads |
| Porch | Shared (policy refers to several pros contacting the same customer); max not published | Not published | Not published: price | Visit Porch |
| Bark | Not published | $2.35 per credit; credits per lead not published | Not published: lead sharing | Visit Bark |
| Modernize | Not published | Not published | Not published: lead sharing, price | Visit Modernize |
Checked Oct 20 to 26, 2026 on each platform's own pages, help center or terms. "Not published" means we checked and the platform does not say; we never fill the gap with a guess. Each link goes to the platform's sign-up page for pros.
Yelp Ads and Nextdoor Ads aren’t on the list: they sell ad space, not leads, so nobody else “gets” your lead.
What exclusive doesn’t fix
- You still pay for leads that go nowhere. Networx’s billing rule: "For each quality lead received, the value of that lead is deducted from the predetermined budget." Its credits cover leads outside your chosen radius or categories, with disconnected numbers, or from someone not authorized to hire, not a homeowner who never picks up.
- You still have to answer fast. Exclusivity takes other pros off the lead, not the need to reply. On Thumbtack, even the automatic refund depends on how quickly you answer (below).
- “Exclusive” from a lead vendor means what their contract says. If someone sells you exclusive roofing or plumbing leads, get these in writing before you pay: how many other buyers receive the lead, what counts as a charged lead, how you claim a credit and by when, and whether there’s a contract or cancellation fee.
Run your own numbers
The calculator opens on Networx’s two plans at their minimums. Put in your category’s real prices and close rates, and raise the exclusive close rate until the two costs per won job match. That’s your break-even.
Cost per won job, up to 3 platforms side by side
Job numbers below are examples: put in yours. A platform box is filled in only when the platform publishes that number.
- Networx (shared leads)$50 per won job
- Networx (exclusive leads)$75 per won job
Cost per won job
$50
10% of job revenue
- Monthly spend
- $200
- Jobs won
- 4
- Profit after leads
- $600
- Break-even close rate
- 6.3%
- Most you can pay per lead
- $40.00
Cost per won job
$75
15% of job revenue
- Monthly spend
- $300
- Jobs won
- 4
- Profit after leads
- $500
- Break-even close rate
- 9.4%
- Most you can pay per lead
- $40.00
"Most you can pay per lead" is the lead price where profit after leads is zero at your close rate. "Break-even close rate" is the share of reached leads you need to win to cover the month's lead costs.
Every unanswered lead is money spent twice: once on the lead, again on the next one. Field service apps that reply and book for you
The full fee rules for all 10 platforms are on the contractor leads hub. Compare three platforms at once in the cost per job calculator, or see Thumbtack vs Angi if you’re choosing between the two biggest.
Get told when these prices change
Providers change fees with little notice. Alerts start soon, and we'll send nothing else.
Common questions
What is an exclusive lead?
A lead the platform sends to you and no other pro. Networx's exclusive plan is described as leads "sent to you and no one else", while its shared plan matches a customer with up to four pros. Most other platforms don't say how many pros get each lead.
How much more do exclusive leads cost?
Only Networx publishes both prices: shared leads from $10 to $100+, exclusive leads from $15 to $120+, depending on the job category. At the minimums that's 50% more per lead. Your category's exact prices are in your Networx dashboard.
Is pay per lead worth it for home services?
It is when a won job earns more than the leads it took to win it. Divide a month's lead spend by the jobs you won from those leads. If that cost per won job is below the profit on an average job, the leads pay for themselves.
Are exclusive roofing or plumbing leads worth it?
The same rule applies to every trade: an exclusive lead is worth it only if your close rate rises by at least as much as the price. Before you buy, get in writing who else receives the lead, which leads you're charged for, and how credits for bad leads work.