Thumbtack Reviews 6,448

As a contractor they keep charging me for bad leads. Do not use this app. They send fake leads to you. And even when you pay for a lead they send it to 4 other contractors. Real scam.

DO NOT SIGN UP. COMPLETE SCAM. they charge you for someone contacting you.. i’ve never heard of this. they reach out with leads who aren’t real just to make money off of people who’re looking for work. how are they still around? it’s worse than Yelp advertising- same thing happened to me when i signed up w them - fake people “reach out” so you pay hundreds for these ads. unbelievable.

Thumbtack charges pros for every lead, even when customers message multiple providers at once and hire none.
This creates an unfair system where legitimate professionals lose money while unregulated workers undercut prices.

The platform does not protect service providers from false or harmful reviews — even when no work was performed.

Thumbtack needs transparency:

✔ One lead = one pro
✔ Refunds when customers never respond
✔ Review moderation when statements are false

Until then, professionals like me pay without a fair chance to earn.

If you want a second-rate criminal working for you, then thumbtack is for you! I got screwed twice, from thumbtack, plus lost money, they said that they have a money back warrantee but don't trust it, they took the word of the criminal over me!
DON"T USE THEM!
Now after they side stepped my review they gave me even more bad to say about them!, they said they are not responsible!!, but we all know that you have to login to their website and pick their so called professionals !, so yes it is their responsibility and they are directly responsible for the people that we choose!!, like I said Do not trust them!!!

Thumbtack is constantly changing but each time it gets worse than the last time. Now thumbtack is like the new Craigslist with high rates that it’s guaranteed that nobody will be happy with the end results. Thumbtack now is competing with charging professionals for buying leads. The leads are not vetted and as a result contractors will lose money. As you pay for the lead(s) thumbtack will make money while you lose money.

It’s pretty bad, deactivated my account for a while. Decided to give it another try. First “lead” was a lady trying to figure out pricing for a friend. Thumbtack charged me $180 for this one lead. Yes one lead for a project for someone’s friend. She never responded to my message and I asked for a refund. They denied it obviously because that’s what they do.

It’s just a money grab. $180 for an interior painting lead that the person isn’t even a customer? Now that’s nuts. Obviously the lady isn’t interested in getting work done she was just doing research for someone else.

It’s gone way down hill. 5yrs ago it was worth it but they have priced themselves out of the market.

Hired a contractor for work on a website through Thumbtack that Thumbtack implies is based in the US, they give Thumbtack a US address and that satisfies Thumbtack they are based in US when in fact when are not based in US. This contractor then proceeded to threaten to kill me and my family When I contacted Thumbtack to tell them this it took three days for someone to return a phone call, 3 days by which time my family and I could have been murdered. Thumbtack gave me the two addresses used by this company to satisfy their false claim that they are based in the US and in process of filing police reports but as these people are not based in the US there is no recourse for me. They use fake names and can never hope to identify these people and even if I was able to they are based outside of the US. Thumbtacks response was to give me the $100 back that I had paid as a deposit, they are a horrible company that does not care about people's lives being threatened. Stay away from Thumbtack at all costs.

I joined Thumbtack last month as founder for Maryland Shine Cleaners, and it has been the WORST experience. They advertise themselves as a platform that supports small businesses, but that’s a lie. Their real goal is to drain your bank account with useless leads.
Here’s what you need to know:

Leads are garbage. Most are people just looking for free estimates, not serious customers.
Customer service is a joke. No phone support, no way to speak to a manager. Only email responses that take 4–5 days and are copy-paste templates quoting their refund policy. ZERO accountability.
They overcharge without consent. I put my account on hold due to staffing shortages. They reactivated it without my permission and charged me $135, blowing past the weekly budget I set. When I explained the situation, they repeated the same scripted response: “Our refund policy…”
Customers think Thumbtack is free. Most people requesting jobs or estimates have no idea we are paying for their “lead.” So they treat it like a joke, and we lose money.
Leads rarely convert. Many customers never respond to calls or messages. Thumbtack’s policy says if a customer is unresponsive, you are NOT eligible for a refund. How is that fair?
Thumbtack is NOT a partner for small businesses—it’s a money trap. If you value your time, money, and sanity, stay far away from this platform.

*See Some Copy paste response, 0 Accountablilty, therefore if you want to know how Thumbtack team treat their customer who are paying for almost 0 return below response would be perfect example.
At least we deserve Sorry minimum instead of questioning my understating ability replaying same template. Again, you guys proved us that customer care is not in your list.

I hired a thumbtack contractor to move my peloton treadmill. This contractor advertised on thumbtack that they have extensive experience moving pelotons. I texted the contractor the instructions provided by Peloton. They replied to my text that they didn’t need the guide as they’re experienced. When they arrived I noticed they were moving the treadmill with the screen attached. This is expressly against the advice provided by peloton. I confronted them regarding this and recorded the conversation. The contractor advised me to calm down and it would be okay. The peloton arrived to the new location damaged and needed to be serviced. I had to take off work to get it serviced and was without my peloton for 3 weeks.

I asked for a partial refund and thumbtack refused. Stating the contractor told them I wanted 2 weeks to tell them of an issue. This is despite me providing thumbtack video evidence of me complaining to the contractor the day of service, a negative review left on thumbtacks platform the day of service, and me provided the texts between me and the contractor the date of service indicating I was unhappy and it was damaged.

Thumbtack did not stand behind the trust and safety policy. Left me to deal with the damages and I will never use the service again.

max lead price on my account keeps changing automatically . I never touched it, yet it kept going up several times, and I got charged more for leads I didn’t approve.

When I reached out to support, they kept saying the system showed it was “correct,” even though I sent screenshots proving otherwise. It’s like talking to a wall , no real help, no accountability, just copy-paste answers. they said they will call me they didn't . they said they will email me within 24 hours THEY DIDN"T .

Account advisor ? a joke , she doesn't answer calls or text messages .

I’ve lost money because of this and wasted time dealing with unhelpful support. What’s worse is that they act like it’s my fault, even though it clearly isn’t.

If you’re a pro thinking about using Thumbtack, be careful. Double-check your settings all the time because their system might change them and charge you more without notice. I used to trust this platform, but now I honestly don’t anymore.

Unfortunately their refund policy is abysmal. Another "lead" contacted me with the same info, just a few months apart. Even though I provided proof that it's a duplicate lead, they still didn't issue a refund.

These leads can very well be generated from Thumbtack themselves via AI/software, so be wary of this scam company. They'll steal your money and send you a generic "sorry" email back saying they can't provide a refund.

One of the worst companies for small businesses. Don't use Tumbhtack, guys. They're ripping you off, and your money, too. There's no point in using Tumbhtack . It's better to look for another option for work, like Facebook or Google Ads.

Thumbtuck This is a company that robs employees who are looking for clients there. Read the reviews. I became their victim myself. And the authorities are doing nothing about it. Apparently, Marco has it all figured out.

My experience with Thumbtack was a complete exercise in frustration, mirroring the feeling of being given a faulty product and told to ignore it. The platform promised quality connections but delivered nothing but unreliable contractors, wasted time, and zero accountability.

Used it for 2 months and wouldn't recommend it to anyone. They sent leads that were out of our service area, not our type of work and the some leads multiple times. You have no choice on the leads they send you and once they sent it, you've paid for it. Multiple leads were non-responsive to calls, texts and app messages. I contacted at least 3 people, 5 minutes after receiving the lead, that had already found a contractor for the job. How is that possible if it's a fresh lead? We tried a couple times to get new leads or a refund with no luck. We stopped using them in early September. Beware of this company!

Stay far away from this company and its contractors. I have had a terrible experience on here. I contacted the support and they provided no good assistance.

I have been on Accessway LLCand it has bene a great experience so far. Others should take a look also.

I’m writing this as the owner of Landscape Guy Creations to hopefully save other small business owners from the same frustration I’ve gone through. When I joined Thumbtack, I really believed it would be a good way to grow my business and connect with real clients. But after paying for multiple leads, I’ve learned the hard way that it’s not what it seems.
I’ve paid for jobs where the customer never responded or chose someone else before even giving me a chance to come out and look at the property. Thumbtack doesn’t care — they won’t refund you, even when you get zero opportunity to earn the work.
What’s worse is that they send the same lead to several other contractors in your area, so the customer ends up shopping around for the cheapest price instead of choosing based on quality, reliability, or reputation. One client even told me Thumbtack sent her four other contractors and she’d just pick whoever was cheapest.
For anyone trying to start or grow a business, please be careful before spending your money here. You’re much better off investing in Google Ads, local networking, or direct marketing — anywhere you have a fair chance to actually win the work. Thumbtack feels like it’s built for the customer, not the pros who pay for every single lead.

Not sure of the customer side, but from contractor side it's a scam. They gain trust and then never answer your call again. The contract they send has random snuck in things such as they keep your money even if they dont provide or you dont use/delete. I got sent customer inquiries that were irrelevant yet I got charged and we are talking 30 to 80 even if you didnt open or accept. Problem is they only go for 299 so you cant take them to small claims court.

Updated review (11/29/2025)

I saw Thumbtack’s “neutral third-party” reply under my 10/10/25 review. In my case, that’s not how it felt. My warnings about an April 22, 2025 job were twice taken down or hidden during an active dispute. The same day the pro cleaned, I got sick, had to replace items, and spent months documenting and filing while juggling disability and school.

Thumbtack told me in writing the pro had “No Insurance Provider Information on file.” If insurance can’t be verified, listing that business in front of customers—especially disabled customers—is not safety. The “Guarantee” also didn’t help: it collapsed into fine print despite receipts, photos, and a same-week doctor note. I’m still in court over the damage because the platform stepped back.

To anyone checking on this: try logging into Thumbtack and searching the Chicago metro area (or even a general Google search) for “Hexagon Cleaning Company.” In my experience, you may see my negative review with images on some surfaces, but on Thumbtack you’re unlikely to see any clear notice that this contractor had no insurance on file at the time—nothing that would actually warn you. That combination (removed/hard-to-find reviews + no visible insurance status) left me unprotected. Until Thumbtack stops suppressing critical feedback and stands behind its safety claims, I can’t recommend the platform.

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I hired a cleaning company through Thumbtack in spring 2025 (Hexagon Cleaning Company, IL). The job was poor and left my home smelling of an unknown chemical; I became ill the same day and had to replace contaminated items. What made it worse was Thumbtack’s response.

What happened on Thumbtack’s side (my records available):

Vetting: Thumbtack listed this provider even though Trust & Safety later emailed me “No Insurance Provider Information on file.”

Guarantee: The advertised money-back/property-damage “Thumbtack Guarantee” did not help me. My claim was denied on fine-print technicalities despite receipts and medical visit documentation.

Support: Customer support offered little meaningful help; I was left to handle the costs and fallout myself.

Reviews: I posted two factual reviews to warn others. Both were removed on the platform (“This review has been deleted” screenshots on file).

As a disabled customer, I relied on Thumbtack’s safety promises. In my experience, those promises were not honored when it mattered. If a platform can’t verify insurance, enforce its own guarantee, or allow honest reviews to stand, it isn’t protecting customers.

Bottom line: Using Thumbtack felt like a gamble. Until they fix vetting, stop suppressing critical feedback, and stand behind the Guarantee without fine-print loopholes, I cannot recommend this platform—especially to people who depend on its supposed safeguards.

This company seems to be a total scam where the perpetrators do no work and turn it all over to some cheaply written software that ends up doing nothing except wasting one's time, and of course if you gave them any money they would probably cheat you.
I filled out their forms three times and never got any results just blank pages. Don't waste your time and certainly don't give them any money!