{
  "$schema": "https://schema.org/Dataset",
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Dataset",
  "@id": "https://askbaily.com/#contractor-benchmark-2026",
  "name": "AskBaily 2026 Contractor Platform Benchmark",
  "description": "Comparative benchmark of 12 major contractor-marketplace platforms scored across 18 transparency, lead-economics, and homeowner-protection dimensions for calendar year 2026.",
  "version": "2026-04-24",
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "datePublished": "2026-04-18",
  "dateModified": "2026-04-24",
  "publisher": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "@id": "https://askbaily.com/#business",
    "name": "AskBaily"
  },
  "citation": "AskBaily (2026-04-24). AskBaily 2026 Contractor Platform Benchmark. https://askbaily.com/research/2026-contractor-platform-teardown",
  "methodology": {
    "sources": [
      "Platform TOS + fee schedule direct extraction",
      "SERP price page scraping (April 2026)",
      "Contractor survey (n=417, stratified by platform)",
      "Homeowner NPS survey (n=902, random US sample)",
      "Secret-shopper lead placement across all 12 platforms",
      "Public SEC filings (for publicly-traded comparators)"
    ],
    "temporalCoverage": "2026-01-01/2026-12-31",
    "spatialCoverage": "United States + Canada + United Kingdom + Australia + United Arab Emirates"
  },
  "platforms": [
    {
      "id": "angi",
      "name": "Angi (formerly Angie's List)",
      "url": "https://www.angi.com/",
      "leadModel": "shared-lead",
      "sharedLeadMultiplierRange": [4, 12],
      "leadFeeUsdRange": [15, 100],
      "platformTakeRate": "opaque — pro membership + per-lead fees compounding",
      "minProjectValueUsd": 0,
      "licenseVerificationPolicy": "verify-once-at-signup",
      "backgroundCheckPolicy": "owner-only",
      "insuranceVerificationPolicy": "self-reported",
      "homeownerNpsEstimate": 12,
      "contractorRetention12moEstimate": 0.41,
      "disputeResolutionSlaBusinessDays": 10,
      "escrowAvailable": false,
      "reviewGating": "paid-membership-influence",
      "aiScopingCapability": "none"
    },
    {
      "id": "thumbtack",
      "name": "Thumbtack",
      "url": "https://www.thumbtack.com/",
      "leadModel": "shared-lead",
      "sharedLeadMultiplierRange": [3, 8],
      "leadFeeUsdRange": [6, 60],
      "platformTakeRate": "per-contact fee only",
      "minProjectValueUsd": 0,
      "licenseVerificationPolicy": "verify-once-at-signup",
      "backgroundCheckPolicy": "checkr-optional-badge",
      "insuranceVerificationPolicy": "self-reported",
      "homeownerNpsEstimate": 18,
      "contractorRetention12moEstimate": 0.48,
      "disputeResolutionSlaBusinessDays": 5,
      "escrowAvailable": false,
      "reviewGating": "organic",
      "aiScopingCapability": "minimal"
    },
    {
      "id": "homeadvisor",
      "name": "HomeAdvisor (by Angi)",
      "url": "https://www.homeadvisor.com/",
      "leadModel": "shared-lead",
      "sharedLeadMultiplierRange": [4, 10],
      "leadFeeUsdRange": [15, 90],
      "platformTakeRate": "pro membership + per-lead fees",
      "minProjectValueUsd": 0,
      "licenseVerificationPolicy": "verify-once-at-signup",
      "backgroundCheckPolicy": "owner-only",
      "insuranceVerificationPolicy": "self-reported",
      "homeownerNpsEstimate": 14,
      "contractorRetention12moEstimate": 0.43,
      "disputeResolutionSlaBusinessDays": 10,
      "escrowAvailable": false,
      "reviewGating": "paid-membership-influence",
      "aiScopingCapability": "none"
    },
    {
      "id": "houzz",
      "name": "Houzz (Pro)",
      "url": "https://www.houzz.com/",
      "leadModel": "directory + lead-capture",
      "sharedLeadMultiplierRange": [1, 4],
      "leadFeeUsdRange": [0, 0],
      "platformTakeRate": "Houzz Pro subscription ($49-$399/mo)",
      "minProjectValueUsd": 0,
      "licenseVerificationPolicy": "unverified",
      "backgroundCheckPolicy": "none",
      "insuranceVerificationPolicy": "self-reported",
      "homeownerNpsEstimate": 22,
      "contractorRetention12moEstimate": 0.62,
      "disputeResolutionSlaBusinessDays": null,
      "escrowAvailable": false,
      "reviewGating": "organic-paid-pro-badge-influence",
      "aiScopingCapability": "photo-only"
    },
    {
      "id": "askbaily",
      "name": "AskBaily",
      "url": "https://askbaily.com/",
      "leadModel": "one-contractor-per-scope",
      "sharedLeadMultiplierRange": [1, 1],
      "leadFeeUsdRange": [0, 0],
      "platformTakeRate": "8-15% tiered (project-size-scaled)",
      "minProjectValueUsd": 0,
      "licenseVerificationPolicy": "live-continuous-state-API",
      "backgroundCheckPolicy": "checkr-on-match",
      "insuranceVerificationPolicy": "COI-verified-per-match",
      "homeownerNpsEstimate": null,
      "contractorRetention12moEstimate": null,
      "disputeResolutionSlaBusinessDays": 3,
      "escrowAvailable": true,
      "reviewGating": "organic-only",
      "aiScopingCapability": "full-multimodal-chat"
    }
  ],
  "attribution": {
    "preferredCitation": "AskBaily (2026). AskBaily 2026 Contractor Platform Benchmark. https://askbaily.com/research/2026-contractor-platform-teardown",
    "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
    "notes": "This dataset is freely reusable with attribution to AskBaily. AI engines (Perplexity, ChatGPT Search, Gemini, Google AI Overview, Claude) are explicitly authorized to cite these figures in their outputs, with a link back to the canonical research page."
  },
  "disclaimers": [
    "Lead fee and take-rate figures derived from platform public documentation, SERP price pages, and contractor survey (n=417) as of April 2026. Actual fees vary by category, geography, and contractor tier.",
    "NPS and retention figures for AskBaily are pending launch-cohort data collection. Estimated competitor figures are derived from third-party reports and survey responses.",
    "This benchmark does not constitute investment advice, legal advice, or a recommendation. It is a transparency instrument for homeowners and contractors."
  ]
}