Exclusive leads vs Google Ads: which is better for tradies?

Q: How long until Google Ads produces leads?

Usually days to a couple of weeks while the campaign gathers data, whereas a marketplace can send jobs almost immediately.

Q: Why don't you show dollar prices for the marketplaces?

Because their pricing varies by trade, area and plan and changes over time. We link to each provider's own pricing page rather than quote a figure we cannot keep accurate.

Updated 31 Oct 2026 · By Ibrahim Choubassi, founder of Leadman

The real difference is not the price — it is ownership and exclusivity. Shared marketplaces sell the same job to several tradies and keep the customer relationship; your own Google Ads sends every call and form only to you and leaves you owning the account and the data. Pay-per-lead agencies sit in between and vary case by case.

Comparison of how each model works for an Australian trade business. Dollar figures are not shown because marketplace and agency pricing changes and varies by trade and area — check each provider's current pricing page (linked below).
	Shared lead marketplace (e.g. hipages, Airtasker)	Pay-per-lead service (lead-gen agency)	Your own Google Ads (run in-house or managed)
How you pay	Subscription and/or credits spent per lead or per job slot	A set price for each lead delivered	You pay Google per click; a manager (if any) charges a separate fee
Is the lead exclusive?	Usually no — the same job is sent to several tradies who then race to respond	Sometimes — "exclusive" leads cost more; confirm it in writing	Yes — the call or form goes only to you
Who owns the lead & data?	The marketplace; you rent access	The agency's system, unless they hand it over	You — the calls, forms and ad account are yours
Who owns the ad account?	N/A	Usually the agency	You should — insist on it (how Leadman runs it)
Lock-in	Membership terms vary; read the contract	Varies — some are month-to-month, some tie you in	None on the ad account itself; a manager may set a term
Control over job type & area	Limited to the categories/areas the platform offers	Depends on the agency's targeting	Full — you set keywords, locations and budget
Cost predictability	Spend can be capped, but lead quality/volume varies	Predictable per-lead price; volume can vary	Spend is controllable; cost-per-lead moves with the auction
Starts producing	Fast	Fast	Days to a couple of weeks while it ramps

Shared lead marketplaces

Platforms like hipages and Airtasker connect customers to tradies and charge through a subscription and/or credits. The trade-off most tradies feel is shared leads: the same job often goes to several businesses, so you are competing on speed-to-call and price the moment it lands, and you do not keep the customer or their data. Pricing is not a fixed public per-lead number — it depends on category, area and plan — so check the provider's own current pages: hipages for tradies and Airtasker.

Pay-per-lead services

A lead-gen agency runs the advertising and sells you the resulting leads at a set price each. It is predictable and hands-off, but two things decide whether it is worth it: whether the lead is genuinely exclusive to you (get that in writing), and whether you keep anything if you leave. Often the agency owns the ad account, the landing page and the tracking, so when you stop paying you walk away with nothing you built.

Running your own Google Ads

Here you (or a manager acting for you) advertise in your own Google Ads account. Every call and form is exclusively yours, you control keywords, locations and budget, and you keep the account, history and data whatever happens to the arrangement. The cost is the ad spend you pay Google directly plus any management fee, and it takes a little longer to ramp while the campaign gathers data. The risk to watch is a manager who keeps the account in their name — the whole ownership advantage disappears if you do not hold it.

How Leadman does it: we run the ads in your Google Ads account, build the landing page, and track every call — so the leads are exclusive to you and you own the account and data. 90-day initial term, then month-to-month. Google ad spend is paid by you directly to Google and never marked up. See the air-con lead system for a worked example.

So which is better?

If you want volume fast with no setup and do not mind competing for shared jobs, a marketplace fills the diary. If you want every lead to be yours alone and to keep what you build, your own Google Ads wins — and the missed-call cost calculator shows why answering those exclusive calls matters so much. Pay-per-lead only makes sense when the leads are truly exclusive and you are not locked out of your own account.

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FAQ

Are hipages leads exclusive?

Generally no. Shared lead marketplaces typically send the same job to multiple tradies, so you compete to respond first. Check the platform's current terms, as products change.

Why is owning the ad account such a big deal?

Because the account holds your campaign history, conversion data and quality signals. If a manager owns it and you leave, you lose all of that and start from zero elsewhere. Owning it means you keep the asset.

Is pay-per-lead cheaper than Google Ads?

Not necessarily. You pay a fixed price per lead instead of per click, which is predictable, but you usually give up ownership and sometimes exclusivity. Compare total cost per booked job, not cost per lead.

How long until Google Ads produces leads?

Usually days to a couple of weeks. Campaigns need a short period to gather data before cost-per-lead settles, whereas a marketplace can send jobs almost immediately.

Why don't you show dollar prices for the marketplaces?

Because their pricing is not a single fixed public number — it varies by trade, area and plan and changes over time. We link to each provider's own pricing page rather than quote a figure we cannot keep accurate.