Is hipages worth it for tradies?
What hipages, ServiceSeeking, Airtasker and Bark charge, who else quotes on each job, and when a lead site is worth the money.
The short answer
hipages can be good for tradies who need more work and can ring a lead straight away. It’s a monthly membership, starting at A$139 plus GST, with credits you spend to accept leads. Up to three businesses get each lead, and you start on a six-month term that renews for 12 months.
ServiceSeeking is a membership too, starting at A$129 a month including GST. Bark charges per lead, in credits. Airtasker is free to join and takes a fee of 12.5% to 20% of each job you win, plus GST on the fee. The Oneflare brand was retired on 30 June 2026, and its address now goes to Airtasker.
Everywhere except Airtasker, you pay for the chance to quote, whether you get the job or not. The sums only work if you win enough of them.
What each lead site charges
| How you pay | Cheapest way in | Who else can quote | A lead that’s no good | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hipages | A monthly membership with credits. You spend credits to accept a lead | Starter: A$139 a month plus GST, with 155 credits | Up to three businesses, then a waitlist | Report it within 7 days. If hipages agrees, you get the credits back |
| ServiceSeeking | A monthly membership, priced by industry and area | A$129 a month, GST included. You need a background check first | No limit given. It says a job gets 4.6 quotes on average | Email support. If it can’t confirm the lead is genuine, you get a credit (not on its Unlimited plan) |
| Airtasker | A service fee of 12.5% to 20% of the task price, plus GST, taken from your pay | Free until a customer assigns you a task | Customers get offers and pick one. No limit given | Nothing to return. Cancel a job you’ve won and the customer’s connection fee comes out of your next payout |
| Bark | Per lead, in credits. Leads arrive free and you pay to contact the customer | $3.40 a credit at the standard rate. The Starter Pack covers about 10 customers | Up to five pros per customer | Ask within 14 days for a wrong number, a fake request or the wrong service. A quiet customer doesn’t count |
From each site’s own pages, read 12 October 2026. Bark’s Australian help centre doesn’t name the currency for its $3.40. Prices change, so check theirs.
How much hipages costs
Every plan includes hipages’ job app and a directory profile. Bigger plans get more credits and more postcodes.
| A month, plus GST | Credits a month | Directory postcodes | Unused credits roll over for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | A$139 | 155 | 1 | 1 month |
| Advanced | A$249 | 310 | 3 | 1 month |
| Premium | A$449 | 595 | 5 | 2 months |
| Platinum | A$649 | 850 | 10 | 2 months |
hipages’ membership costs page, read 12 October 2026. Paying a year up front takes 5% off. A$29 a month plus GST gets the app without leads.
How hipages credits work
hipages doesn’t publish what a lead costs in credits. Its credits policy says it depends on the trade, location, job size, and supply and demand, and can change until the job is marked as hired. You see the credits on each lead before you accept.
The first three businesses to accept get the customer’s details. After that you can join a waitlist for free, and you only pay if the customer picks you within 48 hours.
For scale, hipages Group’s quick facts page counts 33,000 tradie members and, on average, over 100,000 jobs posted a month.
The hipages fine print
From hipages’ own pages. Its full business terms are a PDF on its site, so read those too.
- You start on a six-month introductory term, or lock in 12 months at a discount. The six-month term renews automatically for 12 months, and hipages says it tells you first
- There’s a seven-day cooling-off period if you haven’t accepted a lead. After that, you contact support to cancel
- You can pause once for 14 to 31 days on the six-month term, or up to 62 days on a 12-month term. Your term stretches to match, and there may be an admin fee
- A bad lead has to be reported within 7 days. Duplicates, wrong contact details and jobs outside your area are covered
- A customer who won’t reply only counts if their phone and email are both wrong and they haven’t answered your messages in 5 days
- No commission on jobs you win and no setup fee. Lead alerts by SMS cost extra
Who each one suits
| Best for | Watch out for | |
|---|---|---|
| hipages | Residential trades wanting a steady run of local jobs, with quotes and invoices in the same app | A six-month start that rolls into 12 months, and lead prices that aren’t published |
| ServiceSeeking | Trying leads without a long term. You can cancel online any time, and credits you’ve bought don’t expire | Prepaid months aren’t refunded. More than two negative ratings or complaints can get your account suspended |
| Airtasker | Small fixed-price jobs, with nothing to pay until you win one | Offers must be one price for the whole job, so “come out and quote” offers get removed. Customers can’t pay cash |
| Bark | Testing paid leads in your trade without a membership | Credits expire 3 months after you buy them, and a customer who never answers won’t get you credits back |
When a lead site makes sense
You’ve just started
No word of mouth yet, and room in the diary. hipages says it advertises on TV and radio, which is hard to match on your own.
There are gaps between jobs
A quiet season, or slow weeks between big jobs. hipages lets you pause, and ServiceSeeking credits don’t expire.
You’re moving into new suburbs
Nobody there knows your name yet. You pick the postcodes or the distance your leads come from.
When it probably isn’t worth it
Paying for leads makes less sense when you’re booked out for weeks. More leads mostly means more quotes you can’t get to.
It’s the same if you can’t ring back quickly. hipages and ServiceSeeking both say to ring the customer straight after you accept, Bark lets up to five pros reply, and ServiceSeeking closes leads after 3 days. A lead you get to on Friday arvo has had a busy week.
And if your jobs are small next to what a lead costs, do the sums before you sign up for six months.
Before you sign up
Ask what a lead costs
Ask how many credits a typical lead takes in your trade and postcode, or what a month of leads costs. Get the answer in writing.
Work out your break-even
Divide the monthly price by what a typical job leaves you after costs. That’s how many jobs a month it takes to cover it.
Read the term and the cancelling rules
How long you’re in for, how you cancel, and what happens to credits you haven’t used.
Decide who rings the leads
hipages, ServiceSeeking and Bark all say to get in touch fast. Sort out who calls a new lead when you’re halfway through a job, and who picks up when the customer rings back.
A paid lead still has to be answered
OffsiteMate doesn’t sell leads. A lead you’ve paid for is only worth something if someone answers when it rings, and that’s the part we do.
Leads turn into phone calls fast. You ring the customer, they miss it, and they ring back while you’re up a ladder. On Bark’s Enquiries, a beta for some services, the customer’s call buys the lead with your credits, and Bark’s own help page tells you to answer every one.
Our AI assistant answers as your business, says it’s your assistant, gets the job details and books the routine jobs at times you’re free. It’s A$299 a month for a sole trader, month to month. The robot can’t quote a bathroom. It can take the call while you do.
Fair questions about hipages and lead sites
Is hipages good for tradies?
It can be, if you need more work and can ring leads straight away. The cheapest plan is A$139 a month plus GST, starting on a six-month term.
How much does hipages cost?
A$139 to A$649 a month plus GST, for 155 to 850 credits (October 2026). hipages doesn’t publish how many credits a lead takes. It depends on the trade, area, job size and demand.
How do you leave a review on hipages?
If you hired the tradie through hipages, go to My Jobs in the app or on the website and click Feedback under the business name. If you found them in the directory, open their profile, choose Ratings and Recommendations and fill in the Feedback form. hipages checks it first and usually publishes it within 1 to 2 business days.
Can tradies ask for reviews on hipages?
Yes, from the job or the Customer reviews screen in the hipages for business app. Your star rating shows once three customers have left feedback. hipages says all written reviews, negative ones included, will show on profiles from December 2026.
Can I get credits back for a bad hipages lead?
Report it in the app within 7 days of accepting it. hipages gives its answer within 5 business days. If it agrees the lead wasn’t genuine (a duplicate, wrong contact details or a job outside your area), the credits go back on your balance.
What happened to Oneflare?
The Oneflare brand was retired on 30 June 2026. Its website now redirects to Airtasker, which calls it a sister platform.
Keep reading
- Missed-call text back for tradies
- What a missed call costs a tradie
- How our AI receptionist handles a call
- Review booster: your Google review link for happy customers
- What OffsiteMate costs
- Ring the demo before you decide
- AI receptionist prices in Australia, compared
- Answering service prices in Australia, compared
- Picking after-hours cover for a trade business
- 24/7 answering: which hours you’re really paying for
This phone is answered.
Ring us on the number below, or email. Either way, a human gets back to you.
0468 075 000Or email hello@offsitemate.com.au