Best Lead Services for Plumbers in 2025: Shared Marketplaces vs. Exclusive Leads

Plumbing demand in the United States is projected to grow another 4 % in 2025 as new home starts rebound and aging housing stock requires more service work. Yet competition for that work is sharper than ever—Google Local Services Ads (LSAs) now list up to ten contractors per search, and voice assistants are steering homeowners to the first name they hear. For many plumbing companies, buying leads from third-party providers remains the fastest way to keep the trucks rolling. But which model wins in 2025: high-volume shared marketplaces such as Angi, HomeAdvisor and Thumbtack, or smaller-scale exclusive pay-per-lead platforms that sell each inquiry to one contractor only?

Why plumbers still need outside lead services

Even contractors with solid SEO and repeat customers experience seasonal dips. A recent Service Nation survey found that 61 % of plumbing firms purchase at least some third-party leads to smooth revenue. Lead services make sense when:

• You’re adding a new truck or crew and want instant call volume.
• Your service area is expanding into zip codes where you lack organic visibility.
• You’re testing a new premium service—e.g., trenchless sewer repair—and need quick data on demand.

How shared marketplaces work

Shared marketplaces advertise nationally, collect homeowner requests, and distribute each request to multiple plumbers—typically three to five. Popular brands in 2025 include:

• Angi / HomeAdvisor – now merged under Angi Leads, averaging 25 million visitors per month.
• Thumbtack – particularly strong in small-ticket jobs like drain cleaning.
• Porch – integrates directly with Lowe’s online shoppers.

Pricing is tiered by job type and market. Drain-clearing leads can cost as little as $18, while water-heater replacements in dense metros can run up to $75.

Pros

• Steady volume—hundreds of requests per day in major cities.
• No minimum spend; you pay only for the leads you accept.
• Built-in consumer trust through nationally recognized brands.

Cons

• Competition: Homeowners often get multiple quotes within minutes.
• Price shopping: Shared leads push margins down by encouraging lowest-bid wins.
• Refund friction: Getting credit for bad phone numbers or tire kickers can be time-consuming.

The rise of exclusive pay-per-lead platforms

Exclusive providers generate inbound calls—usually through Google Ads, LSAs, or localized landing pages—and route each call to one plumbing company only. Notable players include:

• 33 Mile Radius – focuses on emergency services; calls are recorded and billed only if the job is plumbing-related.
• Plumber Marketing USA – offers territory exclusivity down to the zip-code level.
• Blue Collar Leads – bundles form fills and live calls with a monthly minimum.

Cost per exclusive lead ranges from $60 to $200 depending on the metro area and service type. Because only one contractor receives the call, close rates hover between 35 % and 55 %—roughly double the industry average for shared marketplaces.

Pros

• Higher conversion rates due to lack of direct competition on each call.
• Territory control keeps your brand front-and-center in target zip codes.
• Predictable metrics: easier to calculate cost per booked job and lifetime value.

Cons

• Higher upfront cost and often a monthly commitment (e.g., $1,500 minimum).
• Volume limits: niche vendors may deliver only 20-40 leads per month in smaller markets.
• Longer onboarding: campaigns must ramp up before phones ring.

Cost, quality, and ROI in 2025

Metric	Shared Marketplace	Exclusive Pay-Per-Lead
Average cost per lead	$18 – $75	$60 – $200
Average close rate	15 – 25 %	35 – 55 %
Estimated cost per booked job	$180 – $300	$150 – $350
Refund rate	7 %	3 %

When you factor in close rate, exclusive leads often break even with shared marketplaces on cost per booked job but deliver better customer experience—no price bidding wars and stronger brand recall. However, the lack of high volume can be a bottleneck for multi-truck operations.

Leveraging AI Visibility Scores to choose the right mix

This is where analytics from Project 40 come in. The company’s AI Visibility Score benchmarks how easily a service business is found across Google Maps, LSAs, review sites, and niche lead platforms. By pairing that score with pipeline metrics from your CSR or SDR team, you can:

• Identify the exact neighborhoods where organic visibility is weak and third-party leads have the highest ROI.
• Set dynamic budgets—shift spend toward exclusive providers when your average Visibility Score drops below 70 in a high-value zip code.
• Measure lead efficiency in real time, not at month-end, so you can pause under-performing channels quickly.

The takeaway: AI can remove the guesswork from lead buying and keep your marketing dollars aligned with real-world visibility gaps.

Decision framework for plumbing contractors

1. Audit demand versus capacity. Use dispatch data to calculate how many additional booked jobs per week you need to hit revenue goals.
2. Calculate true cost per job. Include CSR time, travel, and material overhead—not just lead fee.
3. Benchmark visibility. Tools such as Project 40’s AI Visibility Score or BrightLocal reveal where you outrank (or trail) competitors.
4. Run a 90-day test. Allocate 70 % of your test budget to the lead model you believe will win, 30 % to the other. Track close rate, ticket size, and customer reviews.
5. Refine and diversify. In most cases a blended strategy—exclusive leads for high-margin services, shared marketplaces for filler work—delivers the best balance of volume and profitability.

Key takeaways

• Shared marketplaces remain unmatched for raw volume but force you into price competition.
• Exclusive pay-per-lead platforms cost more per call yet often yield a better customer experience and higher close rates.
• In 2025, data-driven plumbers use AI tools like Project 40’s AI Visibility Score to deploy capital where visibility is weakest.
• The “best” lead service is rarely either-or; it’s a calibrated mix based on capacity, margins, and market saturation.

Ready to pinpoint the most profitable lead channel for your plumbing business? Discover your current AI Visibility Score at itsproject40.com and turn those insights into booked jobs—before your competitors do.