Yelp, Angi and Nextdoor: what they're worth to a contractor

Each sells something different. Yelp sells advertising: you pay for clicks, and the price of each click is set by auction. Angi sells leads: you pay for each homeowner request it sends you. Nextdoor sells ad space in the neighborhood feed on a daily budget. All three let you keep a free profile without paying for anything.

How each one works, from its own pages:

• Yelp. Claiming a page is free, with "20+ free tools." Yelp Ads start at "as little as $5/day on average," and Yelp's annual report says "To establish the price of an individual ad click, we run an auction for each advertising placement." Its Request-a-Quote feature lets service businesses "provide competing quotes for consumers."
• Angi. You set your tasks and ZIP codes, and Angi sends matching requests as leads. "Each time a homeowner submits a project request, we will match them with no more than five pros." You pay per lead, either on an annual subscription billed monthly or pay per lead billed weekly. Our Angi leads guide covers credits, pausing and canceling.
• Nextdoor. The Business Page and Business Posts are free. Ads run in the newsfeed on a daily budget; for continuous ads, "you'll pay for 31 days upfront," then the same amount every 31 days. You target neighbors within 30 miles of your business.

None of the three publishes a price per lead or per click for contractors. Yelp gives a starting daily average and sets click prices by auction. Angi says lead fees vary by task, location and demand. Nextdoor lets you pick a daily budget. What you'll pay depends on your trade, your area and your settings, so ask before you commit.

What to ask each one, and what we found on their pages:

Cost ranges on other websites for these platforms are usually unsourced or come from one agency's accounts, so we don't repeat them. A single lead price tells you little until you know how many leads it takes to book a job.

A profile homeowners can find and check. On Yelp you can claim your page, update details, add photos and reply to reviews. On Nextdoor you get a Business Page and free posts to nearby neighbors. On Angi you pay for leads; keep your company page accurate either way. Keep all three accurate.

What to set up on each, at no charge:

1. Claim the page under a login your business controls.
2. Match your details to your Google Business Profile and website: business name, phone number, service area and services.
3. Add real photos of your team, trucks and work.
4. Reply to reviews and messages the same way you do on Google.
5. On Nextdoor, post finished work in the neighborhoods you serve, and share your page link with customers so they can recommend you.

A free profile you claimed years ago and forgot can still be the one a homeowner, or an AI tool, reads. Our painting leads guide shows how free profiles fit with other free lead sources.

They conflict, so one review request can't go to all three. Yelp tells businesses not to ask anyone for reviews and filters reviews that look requested. Nextdoor encourages you to share your page link so customers recommend you. Angi encourages real reviews. Google lets you ask every customer, as long as you offer nothing in return.

Each rule, in the platform's words:

• Yelp: "Don't ask anyone to review your business, be it customers, mailing list subscribers, friends, family, etc." Yelp's software "tries to identify any reviews that appear to have been requested, and not recommend them." Its annual report says about 76% of reviews were recommended at the end of 2025.
• Nextdoor: its guide for small businesses says to share your Business Page link to gather recommendations, through posts, email, your website or signs, and that "more is better."
• Angi: its getting-started page for pros says "Make your business stand out with real reviews" and tells new pros to request three or more from past customers.
• Google: "you can ask customers to visit a Google link or scan a QR code," but offering incentives, "like free or discounted goods or services," for reviews is "strictly prohibited." Our guide to getting more Google reviews covers how.

What this means for you: send review requests to Google (and Nextdoor, if you use it), never to Yelp. Let Yelp reviews come on their own. The home-service reviews handbook covers the rules across platforms, including the FTC's.

Angi and HomeAdvisor much more than Yelp or Nextdoor. When we asked ChatGPT whether a named contractor was legit, its 11,982 answers cited HomeAdvisor in 1,472 and Angi in 1,105, Nextdoor in 289 and Yelp in 84. When we asked who to call, Angi appeared in 75 of 2,000 answers, and Yelp and Nextdoor in 1 each.

For scale, the same "legit" answers cited the BBB in 10,582 and the business's own website in 9,557. So the profiles that matter most to AI answers aren't these three, and Angi's appear far more than Yelp's or Nextdoor's. These are counts of links in answers, not proof that a profile causes a recommendation. The method is in what ChatGPT checks before recommending a contractor.

When the platform's homeowners are in your area, your profile looks good there, you answer fast, and the cost per booked job beats your other sources. Each fits a different situation: Angi when you need jobs now and can race other pros, Yelp ads when your Yelp page already draws views, Nextdoor ads when you work neighborhood by neighborhood.

Whatever you test, compare it with sources you already run. Our lead quality vs lead volume guide shows how to tell whether a source sends the wrong leads or your team is losing good ones, and the Thumbtack guide covers another marketplace.

Test one platform at a time, for long enough to see booked jobs, on terms you can leave. Check the commitment first: Yelp says self-serve ads have no term contract, Nextdoor bills in 31-day cycles you can stop, and Angi offers an annual subscription or pay per lead. Then track every lead from the first day.

1. Confirm the terms in writing. On Yelp, whether you're on self-serve ads with no term. On Nextdoor, that continuous ads run to the end of the current 31-day cycle after you cancel, and that ads with a set end date under 31 days can't be canceled. On Angi, annual subscription or pay per lead, and the end date.
2. Set a budget you can afford to lose for a full test period, such as a season.
3. Tag every lead with the platform the day it arrives.
4. Answer fast. On Angi, a credit for a bad lead requires a call attempt within 24 hours.
5. Work out cost per booked job at the end: total spend divided by jobs that went on your schedule. Our lead generation guide shows the method.
6. Keep the free profile whether you renew or not.

Mindflow builds the channels you own: SEO with AI search optimization included, your Google Business Profile, a review program and conversion work. When paid ads fit your market and goals, we scope Google Ads, Local Services Ads or ChatGPT ads in your proposal; ad spend is paid to the platform.

Is Yelp advertising worth it for contractors? It can be when your Yelp page already has a strong rating and homeowners in your area use Yelp. Yelp charges per click at a price set by auction, starting at about $5 a day on average, with no term contract for self-serve ads. Test it for a season and judge it by cost per booked job, not clicks.

Is Nextdoor free for businesses? Yes, the basics are. Nextdoor offers a free Business Page and free Business Posts, and neighbors can recommend you. Ads are the paid part: you choose a daily budget, and continuous ads are billed 31 days up front. You can cancel future charges, and the ad runs to the end of the current cycle.

Can I ask customers to review me on Yelp? No. Yelp tells businesses, "Don't ask anyone to review your business," and its software tries to find reviews that look requested and not recommend them. Ask customers for Google reviews instead, the same way every time and without offering anything, and let Yelp reviews come on their own.

Is Yelp or Angi better for contractors? They do different jobs. Angi sends you leads you pay for one by one, shared with up to five pros. Yelp sells ad clicks that send homeowners to your page. Angi suits owners who need jobs now and answer fast; Yelp suits owners whose Yelp page already wins work. Compare both by cost per booked job.

Do I need to be on all three? You should claim your free profile on each and keep the details matching your Google Business Profile, because homeowners and AI answers check them. Paying for any of them is a separate decision. In our study, ChatGPT cited Angi and HomeAdvisor profiles far more often than Yelp or Nextdoor.

Platform pages read November 1, 2026. Prices change; check the platform.

• Yelp, Yelp for Business
• Yelp, Yelp Ads
• Yelp Support, Don't Ask for Reviews
• Yelp Inc., Form 10-K for fiscal year 2025
• Angi, Opportunities and Leads: Frequently Asked Questions
• Angi, Billing: Frequently Asked Questions (March 5, 2026)
• Angi, How to Request a Lead Credit (August 14, 2026)
• Angi, Getting Started as a Pro on Angi (September 2, 2026)
• Nextdoor, Nextdoor for small businesses
• Nextdoor, Advertise with Nextdoor Ads
• Nextdoor, Small business guide to getting Nextdoor recommendations (updated January 6, 2023)
• Google, Tips to get more reviews
• Mindflow, What ChatGPT checks before recommending a contractor and its published data file (counts recomputed November 1, 2026)

Want to see which of your profiles homeowners and AI answers actually find? Get a free AI Visibility Review.