An honest HomeStars review from a contractor's point of view: how leads, shortlists and lead fees work, where it helps, where it falls short, and how it compares with owning your own website and leads. Every fact about HomeStars links to HomeStars' own pages.
Full disclosure: we sell a website and lead system for contractors, so we're not neutral. That's why every claim about HomeStars below links to HomeStars' own website, and why we say plainly where HomeStars is the better choice. Everything was checked on 9 October 2026; platforms change their terms, so check HomeStars' current pages before you sign up.
HomeStars is a Canadian platform where homeowners post a job and contractors ("pros") respond. Its homepage showed 25,384 pros, 40+ service categories and 981,379 reviews when we checked (source). It's one of the best-known names in Canadian home services: "homestars" is searched about 9,900 times a month in Canada (Google Ads keyword data, October 2026).
According to HomeStars' own help pages (source):
HomeStars says you only pay a fee when a homeowner shortlists you, and that there are no joining fees, membership fees or other costs (source). There isn't one fixed price per lead. HomeStars sets each lead fee from the details the homeowner enters, such as size, quantity and materials, shows it before you respond, and doesn't change it afterwards (source).
Two things to know before you budget:
You'll find older reviews online describing monthly subscriptions. HomeStars' current help pages, dated January 2025, describe the pay-per-shortlist model above with no membership fee. Judge the platform on its current terms.
It can suit you if you're new or moving into a new city, have spare capacity, write a good first message and call back fast. It's a weaker fit if you're already busy from referrals, you mostly do big jobs where you'd rather not compete for a shortlist, or you'd rather put the same money into a lead source you own.
| Option | How you pay | Who else is in the running? | Who keeps the customer? |
|---|---|---|---|
| HomeStars | A lead fee when a homeowner shortlists you (fee shown per job) | Other pros who responded | Shared via the platform |
| Other lead platforms (e.g. Jiffy, TrustedPros, Angi) | Depends on the platform; check their own pricing pages | Usually several businesses | Shared via the platform |
| Your own website + lead system | A flat monthly price | Only you | You |
Platform models as described on their own websites; check each platform's current pricing before you decide.
A website on its own isn't enough. What matters is what happens after someone finds you. Here's what we set up for contractors:
It costs C$129/month, or C$1,290/year (2 months free). No per-lead fees. Your enquiries come only to you.
Not necessarily. Plenty of contractors keep a platform profile while they build their own channel. Track where every job comes from for three months: HomeStars, Google, referrals, your website. Keep what pays for itself. We won't promise your own website replaces a platform in a month; local search takes time. But every homeowner who finds you directly is yours, and you don't pay again to talk to them next time.
A proper website that turns visitors into calls and messages, straight to your phone.
If a customer googles you and can't find you, that's awkward. Every service and every city you cover gets its own clear page.
Your Google reviews sit right on the site, so new customers see what past customers said.
Most local searches happen on a phone. Your site loads fast and every page has tap-to-call.
Titles, headings, speed and structure set up for searches like "roofer Calgary" or "plumber near me".
"Sure, I'll leave you a review"... then life gets in the way. We remind them every week until they actually do it.
Job done? Send a review request from your phone before you've loaded up the truck.
Your customer taps a star rating. 5 stars go straight to your Google review page. Anything less comes to you privately, so you can make it right.
People forget. If they haven't left a review yet, a friendly reminder goes out every week, up to 4 times, until they do.
See new reviews and reply to them from the same app as your calls and messages.
Everyone misses calls on the job. Not everyone texts back. Be the one who does.
Most contractors let missed calls go to voicemail. You start a conversation instead.
Up a ladder or under a sink? The caller gets a text from your business number within seconds.
We set you up with a local Canadian number for calls and texts, or link the number you already use.
Calls that come in at night or on the weekend still get an instant reply, even while you sleep.
Referrals and repeat customers are the best kind of work. Let's get you more of both.
Ready-made campaigns are set up in your account. Pick a group of customers, tap launch, and the texts go out from your business number.
Happy customers are your best salespeople. A friendly text asks them to pass your name on to friends and neighbours.
Haven't heard from someone in a while? A quick check-in brings repeat jobs back without you chasing anyone.
Furnace tune-ups before winter, eavestrough cleaning in the fall, AC checks before summer. Campaigns go to customers who've agreed to hear from you or bought from you recently, and every text includes a way to opt out.
"Number one on Google next week!" Not from us. Local search takes time, so we set it up properly from day one.
Fast pages for your services and cities, linked to your Google Business Profile.
Want enquiries sooner? We can run ads for the searches that matter to your business.
Every enquiry gets an instant text and email, so you don't pay for clicks that go nowhere.
Website + Lead System
C$129/month
or C$1,290/year, 2 months free
Book A CallPrices in CAD. Google Ads management is an optional extra, and ad spend is paid to Google directly.
See everything we can set up to help you grow your business, then decide if you want us to do it for you.
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