Hipages vs Your Own Website: Which Gets More Jobs?

If you're an Australian tradie, chances are you've either used Hipages or at least thought about it. It's one of the biggest lead generation platforms in the country, and it promises a steady stream of customers landing in your inbox.

Sounds great, right? Well, sort of. The reality is a bit more complicated than the sales pitch. Hipages leads cost money, they're shared with your competitors, and you never truly own the relationship with the customer.

On the other hand, having your own website means customers find you directly. No middleman. No shared leads. No per-lead fees eating into your margins.

So which one actually gets you more jobs? Let's break it all down honestly, with real numbers, so you can make the right call for your business.

How Hipages Actually Works

For those who haven't used it, here's the quick rundown. Hipages is a lead marketplace. Homeowners post a job (say, “need a plumber in Parramatta”), and Hipages sends that lead to multiple tradies in the area. You pay for the lead whether or not you win the job.

There are two main models Hipages uses:

Pay-per-lead: You pay for each lead you receive. Costs range from around $21 for simpler jobs to $60 or more for high-value trades like plumbing, electrical, or building work.
Subscription plans: Monthly plans that give you a set number of leads per month, often with a minimum commitment period.

The platform does the marketing for you. They run Google Ads, they rank for trade-related searches, and they funnel those enquiries to their registered tradies. You're essentially renting access to their audience.

The Real Cost of Hipages Leads

Let's talk numbers, because this is where things get interesting.

The average Hipages lead costs between $21 and $60, depending on your trade and location. But here's the kicker: that's the cost per lead, not per job.

Most tradies report converting somewhere between 20% and 35% of Hipages leads into actual paying jobs. So let's do the maths:

Average lead cost: $40
Conversion rate: 25%
Leads needed per job: 4
Actual cost per job: $160

If you're a plumber doing a $300 job, that's more than half your revenue gone on lead acquisition alone. For higher-value jobs it makes more sense, but the margins are still tight.

And here's the thing most people don't talk about: the lead quality can be inconsistent. You'll get tyre-kickers, people who've already hired someone else, and the classic “just getting quotes to compare” crowd. You pay for all of them.

The Pros of Hipages

Look, we're not here to bash Hipages. It does have genuine advantages:

Instant leads: Sign up today, get leads tomorrow. There's no waiting around for SEO to kick in.
No marketing skills needed: You don't have to know anything about websites, SEO, or digital marketing. Hipages handles it all.
Good for filling gaps: If you've got a quiet week, Hipages can help fill your schedule quickly.
Brand exposure: Your profile on Hipages gives you some visibility, especially if you collect good reviews there.
Established trust: Some homeowners trust the Hipages platform and prefer booking through it.

The Cons of Hipages

Now for the other side of the coin:

Shared leads: You're competing with 2-3 other tradies for every lead. Speed matters more than quality sometimes.
Ongoing costs: The moment you stop paying, the leads stop. There is zero compounding value.
No brand building: The customer remembers Hipages, not your business name. You're building their brand, not yours.
Price pressure: When customers are comparing three quotes side-by-side, price often wins. This pushes margins down.
You don't own the leads: Hipages owns the customer relationship. If they change their pricing or algorithms, you're at their mercy.
Variable quality: Not all leads are genuine. You still pay for no-shows and time-wasters.

How Your Own Website Compares

Now let's look at the alternative: having your own professional website.

When someone Googles “electrician near me” or “plumber Western Sydney”, your website can show up directly in the search results. The customer clicks through, sees your work, reads your reviews, and contacts you. Nobody else. Just you.

That's a fundamentally different dynamic. There's no bidding war. No shared leads. No per-lead fees. The customer has already chosen you before they pick up the phone.

With a properly optimised tradie website, you get:

Exclusive leads: Every enquiry through your website is yours alone. No one else is getting that same lead.
Higher conversion rates: Website leads typically convert at 40-60% because the customer has already researched you and decided to reach out.
Brand building: Your website, your name, your reputation. Every visit builds trust in your business.
Compounding value: Unlike Hipages, your website gets stronger over time. The SEO work you do today keeps paying off for years.
You own everything: Your content, your customer data, your online presence. No platform can take that away.

Cost Per Lead: The Real Comparison

Let's put some real numbers side by side.

Hipages (12-Month View)

Monthly spend: ~$800-$1,500 (varies by trade)
Leads per month: ~20-30
Cost per lead: $40-$60
Conversion rate: 20-35%
Cost per job: $115-$300
Annual spend: $9,600-$18,000
Value at end of year if you cancel: $0

Your Own Website with Onboard (12-Month View)

Setup cost: $495
Monthly cost: $79/month ($948/year)
Total first-year cost: $1,443
Leads per month (after 3-6 months): 10-30+
Cost per lead (month 6+): $5-$15
Conversion rate: 40-60%
Cost per job: $8-$38
Value at end of year if you cancel: You still have a ranking website

The difference is massive. With Hipages, you could spend $15,000+ a year on leads that vanish the moment you stop paying. With your own website, you invest a fraction of that and build an asset that keeps working for you.

Want to see exactly how your numbers stack up? Try our free ROI calculator to compare costs for your specific trade and location.

Can You Use Both? (Yes, and Here's How)

Here's the smart play that a lot of successful tradies use: run both, but shift your budget over time.

When you're starting out or your website is brand new, Hipages can fill the gaps. Use it to keep busy while your site builds authority and starts ranking on Google.

As your website starts generating organic leads (usually within 3-6 months), gradually reduce your Hipages spend. Plenty of tradies eventually turn Hipages off completely because their website brings in more than enough work.

The transition usually looks something like this:

Months 1-3: Hipages for most leads, website being indexed and starting to rank.
Months 3-6: Website generating some leads, reduce Hipages spend by 30-50%.
Months 6-12: Website is your primary lead source. Hipages is optional backup.
Year 2+: Most tradies are fully reliant on their website and word-of-mouth. Hipages costs drop to zero.

Why Owning Your Leads Matters

This is the bit that doesn't get talked about enough. When a customer comes through Hipages, they're Hipages' customer first and yours second. The platform controls the relationship.

When a customer finds you through your own website, you own that relationship. You can:

Follow up directly for repeat business
Ask for reviews on your Google profile
Build a referral network
Send seasonal offers or reminders
Create a genuine brand that people recommend to mates

Think about the tradies you know who are always booked out. Guaranteed, they're not relying on Hipages. They've built a reputation, a website, and a Google presence that feeds them work on autopilot.

That's the difference between renting your business and owning it.

What Does a Good Tradie Website Need?

You don't need anything fancy. A tradie website that actually generates leads needs:

Clear service pages: What you do, where you do it, and how to contact you.
Local SEO: Suburb-specific content so Google shows you to nearby customers.
Mobile-friendly design: Most people search on their phones. If your site doesn't work on mobile, you're invisible.
Fast loading: Slow sites get penalised by Google and abandoned by visitors.
Easy contact options: Click-to-call, quote forms, and clear calls to action.
Reviews and trust signals: Social proof that shows you're legit.

At Onboard, we build all of this for you. No DIY website builders, no templates you have to figure out yourself. We create a professional, SEO-optimised website for your trade business and handle all the technical stuff. $495 setup, $79 a month. Done.

Real Talk: When Hipages Makes More Sense

We're big believers in owning your online presence, but we also believe in being honest. There are times when Hipages is the better play:

You need jobs this week: If you're brand new and cash flow is tight, Hipages delivers faster than SEO.
You're in a new area: Just moved to a new city? Hipages can get you established while your local SEO catches up.
Seasonal slow periods: Use it tactically during quiet months rather than as a permanent fixture.

But even in these situations, the smart move is to have your website working in the background. Because every month you wait to build your online presence is another month of paying full price for shared leads.

The Bottom Line

Hipages is a tool. It has its place. But it's not a business strategy. It's a short-term fix that costs more the longer you rely on it.

Your own website is an investment. It costs less, delivers better leads, and gets stronger every month. It's the difference between renting a shopfront and owning the building.

The tradies who are smashing it in 2026 aren't the ones paying top dollar for shared leads. They're the ones who built their own online presence, own their customer relationships, and let their website do the heavy lifting.

If you haven't started yet, now's the time. Get your tradie website sorted with Onboard and start building something that actually belongs to you.

Already wondering if you even need a website? We covered that in detail over at Do Tradies Need a Website? And if you want the full picture on marketing your trade business, check out our Tradie Marketing Guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Hipages cost per lead?

Hipages lead costs vary by trade and location, but most tradies report paying between $21 and $60 per lead. Some high-competition trades like plumbing and electrical in metro areas can see costs even higher. Keep in mind, not every lead converts into a paying job, so your actual cost per job is typically much more.

Can I use Hipages and my own website at the same time?

Absolutely. Many successful tradies use both. Hipages can fill gaps in your schedule while your website builds organic traffic over time. The key is tracking which source delivers better ROI so you can shift your budget accordingly.

Is Hipages worth it for new tradies?

Hipages can be useful when you are just starting out and need jobs quickly. However, the leads are shared with other tradies so competition is fierce. Building your own website early means you start ranking on Google sooner, which pays off long-term with cheaper, exclusive leads.

How long does it take for a tradie website to start getting leads?

Most tradie websites start generating organic leads within 3 to 6 months if they are properly optimised for local SEO. Some tradies see enquiries within weeks, especially if they set up Google Business Profile and target specific suburbs. It is not instant like Hipages, but the leads you get are yours alone.

What is the real cost difference between Hipages and a website?

Hipages costs $21-60 per lead with no guarantee of conversion, and you pay forever. A professional tradie website costs around $495 to set up plus $79 per month with Onboard. Once your site ranks, organic leads cost you nothing extra. Most tradies find their website pays for itself within 2-3 months.