If you have ever tried to compare what hiring platforms actually cost, you know the headache. Some sites advertise "free to browse" while charging providers hundreds a year plus per-lead fees. Others take a big slice of every job. Customers often pay more without realizing it, or providers raise prices to survive the platform tax. Here is a straight shot at who charges what — and where Gygnus fits.
The Two Kinds of "Fees" (Leads vs Take Rate)
- •Lead-gen models: you pay for introductions — credits, bids, or memberships — whether the job closes or not. Costs add up fast for pros; some pass them on in quotes.
- •Take-rate models: the platform keeps a percentage (or adds a service fee on top) on completed work. What matters is the all-in math for the customer and what the provider nets.
Rates change over time and vary by market — always read the latest terms on any app you use. The point is not a line-by-line audit of every competitor today, but the pattern: many marketplaces stack more than one way to get paid.
What Gygnus Charges (Keep It Real)
We keep the story boring on purpose so it is easy to remember.
- •Customers: $0 to use Gygnus. You pay what you agree with the provider for the job — not a padded "customer fee" on top of your quote from us.
- •Providers: when a job is paid on the platform, Gygnus retains a 6% platform fee on that job payment. Separately, estimated card / payment processing is deducted as part of the economics (the same general idea applies to tips when charged as their own payment).
We are not pretending infrastructure, compliance, fraud prevention, and support are free. Those costs have to come from somewhere. Our bet is that a single transparent platform fee — competitive with the ecosystem — is fairer than nickel-and-diming with opaque lead packs.
💡 Gygnus vs "free to post" giants: "Free" often means someone else is paying — or the customer is paying through higher quotes. We publish what we take so both sides can decide with eyes open.
Why This Is Often Lower Pressure Than Classic Lead Buying
Paying $30–$80 (or more) per lead whether you win the job or not changes how providers behave. Some raise minimum job sizes. Some avoid small wins. On a marketplace where you are not buying lottery tickets for every introduction, providers can quote more honestly — and customers get fewer games.
SEO / Search Terms This Matches
People search lowest fee handyman app, TaskRabbit alternative fees, how much does Thumbtack charge contractors, Angi cost per lead, fair marketplace for plumbers — if that is how you found this, welcome. Our Terms and Help Center spell out fee mechanics; our product goal is simple: protect payments, keep discovery fair, and stay sustainable without walling off small jobs behind predatory lead bills.
Bottom Line
You deserve to know who charges what before you book. Gygnus charges customers nothing for the platform, takes a stated platform percentage on paid work from the provider side, and handles card economics transparently. Compare that stack against whatever you used last time — then post a job and see real quotes without the smoke.
