The short version: hipages costs you two things — a monthly subscription (commonly tens to a few hundred dollars) plus the price of each lead (often ~$10–$90+). Leads are usually sold to several tradies at once, so your true cost isn't the lead price — it's your total spend divided by the jobs you actually win. That number is often far higher than the sticker.
The two ways lead platforms charge you
Almost every tradie lead platform in Australia — hipages, and others like it — makes money in the same two-part way. Understanding both parts is the whole game:
| Charge | What it is | Typical 2026 range* |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription / membership | A recurring monthly or annual fee for your listing, profile visibility and a set of lead credits | ~$50 to several hundred / month, by tier |
| Leads (“connections”) | A charge each time you're connected to a job enquiry — on top of the subscription | ~$10 to $90+ per lead, by job type |
*These are indicative ranges, not a quote. Lead platforms price by trade, job value and location, run promotions, and change plans over time. Always confirm current numbers directly with the provider before you sign anything.
The bit that stings: leads are shared
Here's what the sticker price hides. On most lead platforms, a single job enquiry is sold to more than one tradesperson — commonly three or more. Each of you pays for that lead. Each of you rings the customer. Most of you lose.
That's not a bug in the model — it's the model. The platform earns more when a lead is sold to more tradies, which means its incentives and yours point in opposite directions. You want to win the job; it just needs the lead sold.
- You pay for leads you never had a real chance of winning
- You're often quoting blind, racing to call first rather than quoting well
- Your genuine win rate is far lower than "leads received" suggests
- Price-shoppers collect four quotes and grind everyone down
The number that actually matters: cost per booked job
Tradies quote the lead price to each other — "leads are forty bucks" — but that's the wrong number. The only figure that decides whether a platform is worth it is your cost per booked job: everything you spent in a month divided by the jobs you actually won.
Work a realistic month:
| Line item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Monthly subscription | $300 |
| 15 leads @ $45 | $675 |
| Total monthly spend | $975 |
| Jobs actually won (shared leads — be honest) | 3 |
| Real cost per booked job | $325 |
Not $45. $325. And in a quiet month where you win one, that single job carried the whole $975. That's the maths the lead price never shows you — and it's exactly why so many tradies feel like they're running to stand still.
Run your own numbers. We built a free lead-cost calculator — plug in your subscription, lead price and honest win rate and it shows your real cost per booked job in about 30 seconds. No signup, works for any platform.
Is hipages worth it for tradies?
For some, yes — if you're brand new, have no reviews and no word of mouth, a lead platform can prime the pump while you build a reputation. But be clear-eyed about it as a long-term cost. The tradies who do well on lead platforms tend to:
- Answer enquiries within minutes, not hours — speed beats everything on shared leads
- Track cost per booked job every month, and cull lead types that never convert
- Use it to win a first job, then move that customer to repeat/referral work off-platform
- Never rely on it as their only source of work
If you're doing all that and the cost per booked job still works for your margins, keep it. If it doesn't — and for a lot of Melbourne tradies it doesn't — it's worth knowing there's a different model.
A different model: pay only when you win
PropCommand was built to flip the incentive. There's no monthly subscription and no charge for leads. You see the full job brief — photos, access notes, suburb, scope — before you decide to bid. If it's not worth your time, you don't bid and you don't pay a cent.
When you win the job, it's a flat $5. That's it. Because we only earn when you win, our incentives and yours finally point the same way — the opposite of the shared-lead model.
| Typical lead platform | PropCommand | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | Subscription required | $0 |
| Cost per lead | ~$10–$90+, often shared | $0 |
| You pay when… | You receive a lead (win or lose) | You win the job |
| Per won job | Often $100–$300+ all-in | $5 flat (founding rate) |
| See full brief before bidding | Rarely | Always |
We're recruiting founding Melbourne tradies now. The $5 flat rate is locked in for founding members, you keep a Founding Member badge for life, and there's a refer-a-mate deal on top. It's supply-first and deliberately small right now — which means early tradies see the jobs first.
Stop paying for leads you lose
Join PropCommand as a founding Melbourne tradie. No subscription, no lead fees — a flat $5 only when you win the job, and you see the full brief before you bid. Founding rate locked in.
Frequently asked questions
How much does hipages cost per month for tradies?
hipages charges a monthly or annual subscription, typically tiered from around $50 to several hundred dollars per month depending on the plan, plus the cost of leads on top. Higher tiers include more lead credits and more visibility. Exact pricing is quoted per trade and location and changes over time, so confirm current figures directly with hipages before committing.
How much is a hipages lead?
A single hipages lead (a "connection") commonly costs anywhere from roughly $10 to $90+ depending on the job type, value and location — a small handyman job is cheaper than a full bathroom renovation. Leads are usually sold to more than one tradesperson, so several of you may be paying for and quoting the same job.
Are hipages leads shared with other tradies?
Yes. On most lead-generation platforms, including hipages, a single job lead is typically sent to multiple tradespeople who each pay for it. That means you're often competing against three or more others who bought the same lead, which lowers your real win rate and raises your true cost per booked job.
What is the real cost per booked job on a lead platform?
Your true cost per job is not the lead price — it's total monthly spend divided by jobs actually won. If you pay a $300 subscription plus 15 leads at $45 ($975) and win 3 of them, each booked job cost you $325, not $45. Run your own numbers with a lead-cost calculator before assuming a platform is cheap.
This article is general information for Australian tradespeople and is not financial or business advice. Pricing figures are indicative ranges based on publicly discussed costs and vary by trade, location, plan and time — they are not a quote and may not reflect current pricing. Confirm all current fees directly with the relevant provider before making a decision. PropCommand is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to hipages; hipages is named here for comparison and information only, and remains the trademark of its owner.