Home App Reviews Angi Services for Pros Review: What to Know About the New Handy App
July 16, 2024
Editorial GuidelinesSuzanne is a freelance writer and web designer with 10 years of experience. She previously helped to rebuild a failed digital...
If you’re looking for a way to earn some money on the side and enjoy working with your hands, think about starting a handyman side hustle. There are various gig apps that make it easy to get started, even if you don’t have special training or certifications.
In the following review, you’ll learn what it’s like to work for Angi Services for Pros, how much money you can make, and whether it’s worth your time.
Before we can explain what Angi Services for Pros is, we first need to talk about Handy.com. Handy.com is a marketplace that connects homeowners and business owners with local professionals who provide a wide range of home services, including cleaning, repairs, and odd jobs.
Customers put in job requests through the Handy app. Workers, on the other hand, accept those same jobs through the Angi Services for Pros app. This may seem confusing, but it makes a bit more sense when you take into account that Angi Services for Pros is a new name—until 2023, it used to be known as Handy for Pros.
In short, Handy is for customers and Angi Services is for contractors. The Handy platform aims to provide customers with a convenient way to book local professionals. For pros, the Angi Services app provides a way to sell their services without the need for a business, license, or degree.
Unlike the case with some other gig apps, homeowners and clients do not get to peruse the list of available providers, compare rates, and contact the ones they’re interested in.
Instead, here’s how Angi Services for Pros works:
When bookings are in your designated area and for a service you offer, they’ll appear in your “Claim” list. You can pick and choose which of the available jobs you want.
Homeowners also have the option of designating “Favorite” pros. This means that once you’ve established yourself on the platform, it’s possible to skip the steps above and immediately get booked by previous clients.
You can select from a wide variety of Angi handyman services. Here are just a few of the options you’ll have:
You’ll find even more services to choose from when you apply to become an Angi Services pro.
Angi Services is available in three countries:
Angi Services claims that pretty much everyone in the United States can use the app. To date, there have been millions of bookings in the US.
However, according to the locations page on the site, they primarily service major cities and surrounding areas. You may find some opportunities in smaller areas, though they may be harder to come by.
Angi Services for Pros has a few baseline requirements you must meet:
You’ll have to provide proof of these requirements during the application process. This includes uploading a photo of yourself and providing a valid ID (e.g., driver’s license or passport). You’ll also have to share your Social Security number for the background check.
Handy originally launched in 2012 as a company called Handybook. Over the years, it’s raised millions of dollars from investors, which has enabled the company to experience massive growth.
By the time it rebranded to Handy in 2014, the company had about 100 employees, and its contractors were doing about 10,000 jobs every week.
ANGI Homeservices acquired Handy in 2018. Cofounders Oisin and Umang penned a letter for the Handy blog to let the public know of the acquisition. Although the company has stated that the only thing changing is the name and branding, this blog post suggests that more changes may be on the way to improve user experience.
To use Angi Services for Pros, you’ll have to pay a $20 fee upfront for a background check. After that, the app is completely free to use. However, there is a catch.
According to their terms of service, Handy/Angi Services for Pros may take a cut from what they charge customers before they post jobs in the Pro portal for workers to claim. The company refers to this cut as the “booking fee,” but they don’t specify how much it is or how it’s calculated.
This lack of transparency makes it impossible to know how much Angi Services is really costing you in terms of lost earning potential. On top of all that, there are some other indirect costs you may need to pay as a Handy/Angi Services pro.
You may need to purchase your own tools and equipment for individual jobs. Whether or not these costs will apply to you depends on the type of work you do and whether your clients provide these items themselves.
While some clients may have the right tools on hand, it’s not something you can depend on for every gig. To cover your bases, you’ll need to have a basic tool kit. If you get a job that requires tools you don’t have, you’ll need to communicate with the client to find out whether you’ll need to purchase them yourself.
This is an optional expense, but it’s strongly recommended. Angi Services protects customers by offering coverage for damage to their personal property during a job, but they don’t provide worker’s comp or any other coverage for health issues or injuries that pros might sustain on the job.
Insurance may be more valuable in some lines of work than others, but getting your own professional insurance policy is a good idea regardless. You may also find that it’s beneficial for securing gigs through Angi Services if a high percentage of customers require you to have a certificate of insurance.
The final expense to be aware of is the platform’s penalty fees. To give you a general idea, here are some of the finable offenses for Angi pros:
You’ll find a list of penalties under the section “Schedule 2 – Liquidated Damages Service Failure/Cancellation” on the Service Professional Agreement page.
You don’t get to set your own rates when you work for Angi Services. Instead, jobs come with a prespecified quote. Angi Services claims that active pros in “top markets” can earn $1,000 per week. To offer another perspective, self-reported salaries indicate that Angi Services house cleaners make an average of $16.20 per hour.1
Unfortunately, you won’t get much insight into how your wages are calculated. Unlike other handyman apps, Angi Services doesn’t state what percentage it takes from its pros.
What you will see, however, is how much you’ll get paid for each gig when it shows up in the “claim” queue. This means that you ultimately get to decide if the pay rate for a gig is worth your time.
How much you’ll be able to earn as a Handy/Angi pro depends on the types of services you offer, the complexity and scope of the gigs you take on, and what additional services you offer. To figure out your true take-home pay, you’ll also need to factor in costs like self-employed income taxes, insurance premiums, tool costs, and transportation costs.
It’s not all penalties and fees. There are a few ways you can make even more money through Angi Services.
Angi Services used to have several “payment tiers,” and pros would be assigned to one of these tiers based on their work frequency. This tier program has been renamed Angi Services Pro Rewards.
As you complete more jobs and maintain a positive rating, you’ll move up to higher payment tiers. The tiers available to you depend on where you live and what services you offer, although the company claims you can earn an extra $2–$9 per hour in most areas by completing a certain number of jobs within 28 days.
Angi Services offers occasional incentive bonuses for completing specific gigs. The goal of these incentives is often to boost business in an underserved location.
Another bonus opportunity is “Quest” challenges. With Quests, you get a bonus if you do a certain number of jobs in a week. For example, you could have the option to complete four jobs in a week to get a $30 bonus.
Angi Services for Pros has a referral program. You and anyone you refer to the app will get a one-time bonus if they get approved and complete five jobs within 2 weeks. A single referral can earn you up to $250.
Angi Services will pay you weekly via direct deposit for the work you do. Once you’ve provided your payment details, you’ll get a batch payment each week that includes all the work you completed within the last 7 business days.
If you need your money sooner, you have the option to use Cash Out Now. This allows you to get paid daily for a fee of $1.99 per payment.
Handy/Angi will pay you if a client cancels a booking with you at the last minute. This is a feature that you won’t find with all handyman apps. Below is an overview of how cancellation pay works.
| Notice Period | Payment |
|---|---|
| More than 12 hours | $0 |
| 12 hours to 30 minutes | $15 |
| 30 minutes or less | Full payment, up to 2 hours (up to 3 hours in California) |
| After arrival | Full payment, up to 2 hours (up to 3 hours in California) |
You can sign up for Angi Services either online on the Handy.com pro application page or through the Angi Services for Pros mobile app. The signup process looks like this:
Online reports suggest that the Angi Services background check takes around 1–3 days in most cases. Once you’re verified and approved, you’ll gain access to the Pro portal via the mobile app.
Available jobs appear there. You’ll also receive notifications when new ones become available. Claim the ones you’re interested in to start your new handyman side hustle.
Handy reviews and comments on online forums are mostly negative. While some users say it’s a convenient way to keep busy and earn a bit of money on the side, the majority of users warn fellow contractors to steer clear and explore less exploitative options.
We reviewed feedback for both the old Handy for Pros app and the new Angi Services for pros app, and the main issues workers had boil down to the same simple (yet concerning) sentiment: The Handy/Angi business model values customers over pros and doesn’t provide contractors with enough support and protection.
With that said, we found no complaints regarding the number of jobs available, which is incredibly rare for local gig apps. This suggests that at the least, Angi Services for Pros is reliable for finding work when you’re in need, even if the pay isn’t what you’re used to.
Here’s a deeper look at the key praises and concerns that professional contractors have for the Handy/Angi Services app.
Clients can make complaints about you or report you as late or a no-show, and you’ll automatically be penalized. Ill-intentioned clients can take advantage of this system to avoid paying cancellation fees, and resolving these errors via the app’s chat support feature can be hit or miss.
User reviews:
“I don’t like being charged instantly if there is a mishap and the customers make false claims.” (Google Play, May 2024)
“If the client complained that we didn’t show up, something is missing from their home or anything else, WE would have a penalty of X amount of dollars. When I read that, I was OUT. […] Clients sometimes lie about whether you showed up or not because they don’t want to incur a fee for canceling.” (Reddit, February 2023)
“If I a client cancels last minute which is at the time of cleaning or after you are supposed to get paid up to 2 hours but if the client lies and says that you never showed up they only pay you $15 compensation.” (Apple Store, October 2022)
“If you happen to get a slimy customer who will say you never came to the job they automatically charge you the job cost plus an extra 50$ and will clear your schedule.” (Apple Store, August 2022)
“If you show up at the house and the customer is a no show you suppose to get paid for the job… wrong … if the customer lie and said they were there they charge you a$125 fee even if you got the prof u were there.” (Apple Store, February 2022)
Lots of complaints about the Handy/Angi Services for Pros app boil down to poor customer support. There’s no option to speak to a support member over the phone. Instead, you’re limited to a live chat function.
User reviews:
“Customer service and support are virtually nonexistent. I’ve tried for months to get someone to respond to my messages from support with still no response for the next steps to take or how to fix the issue of not being able to log in, or even get a code sent to my phone.” (Google Play, May 2024)
“There’s no direct phone support. No call center. Customers & Pros are treated poorly when theres an issue.” (Google Play, March 2024)
“They have no way to get a customer service human on the phone.” (Reddit, September 2021)
Perhaps the most troubling feature of this app is its lack of transparency about how big of a cut they take between what they charge customers and what they pay pros.
Nobody knows for sure how Angi calculates this “booking fee,” but online reports indicate that they may pocket up to 80% of what clients pay, giving you only the 20% that’s left over.
User reviews:
“They charge customer $180.00 to assemble furniture but pay pro only $40.00.” (Google Play, May 2024)
“Talked with the client found out they paid Angie a grand and they’re going to pay me $300.” (Reddit, May 2023)
“The biggest rip I came across was a $25 job that the customer paid $120 for.” (Reddit, January 2022)
“They charged $626 for assembly. Handy paid me $66.” (Reddit, March 2022)
“They charge the client like triple what they pay the contractor.” (Reddit, September 2021)
Customers don’t always accurately describe the services they need, and many pros report arriving at a job location only to realize that the work required will take far longer than the allotted time.
It’s up to customers whether they pay you extra for the services. If they’re not willing to pay or Angi doesn’t approve the extra time request, you’ll be forced to either work for free or risk a bad review or complaint from the client for leaving the job unfinished.
User reviews:
“The only thing I find that needs adjusting is the estimated time on jobs. Most are only hour or 2 and most stuff takes longer to put together. I’m a fast worker and never finish in estimated time.” (Google Play, May 2024)
“The customers down play the work. So your working 5 times as hard for literally no money. For an example to cut a lawn 40$ they say 1 hour worth of work. But when you go there it’s 4 or 5 hours and it’s a very big yard. Or painting 80$ just touch up paint. Then you go to the job it’s the whole house inside 5 rooms walls and trim and ceiling for $80 it’s a rip off.” (Google Play, May 2024)
Most of the positive reviews of the app simply state that it can be a good way to earn some extra cash. It seems that the app is best for new contractors who are looking to build experience and those who need a temporary way to make ends meet.
If you’re dealing with unexpected expenses, your schedule is emptier than you’d like it, or you’ve recently moved and you’re working on building a new client base, then the Handy/Angi app may help you make ends meet while you look for a more sustainable option.
User reviews:
“They keep me busy!” (Google Play, May 2024)
“Great alternative for a side gig.” (Google Play, April 2024)
“I will say this app helped me gain some experience I can use to move on to bigger and better things.” (Google Play, February 2022)
You should only use Angi Services for Pros if you’re struggling to get work or you want a more casual side gig where you don’t need to manage a customer base. Most highly skilled or experienced contractors and business owners will find the app’s fees and treatment of pros far from satisfactory.
If you’re thinking about starting a handyman side hustle with Angi Services for Pros, here’s a summary of the pros and cons to help you decide:
Whether the bad reviews are giving you second thoughts or you just want to explore all your options before you commit, we’ve got you covered.
Here are a few Angi alternatives to consider:
Thankfully, there are better apps out there that you can use to find local contracting work. Aside from gig apps, you also have other options for finding work that could lead to a bigger payoff.
Advertising your services in online forums and social media groups is a tried-and-tested approach that’s worked for many skilled professionals. Even old-school marketing strategies like posting fliers can help you bridge the gaps if gig apps like Angi Services just aren’t cutting it.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.