Customer Acquisition Cost Benchmarks, by Channel & Trade
The two comparison tables from the cost-of-acquisition data page, isolated for quick reference. Every figure is cited to a primary or trade-association source; figures we derived are labeled “estimated.”
Last updated: July 2026 · Reviewed by: Dan Adam (bio at bottom)
Cost per acquired customer, by channel
Cost per acquired customer = cost per lead ÷ lead-to-close rate. Shared-lead marketplaces resell the same lead to several competitors at once, which crushes the close rate and multiplies the real cost of a customer.
| Channel | Cost per lead | Shared lead? | Close rate | Cost per acquired customer | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angi / HomeAdvisor | $15–$100 (typ. $25–$75) | Yes, 3–5 pros | 10–15% | $600–$1,200 | Ollyolly / Hook Agency, 2025 |
| Yelp Ads | $30–$150 | Effectively yes | ~10–20% [est.] | ~$200–$750 [est.] | 3D Media, 2025–26 |
| Thumbtack | $8–$150 (typ. $25–$75) | Yes | 8–25% | $100–$400 | Pipeline On / Auto-Respond, 2026 |
| Google Search Ads | ~$90.92 avg | No | ~12% | $312 blended; up to $804 non-branded | LocaliQ, 2025 |
| Meta / Facebook Ads | ~$41 avg | No | ~5–12% | $125–$350 | WordStream / Focus Digital, 2025 |
| Google Local Services Ads | ~$53 avg | No (but multi-contacted) | 43.9% book rate | ~$233 | Searchlight / AccelerateYourMarketing, 2026 (888 contractors, 126,650 leads) |
| Zillow Premier Agent | $139–$223/connection | No | Low, single-digit typical | 15–40% of commission (Flex) | HousingWire / The Close, 2025–26 |
Google LSA is the best-documented number in this table by a wide margin — the underlying sample (888 contractors, $6.72M spend, 126,650 leads) dwarfs the marketing-agency estimates behind the marketplace figures. Treat the Angi/Thumbtack/Yelp ranges as directional; treat LSA as close to ground truth for the trades it covers (HVAC, plumbing, electrical).
Net margin, contribution margin & best-fit CAC, by trade
Net margin looks thin across trades; contribution margin — the profit on one incremental job after only its direct materials and labor — does not, and it's the number to judge acquisition cost against. Contribution-margin figures are estimated from published gross-margin data, so treat them as directional, not audited.
| Trade | Net margin (source) | Est. contribution margin | Avg ticket (source) | Best-fit channel CAC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real estate agent | ~15–30% after splits/expenses; NAR median agent income ~$25k (NAR) | ~90%+ on an incremental deal (marginal cost near zero) | ~$11k gross commission/side on a ~$420k home at ~2.7% | Zillow Flex: 15–40% of the commission (HousingWire) |
| Insurance broker | 5–10% net (top agencies 15%+); agencies 2–10% (SIAA) | 15–25% operating margin on new business; renewal book runs near 100% contribution | Commission ~15% of home/auto premium; 40–100% year-one on life/health | No directly comparable platform CAC published; ad spend runs 5–10% of gross commission revenue (Insurance Pro Agencies) |
| Plumbing | 5–12% net (well-run shops 15–20%+) (Profitability Partners) | 45–55% | Service call avg $150–$500+ [est.] | Google LSA: ~$233 ($57 CPL, plumbing-specific in the 888-contractor dataset) |
| HVAC | 5–12% (median 5.8%, top quartile 13.2%) (Steph's Books) | 35–45% overall (service 35–50%, installs 18–28%) | Service ~$280; install $5k–$12k+ | Google LSA: ~$233 ($51 CPL, HVAC-specific in the same dataset) |
| Landscaping | 5–15% (residential up to ~20%, commercial 10–15%) (Grow Group) | 30–50% | Mowing $50–150; design/hardscape $1,000–3,000+; median firm avg $14,682/client/yr | No platform-specific dataset; general Google Search/Meta CAC ranges above apply |
| General contractor | 5–10% typical (build-folio) | 20–35% (subcontractor pass-through compresses the margin) | Highly variable, project-based | Ad spend only ~0.5% of revenue — the lowest of any trade here (Schonfeld & Associates) |
Put these against your own numbers
See how your channel's cost per customer compares to your own ticket size and margin. The calculator is a what-if projection from your inputs, not a guarantee; the methodology explains the recipe.
Open the ROI calculatorSources
- NYU Stern / Damodaran, Operating & Net Margins by Sector, Jan 2026
- Federal Trade Commission, FTC Order Requires HomeAdvisor to Pay Up To $7.2 Million, Jan 2023
- Ollyolly, Angi for Contractors 2025
- Hook Agency, Angi Leads Reviews (Real Cost)
- Pipeline On, Thumbtack Cost Per Lead by Trade
- Auto-Respond, Thumbtack CPL 2026
- 3D Media, Yelp Ads Cost 2026
- Searchlight Digital, Google LSA Cost Per Lead by Trade 2026
- AccelerateYourMarketing, Google Local Services Ads Cost 2025
- LocaliQ, 2025 Search Ad Benchmarks for Home Services
- WordStream, Facebook Ads Benchmarks 2025
- Focus Digital, Average Cost Per Lead on Facebook, July 2025
- HousingWire, Zillow Premier Agent Cost
- The Close, Zillow Premier Agent Review 2026
- PCA (Painting Contractors Association), What Should You Be Earning
- ServiceTitan, Paint Business Profit Margin
- build-folio, Contractor Profit Margins by Trade 2026
- HomeGuide, Commercial Painting Cost
- CertaPro, Exterior House Painting Cost
- KaizenCPA, Auto Repair Markup & Margin
- Dynatron, Profit Margin on Auto Parts
- Cars.com, Average Car Repair Bill
- Elite Worldwide, Auto Repair Marketing Budgets
- National Restaurant Association, State of the Restaurant Industry 2025
- Toast, Average Restaurant Profit Margin
- NAR, Agent Income
- ZipperAgent, Real Estate Agent Marketing Spend
- SIAA, A Guide to Insurance Agency Profit Margins
- Insurance Pro Agencies, Insurance Agency Marketing Budget
- Profitability Partners, Plumbing Profit Margins 2026
- Profitability Partners, HVAC Profit Margins 2026
- Steph's Books, HVAC Profit Margins
- Grow Group, Profit Margins for Landscaping Businesses Explained
- Togal, Average Profit Margin for Construction Industry
- Schonfeld & Associates, Advertising Ratios & Budgets (via 4As)
About this data
This page was compiled from publicly available industry, government, and trade-association data by the ShopGiv research team and reviewed by Dan Adam, founder of ShopGiv and owner of Adam & Son Auto Repair in Colorado Springs, CO — a shop group that has directed more than $260,000 in services and direct community giving over 25+ years of operation, and founded the Stranded Motorist Fund (a 501(c)(3)) in 2020, which has since funded over $150,000 in vehicle repairs for people in crisis. Dan has personally paid for leads on Angi, Google, and Meta while running an independent auto repair shop, which is the practical experience behind this page's framing of what those channels actually cost a small operator.
Have a correction or a more current figure for one of these benchmarks? We'll update this page — that's the point of citing primary sources.