A clear look at what electrical contractors pay for leads across every channel, why cost per lead misleads you, and why an electrical lead is worth more than a single job.
Electrical leads are not cheap, and the price swings with the channel and the size of the job. Below is an honest, channel by channel look at what electrical contractors typically pay in 2026, plus the two calculations that tell you whether a lead source is actually worth it.
These are typical ranges. High-ticket jobs like panel upgrades, EV chargers, generators and rewires draw the most competition, which pushes the cost to reach those customers up.
| Channel | Typical cost | Exclusive? |
|---|---|---|
| Angi / HomeAdvisor shared lead | Per lead, sold to several electricians | No |
| Thumbtack | Per lead or per contact | No |
| Google Ads (search) | High cost per click, highest for emergencies | Yes, if they call you |
| Local SEO / Google Business Profile | Time and consistency, not per lead | Yes |
| Exclusive performance leads | A share of jobs you close | Yes |
A shared lead can look cheap on the invoice, but if it is sold to four electricians and you close it one time in eight, the real cost per job is many times the sticker. An exclusive lead that costs more upfront but closes one time in three can be far cheaper per job. The number that pays your bills is cost per closed job.
The formula that matters: Cost per job = total spent on a channel divided by jobs you actually closed from it. Track it per source for ninety days and your best and worst channels become obvious.
Here is what makes electrical different from a one-and-done trade. A new customer is rarely a single transaction. A first service call becomes a panel upgrade, then an EV charger, then recessed lighting, then a generator, then years of service work. So even a pricey lead that lands a new customer can pay back many times over. When you compare lead costs, weigh the lifetime value of the customer, not just the first ticket.
Two electrical companies spend the same on leads in a month. One buys shared leads and closes a small fraction because three rivals got the same calls. The other gets exclusive calls and closes a much larger share because no one else is on the phone. Same spend, very different number of new customers, and the gap compounds over years of upgrades and service work.
One model removes the cost per lead guessing game entirely. With a performance share you do not pay per lead. You pay a percentage of the revenue from jobs you actually close from the leads sent to you. A lead that goes nowhere costs nothing. That aligns the provider with your results. It is how AI Advantaged prices exclusive electrical leads, with a worked example on the electrical pricing page.
Decide what a new customer is worth to you over a few years, not just on the first ticket, then work backward. Compare every channel on cost per closed job, drop the losers, and double down on the sources that consistently produce customers who stick. For most electrical companies, exclusive and performance based sources win that comparison.
It depends on the channel. Shared marketplace leads are priced per lead but sold to several electricians. Google Ads charges per click and is highest for emergency searches. Exclusive performance leads charge a percentage of jobs you close. Compare your cost per closed job, not the price per lead.
Electrical jobs are often high value, from panel upgrades to EV chargers and rewires, so demand for those customers is intense and the cost to reach them is high. That is also why sharing a single lead among four electricians hurts your return so much.
Paying per closed job, as in a performance share model, removes the risk of paying for leads that never convert. Per lead pricing can look cheaper but often costs more per signed job once you account for low close rates on shared leads.
AI Advantaged sends each electrical lead to one contractor only. Claim your market and pay only when you close.
Claim Your Electrical Territory →