hipages model
Lead marketplace. Homeowners post free. Tradies buy monthly membership (~$139–$649 + GST published) plus credits for leads often shared with other businesses. No cut of the invoice — the bill is upfront.
alt vs hipages
Leads are expensive. Getting paid shouldn’t be.
hipages is a membership-and-credits machine. alt is the alternative marketplace — free to offer, first task free, flat 5% only when you get paid, tips untouched, chat that feels like 2026. If you’re tired of funding leads you never win, hi.
First task on us
First completed hire and first completed Tasker job: zero platform fees. Try before the meter starts.
Flat 5%. Done.
Taskers pay 5% (min $2.50). No tier ladder. No “earn your way down.”
Tips stay tips
Say thanks on release. We take nothing. Tasker keeps 100%.
Pay like it’s 2026
Apple Pay, Google Pay, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Afterpay, Zip, Alipay, WeChat Pay, and Klarna. Held until you’re happy.
Chat like it’s 2026
Typing indicators, read receipts, online presence, photos — messaging that doesn’t feel stuck in 2014.
Why switch
Serious reasons to leave hipages.
Pay for shared leads, or compete free and only chip in when the money lands? That’s the whole fork in the road.
alt model
Offer marketplace. Free to list and offer. First completed hire/task free. Then $2.50 to hire, flat 5% when Taskers get paid, $0 on tips. Money held until the customer’s happy.
Simulated jobs
Same jobs. Different maths.
Four everyday scenarios. Identical offer amounts. Watch the fees do the talking.
$80 booked job
House clean
alt
- Hiring
- $82.50
- offer $80.00 + $2.50 flat
- Tasker
- $76.00
- after flat 5% ($4.00)
hipages
- Hiring
- $0 to post
- usually free to request quotes
- Tasker
- Membership + leads
- often more than $4.00 before you’ve even won
Memberships published ~$139–$649 + GST / mo, plus lead credits. You pay to play — win or lose.
$150 booked job
Handyman job
alt
- Hiring
- $152.50
- offer $150.00 + $2.50 flat
- Tasker
- $142.50
- after flat 5% ($7.50)
hipages
- Hiring
- $0 to post
- free to request quotes
- Tasker
- Credits + sub
- shared leads you can lose still cost money
alt: offer free. Pay commission only when payment lands.
$300 booked job
Bigger local job
alt
- Hiring
- $302.50
- offer $300.00 + $2.50 flat
- Tasker
- $285.00
- after flat 5% ($15.00)
hipages
- Hiring
- $0 to post
- free to post
- Tasker
- Meter running
- no % on invoice — monthly plan still clocks on
On alt this job’s Tasker commission is $15.00 — or $0 if it’s your first.
$100 offer · $20 tip
First hire + tip
alt
- Hiring
- $120.00
- offer $100.00 · fee waived · + $20.00 tip
- Tasker
- $120.00
- no commission · incl. $20.00 tip
Tip commission: $0.00
hipages
- Hiring
- $0 to post
- payment often sorted offline
- Tasker
- Budget burning
- hipages costs hit before tips are even in play
alt: first hire free both sides. Tip commission: zero. Mic drop.
Fees at a glance
| Detail | alt | hipages |
|---|---|---|
| People hiring | $2.50 flat — or $0 on your first completed hire | Free to post / request quotes |
| Seeing the work | Free to browse and offer | Membership + lead credits |
| When money leaves your pocket | When you’re paid (flat 5%) | Before you’ve won — every accepted lead |
| Tips | Tips: $0 commission. Keep the lot. | Mostly off-platform vibes |
| First-task deal | First completed hire / task: fee-free both sides | Membership doesn’t take a gap year |
Product
| Detail | alt | hipages |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Offers + held payment | Shared leads + directory |
| Pay for leads you lose? | Never | That’s kind of the business model |
| Chat | Typing, read receipts, online, photos | Lead / quote messaging — not chat-app energy |
| Best fit | Local jobs, flexible Taskers, in-app pay | Trade businesses feeding a lead machine |
hipages plan ranges are from public membership pages and can change. Lead credits vary. Simulations are illustrative — check hipages for live pricing. alt = current launch pricing.
Pay & protect
Modern money. Proper locks.
Pay how you already pay. Lock the app. Verify who’s who. Release cash only when the job’s actually done.
Accepted in the alt app
PIN lock
Someone grabs your phone? Cool story. They still need your PIN.
Face ID / biometrics
Unlock fast. Skip typing passwords on the tram. Still locked down.
Identity checks
Real people, verified. Less mystery meat in your marketplace.
Money on ice
We hold payment until you approve the work. Then the Tasker gets paid. Simple.
Trust & checkout vs hipages
| Detail | alt | hipages |
|---|---|---|
| Payment methods | Apple Pay, Google Pay, cards, Afterpay, Zip, Klarna, Alipay, WeChat Pay | Hit and miss / often off-platform |
| Payment held until you’re happy | Yes | Depends — sometimes you’re on your own |
| App PIN | Yep | Not exactly a flex |
| Face ID / biometrics | Yep | Maybe device login. Not the brand story. |
| Identity checks | Built in | Varies |
| Chat | Typing, read receipts, online, photos — 2026 messaging | Basic thread / email-era messaging |
| Tips | Tips: $0 commission. Keep the lot. | Rarely structured — and rarely fee-free |
Chat like it’s 2026
Messaging they never finished shipping.
Typing indicators. Read receipts. Online presence. Photos in-thread. Coordinate a hire like a normal chat app — not a lead inbox from 2014.
Who’s typing
See “is typing…” live. No more refreshing to wonder if they got your message.
Read receipts
Know when it’s been seen. Coordinate like a normal chat app — not a ticket queue.
Online presence
Green-dot energy. Spot when someone’s around before you wait half a day for a reply.
Photos in chat
Snap the mess, the driveway, the finished job. Camera or library — right in the thread.
The full scoreboard
What hipages leaves out. What alt ships.
Fees, payments, security, chat, product — the gaps are the point. We’re not here to nudge the category. We’re here to shake it.
| Feature | alt | Airtasker | hipages | ServiceSeeking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fees | ||||
| First completed hire / task fee-free | Yes | No | No | No |
| Flat $2.50 hire fee (not a climbing connection fee) | Yes | No | n/a (free to post) | n/a (free to post) |
| Flat 5% Tasker commission (no tiers) | Yes | no — 12.5–20% tiers | n/a — membership model | n/a — membership model |
| Tips with $0 commission | Yes | No | No | No |
| No membership to hire or offer | Yes | optional poster membership | no — tradie membership required | no — membership for leads |
| Never pay for leads you don’t win | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Payments | ||||
| Apple Pay | Yes | Partial | Partial | No |
| Google Pay | Yes | Partial | Partial | No |
| Afterpay | Yes | No | No | No |
| Zip | Yes | No | No | No |
| Klarna | Yes | No | No | No |
| Alipay | Yes | No | No | No |
| WeChat Pay | Yes | No | No | No |
| Visa, Mastercard, Amex | Yes | Yes | Partial | usually off-platform |
| Widest in-app payment lineup | yes — 10 methods | narrower checkout | optional / limited | mostly pay direct |
| Payment held until you approve | Yes | Yes | Partial | usually no |
| Security | ||||
| App PIN lock | Yes | No | No | No |
| Face ID / biometrics | Yes | Partial | Partial | Partial |
| Identity checks | Yes | Partial | Partial | Partial |
| Chat | ||||
| Typing indicators (“is typing…”) | Yes | not a headline feature | No | No |
| Read receipts | Yes | not a headline feature | No | No |
| Online presence in chat | Yes | No | No | No |
| In-app chat + photos | Yes | Yes | Partial | Partial |
| Messaging that feels like 2026 | yes — real-time polish | basic private messages | lead / quote messaging | quote-era messaging |
| Product | ||||
| Open offer marketplace (not lead credits) | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Full fee breakdown before you confirm | Yes | Yes | membership-side | membership-side |
| Modern Australian app, built as the alternative | Yes | legacy marketplace | lead platform | quote platform |
| Taskers | ||||
| Free to browse and offer | Yes | Yes | No | limited without membership |
| See commission & payout before offering | Yes | Partial | no — credits first | no — membership first |
Competitor capabilities are based on publicly described products and typical flows — they change. “Partial” means available in some cases, via device OS, or not a headline feature. Always verify on their sites. alt reflects current launch product.
The smart play
Playful product. Serious switch case.
Prove it free
First completed task: no platform fees either side. Then flat, boring (in a good way) pricing.
5% when you’re paid — not when you hope
No monthly seat. No credit roulette. Commission shows up when payment is released.
Tips without the sneaky cut
Customer tips on release. Tasker keeps the lot. We don’t “participate.”
Stop sponsoring other people’s wins
Shared leads mean you can pay to quote a job someone else books. alt: compete free, pay only on completed paid work.
Customers get a proper checkout
Apple Pay, Google Pay, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Afterpay, Zip, Alipay, WeChat Pay, and Klarna. Held until approval — not “I’ll transfer you later, mate.”
Chat that feels finished
Typing indicators, read receipts, online presence, photos. Coordinate the job like it’s 2026 — not a lead inbox from last decade.
Security isn’t a brochure bullet
PIN, Face ID, identity checks, held funds. Built for trust — not just lead volume.
Common questions
alt vs hipages FAQ
Also compare
More head-to-heads.
Ready when you are.
First hire free. Flat 5% after. Tips stay tips. That’s the alternative marketplace — download alt and run the numbers yourself.
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