Airtasker charges tradies a service fee of 12.5% to 20% of each task they win, plus GST, and nothing for jobs they do not win. hipages charges $139 to $649 a month plus GST for credits you spend on leads, whether you win them or not. Airtasker is usually cheaper for small jobs. hipages is usually cheaper for big ones, if you win enough of your quotes.
Both numbers come from the platforms' own pages, checked in October 2026. Below we work through the same job on both, so you can see where the crossover sits for your trade.
Which is better for tradies, Airtasker or hipages?
Airtasker suits tradies doing small, quick jobs, because you pay nothing upfront and only lose a percentage when you win. hipages suits tradies doing bigger jobs who reply fast and win a good share of quotes, because the lead cost stays the same whatever the job is worth. Neither one gives you the enquiry to yourself.
"Which is better, Airtasker or hipages?" came up in Google's People Also Ask box on three different searches we ran in October 2026. The honest answer is that they charge in opposite ways, so the better one depends on your average job size and your win rate. The worked examples below make that concrete.
How Airtasker charges tradies
Airtasker charges you a service fee only when a customer assigns you a task. The fee is 12.5% to 20% of the task price, excluding GST, and GST is added on top. Your rate depends on your tier, which is set by your earnings over the last 30 days and your completion rate.
These are the Australian tiers on Airtasker's own tier page, checked on 8 October 2026:
| Tier | Service fee (excl. GST) | 30 day earnings needed |
| Bronze | 20% | Under $880 |
| Silver | 18.5% | $880+ |
| Gold | 14.9% | $2,650+ |
| Platinum | 12.5% | $5,300+ |
Airtasker's help centre says the fee is "only applied once you've been assigned to the task - if you don't win the work, you won't pay." You receive the task payment with the fee already taken out once the customer releases payment. Airtasker also says it may run "randomised fee studies" that give some Taskers better terms for a while.
How hipages charges tradies
hipages charges a monthly subscription: Starter $139, Advanced $249, Premium $449 or Platinum $649, all plus GST. Each plan comes with credits, and you spend credits to accept a lead. Every lead is capped at three businesses. New members start on a 6 month term that renews for 12 months. hipages takes no commission on the job.
The number of credits a lead costs depends on the trade, the location, the job size and demand, according to hipages' credits policy. hipages does not publish a dollar price per lead. 20 Minute Marketing's May 2026 analysis estimates $25 to $80 per lead for most categories. We break the plans down in hipages cost for tradies.
The same job on both platforms
On Airtasker, the fee grows with the job. On hipages, the lead cost stays roughly the same whatever the job is worth, but you also pay for the leads you lose. So small jobs usually cost less on Airtasker, and bigger jobs usually cost less on hipages, provided you win a fair share of your quotes.
Here is a worked example. Airtasker's fee is shown with GST added (20% + GST is 22% of the task price, 12.5% + GST is 13.75%). The hipages figures assume a $40 lead, inside the $25 to $80 estimate, at the 1 in 3 and 1 in 5 win rates from the same 20 Minute Marketing analysis.
| Job price | Airtasker Bronze (22%) | Airtasker Platinum (13.75%) | hipages, win 1 in 3 | hipages, win 1 in 5 |
| $300 | $66 | $41.25 | $120 | $200 |
| $800 | $176 | $110 | $120 | $200 |
| $1,500 | $330 | $206.25 | $120 | $200 |
| $5,000 | $1,100 | $687.50 | $120 | $200 |
This is an example, not a quote. hipages lead costs vary a lot by trade and suburb, and the hipages column leaves out the monthly fee in months when you win nothing. The pattern still holds. For a Bronze Tasker, hipages starts to come out ahead somewhere between about $550 and $900 a job. On Platinum, the crossover is higher, between about $900 and $1,450.
If you are registered for GST, Airtasker's help centre says you can claim a GST credit on the service fee, and it is a deductible business expense. Ask your accountant.
What the customer pays
hipages is free for homeowners, who get up to three quotes. On Airtasker, the customer pays a Connection Fee when they assign a Tasker, from $9.95 for tasks under $50 up to $59.95 for tasks of $300 or more, including GST. That fee goes to Airtasker, not to you.
It matters because customers compare the total they pay. A tradie in an August 2025 r/AusRenovation thread said Airtasker "cost roughly 20%" and "that 20% gets passed onto client." Whether you build the fee into your price or wear it, someone pays it, and on Airtasker the customer is often choosing on price.
Contracts and getting out
Airtasker has no subscription for Taskers on the fee pages we checked: the cost is the fee on each task you win. hipages starts with a 6 month term that renews for 12 months, and the seven day cooling off period only applies if you have not accepted a lead. That makes Airtasker easier to try and easier to stop.
hipages also has history here. In May 2023 the ACCC accepted a court-enforceable undertaking after hipages admitted it likely misled subscribers about automatic renewals and early termination fees between 2018 and 2022. The current membership page says hipages will tell you before your plan renews. We cover this in is hipages worth it?.
Which jobs suit which platform
Airtasker suits handyman work, small repairs, assembly, odd jobs and anything you can price and finish quickly. hipages suits tradies quoting on bigger jobs like repaints, fencing, decks or switchboard upgrades, where a fixed lead cost is small next to the job value. For high value work in your own suburbs, enquiries that come straight to you beat both.
Tradies on Reddit describe the difference the same way:
- Airtasker. "Good tradies don't use airtasker, it's a business made on using the lowest quote - then fees come out." (r/AusRenovation, March 2026)
- hipages. "Excessive prices to pay for leads that have no guarantee of getting jobs, lots of tyre kickers." (r/AusRenovation, August 2025)
- Both. One tradie said "most tradies in my field only use the services to get established and then dump them as soon as possible." (same thread)
None of this means you cannot do well on either. It means both work best as a stepping stone, while you build up work that does not cost a percentage or a credit.
Owning your enquiries instead
The alternative to both is enquiries you own: a Google Business Profile, reviews and your own website with a page for every service and suburb. There is no fee per job, no credits and no other tradies quoting on the same enquiry. It takes longer to build, but the cost does not grow with every job you win.
On a $5,000 job, Airtasker's Bronze fee works out to $1,100 including GST. A year of an Ampliia Build costs $1,700 in the first year ($500 setup, then $100 a month), and enquiries through the site come only to you. Nobody can promise a set number of jobs from a website, but a good Build is structured to improve local search visibility, so it keeps working every month.
See what a Build looks like for your trade: websites for builders, websites for carpenters, websites for fencers or websites for plumbers. For a live example, see the Handy Hands Electrical Build. For more options, read hipages alternatives for Australian tradies.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Airtasker take as a fee?
Airtasker takes a service fee of 12.5% to 20% of the task price, excluding GST, with GST added on top. New and lower earning Taskers pay 20% on the Bronze tier. The rate drops to 18.5%, 14.9% and 12.5% as your 30 day earnings pass $880, $2,650 and $5,300. You only pay when you are assigned a task.
Which is cheaper, Airtasker or hipages?
For small jobs, Airtasker is usually cheaper, because you pay a percentage only when you win. For bigger jobs, hipages is usually cheaper if you win a fair share of quotes, because the lead cost does not grow with the job. In our worked example, the crossover for a Bronze Tasker sits around $550 to $900.
Do tradies pay GST on Airtasker fees?
Yes. Airtasker's service fee is quoted excluding GST, and GST is added on top, so a 20% fee is 22% of the task price. Airtasker's help centre says GST registered Taskers can claim a GST credit on the fee, and the fee is a business expense. Check the details with your accountant.
Does hipages or Airtasker take a commission?
Airtasker does, in effect: its service fee is a percentage of each task you win. hipages does not take a percentage of the job. Instead you pay a monthly subscription, from $139 plus GST, and spend credits on each lead you accept, whether or not you win the work.
What is better than Airtasker for tradies?
For bigger jobs, a flat fee or lead based platform can cost less than a percentage. For established tradies, referrals, a Google Business Profile and your own website usually beat both, because the enquiry comes to you alone. Compare every option on cost per job won. See our hipages alternatives guide.
Sources
Prices were checked on 7 and 8 October 2026 and change often, so check the live page before you sign up.
- Airtasker: How do Tasker Tiers work?: the four Australian tiers, fees and 30 day earning thresholds.
- Airtasker Support Centre: What are Tasker tiers?: Australia only, 20% to 12.5% excl. GST, completion rate, randomised fee studies.
- Airtasker Support Centre: What is the service fee?: charged only once assigned, tax added to the fee.
- Airtasker Support Centre: What is the Connection Fee?: $9.95 to $59.95 including GST, paid by customers.
- Airtasker Support Centre: How does GST work for Taskers?: GST credit on the service fee.
- hipages, membership costs and job leads and credits policy: up to three quotes for homeowners, plans, credits, terms, the three business cap and no commission.
- ACCC media release: Tradie platform hipages rectifies subscription trap issues, May 2023.
- 20 Minute Marketing: Is HiPages Worth It for Tradies in 2026?, May 2026: the $25 to $80 per lead estimate and win rates.
- r/AusRenovation, "Hipages vs. Airtasker vs. Other Listings", August 2025: the tradie quotes on fees, tyre kickers and getting established.
- r/AusRenovation, "Air Tasker - Competition, Pricing and a Truth in the Aussie Construction trade", March 2026: the lowest quote comment.
Related reading
- Lead cost calculator for tradies
- hipages alternatives for Australian tradies
- hipages cost for tradies in 2026
- Is hipages worth it?
- Why tradies lose jobs to slow replies
What Ampliia charges
$500 setup, then $100 a month. The $100 Deposit starts the Build. You see the finished 20 to 30+ page site within 3 business days of the Deposit and your details, and the $400 Balance is only due on Approval. The Care Plan is month to month, and your domain, logo, photos and words are always yours.
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