Three tradies, not five. SureQuote routes every job to at most three tradies, enforced by the router code, not a policy document anyone can ignore. It is not exclusive to you alone. But it is a smaller field than the platforms that send the same job to four, five, or six others.
You also see the full scope before you spend a cent. Oneflare closed on 30 June 2026, which is pushing tens of thousands of tradies back into the market for a lead channel. Every alternative they are looking at uses the same shared model they just left. That is why this question is live right now.
The shared-lead model caps your close rate before you have said a word
The job request comes in. The platform fires it to the next four tradies on the queue. You call, they call, someone cheaper calls. The homeowner picks whoever replies first or quotes lowest. You pay whether you win or not.
That is the mechanic behind the close-rate problem tradies describe on hipages and similar platforms. The issue is not that you are a bad closer. You are entering a race the moment you spend the credit.
Tradies commonly report several others getting the same job
As at June 2026, tradies commonly report the same job going to several others simultaneously, often three to six or more. Tradie reviews on consumer platforms consistently describe the same experience across categories: leads sent to multiple tradies, a race to respond first, and a pay-whether-you-win model. productreview.com.auView source
The exact number any given platform sends to varies by platform and category. What is consistent is the model: same job, multiple tradies, first or cheapest wins.
You pay before you know who else is competing
On most shared-lead platforms, the job details unlock after you accept and pay. By that point, you do not know whether the homeowner has already spoken to three others, whether the scope is genuine, or whether anyone will answer your call.
Tradies on consumer review platforms regularly describe this as the core frustration: paying for leads that turn out to be duplicated, out of area, or simply never replied to. productreview.com.auView source You absorb that cost whether the job goes anywhere or not.
If the per-lead cost is your main concern alongside the sharing problem, see our guide on replacing pay-per-lead channels.
How SureQuote limits the field: a hard cap of three tradies per lead
SureQuote is a lead marketplace for 59 trades. The structural difference from the platforms above is not a product promise. It is a cap written into the routing code.
When a homeowner submits a job, the SureQuote router calculates how many tradies to offer it to. The formula caps the active offers at three. Not a target. Not a policy ambition. A hard ceiling in the production code.
That is the difference between a platform that says 'we try to limit competition' and one where the number three is enforced by the system itself.
There is one exception worth knowing: if a homeowner rejects all three tradies, the lead can be re-offered to new ones. For the vast majority of leads, the cap holds at three.
You see the full job scope before you commit
Before you spend a credit, you see what the homeowner described: photos, scope, measurements, and an upfront cost estimate the platform calculated from the job details. You read the full brief, then decide whether to accept.
This addresses the pay-to-reveal problem directly. The decision to spend comes after you know what the job is, roughly what it is worth, and whether it fits your schedule. SureQuote connects you with the job; the estimate is what the platform calculates from the intake data, not a tradie's quote.
If the lead is fake, you get your money back
A fake lead gets a full refund. No questions. This is handled via manual intervention right now, not an instant automated process, but the refund is honoured. If a homeowner rejects all offered tradies without anyone winning the job, the tradies who accepted it get a credit rebate.
Both features address the 'you pay whether you win or not' problem. The fake-lead scenario returns your full spend. The rejected-by-consumer scenario returns a portion. Neither is a guarantee of winning work, but both mean the financial risk of a dud lead is lower than on a platform with no recourse at all.
What it costs per lead, and why the cap changes the maths
SureQuote charges 1.5% of the estimated job value for Base tier tradies, and 1.25% for Trusted tier. The fee is capped at $300 per lead. On a $6,500 job, that works out to about $98. On a $20,000 job, the cap kicks in and the fee stays at $300.
There's no monthly fee required for Base or Trusted tradies. You pay per lead, only when you choose to accept one, and your credits do not expire. Cancel whenever you like, no penalty.
The maths looks different when you are competing with two other tradies instead of five. On shared-lead platforms tradies commonly report winning only a fraction of the leads they pay for. A smaller field does not guarantee you win more. But it changes the probability of a conversation before someone cheaper gets there first.
For context on how hipages and Oneflare compare on pricing and lock-in, that sibling guide covers the full side-by-side.
SureQuote vs typical shared-lead platforms: the mechanics side by side
The table below compares the structural mechanics. It is not a point-score: the right channel depends on your trade, your suburb, and how many leads you need per month. Read the honest limits in the FAQ section before deciding.
| Feature | SureQuote | Typical shared-lead platform |
|---|---|---|
| Tradies per lead | Hard cap of 3, enforced in router code | Commonly 4 to 6, sometimes more, per tradie commentary |
| See job before paying | Yes: full scope, photos, and a cost estimate upfront | Typically pay to reveal job details |
| Fake lead recourse | 100% refund (via manual process) | Varies; often no recourse |
| Consumer-rejects-all recourse | Credit rebate | Typically none |
| Monthly subscription | No monthly fee required | Common on most platforms; varies by provider |
| Lead fee structure | 1.5% of estimated job value, capped at $300 | Flat per-lead fee or subscription plus per-lead |
| Lock-in contract | None; cancel anytime | Often 12-month contracts |
| Credits expire | Real credits never expire | Varies; often expire on cancellation |
| Trades covered | 59 trades | Varies by platform |
Competitor figures are directional, drawn from tradie commentary and editorial sources published in 2026. They are not confirmed from each platform's own terms. SureQuote figures are from the validated feature ledger (June 2026).
Where SureQuote is still growing
SureQuote is a newer platform, and that shows in both directions. The cap-at-three mechanic, see-before-you-pay, and the refund and rebate policies are all products of building from scratch with tradie feedback built in from day one. The team is actively improving the product based on what tradies report, so the gaps below are being worked on, not ignored.
The honest concessions: capped at three is not exclusive. You may still be one of three tradies competing for the same job. The code enforces the ceiling, but it does not send the lead only to you.
The homeowner audience is smaller than hipages today. Fewer total leads in the pool means the quality-per-lead advantage matters more, but volume traders who need a high throughput of leads may find a larger platform serves them better in the short term.
There is no native mobile app yet. SureQuote is web-based for now.
Reviews shown on tradie profiles are publicly available reviews from sources like Google, not a first-party review system built into the platform. ABN and licence details are collected and displayed, but insurance is not independently validated.
Is a cap of three actually better than the alternatives?
Yes. SureQuote sends each lead to at most three tradies simultaneously, enforced by the router code. It is not exclusive to you alone. The difference from most shared-lead platforms is the hard cap: three, not four, five, or more. If the homeowner rejects all three, the lead can be re-offered, but the standard cap holds.
No lead marketplace sends every job only to you, unless you are using a platform that generates leads exclusively through your own campaigns. On SureQuote, each job goes to at most three tradies. That is smaller than the typical shared-lead field, and the cap is code-enforced. You also see the full job scope before you decide to spend.
At most three. The router code enforces this ceiling on every lead. The only exception: if a homeowner rejects all three tradies, the lead can be re-offered to others. In the normal case, three is the cap. This is a hard limit in the system, not a soft guideline.
No, not in the literal sense. You may still be one of three tradies receiving that job. Exclusive means only you get it. SureQuote does not offer that. What the cap-at-three does provide is a smaller field than platforms that routinely send the same job to four, five, or more tradies, with the cap enforced in code rather than as a stated preference.
SureQuote charges 1.5% of the estimated job value for Base tier tradies, and 1.25% for Trusted tier. The fee is capped at $300 per lead. A small job costs less than the cap; the percentage applies until it hits $300. No monthly fee required for Base or Trusted tradies. Credits do not expire.
On SureQuote, yes. Every lead goes to at most three tradies, and you only pay when you choose to accept a lead, after reading the full job scope. There is no subscription, and there is no obligation to accept any particular job. Tradies on shared-lead platforms commonly report competing against several others per lead. The SureQuote cap of three sits below the typical range, enforced in the router code.
Start receiving leads capped at three tradies per job
Sign up for free, no card needed. You only pay when you choose to accept a lead, after reading the full job scope. SureQuote is live across 59 trades in Australia.
Sources
Competitor figures in this guide are drawn from editorial and tradie-commentary sources published in 2026, not from each platform's own terms and conditions. SureQuote feature claims are from the validated internal feature ledger (June 2026).
- productreview.com.auView source