Is hipages Worth It for Electricians in Australia? (2026 Honest Review)
The most common question we get from Australian electricians: "Is hipages actually worth the money?" The honest answer is: it depends heavily on what work you do and where you're based. Here's the real cost-per-job maths and when hipages makes sense for electricians.
The honest hipages ROI calculation for electricians
The maths that doesn't work: general electrical in major cities
Typical hipages costs for an electrician in Sydney or Melbourne:
- Monthly subscription: ~$400
- Lead credits: ~$45/lead 15 leads = $675
- Total monthly spend: ~$1,075
- Win rate (812 tradies competing per lead): ~2530%
- Jobs won: ~4 jobs from 15 leads
- Average job value (general electrical): $350$450
- Revenue: ~$1,600
- Cost of acquisition: $1,075 / 4 jobs = $269 per job
Result: Barely profitable after labour and materials. The margin gets eaten by the lead cost. Not worth it for low-ticket general electrical work in major cities.
The maths that works: solar, EV chargers, switchboards
Same costs, different jobs:
- Total monthly spend: ~$1,075
- Jobs won: ~4 jobs from 15 leads
- Average job value (solar install, EV charger, switchboard): $3,500
- Revenue: ~$14,000
- Cost of acquisition: $1,075 / 4 jobs = $269 per job
Result: $269 per job on a $3,500 job is excellent. hipages is absolutely worth it if your average job value is $2,000+.
Also works: regional and smaller cities
In regional areas and smaller cities (Townsville, Launceston, Bendigo), competition per lead is much lower often 24 tradies instead of 812. Win rates improve dramatically. The same general electrical work that barely breaks even in Sydney becomes clearly profitable in regional Queensland.
When to use hipages as an electrician and when not to
- You do solar, EV charger installs, or switchboard upgrades
- You're in a regional area with lower competition
- You have fast response systems (VA or phone answering service)
- Your average job value is $1,500+
- You mainly do small residential general work ($200$400 jobs)
- You're in Sydney/Melbourne inner suburbs (over-saturated)
- You can't respond to leads within 510 minutes
- You hate racing against 10 other tradies for the same job
What works better than hipages for most electricians in major cities
Google Local Services Ads (LSA) are the strongest alternative to hipages for electricians in major cities. You pay per phone call (not per lead request), you get the Google Guaranteed badge which builds consumer trust, and the per-call cost is often lower than hipages per-lead fees. The key difference: when someone calls you through Google LSA, they're calling you specifically not a quote request sent to 812 tradies simultaneously. The conversion rate is dramatically higher.
Setup requires verifying your electrical licence, insurance, and business registration with Google. Once live, you appear at the very top of Google search results for electrical searches in your service area. Budget $300$600/month for meaningful volume in major cities. See our Google LSA setup guide for electricians.
Read the Google LSA Setup GuideA fully optimised Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) costs nothing and is the best ROI of any lead generation activity for electricians. Appearing in the Google Maps local pack for "electrician near me" searches generates consistent, free leads without the per-lead cost of hipages. The investment is a one-time setup (12 hours) plus ongoing review management. See our Google Business Profile setup guide.
The best move: Google Business Profile first, then Google LSA.
Get your Google Business Profile fully optimised (free) before spending on any paid lead source. It generates free inbound leads once it ranks. Add Google LSA on top for paid volume. hipages is a distant third unless you're doing high-value electrical work.
Read the GBP Setup GuideFrequently Asked Questions
hipages charges a monthly subscription fee (typically $350$500/month for electricians) plus a per-lead fee when you accept leads. Lead costs for electricians vary but typically run $30$60 per lead in major cities. Combined monthly costs for a moderately active electrician typically run $600$1,200/month including subscription and lead credits. These figures are indicative hipages pricing is not publicly listed and varies by area, category, and negotiation.
Yes significantly more so than for general electrical work. Higher-value work (solar installation, EV charger install, switchboard upgrades) at $2,000$8,000 per job changes the ROI calculation completely. A $269 cost-per-acquisition on a $3,500 job is excellent. Focus your hipages profile on high-value work categories if you can deliver them this is where hipages generates real value for electricians.
Google Local Services Ads are increasingly favoured over hipages for electricians in major cities: you pay per call (not per lead that might not answer), the Google Guaranteed badge builds trust, and conversion rates are higher. A well-optimised Google Business Profile (free) combined with Google LSA ($15$45 per call) typically outperforms hipages for electricians doing general residential work in competitive markets.
Very saturated in major cities. In Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, 815 electricians typically receive the same lead simultaneously. The first responder often wins which means if you're on-site when the notification arrives, you've likely already lost the lead. Response time within 5 minutes is critical on hipages. In regional areas and smaller cities, competition is lower and ROI is typically much better.