Is Angi a Scam?

If you’re thinking of using Angi, you need to know whether it’s safe. Is Angi a scam? 

Below, we explain whether Angi is a scam and discuss some steps you can take to improve your safety before using this home improvement platform. 

What Is Angi?

Angi is an online platform that connects homeowners with home improvement professionals. 

Previously known as Angie’s List, it merged with HomeAdvisor under IAC ownership, evolving from a review service into a freemium marketplace. 

Users can use the marketplace to look for contractors, read reviews, compare quotes, and book services across more than 500 categories, such as handyperson, landscaping, plumbing, electrical, roofing, painting, and cleaning. 

The company states that it makes revenue from service professionals who advertise their services and discounts on the platform and paid annual memberships that give users access to discounted services and other extras. 

Is Angi a Scam?

No, Angi is not a scam. It’s a legitimate, publicly traded home services platform. 

However, it gets mixed user reviews as of this writing:

• 1.8 out of 5.0 stars (from over 2,000 reviews) on ConsumerAffairs.
• 2.8 out of 5.0 stars (from over 6,000 reviews) on Trustpilot.
• 1.98 out of 5.0 stars (from over 2,000 reviews) on Better Business Bureau.

Positive reviews praise specific contractors.

Negative reviews mention low-quality leads, hard cancellation, unreliable contractors, and poor customer service.

On online forums like Reddit, people likewise report mainly negative experiences with Angi. 

Several contractors allege that the leads from Angi are not great, while also reporting aggressive sales tactics from high-pressure sales reps. 

Customers complain about being bombarded with email ads after performing a single quote search. 

Angi is not Better Business Bureau accredited and does not hold a rating as of this writing. BBB ratings reflect how the BBB thinks a business interacts with its customers.

Currently, the BBB says it is “evaluating a pattern of complaints before issuing a rating.”  

At the time of writing, Angi has received a total of 2,252 complaints on the BBB website in the last three years, 514 of which have been closed in the past 12 months. 

Customers and contractors complain about misleading sales practices (specifically thinking there was no long-commitment to signing up), low-quality leads, unauthorized charges and billing issues, cancellation fees that were not clearly explained, and service problems (like missed appointments or property damage during installs). 

Angi regulatory actions and lawsuits 

Angi has faced several regulatory actions and lawsuits over the years. 

For example, in 2022, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed an administrative complaint against HomeAdvisor (and, consequently, Angi), alleging false and misleading claims about the quality and source of the job leads sold to service providers and inflated conversion-rate representations.

In response, a HomeAdvisor spokesperson said, “The FTC allegations against HomeAdvisor are based on a false narrative using a small handful of cherry picked, incomplete, and out-of-context recorded sales calls – to serve their agenda. The reality is much different.”

In 2023, a consent order required Angie’s List/HomeAdvisor to pay about 7.2 million USD for misrepresentations to service providers regarding the nature and sourcing of leads.

And in 2025, the Vermont Attorney General secured a $100,000 settlement over Angi’s use of the term “Angi Certified Pro.” The state argued the term was deceptive because Vermont does not have a formal “certification” for contractors, and Angi’s own vetting process was insufficient to warrant the title. 

On its FAQs page, Angi says that it only runs background checks on the business owner or main manager, not on every employee they may send to your home. Also, if the job comes from a big national company or franchise, Angi doesn’t do background checks on them at all.

Additionally, in one lawsuit (Everyspace v. Encor), a plaintiff alleged that Angi promoted an interloper as a certified contractor using another company’s license details.​ Angi argued Section 230 immunity regarding third‑party content.

Angi security 

Angi briefly describes its security measures in its privacy policy.

It says it has implemented “commercially reasonable technical, administrative, and physical security measures” to keep your personal information secure.

On its FAQs page, Angi adds that it follows PCI-DSS standards and uses strong TLS encryption to protect data during and after transmission. All communication is enforced over HTTPS using HSTS, which prevents insecure connections and helps protect user data from cyber attacks.

Angi privacy 

Angi explains in its privacy policy the kind of data it collects, why, and with whom it shares it.

It may collect the following personal information:

• Identifiers: Name, contact details, account information, payment data, SSN (for service professionals undergoing background checks), and device/IP identifiers. 
• Commercial information: Service records, purchase history, and ratings/reviews. 
• Internet activity: Browsing/search history, app usage, and ad interactions. 
• Geolocation: Approximate location from IP and precise GPS for service professionals. 
• Audio/visual: recorded calls and photos. 
• Professional information (for service professionals): Work experience, skills, and LinkedIn profiles. 
• Sensitive data: SSN, login credentials, and precise location. 

The company collects this information directly from you (e.g., when you create an account, book services, leave reviews, or contact support), automatically (through cookies, device IDs, IP addresses, and browsing activity), and from partners and service providers. 

It may use your data to process and fulfill service requests, communicate about products and promotions, personalize your experience, improve its services, protect against fraud and illegal activity, and run sweepstakes and promotions. 

Angi may share your data with service professionals who fulfill your requests, booking partners (stores, websites, and apps where you book Angi services), service providers, advertising and analytics partners, professional advisors (lawyers, auditors, and consultants), and law enforcement or regulators (if legally required).

Your data may also be transferred if Angi is sold or merged.

The company uses cookies, web beacons, and session monitoring, and tracks activity across websites and apps. 

It does not honor “Do Not Track” browser signals. 

Angi says it shares identifiers, internet activity, geolocation, and inferences with advertisers. This may qualify as “selling” or “sharing” under state privacy laws.

You can opt out via browser signals like Global Privacy Control or through Angi’s site footer.

If you call or text someone through a phone number that Angi gives you, your real phone number is hidden from the other person. Angi uses a temporary “masked” number instead (powered by Twilio).

Messages and call data may be stored. 

By using Angi’s service, you are giving it permission to contact you using the phone number you shared.

You can opt out of marketing texts, but doing so may affect service features.

Mobile opt-in data is not sold or shared for marketing. 

Angi sometimes offers discounts, coupons, or special deals (called “Programs”). To join these, you usually have to give the company some personal information like your email, phone number, or ZIP code.

In exchange for these benefits, it collects and keeps your personal information. It says it believes the value of your data is roughly equal to the cost of providing those discounts or promotions. By signing up, you agree to this trade (your data in exchange for perks).

Participation is optional. You must choose to opt in, and you can opt out at any time to stop receiving the incentives.

Angi notes that if you ask it to delete your personal data, it won’t automatically cancel your program membership unless you specifically ask it to remove your program data too.

The company keeps your data as long as needed to operate its business, maintain your account, meet legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce policies. 

Angi says that some U.S. states (like California) have laws that give residents special privacy rights over their personal data, but that even if you don’t live in one of those states, it tries to give most of those same privacy rights to all users anyway (with some exceptions).

These rights include the right to delete your data, opt out of targeted advertising/sales/profiling, know what data Angi has and who it shares it with, and correct inaccurate information. Plus, a right to non-discrimination for exercising these rights and a right to appeal decisions. 

So, Should You Use Angi?

Depends.

Angi is a legitimate company with many users and real contractors, and provides an easy way to get multiple quotes quickly. 

On the other hand, at the time of writing, it gets low review scores across ConsumerAffairs, Trustpilot, and BBB, and collects a lot of data. 

If you use Angi, treat it as a starting point and independently verify any contractor before hiring them. 

How to Use Angi Safely and Privately 

• Opt out of data sharing and targeted ads. Use the “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link in the site footer. 
• Manage cookies. Adjust your browser settings to reject or limit cookies, but be aware that rejecting cookies may affect site functionality and saved preferences.
• Be careful with reviews. Remember that your first name, last initial, neighborhood, and review content may be publicly visible on service professional profiles. 
• Opt out of marketing. You can do this by clicking “unsubscribe” at the bottom of emails, emailing privacyofficer@angi.com, or by replying “STOP” to any text message to stop all SMS communications. 
• Exercise your privacy rights. Email privacyofficer@angi.com to request deletion of your data, a copy of what they have, or corrections to inaccurate information.
• Keep your account secure. Create a unique password for your Angi account and log out of your account after each session. 
• Be cautious with third parties. Review the privacy policies of any third-party sites linked from Angi. Understand that booking partners may share your information with Angi and vice versa.