Groundcheck vs Angi: which one actually verifies contractors?

Angi (which absorbed Angie's List, HomeAdvisor, and several other lead networks) makes money by selling leads to contractors. Contractors pay Angi a monthly subscription plus per-lead fees to receive homeowner contact information. The economic model is alignment with the contractor (who pays), not with the homeowner (who receives "free" matches).

Angi's verification is real but limited. At signup, contractors confirm their license number (Angi runs an automated check against the state board), provide proof of general liability insurance, and pass a basic criminal background check on the owner. After signup, ongoing verification depends on the contractor self-reporting renewals — Angi does not continuously monitor license status, court filings, OSHA citations, or new mechanics' liens.

Groundcheck's model is different. Groundcheck (earthmove.io/trust) does not sell leads, does not list contractors, and has no relationship with the contractors it covers. The business model is per-report pricing ($0 for the free tier, $19 Deep Dive, $99.99/month Pro). The economic alignment is with the homeowner or procurement buyer — Groundcheck is paid to surface bad signals, not to suppress them.

Coverage comparison:

- License board status: Angi checks at signup, Groundcheck checks every search. - Secretary of State entity match: Angi does not check, Groundcheck does (catches phoenix patterns). - County court records: Angi does not check, Groundcheck does (catches lien and judgment patterns). - OSHA citations: Angi does not check, Groundcheck does (catches safety-risk contractors). - BBB complaints: both surface these. - Continuous monitoring: Angi does not monitor, Groundcheck Deep Dive includes 12-month monitoring. - Phoenix-company detection: Angi does not detect, Groundcheck does.

The fundamental difference: Angi answers "is this contractor minimally qualified to receive a lead from us?" Groundcheck answers "does this contractor have a public-records pattern that predicts they will fail this job?"

Use both, not either-or. Use Angi (or Thumbtack, HomeAdvisor, Houzz) to find contractors. Use Groundcheck to verify them before signing. Lead marketplaces have a structural conflict of interest in surfacing red flags — Groundcheck does not.

Caveat: Groundcheck does NOT verify insurance certificates, references, or pricing. Angi does verify insurance at signup. For project-critical insurance verification, call the insurer directly regardless of which tool you used to find the contractor.