Locksmith leads: where to buy them, and how to need fewer

Each row is a place locksmith leads come from, how it charges and our read on the fit for locksmiths.

All lead sources compared lists each platform's published prices next to Koira's, with the same columns.

Google lists "Locksmiths" among the categories eligible for Local Services Ads, so locksmiths can run them once they pass Google's screening. With Local Services Ads you pay for leads related to your business and services, not for clicks. There is no public price list. Google's help page says what a lead costs depends on location, job type, lead type and how you bid.

For locksmiths, the call that matters is a lockout at night or a car locked with a child inside. Google counts a missed call during your business hours as a charged lead if the caller stays on the line for more than 20 seconds. Google reviews leads for 30 days and credits the ones it finds to be poor quality, duplicate or invalid.

Ranking comes down to your bid plus profile quality: rating, number of reviews, how fast you respond, photos and the verification checks you have passed. Some categories need 5 reviews to show at all, and Google recommends 5 or more for everyone. For the rules in full, see Google Local Services Ads for contractors and the setup guide.

Lead volume follows the season. For locksmiths it peaks around evenings, weekends and holidays and drops in midweek mornings, which changes what a paid lead is worth from month to month.

Expect people locked out who need someone now and are wary of scams, and new homeowners who want locks rekeyed, along with property managers, small business owners and apartment complexes and referrals from realtors, property managers and auto dealers.

Angi's 2025 annual report describes its lead revenue as fees paid by pros for consumer matches, regardless of whether the pro ultimately provides the requested service. Bark says the cost of contacting a customer depends on the service, the value of the job and supply and demand in the area.

You set your own lead budget on Thumbtack, and that budget decides how many leads you get; the page shows no lead prices.

For locksmiths the test is simple: a lead source pays when the jobs you win from it are worth more than everything you spent on it, including the leads that went nowhere. Your customers are people locked out who need someone now and are wary of scams, and new homeowners who want locks rekeyed, so speed and a clear price decide most shared leads. Thumbtack vs Angi puts the two biggest side by side.

Ignore the price per lead for a moment and look at the price per booked job: a month's spend divided by the jobs that source actually produced. Then compare it with what you keep on rekeying a front door or a master key system for a small business. If the booked job costs more than it leaves you, the source is losing money however busy it feels.

Run your own numbers through the free cost per lead calculator; it also shows the close rate where a source breaks even. The missed call calculator shows what calls that go to voicemail cost you before any lead fee.

• Reviews. Ask everyone, right after they pay, with a link straight to the review form. Google strictly prohibits offering incentives such as free or discounted goods or services for reviews. Koira's review engine sends the ask and drafts each reply.
• A price on your site. Rekeying a front door priced from your own list, day or night, with booking on the same page (instant quotes).
• The street around each job. A marked van at the curb, which matters in a trade full of unmarked scammers. Neighbor postcards go to the likely homes around the job the next morning.
• Referrals. From happy customers and from realtors, property managers and auto dealers (referrals).
• Seasonal reminders. A note to past customers before evenings, weekends and holidays (campaigns).
• Commercial buyers. Three short emails to property managers, small business owners and apartment complexes near you, then stop (commercial outreach).

On a call about a lockout at night or a car locked with a child inside, the customer rings down the list until someone picks up. It does not matter whether the lead came free or cost you a fee. Koira's receptionist answers on your number and texts missed callers back in about a minute with three open times for rekeying a front door or a look at a master key system for a small business. Koira Grow is $249 a month plus usage at cost: texts, call minutes and emails with nothing added. See the locksmith answering service guide for live and AI options and their published prices.