WhichCrew vs Nextdoor
Nobody pays to rank here, and we never sell leads.
Nextdoor is the neighborhood network where a business page is free but replying to a neighbor's request is a paid monthly subscription. Here's how the two work, with Nextdoor's side in its own words.
- To be seenFree. No leads sold, ever.
- To move upAnother home vouches for you.
- The proofA neighbor's photos, at the job.
- Reaching the crewCall or text them direct.
- To be seenFree page. Replying to requests is a paid monthly subscription.
- To move upNot published. Subscribers get alerts within 20 miles.
- The proofRecommendations on the business page.
- Reaching the crewReply or DM, with an Opportunity Alerts subscription.
Nextdoor's side is from Nextdoor's own pages, read November 3, 2026. Full wording and links below.
What their pages say
It sounds like you encountered Opportunity Alerts, a separate paid subscription some home-service businesses use to respond to customers. Claiming your Page and posting from your Page is free. However, some features such as responding to neighbors' posts or sending them DMs are enabled when you subscribe to Opportunity Alerts.
Opportunity Alerts pricing varies by service category and by area. For example, plumbers in two different metro areas may have different pricing. Or a plumber and a pet sitter in the same metro may have different pricing.
Your subscription starts the day you purchase and you will be billed monthly and can cancel at anytime.
If you've paid a subscription just to be allowed to answer "who do you recommend?", try the other direction on one customer. Claim your free card, text your vouch link to a homeowner you did good work for, and their pin puts you on the map in their neighborhood. The next neighbor who asks finds you there, and nobody is billed for the reply.
Claim your free cardNext time you'd post "who do you recommend?", look at the map first. Every card on WhichCrew is built from jobs your neighbors posted about their own homes, with photos, and the crew didn't pay to be there or to answer you. When you hire someone good, post the job: it's the only way a crew moves up here.
See who your neighbors hiredThe full comparison, row by row
What a crew pays to be seen
WhichCrew
Nothing. WhichCrew never sells leads or ranking. A crew pays nothing to be found or contacted.
Nextdoor
The business page is free. Replying to a neighbor's post or sending a DM takes Opportunity Alerts, "a separate paid subscription," billed monthly, priced by service category, area and number of categories. (Nextdoor Help, "FAQs About Our New Self-Promotion Policy")
What moves a crew up the list
WhichCrew
How many different homes posted a job for the crew. Nobody can pay to move up.
Nextdoor
Not published on the pages read. Opportunity Alerts sends subscribers neighbor posts within a 20-mile radius for up to 3 categories. (Nextdoor Business, "Opportunity Alerts")
Who writes the review
WhichCrew
The homeowner who had the work done, on their own home, with photos. Crews can't vouch for themselves.
Nextdoor
Neighbors, as recommendations on the business page. Nextdoor says recommendations "should come from your customers" and that posts from family, staff or friends are treated as self-promotion.
Where the proof lives
WhichCrew
A pin on the map at the neighborhood where the job happened, with the homeowner's before and after photos.
Nextdoor
On the business page, as recommendations and the page's own posts.
How the homeowner reaches the crew
WhichCrew
The crew's own phone and website, printed on the card. The homeowner calls or texts them directly.
Nextdoor
The neighbor posts a request; a subscribed business gets an alert and can "reply, comment on the original post, or both."
The homeowner's address
WhichCrew
Never published. Neighborhood level only; the street stays private.
Nextdoor
Nextdoor shows neighbors by neighborhood; the pages read don't describe what a business sees in an alert.
Vetting
WhichCrew
None. WhichCrew does not vet, license or guarantee contractors. A license is shown as a number and where to check it.
Nextdoor
Businesses verify their connection to the page before posting. The pages read describe no screening of the work itself.
- Nextdoor's column quotes or summarizes Nextdoor's own pages as read on November 3, 2026; they may change. "Not published" means the pages read didn't say. Nextdoor is a trademark of its owner. WhichCrew is not affiliated with Nextdoor.
Does WhichCrew charge crews for leads?
No. WhichCrew never sells leads or ranking. A crew pays nothing to be found, listed or contacted. Paid tools for pros may come later, and they will never touch rank or vouches.
Can a crew pay to rank higher on WhichCrew?
No. The order follows how many different homes posted a job for the crew. There is no placement to buy.
Is WhichCrew saying Nextdoor is bad?
No. This page quotes Nextdoor's own help center and business pages so you can see how each model works. Nextdoor's pages may change; the quotes carry the date they were read. Nextdoor is a trademark of its owner; WhichCrew is not affiliated with Nextdoor.
Does WhichCrew vet contractors?
No. WhichCrew does not vet, license or guarantee anyone. A license is shown as a number and where to check it. The homeowner decides.
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