Two very different pay models

If you're good with your hands and thinking about picking up local gig work, TaskRabbit and Handy probably both showed up in your search. They look similar from the outside — both connect people who need help around the house with workers who can do it. But the way each one pays you is almost opposite.

TaskRabbit lets you set your own hourly rate for most task categories. Handy sets the price for you, and you either take the job or you don't.

How TaskRabbit pay works

On TaskRabbit, you pick your own hourly rate for categories like furniture assembly, moving help, mounting, and handyman work. TaskRabbit doesn't take a cut of your pay — you set your own hourly rate and keep all of it plus tips, and the only fee you pay is a one-time $25 to register.

That $25 is non-refundable, and paying it doesn't guarantee you'll be approved. After that, though, the fees fall on the client, not you. Every client pays a TaskRabbit Service Fee in addition to the Tasker's rate, and some invoices used to carry a separate Trust and Support fee as well.

That client-side fee has moved around over the years. In late 2016, TaskRabbit increased its fees by discontinuing its 15% service fee for repeat customers and introducing a 30% service fee for all tasks, and it also increased its Trust & Support fee from 5% to 7.5%. The exact numbers a client sees today can vary by category and city, but the structure hasn't changed: it's built into what the client pays, not deducted from what you charge.

What this means for you as a worker: if you set your rate at $40 an hour, you get paid $40 an hour (plus tips), no matter what TaskRabbit charges the person who booked you. The trade-off is that the client-facing markup can make your listed rate look more expensive next to a competitor, which can cost you bookings in a crowded market.

As for how you're classified and paid out, TaskRabbit's support page says plainly that Taskers are independent contractors and not employees, and they decide their own hourly rates, working hours and service areas. Taskers are usually paid within 1 to 3 business days.

How Handy pay works

Handy works differently. In 2026, Handy is an Angi-owned home-services app with upfront per-job pricing and a $99-a-year membership for customers, and there's no public pricing page — the app quotes an upfront price per job. As a worker, you're not negotiating your rate the way you would on TaskRabbit — you're claiming jobs at a price the platform has already set.

Angi acquired Handy in 2018, and the worker-facing side of the app was eventually rebranded. The pro app itself changed names along the way, so if you're searching for work, you may see it listed under its newer Angi branding rather than the original Handy name.

Pay has historically landed in a fairly narrow band by task type. Cleaning work has tended to sit lower per hour than skilled handyman work, and the platform also charges workers for things that TaskRabbit doesn't — like late or cancellation fees that come out of your pay rather than the client's.

The core trade-off

Here's the simplest way to think about the difference:

  • TaskRabbit: you set the price, you keep it all after a flat $25 one-time fee, and the platform's cut is layered onto the client's bill instead of yours.
  • Handy: the platform sets the price, your rate per job or per hour is largely fixed, and penalty-style fees for lateness or cancellation can come directly out of your pay.

Neither model is universally "better." If you're confident in your pricing, work in a market with demand for skilled tasks like mounting or assembly, and don't mind the registration fee upfront, TaskRabbit's self-set rate structure tends to put more control in your hands. If you'd rather skip the pricing guesswork and take jobs at a published rate, Handy's model removes that decision — at the cost of flexibility.

Don't forget: you're a contractor either way

Whichever platform you choose, the tax picture is the same. You do gig work like TaskRabbit as a self-employed independent contractor, which means it's on you to plan for tax time. That means no employer withholding taxes from your pay, and no automatic workers' comp or benefits — you're responsible for setting aside money for self-employment tax and tracking your own expenses.

Both platforms also depend heavily on where you live and what demand looks like in your area, so the hourly numbers you see in ads or reviews are starting points, not guarantees.

Making variable pay work for your budget

Whether your money comes in as a flat per-job fee or a rate you set yourself, the real challenge with gig income is usually the gaps between payouts, not the hourly number. If you're juggling TaskRabbit jobs, Handy cleanings, or a mix of side gigs, having a bank account built around irregular deposits — and a way to access part of your earnings before the next big payout lands — can smooth out the weeks that are slower than others.