Comparisons · 2026-10-26 · By David Linda, Founder
Contractor check sites compared: HomeProFax.com, BuildZoom, BBB and Angi
Homeowners usually check a contractor in more than one place, and each site answers a different question. Some help you find and hire a pro, some collect complaints, and HomeProFax.com is a free contractor report from public records: license status, board discipline and permits where available, with a link to each source. This page sums up our three comparisons so you can pick the right tool for the question you actually have.
How to choose a contractor-check tool
Before you trust any score, badge or ranking, ask four questions about the site showing it.
- Who pays the site, and does paying change what you see? Marketplaces and matching services are paid by contractors, through fees, advertising or memberships, and that can shape listing order. HomeProFax.com reports are free and contractors can’t pay to change a score.
- Is the license the board’s record or the contractor’s word? Look for the issuing board, the license type, its status and expiry date, and a link to the source. Then confirm it on the board’s own site.
- Does it cover contractors who never signed up? A site that only lists businesses that joined can’t tell you anything about the one that knocked on your door. Profiles built from license rosters and permit records can.
- Does it fit where you live? In Colorado, the state licenses electricians and plumbers through DORA, but roofers and general contractors are licensed by cities. A useful check needs city license lists, such as Aurora, Arvada and Thornton, not just the state roster.
The three comparisons
HomeProFax vs BuildZoom: public records report or matching service?
BuildZoom is a contractor directory and matching service. Its project team helps homeowners find, vet and hire a contractor, and contractors pay BuildZoom a connection fee or a referral fee when they win work through it. Its score starts licensed contractors at 90 and also weighs response time and hiring through BuildZoom, and BuildZoom uses it to set listing order and lead eligibility. Use BuildZoom when you want someone to bring you bids and help negotiate a large project; use HomeProFax.com when you already have a name and want to check the license, permits and discipline record yourself.
Read HomeProFax vs BuildZoom →
HomeProFax vs BBB: complaints and ratings vs licenses and permits
The Better Business Bureau is a nonprofit, not a government agency. Its A+ to F rating reflects complaint history, how the business responds, transparency and licensing or government actions it knows about; customer reviews don't change the rating, and BBB says accreditation dues don't buy one. BBB is the place to read complaints and get a dispute in front of the business. HomeProFax.com shows the license line itself (issuer, type, status and expiry) and permits where available, and shows a BBB grade only for the profiles where we have researched it.
HomeProFax vs Angi: where to hire vs how to check
Angi is a marketplace for finding, booking and paying pros. It is free for homeowners and earns money from pros who pay to advertise, from paid memberships and from bookings; its FAQ says it doesn't show businesses that haven't claimed a free profile, and pros attest to their own licenses. Angi offers a Happiness Guarantee on jobs booked and paid through it, which HomeProFax.com does not. HomeProFax.com covers contractors whether or not they ever signed up, and its license status comes from the board with a source link, so it works as the check you run on a pro you found on Angi or anywhere else.
Side by side
A short summary of what each site covers, drawn from the full comparisons above. Each comparison links the other company’s own pages as sources.
| HomeProFax.com | BuildZoom | BBB | Angi | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A free contractor report from public records | Contractor directory and matching service | Nonprofit ratings, complaints and accreditation; not a government agency | Marketplace to find, book and pay pros |
| Who pays it | Free for homeowners; claiming is free for contractors, and contractors can’t pay to change a score | Contractors who win work through it pay a connection or referral fee | Accredited Business dues | Pros who advertise, paid memberships and bookings through Angi Services |
| Score or rating | 0–100: license 35, discipline 20, permits 20, reviews 25 | Licensed contractors start at 90; also weighs response time and hiring through BuildZoom | A+ to F from complaints, responses, transparency and licensing or government actions | Angi Approved pros are listed above others in search |
| License status | The board’s record: issuer, type, status and expiry, with a source link | A license is required for a profile; license history moves the score | Licensing actions can affect the rating | Pros attest to their licenses; Angi recommends checking with the regulator |
| Permits | Permits where available, from city and county open data | Built partly from building permit data; permit history is a score factor | Not among the rating factors BBB lists | Not described in Angi’s FAQ |
| Who is included | Contractors on license rosters and in permit records, whether or not they signed up | Licensed contractors | Accredited and non-accredited businesses of all kinds | Businesses that have claimed a free profile |
| Help beyond the record | No bookings or project management; Get matched requests are reviewed by a person | Bid alignment, negotiation, contract review and lender introductions | Takes complaints and forwards them to the business | Booking and payment, with a guarantee on qualifying bookings |
How the HomeProFax.com score is built
The 0–100 score uses four factors with published weights: license status 35, discipline 20, permits 20 and reviews 25. Where the methodology says so, missing data scores neutral rather than negative, which matters because permit coverage is limited to cities and counties that publish permit data. Nothing a contractor pays for or does on the site moves the score.
What none of them replace
- State court records. BBB says it generally doesn’t report private lawsuits or small claims actions, and HomeProFax.com shows only possible federal court matches. Contractor disputes usually land in state county court, so search those yourself.
- Insurance. HomeProFax.com does not check insurance. Ask for a certificate of insurance and call the insurer named on it.
- The city permit portal. If your city isn’t in our permit data, look the contractor up on the city’s own portal.
A simple order that uses all of them
- Find two or three pros anywhere: Angi, BuildZoom, a neighbor’s referral or a yard sign.
- Look each one up on HomeProFax.com and note license status, expiry, any discipline flag and permits where available.
- Read the business’s BBB complaints and how it answered them.
- Confirm the license on the board’s site, and call the insurer on the certificate.
- If you book through a platform, read its guarantee terms before you pay.
Our Colorado contractor check guide walks through each of these steps with the Colorado sites for each one.
Last updated October 26, 2026. Details about other companies come from the sources cited on each comparison page, checked October 25, 2026. They can change. Product names are trademarks of their owners; HomeProFax is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. HomeProFax is not a consumer reporting agency as defined by the FCRA, and its reports may not be used for credit, insurance, employment or tenant screening decisions. Full disclaimer.