Angi

Angi Inc.

Company type	Public
Industry	Home services
Founded	1995 (1995)
Founder	Angie Hicks, William S. Oesterle
Headquarters	Indianapolis , United States
Area served	United States
Key people	Joey Levin (CEO)
Products	Online platform for home improvement services
Parent	IAC (until 2025 spin-off planned)

Angi (previously known as Angie's List) is a U.S.-based online platform for home services, operated by Angi Inc., a publicly traded arm of IAC. Established in 1995 by Angie Hicks and William S. Oesterle, the site facilitates connections between customers and contractors for compensated home improvement projects.

Initially launched as a subscription-only directory featuring local service evaluations, Angie's List transitioned to a freemium approach in July 2016. The following year, IAC acquired the business and integrated it with HomeAdvisor, rebranding HomeAdvisor as Angi Leads. In January 2025, IAC revealed intentions to spin off Angi into an independent company during the second quarter of 2025.

History

The inception of Angie's List dates back to 1995 when Angie Hicks and William S. Oesterle created the company after Hicks searched for trustworthy contractors in suburban Columbus, Ohio on behalf of Oesterle, her employer and a venture capitalist. Their initial offering, Columbus Neighbors, was a phone-based service providing reviews of local home and lawn care professionals. Within one year, Hicks had enlisted more than 1,000 members, which encouraged Oesterle to secure funding from investors. In 1996, the firm acquired Unified Neighbors and moved its headquarters to Indianapolis.

By 1999, the company shifted its operations online, broadening its user base and expanding service categories to include health care and automotive services across the nation.

In 2010, Angie's List secured $25 million in funding from investors such as Wasatch Funds and Battery Ventures. The company made its public market debut on the Nasdaq on November 17, 2011.

Though it remained unprofitable for several years, by 2015 Angie's List demonstrated significant growth potential with anticipated earnings-per-share growth of 19% and stock price forecasts increasing by more than 13%. That same year marked the company’s first profitable fiscal year.

At that time, Angie's List employed over two thousand staff members and planned a $40 million expansion of its Indianapolis headquarters to accommodate growth. However, these expansion plans were suspended in response to Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), due to concerns about potential discrimination against LGBTQ+ communities.

In July 2016, Angie's List embraced a freemium model that provided free access to upwards of 10 million reviews alongside premium subscription options. On May 2, 2017, IAC completed its acquisition of Angie's List for over $500 million and merged it with HomeAdvisor under the newly formed parent company ANGI Homeservices Inc..

By March 2021, ANGI Homeservices unified its brands under the name Angi to better represent its contractor booking services and consolidate subsidiaries including Handy.

In October 2022, Joey Levin—CEO of IAC and Chairman of Angi—was appointed CEO of Angi itself.

Co-founder William S. Oesterle passed away in May 2023.

Criticism and controversies

An investigation conducted in 2017 by Chicago's NBC affiliate WMAQ-TV uncovered that a significant number of local contractors labeled as "Angie's List Certified" lacked proper licensing.

Journalist David Segal reported that when users submit unfavorable reviews, Angie's List employees frequently step in to address the complaints and often remove the negative feedback afterward.

Litigation

In March 2007, SCS Contracting Group initiated a libel lawsuit against Angie's List and two individual members due to critical reviews. One member expressed concern that such legal actions might diminish the platform’s usefulness by deterring candid evaluations. By October 2008, the plaintiffs withdrew their claims against the members, and summary judgment was granted in favor of all defendants.

Angie's List resolved a lawsuit in 2014 with a $2.8 million settlement related to allegations of automatic membership renewals at rates higher than those initially disclosed.

In August 2016, the company agreed to pay $1.4 million to settle three class-action lawsuits addressing whether advertising fees from service providers impacted their ratings and placement in search results. While denying any misconduct, Angie's List acknowledged that under certain conditions, revenue can influence the ranking order of search listings.