What Snupit does

Snupit is a South African two-sided online marketplace that connects consumers and small businesses with local service professionals across 600+ categories (builders, plumbers, electricians, cleaners, caterers, photographers, wedding planners, and more). Founded in 2012 in Pietermaritzburg by Avinash Samlall, the platform serves customers and pros across all 9 South African provinces and 600+ locations via its website (snupit.co.za) and native iOS/Android apps. The platform combines a free business-directory listing for pros with a paid pay-per-lead service, where pros purchase Snupit Credits (R24–R30 per credit, with leads priced at 1–5 credits) to access customer contact details and submit quotes.

The product includes an AI-powered matching engine (deployed since 2017) that processes service category, location, urgency, and project specifications to route customer requests to relevant pros, complemented by automated bots for lead notifications. Trust and monetization features include verified-pro badges, customer reviews, a Hero Leads add-on for unresponded requests, a New Business Guarantee (refund for first-time pros), and a Property Protection Guarantee providing R5,000 coverage against property damage or deposit loss when customers hire Elite Pros. Pros operate under a free-to-list, pay-per-lead model with no monthly subscriptions, while customers access the platform free of charge.

Snupit is bootstrapped (no external funding), reports 2M+ monthly users, 500K+ registered businesses, 3M+ cumulative users helped, and R1 billion+ in cumulative work value facilitated. Distribution relies heavily on organic SEO plus paid Google AdWords and social advertising. Revenue is generated primarily from credit-pack purchases by pros, with platform scale growing slowly in a mature niche dominated by the founder-CEO-led, 11–50-person team operating from KwaZulu-Natal.

Name

Snupit

Legal name

Snupit Pty Ltd

Website

https://snupit.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Snupit is a bootstrapped South African two-sided online marketplace founded in 2012 that connects consumers and SMEs with local service professionals across 600+ categories and 600+ locations, monetizing via a pay-per-lead credit system and an AI-powered matching engine.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Pietermaritzburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Pay-Per-Lead Model: Professionals pay for leads by purchasing Snupit credits. A single credit costs R30 but can go down to R24 for bulk packs. Leads are charged between 1 to 5 credits depending on service category and demand. Professionals pay only to view customer contact details and submit quotes. The platform generates revenue from credit purchases with no monthly or annual fees required from Pros.
2. Directory Listing (Free Basic): Basic profile listing on Snupit's directory is free for professionals. Customers can contact Pros directly through their profiles without the Pro paying. This free tier attracts professionals to the platform while driving upsell to paid lead purchases.
3. Credit Pack Bulk Discounts: Bulk credit purchases at discounted rates (from R30 down to R24 per credit). Additional promotions include double credits for first credit pack purchases when business listing profile strength reaches 80% or higher.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Snupit operates a two-sided online marketplace that connects South African consumers who need local services with verified service professionals (Pros) across 600+ categories including builders, plumbers, electricians, cleaners, caterers, and wedding planners. Customers can search Pros by category and location for free or post quote requests to receive multiple bids, while Pros pay per-lead via Snupit Credits to access customer contact details and submit quotes. The platform combines a free directory listing with a paid lead-generation service, supported by AI-powered matching, native mobile apps, and a Property Protection Guarantee.

Product overview

Snupit operates as a unified online marketplace platform for local services in South Africa, combining a free business directory with a paid lead generation service. The core platform (Snupit Online Marketplace) connects customers with over 600 categories of service professionals, while the mobile apps (Android and iOS) provide on-the-go access. Professionals can use the free directory listing to be discovered, or upgrade to the Lead Generation Service by purchasing Snupit Credits. Premium add-ons include the Property Protection Guarantee (R5,000 coverage for Elite pros), Hero Leads Add-On (access to unresponded leads), and New Business Guarantee (refund for new professionals). The platform uses AI-powered matching to connect customers with appropriate professionals based on service type, location, and requirements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Snupit Online Marketplace Core two-sided web platform enabling South African customers to discover, compare, and hire verified local service professionals across 600+ categories (builders, plumbers, electricians, cleaners, caterers, wedding planners, etc.). Customers can search by category and location or post a quote request that is matched to relevant Pros.
• Snupit Mobile App Native mobile applications for Android and iOS that allow customers to search for service professionals, post quote requests, and manage their service needs on the go; for Pros, the apps support lead notifications and profile management.
• Lead Generation Service for Pros Pay-per-lead service for professionals where they receive notifications of customer requests matching their categories and locations, then purchase Snupit Credits to access customer contact details and submit quotes. No monthly or annual subscription fees apply.
• Business Directory Service Free directory listing allowing professionals to create business profiles with photos, videos, location maps, ratings, and reviews. Customers can search and contact Pros directly through the profile without the Pro purchasing leads, driving organic acquisition and paid upsell.
• Property Protection Guarantee Snupit-backed guarantee providing up to R5,000 of protection against property damage caused by negligent Elite Pros or loss of deposits for unstarted work, giving customers financial assurance when hiring through the marketplace.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2 million people per month use Snupit to discover local Pros
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Proudly South AfricancoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 June 2025Snupit joined the Proudly South African campaign in June 2025, demonstrating commitment to local economic growth, job creation, and supporting South African SMEs. This membership requires supporting local businesses and strengthening the country's economy.
• MTNminorOthers · 11 October 2018Snupit was a finalist and runner-up in the Best Enterprise Solution category at the MTN App of the Year Awards 2018, held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Angi: Angie's List / HomeAdvisor merged entity operating a pay-per-lead marketplace connecting US consumers with home service professionals across hundreds of categories. Direct functional peer to Snupit's pay-per-lead model in home services.
• Thumbtack: US-based online marketplace where customers request quotes from local professionals across 1,000+ service categories and pros pay per lead. Same marketplace mechanics, AI-driven matching, and customer/Pro dynamics as Snupit.
• TaskRabbit: Two-sided marketplace connecting consumers with vetted local taskers for handyman, cleaning, moving, and assembly work. Same self-serve, pay-per-connection marketplace model serving individual consumers, albeit with an hourly rate model rather than credit-based pricing.
• Bark.com: UK-based online marketplace in 50+ service categories where customers post job requests and Pros pay per lead to respond. Closest international analogue to Snupit's product, pricing, and category breadth.
• Hipages: Australia's leading tradie marketplace connecting customers with licensed home improvement professionals via a subscription + lead-gen model. Comparable regional services marketplace with verified Pro focus.
• Checkatrade: UK-based directory and lead generation platform for vetted tradespeople across hundreds of service categories. Closely comparable proposition combining verified listings, customer reviews, and lead generation like Snupit's Elite Pro tier.
• Porch: US home services marketplace connecting homeowners with local pros across multiple home improvement categories. Operates a similar marketplace + Pro acquisition funnel relevant to Snupit's model.
• HomeStars: Canadian home services marketplace combining a verified reviews directory with lead generation for Pros. Comparable two-sided marketplace structure and category mix for Snupit.
• Bidvine: UK-based online services marketplace where customers post projects and local professionals reply with quotes, pay-per-lead. Smaller-scale but functionally identical model to Snupit.

Broad incumbents

• Yelp: Broad consumer reviews and local business discovery platform with a Request-A-Quote services component. Not a pure services marketplace, but addresses overlapping demand from local services requests and competes indirectly for SEO-driven local services traffic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/snupitsa
• Facebookfacebook.com/snupitsa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/snupit

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Snupit