Which side should we launch with?

The harder one, which for service marketplaces is almost always the providers. Recruit them manually in a single area first. Demand is easier to buy later, and buying it before you have supply wastes the spend.

How do we handle payments to providers?

Stripe Connect, which manages provider onboarding, identity checks, splitting the payment, and payouts. Building that yourself means taking on regulatory weight you do not want.

What stops users going direct after the first job?

Nothing entirely, and any platform claiming otherwise is guessing. You reduce it by staying useful after the match: scheduling, payment protection, guarantees, and repeat booking that is easier than arranging it privately.

ServicesServices marketplace

Focused build

Services Marketplace App Development

A marketplace to buy and sell services, on-demand.

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Two-sided marketplace apps for selling services, covering provider profiles, search, bookings, payments with escrow, reviews, and admin tooling.

What you get

Provider & customer flows
Search, bookings & payments (escrow)
Ratings & reviews
Commission & payout handling

Pick the hard side and solve it first

One side is always harder to get. For services it is usually supply: the mechanics, cleaners, tutors, or tradespeople. They have existing work and no reason to join an empty platform.

So the first version is often built for them: easy signup, no fee until they earn, and a genuinely better way to receive and manage jobs. Recruit supply manually, in one area, before spending anything on demand. Launching both sides at once across a whole country is the most common way these fail.

Matching requests to providers

There are three models. Broadcast a request and let providers bid, match automatically on availability and distance, or let buyers browse and choose. Each changes the product and the economics.

Bidding is good for varied jobs where price is negotiable but can flood providers with notifications. Automatic matching is fast but needs enough supply to be reliable. Browsing suits higher consideration purchases. We pick with you based on job value and how much choice buyers expect.

Payments, escrow, and trust

Taking money on behalf of other people has real requirements. Stripe Connect handles the split, onboarding, and payouts, along with the identity checks that come with it. Holding funds until a job is confirmed protects both sides and is worth the extra complexity.

Trust is the other half: verified providers, reviews that only come from completed jobs, clear cancellation rules, and a dispute route. Reviews unattached to a real transaction get gamed immediately.

Stopping people taking it off-platform

Once two people have met through you, they can transact directly and cut you out. Everyone in this category faces it. Contact details hidden until a booking is confirmed helps a little, but the durable answer is being genuinely useful after the match: scheduling, payment protection, guarantees, repeat booking, and records.

We design for that rather than trying to police it, because policing does not work and annoys the people you need most.

Related work

Recent builds.

Marketplace app

Autopluss

A two-sided car services marketplace for St. Maarten, connecting drivers with mechanics, detailers and tow services.

Flutter
Dart
Node.js

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