Same job posted. Different bill.
Both apps get a task done by someone nearby. The fee and the pricing model are where they split — here's the actual difference, not the marketing version.
Side by side
What does each app actually charge, and how does it work?
On Bounty, you pay the reward you set once, with nothing added. The hunter pays a 5% finder's fee out of it. TaskRabbit adds roughly 15% plus a $9.95 booking fee to an hourly rate.
- Fee Bounty: nothing added to the reward you set. The hunter pays a 5% finder's fee out of it when the task is completed. No subscription, no lead fees. TaskRabbit: roughly 15% plus a $9.95 booking fee, on an hourly meter.
- Pricing Bounty: you name the reward when you post it, and that's the number. TaskRabbit: Taskers work by the hour, so the final bill can run past the original estimate.
- Who does it Bounty: you pick the one person who claims your bounty, then message them directly — no lead auctioning. TaskRabbit: Taskers compete for the booking on price, skills, and reviews before you choose.
- Money Bounty: held by Stripe the moment you post, released only when you approve the work. TaskRabbit: billed as the work happens, backed by a Taskprotect guarantee up to $1,000.
- Reach Bounty: Washington, DC and the surrounding DMV — Northern Virginia and Maryland. TaskRabbit: a national network, owned by IKEA, with 3.4M+ tasks completed.
- Starting prices Bounty: whatever you decide, from a $5 minimum, and that's the total you pay. TaskRabbit: published starting prices around $49 for furniture assembly, $69 for TV mounting, $139 for a flat-rate move, before the service and booking fees.
Questions people ask
How much does the same $60 job cost on each app?
On Bounty, a $60 job costs you $60, with nothing on top. The hunter takes home $57 after the 5% finder's fee. On TaskRabbit, roughly 15% of $60 is about $9, plus the $9.95 booking fee, so around $19 on top, and that's only if the job finishes inside the time quoted.
$60 sits in the middle of the local range for furniture assembly ($40–75, see what tasks cost). The gap grows with the job: on a $120 moving job, you pay $120 on Bounty, while roughly 15% plus $9.95 adds about $28 on TaskRabbit.
What happens if the job takes longer than expected?
On Bounty, nothing changes. The reward you posted is the price, whether the job takes 40 minutes or three hours. On TaskRabbit, Taskers bill by the hour, so a job that runs long costs more, and the percentage fee grows with it.
The flip side: if the reward you post is too low for the work, nobody has to take it. Hunters see the task and the reward before they offer. The reward can't be changed once it's paid, so to offer more, cancel and post again with a higher reward or more detail.
What if nobody takes the job, or something goes wrong?
On Bounty, nobody is paid until you say so. Stripe holds your money from the moment you post, and only you can release it, by confirming the job in the app. Until you've chosen someone, you can cancel in the app and the full payment goes back to your card.
Once someone is working on it, cancelling needs their agreement. If something isn't right, don't confirm the job: tell them in the app's messages, or use “Report a problem” in the app.
TaskRabbit bills as the work happens and backs bookings with its Taskprotect guarantee up to $1,000.
Who actually shows up?
On Bounty, the one person you chose. Nobody is assigned to you. Before you choose, you can read each person's note and see how long they've been on Bounty and how many tasks they've completed. Ratings come only from people who completed a task together, so someone new won't have any yet.
Stripe checks a hunter's identity and bank details before they can cash out. That confirms who gets paid. It isn't a background check, so read their profile and choose for yourself.
On TaskRabbit, Taskers are background-checked and compete for your booking on price, skills and reviews before you choose one. If a background check matters to you for this job, that's a real point in TaskRabbit's favor.
What are the limits on Bounty?
Rewards run from $5 to $10,000. Posting is free, with no subscription and no lead fees. Any legal task works: yard work, moving and hauling, furniture assembly, TV mounting, cleaning, tutoring, repairs, deliveries or online work.
In-person bounties are live in Washington, DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland. Online bounties can be claimed from anywhere.
When is TaskRabbit the better choice?
When you're outside the DMV, or when you want a standing weekly appointment with the same person. Bounty is built for one-off tasks on your terms, not ongoing arrangements with one provider, and TaskRabbit's national network reaches places Bounty doesn't yet.
Why pick one over the other
Should you use TaskRabbit or Bounty?
TaskRabbit is bigger. Bounty is cheaper and local.
TaskRabbit has real scale — background-checked Taskers, a national bench, a published guarantee. If you want the largest possible pool of pre-vetted pros and don't mind an hourly meter, that's a real reason to pick them.
Bounty is smaller and local: whoever claims your bounty is a neighbor in the DMV you chose yourself, not routed through a national booking fee. You pay the reward you posted no matter how long the job runs, and your money doesn't move until you say it's done.