SolidGigs vs Bark: fixed lead curation or pay only for leads you choose?

Choose SolidGigs when you want a predictable subscription for curated external opportunities. Choose Bark when you want to inspect customer requests individually and spend credits only on the leads you choose to contact.

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At a glance

$2.35 is not the price of a Bark lead

Bark credits are the currency used to contact customers. The current standard U.S. rate is $2.35 per credit, but a lead can require multiple credits. The credit requirement varies with service type, job size and scope, location/demand and engagement or hiring-intent signals.

You choose the lead, then get direct contact details

Credits are deducted only when you choose to contact a lead. After purchase, Bark provides the customer’s name, phone number and email. Follow-up contact does not require additional Bark credits, and Bark says it takes no commission on the resulting job earnings.

Bark screens leads—but a lead is not a guaranteed job

Bark says it reviews contact details, asks hiring-intent questions and filters duplicate, incomplete or suspicious requests. But Bark also explicitly says a lead is not a guaranteed job. Screening does not guarantee that a customer responds, hires, is safe or produces profit.

No response does not automatically return your credits

Current Bark help explicitly says unresponsive leads are not covered by the ordinary credit-return policy. A customer can go quiet for normal behavior reasons without the lead being invalid.

Credit return is different from cash refund

Ordinary lead Credit Return requests must be made within 14 days. Bark says its team aims to respond within 48 hours, but returns are discretionary. Approved returns add credits back to your balance. Individual-lead issues generally use credit returns, not cash refunds; monetary refunds are limited and product-specific.

Current credits expire

Credits purchased on or after November 1, 2025 expire after 3 months. Credits bought before that cutoff had a 12-month validity period. Expired credits are removed, non-refundable and cannot be returned.

Get Hired Guarantee returns credits—not a guaranteed job

For a qualifying first Starter Pack, first app purchase or eligible promotion, Bark’s Get Hired Guarantee can return the eligible credits actually used if its conditions are satisfied. Current conditions include using the eligible credits or having too few left for another lead, waiting at least 3 calendar days since the last lead purchase, not being marked hired and not already claiming the guarantee for that purchase. This is not guaranteed paid work or a cash refund.

Elite Pro adds features, not guaranteed outcomes

Current Elite Pro help lists 2 free leads per week on leads with no responses after 48 hours, a 20% discount on credit packs, higher ranking, featured placement and other tools. Free leads do not roll over and are not eligible for returns. Higher ranking and badges are not guarantees of work, conversion or earnings.

Which fits you?

Sources checked

• SolidGigs current service/pricing
• SolidGigs Terms
• Bark U.S. professional pricing
• Bark credit price
• Bark lead pricing
• Unresponsive leads
• Credit Return Policy
• Credit expiration

Publication status: Last checked September 4, 2026. Refresh due October 4, 2026. Bark credit prices, lead costs, return rules and subscriptions can change. Production deployment remains separately unproven under issue #369.