Three ways in.
One job done.
Crimson gives you three ways to connect with the right fixer. Use whichever fits the moment.
Shop openly with filters.
Browse local fixers and narrow the list with filters, within a certain distance, available same day, under a set budget. When you find the right fit, message them directly. You're in control the whole way.
Post it, fixers come to you.
Describe exactly what you need, add photos, set your timing and budget. Qualified fixers respond to your listing. You pick one, message directly, and lock it in, which closes the listing instantly. No lingering messages, and fixers never pay for leads.
Let AI do the whole thing.
Tap the AI tab, describe your issue and snap a few photos. Crimson AI writes a clean job-board post for you and finds fixers who do exactly that work, then shows you two options to choose from.
Fair hours. Guaranteed pay.
Some jobs are a fixed price; others are billed by the hour. Either way the rate is agreed and locked in before your fixer is dispatched, and enforced for the whole job. Here's exactly how an hourly job is tracked and paid, start to finish.
Rate locked & funds secured
Before anyone is dispatched, the hourly rate, an estimate and a not-to-exceed cap are agreed and locked in. Crimson places a secure hold on the customer's card for the cap, money reserved, nothing charged yet.
Both check in
The clock only starts when the fixer and the customer both check in, with the fixer's location verified on-site. No remote starts, no padded hours.
Pauses are mutual
Lunch, a parts run, or waiting on access, either side can pause the timer, but both must confirm the pause. You're never billed for downtime, and the logged hours stay fair to everyone.
Both confirm it's done
When the work is finished, the fixer and the customer both mark the job complete. That stops the clock for good.
Settled automatically
The job total is worked out to the minute, hours worked × the locked-in rate (plus any agreed minimum). Crimson's 8% service fee is added on top, the customer is charged automatically from the secured funds, and anything left on the hold is released back to them. Your fixer receives their full rate; the service fee is the customer's.
Running long? Approve first
If a job is about to pass the cap, the app asks the customer to approve the extra time before the fixer carries on, so there are never surprise charges, and never unpaid overtime.
A $60/hour job, start to finish
- You and your plumber lock in $60/hour, an estimate of about 3 hours, and a 4-hour cap. A hold covering the cap plus the service fee is placed on your card, reserved, not charged.
- You both check in at 9:00am and the timer starts.
- At 10:30 they leave for a part, you both tap pause. They're back at 11:00 and you both resume.
- You both mark the job complete at 12:12pm. Time worked: 2 hours 42 minutes.
- 2.7 hours × $60 = $162 for the plumber. Crimson's 8% service fee adds $12.96, so you pay $174.96. The rest of the hold is released back to you.
The fee that keeps it all running.
At Crimson we believe in complete transparency, so here's exactly what the 8% service fee pays for. Running a safe, reliable platform isn't free for us either, and rolling all of it into one small fee keeps your total lower than arranging each piece yourself.
Secure payments
The card-processing and fraud-screening costs Crimson covers on every transaction.
A support team
Real people on hand to help customers and fixers whenever something needs sorting.
Payment protection
Holding funds, guaranteeing pay, and standing behind every job if a dispute arises.
Fixer verification
Checking identity, licensing and credentials before a fixer can ever take a job.
The technology
Building and running the app, live tracking, matching and your dashboard.
Finding the work
Reaching homeowners so fixers get a steady stream of real, paying jobs.
Payment processors, infrastructure, support staff, verification and fraud protection all cost Crimson money, the service fee is simply what keeps the platform running smoothly and safely. And because your fixer keeps 100% of their rate, the fee never gets baked into their price, which keeps what you pay lower overall.
Plans change. That's fine.
Jobs aren't always exactly as described, and sometimes things fall through. Here's how Crimson keeps it fair for everyone.
Bigger or different than described?
If the job isn't what the listing said, the fixer can send a re-quote right in the app, a new price or scope. Nothing you pay changes until you approve it, so you're always in control.
Need to cancel?
Cancel before your fixer is dispatched and you're not charged a cent, the hold is released in full. Once a fixer is on the way or has arrived, a flat $30 applies and goes entirely to them for their time, even if the job turns out unfixable or you'd prefer a different fixer. We waive our service fee on cancellations, so the fixer keeps the full $30.
If the fixer cancels
If a fixer cancels or doesn't show up, you're refunded in full and pay nothing, no fee, no fuss. We hold fixers to a high standard of reliability, so this stays rare.
Disputes, handled fairly.
Both sides confirm a job is done before any money moves, so no one is ever left stuck. If a confirmation doesn't come, here's what happens.
If a customer won't confirm
If a customer won't mark properly completed work as done, they can raise a dispute and Crimson steps in. Both sides present their case. If the work was genuinely done to standard, the funds are released to the fixer. If it is genuinely unfinished, the fixer is placed under review and the payment is held until the dispute is officially resolved, no money moves until the truth is clear.
Capture undeniable proof
We strongly encourage fixers to take photos and video of their work, before, during and after. Combined with check-in and check-out timestamps, GPS, and your in-app chat history, that's undeniable evidence that protects you completely if a dispute is ever raised. And any dispute or chargeback taken outside Crimson, straight to a bank or card provider, won't be ignored: we defend every transaction in full with that same evidence.
Fixers get paid for
their work. Always.
Crimson protects the people who do the work. Any customer who refuses to pay for a job that was properly completed is permanently banned from the platform, no exceptions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between the Marketplace and the Job Board?
They're two opposite ways of finding help, and you can use whichever feels right for the moment. The Marketplace puts you in the driver's seat: you browse a list of available fixers, narrow it down with filters like distance, availability and budget, look through who's nearby, and reach out to the ones you like. It's best when you already know roughly what you need and want to compare your options. The Job Board works the other way around: instead of you searching, you post a description of your problem and let qualified fixers come to you. It's more social and conversational, fixers can comment, ask questions, and send you a message. It's best when you're not sure exactly who you need, or you'd rather have fixers pitch for the work.
Do fixers pay to see or respond to my job?
No, and this is a deliberate choice. On a lot of platforms, fixers are charged a fee just to view your contact details or send you a quote, which means they're paying for a chance, not a guarantee, and that cost usually ends up baked into the price you're quoted. Crimson doesn't charge fixers for leads at all. A fixer responding to your listing has nothing to lose by reaching out, so the interest you see is real interest in doing the work, not someone who paid for the privilege of messaging you.
What happens when I pick a fixer on the Job Board?
The moment you lock in your choice, that listing closes automatically. No other fixers can respond to it after that, so you won't keep getting messages about a job that's already sorted. Importantly, the outcome is private: other fixers who were interested simply see the listing as closed, they don't see who you chose or any details of the arrangement. It's a clean ending for everyone, with no public "winner."
How do messages and read receipts work?
First contact on Crimson is designed to feel low-pressure for everyone. When someone sends a message request, read receipts stay off until you accept it, so during that very first hello neither side is watching a "seen" timestamp, and no one feels ignored if a reply takes a little while. It simply gives you room to consider requests at your own pace. The moment you accept and start a conversation, read receipts work normally for both of you, exactly like any other chat.
How does Crimson AI work, exactly?
Crimson AI is a shortcut for people who'd rather not fill out forms or figure out which trade they need. You describe the problem in plain language, "my breaker keeps tripping when I run the dryer", and add a photo or two if you have them. The AI reads that, works out the likely trade, and writes a clear, well-structured job post on your behalf. Then it gives you two simple choices: Option 1, browse the matching fixers it found and message one directly, or Option 2, publish the post it drafted to the Job Board and let fixers respond. You're always in control, nothing is posted or sent until you tap one of those options.
What does Crimson cost me as a homeowner?
Browsing the Marketplace, posting to the Job Board, using Crimson AI and messaging fixers are all free. The price of the work is agreed directly with your fixer, and Crimson doesn't mark it up, your fixer keeps 100% of it. The only thing Crimson adds is an 8% service fee on top of the job total, which is how we keep the platform running. You'll always see it itemised before you pay, so there are no surprises.
Do I pay before or after the work?
You pay in full, up front, before a fixer is dispatched to your job, payment is always first, with no exceptions. This protects everyone: the fixer knows the job is real and that they'll be paid before they head out, and you get a confirmed booking with a tradesperson who is committed to showing up. Payment is held securely and released to the fixer for the completed work, so there's no risk of a no-show on either side.
Can I see where my fixer is before they arrive?
Yes. Once a job is booked and your fixer is on the way, you can track their location in real time, similar to watching a delivery driver approach in a food-delivery app. You'll know roughly how far away they are and when to expect them, instead of waiting around inside a vague "sometime between 8 and 4" window.
Are the fixers on Crimson trustworthy?
Crimson is built around transparency rather than a single badge. Fixers maintain a profile, conversations happen openly on listings, and paying in full up front keeps interactions serious on both sides. Because who-wins-a-job is private and fixers never pay for leads, there's no incentive to game the system, the focus stays on doing good work and communicating clearly.
Where is Crimson available?
Crimson is rolling out area by area. Enter your postcode when you search and we'll show the fixers working near you, and if we're not in your area just yet, you can join the waitlist and we'll let you know the moment we arrive.
Do I need the app, or can I use Crimson in my browser?
You don't need the app. The full marketplace, job board and Crimson AI all work right in your web browser today. The Crimson app, with extras like live arrival tracking, is on the way, and you can sign up to be notified the moment it launches.
What kinds of jobs can I book a fixer for?
Everyday home trades, plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling, carpentry, painting, and general repairs and installations, big or small. If you're not sure who you need, just describe the problem to Crimson AI and it'll point you to the right kind of fixer.
Who pays for parts and materials?
You do, but never as a surprise. Materials are agreed with your fixer up front, either included in the quote or listed separately and itemised, and anything that comes up mid-job has to be approved by you before it's added. You always see exactly what you're paying for.
Can I tip my fixer?
If you'd like to. Tipping is completely optional, and 100% of anything you add goes straight to your fixer, Crimson never takes a cut of a tip.
Is my payment information secure?
Yes. Payments are handled by a certified payment provider, and Crimson never sees or stores your full card number. Your details are encrypted, and because everything is paid through the app, there's no cash changing hands on the doorstep.
Can I reschedule instead of cancelling?
Absolutely. If the timing no longer works, you can agree a new time with your fixer in the app before they set out, that's a reschedule, not a cancellation, so there's no fee. Cancelling only comes into play once a fixer is already on the way.
How do I become a fixer on Crimson?
Head to the For Fixers page and apply. Once your identity and trade credentials are verified, you can start responding to jobs and getting found in the marketplace, no company and no sign-up fee required.
How soon can a fixer come? Can I schedule ahead?
Both work. You can ask for someone as soon as possible, nearby fixers can often come the same day, or pick a time that suits you and book it in advance. When you post a job, just say whether it's urgent or scheduled, and fixers respond around that.
What if no fixer is available?
You're never charged until a fixer is actually booked, so an unanswered job costs you nothing. If no one's free straight away, you can widen your timing or area, repost the job, or let Crimson AI suggest the next best match. In a brand-new area, you can join the waitlist instead.
Does it cost anything to post a job, browse, or get a quote?
No. Browsing the marketplace, posting on the job board, messaging fixers and receiving quotes are all free. You only ever pay once you've booked a fixer and the work is done, there's no charge for simply looking or asking.
How do reviews and ratings work?
After a job is completed, you can rate your fixer and leave a review. Because reviews are tied to real, finished jobs on Crimson, the ratings on a fixer's profile reflect actual work, not anonymous comments from anywhere.
Can I request or rebook a specific fixer?
Yes. If you've worked with someone before, you can message them directly to book again, or find their profile in the marketplace. On the job board, you're also free to invite a particular fixer to quote on your job.
Do I need an account to use Crimson?
You'll need a free account to book a fixer, message, pay and keep a record of your jobs, it only takes a moment to set up. You're welcome to browse and get a feel for things first.
Are the fixers insured?
Fixers on Crimson are independent, licensed tradespeople responsible for their own insurance and credentials, which we verify when they join. If insurance or a specific certification matters for your job, you can always ask your fixer about it directly before you book.
Ready when you are.
Browse the marketplace, post a job, or let Crimson AI do it for you.