# Competitor Intel Brief — Week of Feb 19, 2026

**Prepared by:** Radar | **Date:** Feb 19, 2026 | **Classification:** 🟡 HIGH

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## Summary

Both major competitors report H1 earnings next week. No new features, pricing changes, or Sydney-specific moves detected. The landscape is quiet pre-earnings.

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## HiPages (ASX: HPG)

### Earnings: Monday Feb 24
- H1 FY26 results drop **Feb 24**, followed by investor webinar led by CEO Roby Sharon-Zipser and CFOO Jaco Jonker.
- **What to watch:** Subscriber count (last known: 36K+), ARPU trends, churn, any AI feature announcements, NZ (Builderscrack) performance, guidance commentary.
- No analyst previews or leaks found.

### This Week's Activity
- **Content SEO:** Publishing standard 2026 cost guides (pool budgets, trade costs). Routine SEO play, no strategic shift.
- **Employer branding:** Named WORK180 "Top Employer for Women" — investing in diversity positioning. PR play, not product.
- **No pricing changes detected.** Still $109-$2,199/mo subscriptions + $20-60/lead dynamic pricing.
- **No new features announced.** No app updates, no product launches.

### Signals
- Quiet period pre-earnings. No ASX announcements beyond the results date notice.
- 36K+ subscribed trade businesses (up from 34K cited in earlier data — may reflect NZ addition).

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## Airtasker (ASX: ART)

### Earnings: Thursday Feb 26
- H1 FY26 results expected **Feb 26** (TradingView). Also due next week per Startup Daily.
- **What to watch:** Marketplace GMV, take rate changes, Australian vs international mix, any construction-specific moves, path to profitability update.
- FY25 recap: Revenue $52.6M (+12.8%), marketplace revenue $45M (+18.3%). They were optimistic about 2026 consumer sentiment improving.

### This Week's Activity
- **"Hametasker" PR stunt:** Comedian Hamish Blake launched "Hametasker" (offering to do odd jobs, filming it for content). Airtasker CEO Tim Fung responded with a public $1 investment offer at $1B valuation — playing along. **This is pure PR/content marketing**, not a real competitor. But it tells us:
  - Airtasker is investing in **brand awareness** ahead of earnings (superyacht event March 6, now this).
  - They disclosed **55K+ open tasks** in their Instagram response — a current platform activity metric.
  - Tim Fung is personally engaging in social media marketing — suggests they want buzz around the stock.
- **No pricing changes.** Still commission-based (service fee ~22% per Trustpilot reviews this week). Fee frustration remains strong in reviews.
- **No new features announced.** No construction-specific moves.
- **No Sydney-specific activity** beyond the Hametasker stunt.

### Signals
- Pre-earnings PR blitz (superyacht event + Hametasker engagement) suggests Airtasker wants positive sentiment going into results.
- 22% service fee still generating complaints on Trustpilot — fee frustration angle remains valid for Susan.

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## Other Competitors

- **ServiceSeeking:** Publishing 2026 trade pricing guides (concreter $92.27/sqm, etc). Standard SEO. No pricing or feature changes. $400/quarter model unchanged.
- **Yakka Labour:** No new developments this week. Rebrand to "Eternity" still in progress. Labour hire model, not marketplace.
- **No new entrants** in AU construction hiring marketplace space.

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## So What for RateRight

1. **Earnings week = intelligence goldmine.** HiPages (Mon) and Airtasker (Thu) both reporting. We'll get subscriber counts, revenue per user, churn data, strategic direction. This data directly informs positioning and Susan's outreach.

2. **Both competitors are in PR mode, not product mode.** No new features, no pricing innovation. They're managing investor perception, not solving tradie pain. Window remains open for RateRight.

3. **Fee frustration is live and current.** Airtasker's 22% take rate drawing complaints this week on Trustpilot. HiPages' lead fee model unchanged. Our $50 flat fee remains radically differentiated.

4. **Susan sales angle this week:** "While HiPages charges $109-2,199/month plus $20-60 per lead, and Airtasker takes 22% of every job, RateRight charges $50 once. That's it. No subscriptions, no commissions, no hidden fees."

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**Next update:** Post-HiPages earnings (Feb 24) and post-Airtasker earnings (Feb 26).

*Radar — Signal over noise.*