Consumer Costs

2 articles

A homeowner looking concerned in a dimly lit living room with a glowing smart home security panel, symbolizing hidden costs.

Home Improvement

Professional Home Security Costs More Than Advertised By 2026

A homeowner might sign up for Vivint's basic $24.

Olivia Hart·July 16, 2026

A dimly lit workshop with tools and a laptop showing a confusing pricing chart, symbolizing the opaque pricing of gig platforms for home projects.

Home Improvement

Gig platforms' fees create opaque pricing for home projects

Despite Taskers setting their own hourly rates, platforms like TaskRabbit layer on a $25 registration fee for workers and a separate service fee for clients.

Ethan Rowe·April 15, 2026