What is AlongSide.Guide?▼
AlongSide.Guide connects Members (people who want to learn by doing) with Guides (experts who work alongside them, not just for them). Instead of hiring someone to do a job, you book them to do it with you.
How is this different from hiring a contractor or taking a class?▼
A contractor does the work for you. A class teaches you in a classroom. AlongSide puts you next to an expert while you actually do the work — in your garage, on the water, in the field. You leave with real skills, not just a finished product.
Who are the Guides?▼
Guides are real people with deep, hands-on experience — electricians, fishing guides, reef tank experts, beekeepers, CNC machinists, chefs, and more. Credentials are a plus but not required — we care about proven real-world knowledge.
Is AlongSide.Guide free to join?▼
Free for everyone to start. Members never pay to join, browse, post an Ask, or message. Guides can create Offers and accept bookings for free too — the Free plan charges a 9% Guide fee only when you get paid. Guide Plus ($29/mo at 4.5%) and Guide Premium ($99/mo at 0%) lower that fee and boost your placement, but are never required. Members pay a flat 9% service fee.
How does AlongSide match me?▼
When a Member posts an Ask, we instantly suggest qualified Guides — matched on category, location, and rating. Guides see suggested Asks that fit their Offers. Quality is the gate: we only ever suggest genuine matches. Guide Plus and Guide Premium earn priority and top placement within that qualified set, but a paid Guide is never surfaced ahead of a better-qualified one.