OnStandby connects people who need a job done with local professionals, from plumbers and electricians to cleaners and gardeners. Compare prices and ratings, chat in the app, and pay through the app.
Free to browse. Free for professionals to join.
Whether you need the work done or you do the work, it’s the same app.
Find a professional near you, see their prices and ratings, and keep the chat, the quote and the payment in one place.
Set up a free profile, set your own prices, and get job requests from people near you.
The reality in South Africa
Digital banking crime losses in 2025, up from about R1.9 billion in 2024, according to SABRIC, the South African Banking Risk Information Centre.
In June 2025 Northern Cape police warned of a deposit scam: buyers pay a deposit for an advertised item, and the collection address turns out to be fake.
Sellers are sent fake proof of payment. Gumtree’s own safety guide puts it bluntly:
“A screenshot proves absolutely nothing.”
Hire help through the same channels and you take the same risk: a deposit paid to someone you can’t check, or the work done and the invoice chased.
OnStandby: a new way forward
The main job payment goes into escrow with TradeSafe and is released to the professional when you confirm the work. You never send money to a stranger’s bank account, and there are no screenshots to trust.
Prices, ratings and profiles are shown before you send a request. Regulated trades, such as electricians, need a certificate reviewed before they can take jobs.
Messages, photos and payments stay in the app. If you raise a dispute, the payment stays held while an administrator reviews the record.
Professionals aren’t left chasing invoices either: customers pay through the app, and the payment is released when the job is confirmed.
Sources: SABRIC, 2025 Annual Banking Crime Statistics · Northern Cape police warning, Daily News, June 2025 · Gumtree South Africa, “Stay Safe Shopping Online”, 16 June 2026
Use it in your browser today, or join the Android early-access testers.
OnStandbyOpen web app
Installable web app (PWA)
A website you can put on your phone like an app. It gets its own icon, opens full-screen and updates itself. There’s no app store and no download.
The web app works on iPhone.