Comparison
Rollout vs Hire Things: Which Platform for Civil Equipment Hire?
Comparing Rollout and Hire Things for civil construction equipment hire in Australia — focus, pricing, payment security, and which marketplace is better suited to earthmoving plant.
6 min read · 1 September 2025
Rollout vs Hire Things: Which Platform for Civil Equipment Hire?
Hire Things is a peer-to-peer hire marketplace — one of the broader ones in Australia, covering everything from bouncy castles to bobcats. Rollout is a peer-to-peer marketplace that covers one thing: civil construction and earthmoving plant.
If you need a 14t excavator for a civil earthworks project, that difference matters.
What is Hire Things?
Hire Things is an Australian peer-to-peer hire marketplace covering a very wide range of categories — tools, vehicles, party equipment, outdoor gear, trailers, and construction equipment. Anyone can list anything hireable. It's a general-purpose marketplace with construction equipment as one of many categories.
What is Rollout?
Rollout is a peer-to-peer marketplace built specifically for civil construction and earthmoving plant — dry hire only. Excavators, dozers, motor graders, posi tracks, rollers, loaders, tip trucks, articulated dump trucks, tractors, and attachments. Every listing is in this category. Payments are processed through Stripe and held until the hire commences. Float transport is integrated into the booking flow.
Side-by-side comparison
| Rollout | Hire Things | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Civil construction plant only | General hire — broad categories |
| Hire type | Dry hire only | Dry hire, general peer-to-peer hire |
| Civil plant range | Comprehensive — all major machine types | Subset of a broad marketplace |
| Pricing | Upfront on every listing | Upfront on listings |
| Payment | Stripe — held until hire commences | Platform payment varies by listing |
| Payment protection | Funds held until hire commences | Varies |
| Float transport | Integrated at booking | Not integrated |
| Machine vetting | Insurance required to list | General marketplace — variable vetting |
| Owner type | Civil contractors and plant owners | Anyone — highly variable |
The problem with broad marketplaces for civil plant
A general hire marketplace works well for common items — trailers, utes, small tools. The inventory is widespread, the items are similar regardless of owner, and the stakes are low if something isn't quite right.
Civil construction plant is different. A 20t excavator on a mining lease is not the same as a 20t excavator sitting in someone's paddock that hasn't been serviced properly. A dozer that's had its blade geometry knocked and not corrected will give you a bad result on any grading job. Getting this wrong on a civil project costs real money.
Rollout's requirement that owners hold current hire insurance per machine, and the platform's focus on civil operators, means the machines listed are more likely to be well-maintained, properly insured, and operated by people who understand what the machine is used for.
On a general marketplace, the quality of listings varies dramatically. You might find exactly what you need — or you might find a poorly described machine listed by someone who isn't sure what they have.
Float transport
This is a practical difference for civil plant hire.
Most earthmoving machines can't travel on public roads. Arranging a float is an extra logistical step that adds time and complexity to any hire. On a general marketplace, you find the machine and then separately source a transport partner — two separate processes, two separate negotiations.
On Rollout, float transport is part of the booking flow. Tick the option when you submit your hire request, and Rollout's network of approved transport partners receives the job. First available partner takes it on, you see the transport cost before you confirm, and it's all billed through the same platform.
Who actually lists on each platform
On Hire Things, anyone can list anything. That's the model — maximum breadth. For civil plant specifically, this means you might find listings from experienced plant operators, but also from people who've recently bought a machine and aren't sure how to price it, or who don't have the appropriate insurance in place.
Rollout is built for civil operators. The owners listing on Rollout are running plant hire as part of their business, or as a serious side operation. They have insurance, they know their machines, and they're invested in building a good review record on the platform.
Price and value
Both platforms allow owners to set their own rates, so pricing varies. The key difference is context — on Rollout, you can compare rates across similar machines in similar locations. Every listing is the same category of equipment, so comparison is apples to apples.
On a general marketplace, construction equipment sits alongside everything else. There's less context for what a competitive rate looks like, and less ability to meaningfully compare options.
Who Hire Things suits
- Hirers looking for general equipment outside civil construction — tools, trailers, recreational gear
- People comfortable navigating a broad marketplace and doing their own vetting
- Casual or occasional hire where specialist vetting matters less
Who Rollout suits
- Civil contractors and project managers needing dry hire earthmoving plant
- Hirers who want upfront pricing, confirmed bookings, and payment protection
- Projects where machine condition and insurance coverage matter
- Anyone who wants float transport integrated into the same booking
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Rollout and Hire Things?
Rollout is a peer-to-peer marketplace focused exclusively on civil construction and earthmoving equipment — dry hire only. Hire Things is a general hire marketplace covering a much broader range of equipment categories including party hire, tools, vehicles, and recreational equipment alongside some construction gear.
Is Hire Things good for civil construction plant hire?
Hire Things lists some construction equipment, but it is a broad general hire marketplace rather than a civil plant specialist. For excavators, dozers, graders, posi tracks, rollers, and other civil earthmoving machines, Rollout's focused marketplace is more likely to have the right machine in the right location.
How does Rollout's payment system compare to Hire Things?
Rollout processes all payments through Stripe — funds are held until the hire commences and released to the owner automatically when the hire starts. Hire Things uses a platform payment system, but the level of payment protection varies by listing and owner. Rollout's held-payment model specifically protects hirers if the hire falls through before the machine reaches site.
Can I arrange float transport through Hire Things?
Hire Things does not have an integrated float transport system. On Rollout, float transport can be requested as part of the booking — Rollout's network of approved transport partners handles delivery and collection, quoted as a separate line item.
Which platform has more civil construction equipment?
Rollout. Every listing on Rollout is civil construction or earthmoving plant — the platform is built exclusively for this category. Hire Things' civil plant listings are a subset of a much broader marketplace, making it harder to find specific machine types and sizes.