Consumer review website Angie's List Inc. made good early trading gains Thursday on its first day as a public company.

The company's stock opened at $18 a share on the Nasdaq, up 39% from its initial public offering price of $13. It was changing hands recently at $16.52, up 27%. It sold 8.79 million shares at the high end of its expected $11 to $13 range.

Angie's List operates a website where consumers can research, rate and hire local businesses for everything from home improvement to health care. The company operates a subscriber model where access to its ratings and reviews is granted only to its more than one million paid members. Local businesses can also advertise discounts and other promotions to Angie's List.

Angie's List is a recognizable consumer Internet brand along the same lines as daily deals website Groupon Inc., which went public earlier this month and gained nearly 31% on its first day of trading. Like Groupon, the company is not profitable and has focused on growing its membership by ramping up marketing expenses.

Analysts had expected Angie's List to do well on the first day, but were less certain about future performance. Groupon has given back about a third of its first-day gains since its debut.