For builders and trades · Prices checked 3 November 2026
Is Checkatrade worth it? What you really pay on lead sites.
Checkatrade is worth it if the jobs it wins you each month make more profit than the fee, and you can answer enquiries fast. Like every lead site, it charges for a chance at a job, not the job, and other firms can contact the same customer. Here's how each site charges, using only what the sites say themselves.
What happened to Rated People?
Rated People went into liquidation on 16 September 2026. The next day, Checkatrade's owner bought the brand and website.
Rated People's own site now says it "closed all memberships before it became part of Checkatrade". Jobs posted there are matched with Checkatrade members instead.
If you were a Rated People member, that membership has ended. To get those jobs now, you'd need to join Checkatrade.
The comparison
How do Checkatrade, Bark, MyBuilder and TrustATrader charge?
| Site | How the job reaches you | How you pay | Published price | Can other firms contact the same customer? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Checkatrade | Customers search the directory or ask for quotes, and contact members | A monthly membership. Not charged per lead | From £30 + VAT a month for a listing with no leads. Plans with leads are priced by trade and postcode, and those prices aren't published | Yes. Customers can compare other members in your trade and area |
| Bark | A customer posts a request. Bark matches it with professionals, and you choose which leads to buy | Credits, spent on each lead you choose | £1.80 a credit. Each lead costs a number of credits set by Bark. Credits bought since 1 November 2025 expire after 3 months | Yes. Each request is matched with several professionals. Bark doesn't publish a maximum |
| MyBuilder | A homeowner posts a job and you express interest for free | A "shortlist fee" when the homeowner shortlists you | Not published. MyBuilder says it depends on the size, value and location of the job. You pay it even if you don't win the job | Yes. Homeowners can shortlist more than one trade. MyBuilder doesn't publish a limit |
| TrustATrader | Customers find you in the directory and contact you directly | A yearly membership. No charge per lead | Not published. You request a callback | Yes, but TrustATrader limits how many members of each trade it takes in an area |
| Rated People | Closed as an independent site in September 2026 | – | – | Jobs now go to Checkatrade members |
What does that mean for you?
You pay for the chance, not the job.
A MyBuilder shortlist fee is due even if you don't win. Bark credits are spent when you buy the lead, whether or not the customer answers. A membership is due every month, busy or quiet.
Speed decides who gets the visit.
When several firms can ring the same customer, the one who rings first has the best chance. If you're on a roof when the enquiry lands, someone else is already talking to them.
The profile lives on their site.
Your reviews and your listing sit on their website, not yours. You're building their brand as much as your own.
How do you work out if a lead site pays?
Divide what you paid the site in a month by the jobs it actually won you that month. That's your cost per job won. Compare it with the profit on a typical job.
An example (made-up numbers, not any site's prices): you pay £200 in a month. You get 8 enquiries, quote 5 and win 2. Each job cost you £100 to win. If a job makes you £1,500 profit, that month paid. If you won nothing, it cost you £200 for nothing.
On Bark, count the credits spent on every lead you bought, including the ones who never answered. On MyBuilder, count every shortlist fee, including jobs you didn't win. Track it for two or three months, because one quiet or busy month tells you very little.
What should you ask before you pay anyone (including us)?
- How many other firms can contact the same customer?
- What do I pay if the customer never answers?
- Can I get money back for a bad lead, and how?
- How long am I tied in, and how much notice do I give?
- If I leave, who keeps the reviews, the ad account and the customer details?
- What counts as a result, and is it written down?
How do we answer those questions?
This is how we work with every firm. No exceptions.
Other firms on the same customer
None. We take one firm per trade in each area.
If they never answer
Every enquiry gets an instant reply within minutes, automatically, day or night. Want the serious ones called and booked into your diary too? Add our booking team. You don't pay per lead at all.
What you pay
A monthly fee, plus your ad budget, which goes straight to Meta, not to us.
Tied in
Month to month. No contract. Leave whenever you like.
If you leave
You keep everything. The ad accounts, pages and reviews are set up in your name.
A result
No targets or guesswork. Just one firm per trade, per town or borough, and the owners on every call.
Questions tradespeople ask about lead sites
Is Checkatrade worth it for a sole trader?
It's worth it if each month's fee is covered by the profit on the jobs it actually wins you, and you can answer enquiries fast. Other members can be contacted by the same customer, so the first to reply usually gets the visit. Track cost per job won for two or three months before you decide.
How much does Checkatrade cost a month?
Checkatrade's basic plan starts from £30 + VAT a month. That lists you so customers can find you by name, but it doesn't send you leads. Plans with leads are priced by trade and postcode and the prices aren't published. There's no joining fee.
Is Checkatrade better than MyBuilder?
They charge differently. Checkatrade is a monthly membership. MyBuilder charges a shortlist fee each time a customer shares their details with you, whether or not you win the job. The better one is whichever wins you jobs for less, so work out cost per job won on each.
What happened to Rated People?
Rated People went into liquidation on 16 September 2026 and Checkatrade's owner bought the brand the next day. Rated People memberships have ended, and jobs posted there now go to Checkatrade members.
What are the alternatives to Checkatrade?
Your own Google Business Profile and reviews, Facebook and Instagram ads in your firm's name, and asking past customers for referrals. They take longer to set up, but the enquiries come to you alone, not to several firms at once.
More detail: How much does Checkatrade cost? · How many leads should a roofer get? · Marketing for builders · Marketing for roofers
Sources
Checked on 3 November 2026. Prices and policies change. If something here is out of date, email ben@fullscalegrowth.com and we'll correct it and say what changed.
- Rated People joins Checkatrade Group (ratedpeople.com)
- Rated People tradesperson sign-up page
- Does Checkatrade cost money? (checkatrade.com)
- What is a credit and how much does it cost? (Bark help centre)
- How Bark works (Bark help centre)
- MyBuilder terms and conditions, clauses 7 and 10
- How MyBuilder works
- TrustATrader FAQs
3 November 2026: every price checked again. Checkatrade no longer publishes a "from" price for plans with leads, so we removed the figure we'd quoted. Added the cost-per-job sum and common questions.
3 October 2026: first published.