Three platforms. Membership fees. Per-lead credits. Vetting promises. Before you hand over your card details, read what tradespeople in r/DIYUK and r/TradeUK actually report — and what the numbers look like after your first quarterly invoice.
None of the three is a sustainable sole lead source for UK tradespeople. Checkatrade is the strongest consumer brand for a credible directory listing: vetting and name recognition lift conversions when consumers search by trade, and the fixed membership (typically GBP 300-900/yr) makes budgeting predictable, though low-quality enquiries still arrive. MyBuilder suits those wanting selective, pay-as-you-go access to jobs without an annual commitment (buy credits, spend only on jobs you choose), at the cost of credit burn on unconverted quotes. Rated People bundles credits into a subscription, but Trustpilot satisfaction is the lowest of the three and cancellation complaints are high. For long-term lead generation, Google Local Services Ads plus an optimised Google Business Profile consistently beat all three on cost per booked job after 6-12 months.
If New tradesperson, zero reviews, needs immediate lead volume in a major UK city
If Established plumber or gas engineer with 30+ existing reviews
If Builder or roofer handling larger renovation jobs (£5,000+)
If Tradesperson currently paying for Rated People and unhappy with lead quality
If Tradesperson in a smaller town or rural postcode
If Tradesperson evaluating whether to continue after first year on Checkatrade
| Checkatrade | MyBuilder | Rated People | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business model | Directory membership — annual subscription, vetted profile listing | Pay-per-lead marketplace — buy credits, quote on chosen jobs | Subscription + job credits — annual plan includes set number of leads |
| Lead / pricing model | Membership fee grants profile visibility; homeowners contact you directly | Credits purchased in bundles; spend credits to access a job's contact details | Annual subscription includes a credit allowance; top-ups available |
| Typical annual cost | ~£300–£900/yr depending on trade, tier, and postcode (member-reported) | No annual fee; credit packs from ~£30–£200 depending on bundle size | ~£350–£600/yr for standard plans (member-reported) |
| Per-lead cost | No per-lead charge; visibility tied to membership and review standing | Typically £3–£20 per job access in credits depending on trade and job size | Credits included in subscription; top-up packs approximately £1–£5 per credit |
| Lead exclusivity | Non-exclusive — multiple vetted members visible to same consumer search | Non-exclusive — multiple tradespeople can buy access to the same job | Non-exclusive — multiple tradespeople can quote on the same request |
| Vetting and verification | ID check, insurance, references, Trading Standards alignment; ongoing re-checks | Basic registration; optional ID check badge; lighter than Checkatrade | Basic registration; insurance encouraged but not uniformly enforced at sign-up |
| Key trades covered | Plumbers, electricians, builders, roofers, decorators, landscapers, gas engineers | Builders, roofers, decorators, handymen, plumbers, kitchen fitters, landscapers | Builders, roofers, decorators, plumbers, electricians, landscapers, cleaners |
| Consumer brand recognition | Very high — sustained TV and digital advertising; recognised by older demographics | Moderate — established but lower awareness than Checkatrade | Moderate — known in home-improvement circles; lower than Checkatrade |
| Refund policy (invalid leads) | No per-lead refunds; membership disputes handled case by case | Credits refunded for verified invalid jobs within policy window; process reported as reasonable | Credit refunds available for invalid jobs; cancellation and refund disputes common on Trustpilot |
| Contract and lock-in | Annual contract; auto-renewal reported; cancellation requires written notice in advance | No annual contract; pay per credit bundle; pause or stop freely | Annual contract standard; cancellation difficulties documented on Trustpilot |
| Review system | Verified consumer reviews tied to real jobs; cornerstone of platform trust | Consumer reviews tied to completed jobs; visible on tradesperson profile | Consumer reviews collected post-job; less prominent than Checkatrade |
| Mobile app for tradespeople | iOS + Android; profile management and lead notifications | iOS + Android; job browsing and credit management | iOS + Android; job alerts and subscription management |
| Overall tradesperson satisfaction | Mixed; Trustpilot ~3.2/5 (mixed contractor and consumer reviews); high brand offset by cost | Mixed; Trustpilot ~2.8/5; credit burn and lead quality the main complaints | Low; Trustpilot ~1.9/5; cancellation and billing disputes dominate recent reviews |
| Lead quality complaints (Reddit) | Moderate: low-budget enquiries, consumers using platform as price-check tool (r/DIYUK) | Moderate: vaguely described jobs; multiple tradespeople competing for same request (r/TradeUK) | Frequent: invalid leads, difficult refund process, aggressive upselling (r/TradeUK) |
| Best trade fit | All residential trades; strongest for plumbing, gas, electrical where vetting matters most | General building, renovation, decorating; selective-quote model suits larger jobs | General building and home improvement; suits tradespeople wanting lower upfront commitment |
| Google LSA integration | None | None | None |
| Checkatrade | MyBuilder | Rated People | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lead exclusivity | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Cost predictability | 7 | 8 | 5 |
| Vetting credibility | 9 | 5 | 4 |
| Consumer brand trust | 9 | 5 | 5 |
| Refund / dispute process | 5 | 6 | 3 |
| Ease of pausing / cancelling | 4 | 9 | 3 |
| Lead quality (verified reports) | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| New tradesperson ramp speed | 6 | 7 | 6 |
Checkatrade is the UK's best-known tradesperson directory, with sustained TV and digital advertising that puts the brand in front of homeowners searching for vetted trades. Members pay an annual subscription rather than per-lead fees: the profile is listed in Checkatrade's directory and consumers contact members directly. The vetting process — ID check, insurance, references, and Trading Standards alignment — is the most rigorous of the three and underpins the brand's consumer trust. Costs are typically £300–£900/yr depending on trade, postcode, and tier, based on member-reported figures (June 2026).
Annual membership approximately £300–£900/yr depending on trade category, postcode coverage, and tier. No per-lead fee. Auto-renewal standard — cancel in writing before renewal date. Based on member-reported figures on r/TradeUK and Checkatrade community forums (June 2026); no fixed public price list published.
Established tradespeople in plumbing, gas, electrical, and roofing who have existing reviews to transfer or can accumulate them quickly, operate in a competitive postcode, and want a credible directory listing rather than a bought-lead pipeline.
MyBuilder operates a credit-based marketplace: tradespeople browse posted job requests, see the job description, and spend credits to unlock the homeowner's contact details. There is no annual contract or subscription fee — tradespeople buy credit packs as needed and quote only on jobs they want. This selective model avoids the automatic-billing problem of Checkatrade's membership and Rated People's subscription, but credit burn on unresponsive homeowners or heavily-competed jobs is the dominant complaint. Vetting is lighter than Checkatrade's, though an optional ID-check badge is available.
No annual fee. Credit packs purchased as needed — approximately £30–£200 per pack; individual job access typically costs the equivalent of £3–£20 in credits depending on job size and trade. Credits non-refundable except for verified invalid jobs within policy window. Based on MyBuilder help centre and tradesperson forum reports (June 2026).
Tradespeople in general building, renovation, and decorating who want selective, pay-as-you-go access to job requests without annual commitment; best suited to those who respond quickly and can afford occasional credit burn on unconverted quotes.
Rated People uses a subscription model where tradespeople pay an annual fee that includes a set number of job credits; additional credits are purchased on top. Tradesperson satisfaction is the lowest of the three on Trustpilot, with cancellation difficulties, billing after cancellation, and invalid lead credit refusals as the dominant complaints. Consumer brand awareness is lower than Checkatrade, meaning inbound lead volume per member is generally lower at the same postcode level.
Annual subscription approximately £350–£600/yr for standard plans (member-reported; no public price list). Credits included in subscription; top-up packs available. Auto-renewal standard; written cancellation required in advance. Based on Rated People feedback and Trustpilot reviews (June 2026).
Tradespeople willing to test a lower-cost subscription entry point who have verified cancellation terms are acceptable; not recommended as a new sign-up given cancellation complaint volumes on Trustpilot.
What real users praise and criticise on G2, Capterra, Trustpilot and Reddit — with sources.
Checkatrade's Trustpilot scores are polarised by audience: homeowners leave higher ratings reflecting consumer trust; tradesperson reviews cluster lower, citing auto-renewal billing surprises, limited ROI in saturated postcodes, and tyre-kicker enquiries. In r/DIYUK and r/TradeUK, established tradespeople with strong review counts report consistent inbound value; those with thin profiles report paying the membership fee for minimal contact volume.
MyBuilder scores higher than Rated People on trust metrics among tradespeople, with the selective credit model praised as structurally fairer than automatic-billing membership models. The dominant complaints are credit burn on unconverted jobs and lower lead volume in smaller markets. In r/TradeUK, the platform is most positively discussed among builders and roofers handling larger renovation jobs where credit cost is proportionate to job value.
Rated People carries the lowest tradesperson satisfaction scores of the three on Trustpilot. Recent review patterns show a high proportion of one-star ratings from tradespeople citing charging after cancellation, refusal to refund credits for invalid leads, and aggressive sales calls to upgrade plans. Positive reviews come primarily from homeowner accounts reporting satisfactory job outcomes, not from tradespeople.
Both Checkatrade and Rated People operate annual contracts that renew automatically unless cancelled in writing before a specified notice deadline. Trustpilot reviews from 2024–2026 document tradespeople being charged for a second annual year they believed they had cancelled. Financial exposure is the full annual fee — £300–£900 for Checkatrade, £350–£600 for Rated People — charged to the card on file. MyBuilder avoids this risk by operating credit-bundle billing with no annual contract. Read cancellation terms before signing up and set a calendar reminder at least 30 days before renewal.
On MyBuilder and Rated People, the same job request can be accessed by multiple tradespeople simultaneously. If five tradespeople each spend £10 in credits on the same job and one wins it, the other four have paid £10 each for a zero-revenue outcome. At a 20–25% close rate on competitive shared jobs, the effective cost per booked job is four to five times the nominal per-lead credit cost — before accounting for jobs where the homeowner becomes uncontactable after the credit is spent. Track credits spent versus jobs booked to measure real platform ROI.
On Checkatrade especially, profile visibility in consumer searches is strongly correlated with review count and average rating. A new member with zero reviews is listed but effectively invisible relative to a competing member with 80 reviews at 9.4/10. New members may pay 3–6 months of subscription fees before accumulating sufficient reviews to generate consistent inbound enquiry volume. The cost of that ramp period — approximately £75–£225 at standard Checkatrade rates — should be treated as a platform onboarding cost, not a lead cost.
Google's pay-per-lead product available for UK plumbing, electrical, locksmith, and cleaning trades (expanding). Leads are exclusive: the homeowner contacts you directly from the Google search result. Google verifies the business (background check, insurance, licence where applicable) and displays a 'Google Guaranteed' badge. No annual fee; pay only for verified leads. The dispute process for invalid leads is considered more transparent than Checkatrade or Rated People. Check eligibility at ads.google.com/local-services-ads.
A fully optimised Google Business Profile with consistent NAP data, 40+ reviews, and trade-specific photos generates free inbound leads from the Google local pack indefinitely — no membership fee, no per-lead charge, no auto-renewal. Combined with service-area landing pages targeting 'trade + town' keywords, organic local SEO typically delivers a lower cost per booked job than any paid platform after 6–12 months. See /en-GB/visibility/local-seo-for-tradesmen/ for a step-by-step guide.
UK-originated credit marketplace where homeowners post job requests and tradespeople purchase credits to respond — broadly similar to MyBuilder's credit model but with broader trade and service-industry coverage. Lead costs are generally comparable to MyBuilder credits in most trades; the opt-in response model means tradespeople choose which requests to pursue. Best evaluated as a supplementary channel alongside Google Business Profile rather than as a primary lead source.
How to rank in the Google local pack for trade keywords in your town and generate free, exclusive inbound leads long-term.
ExploreStep-by-step setup and optimisation of Google Business Profile to maximise visibility in local search and Google Maps across UK postcodes.
ExploreHow to apply, pass Google's verification, and manage budget on Google LSA — the lowest-cost-per-lead alternative to directory platform membership for eligible UK trades.
ExploreThe real questions we get every week about this comparison.
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Talk to the teamCheckatrade does not publish a fixed public price list. Based on member-reported figures in r/TradeUK and Checkatrade community forums (2025–2026), annual membership costs approximately £300–£900/yr depending on trade category, the number of postcodes covered, and whether you choose a standard or premium tier. Plumbers and electricians in competitive city postcodes typically report costs at the higher end. The contract auto-renews annually — read the cancellation terms carefully and set a reminder at least 30 days before your renewal date to avoid an unwanted charge. Checkatrade does not charge per lead; the membership fee covers profile visibility and directory listing.
For a new tradesperson with zero or very few reviews, Checkatrade membership delivers limited immediate value. Profile visibility in consumer searches is strongly correlated with review count and average rating. A new member with no reviews is listed but competes invisibly against members with 50–100 verified reviews. The practical path: build your Google Business Profile and accumulate real-job reviews there first (free), then evaluate Checkatrade once you have at least 15–20 reviews to reference. MyBuilder's credit model (no annual contract, selective quoting) is a lower-risk way to generate early jobs and build a review base before committing to a Checkatrade annual membership.
Both are credit-based marketplaces where you pay to access homeowner job requests, but their contract models differ. MyBuilder has no annual contract — you buy credit bundles as needed and can stop without cancellation risk. Rated People operates an annual subscription that includes a credit allowance; additional credits are purchased on top, creating higher financial lock-in. Tradesperson satisfaction data from Trustpilot (June 2026) rates MyBuilder higher (~2.8/5) than Rated People (~1.9/5), with cancellation difficulties and billing after cancellation as Rated People's dominant complaint category. For tradespeople weighing the two, MyBuilder's no-contract model is significantly lower risk.
Based on multiple Trustpilot reviews from 2024–2026, cancelling Rated People mid-contract and obtaining a pro-rata refund is difficult. The standard position described by members is that the annual subscription fee is non-refundable, and cancellation only takes effect at the end of the contract term. Some reviews document charges continuing after confirmed written cancellation. If you are considering a Rated People subscription, read the cancellation clause before signing, confirm the notice period required, and request confirmation of cancellation in writing. If charged after a confirmed cancellation, Citizens Advice and your card provider's chargeback process are documented routes other members have used.
Google Local Services Ads (LSA) is Google's pay-per-lead product for local businesses. In the UK it is available for plumbing, electrical, locksmith, and cleaning trades, with availability expanding. Tradespeople are verified by Google — background check, insurance confirmation, and licence where applicable — and displayed at the top of Google Search with a 'Google Guaranteed' badge. Leads are exclusive: the homeowner contacts you directly from the search result, not through a platform. There is no annual fee; you pay only for verified leads. The dispute process for invalid leads is considered more consistent than Checkatrade or Rated People. Check UK eligibility and apply at ads.google.com/local-services-ads.
Calculate your cost per booked job (CPJ) over a minimum 90-day period. Formula: total platform spend (membership + top-up credits + credits not refunded for invalid jobs) divided by jobs actually invoiced from that platform. Compare CPJ to your average job value. A sustainable CPJ is typically under 15–20% of average job value — for a £600 average job, a CPJ above £90–£120 means the channel is not profitable at your current close rate. Most tradespeople who track this rigorously find their effective CPJ on shared-lead platforms is 25–40% of job value once competition, no-answer contacts, and time cost are included.
Yes — Checkatrade's vetting is the most rigorous of the three and is central to its consumer-facing brand promise. Standard checks include: identity verification, public liability insurance confirmation, trade references (typically two), and alignment with Trading Standards requirements. For gas engineers, Gas Safe registration is verified; for electricians, NICEIC or NAPIT registration is checked. Checkatrade also conducts ongoing spot-checks and re-verification at renewal. This is meaningfully more thorough than MyBuilder's optional ID badge or Rated People's basic registration, and is the primary reason Checkatrade commands higher consumer trust in safety-critical trades.
For plumbers in the UK, Checkatrade is the most defensible long-term platform because the vetting process (including insurance and Gas Safe registration where applicable) is a genuine trust signal for homeowners searching for emergency or planned plumbing work. A Checkatrade profile with 40+ reviews at 9/10+ generates consistent direct inbound contact in most UK cities. Run Google Local Services Ads in parallel — LSA is available for plumbing in the UK and delivers exclusive leads with a Google Guaranteed badge; the two channels reinforce each other without duplicate billing. MyBuilder can supplement volume for larger jobs (bathroom refits, boiler installations) where credit cost is proportionate. Avoid paying for both MyBuilder and Rated People simultaneously — similar audience, lower satisfaction with Rated People, and credit costs overlap.
Yes. Google Local Services Ads is the highest-priority alternative: exclusive leads, Google Guaranteed badge, no annual fee, pay per verified lead. Bark.com is a UK-originated credit marketplace with broader trade and service coverage; costs are generally lower than MyBuilder credits in most trades. TrustATrader is a UK directory model similar to Checkatrade with a smaller consumer audience but lower membership cost in some trade categories. Which? Trusted Traders has high consumer trust within the Which? subscriber audience but narrower reach than Checkatrade. For zero-cost options: an optimised Google Business Profile with consistent reviews generates free inbound leads from the Google local pack; Nextdoor and local Facebook trade groups provide community-level referral traffic at no cost.
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